Tablet of the Seeker and Prerequisites of the Mi’ráj: The Kitáb-i-Iqán and the Irshád al-’Avám

Abstract

The much-loved so-called "Tablet of the True Seeker" in Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i Íqán contains a list of spiritual qualities necessary to attain the status of the "true seeker." Immediately before this section, Bahá'u'lláh makes reference to a work entitled the Irshád al-`Avám, by Karim Khan Kirmani. Describing how he came to receive a copy of this book and read a portion of it, he offers a sharp critique of the work, criticizing in particular the author's section on the mi`ráj. This paper will examine in close detail that portion of the Irshád al-'Avám that Bahá'u'lláh discusses in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, including a comparison of Karim Khan Kirmani's prerequisites for understanding the mi'ráj and Bahá'u'lláh's list of prerequisites for attaining the status of "true seeker."