This is, by and large, a work for the converted, who will no doubt find in it occasional gems of wisdom and regular confirmation of existing beliefs. Even they, however, may discover little new: Gulpaygani seems to have been reluctant to say anything very original, preferring to base his ideas almost entirely on existing scriptural opinion, in particular that of Baha' Allah as found in the Kitab-i iqan. I myself found these essays for the most part jejune and verbose, even tiresome. The discussions of religious doctrine are tedious, and the historical sections (notably in the "Treatise for Alexander Tumansky") naive and distorted.
What is, perhaps, most interesting about the present collection is its rather conservative quality. Gulpaygani is radical enough in religious matters (although his discussions of most topics are derivative from Sufi and esoteric Shi'i traditions); but in other areas, such as the meaning of civilization or obedience to the state, his arguments are weak and of little relevance to reformism of that period. The non-Baha'i reader will, I think, find it hard to agree with the publishers' claim that "the startling modernity of Abu'l-Fadl's thought is as challenging today as it was when first written."
(Letters and Essays 1886-1913 by Mírzá Abú'l Faḍl Gulpaygání; Juan R. I. Cole Review by: Denis MacEoin)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4327672
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