Bahá'í studies

Bahá'í studies refers to the scholarly study of the Bahá'í Faith, its teachings, history and literature. Bahá'í studies are currently conducted in a variety of venues, including institutes of the Bahá'í administration as well as non-affiliated universities. Some scholars study some aspect of the Bahá'í Faith as part of research on related matters while others engage in Bahá'í studies as a primary focus of their research. Scholars' comments on the religion and its predecessor Bábism date back to the at least 1845, the year after its founding. Initially they were often Orientalists or Christian missionaries but through time both Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'í researchers have addressed the religion especially in tune with the growth of the religion, which has been called significant.

A number of collections of Bahá'í related materials are preserved around the world. Some are maintained at universities; the Bahá'í World Center, especially at the Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts, the International Archives, and International Bahá'í Library, most National Bahá'í Assemblies and many local Bahá'í assemblies or institutions maintain their own archives.

A number of venues exist for publishing materials related to the Bahá'í Faith. Many national assemblies have their own publishing trust and there are a few publishing houses that run more or less independently. Among them are:

see List of scholar Bahá'ís or authors, as well as History of the Bahá'í Faith and Bahá'í timeline.

Starting with the antecedent Bábísm religion, as viewed by Bahá'ís, scholarship on the religion began in its earliet days.

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