Need to study the Qur'án
Importance of studying the Qur'án (though not required to acquire a mastery unless desired)[edit]
"O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens of the Revelation of the Qur'án, were it to contemplate the realm of divine knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before thee."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, par. 156)
"The truth is that Western historians have for many centuries distorted the facts to suit their religious and ancestral prejudices. The Baha'is should try to study history anew, and to base all their investigations first and foremost on the written Scriptures of Islam and Christianity."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1664)
“Shoghi Effendi wishes me also to express his deepfelt appreciation of your intention to study the Qur’án. The knowledge of this revealed holy Book is, indeed, indispensable to every Bahá’í who wishes to adequately understand the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. And in view of that the Guardian has been invariably encouraging the friends to make as thorough a study of this Book as possible, particularly in their summer schools.”
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 122)
"The Qur'án should be to some extent studied by the Bahá'ís but they certainly need not seek to acquire a mastery over it, which would take years, unless they really want to."
- (On behalf of? Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, pp. 453-454)