“When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does it bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree.”
— ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
The world’s great faiths have animated civilizations throughout history. Each affirms the existence of an all-loving God and opens the doors of understanding to the spiritual dimension of life. Each cultivates the love of God and of humanity in the human heart and seeks to bring out the noblest qualities and aspirations of the human being. Each has beckoned humankind to higher forms of civilization.
Over the thousands of years of humanity’s collective infancy and adolescence, the systems of shared belief brought by the world’s great religions have enabled people to unite and create bonds of trust and cooperation at ever-higher levels of social organization―from the family, to the tribe, to the city-state and nation. As the human race moves toward a global civilization, this power of religion to promote cooperation and propel cultural evolution can perhaps be better understood today than ever before. It is an insight that is increasingly being recognized and is affirmed in the work of evolutionary psychologists and cultural anthropologists.
The teachings of the Founders of the world’s religions have inspired breathtaking achievements in literature, architecture, art, and music. They have fostered the promotion of reason, science, and education. Their moral principles have been translated into universal codes of law, regulating and elevating human relationships. These uniquely endowed individuals are referred to as Manifestations of God in the Bahá’í writings, and include (among others) Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh. History provides countless examples of how these Figures have awakened in whole populations capacities to love, to forgive, to create, to dare greatly, to overcome prejudice, to sacrifice for the common good, and to discipline the impulses of humanity’s baser instincts. These achievements can be recognized as the common spiritual heritage of the human race.
Today, humanity faces the limits of a social order inadequate to meet the compelling challenges of a world that has virtually shrunk to the level of a neighborhood. On this small planet, sovereign nations find themselves caught between cooperation and competition. The well-being of humanity and of the environment are too often compromised for national self-interest. Propelled by competing ideologies, divided by various constructs of us versus them, the people of the world are plunged into one crisis after another—brought on by war, terrorism, prejudice, oppression, economic disparity, and environmental upheaval, among other causes.
Bahá’u’lláh—as the latest in the series of divinely inspired moral educators Who have guided humanity from age to age—has proclaimed that humanity is now approaching its long-awaited stage of maturity: unity at the global level of social organization. He provides a vision of the oneness of humanity, a moral framework, and teachings that, founded on the harmony of science and religion, directly address today’s problems. He points the way to the next stage of human social evolution. He offers to the peoples of the world a unifying story consistent with our scientific understanding of reality. He calls on us to recognize our common humanity, to see ourselves as members of one family, to end estrangement and prejudice, and to come together. By doing so, all peoples and every social group can be protagonists in shaping their own future and, ultimately, a just and peaceful global civilization.
The life and teachings of the Báb.
The life and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
History of the Faith
The Bahá’í Faith traces its origin to 1844 and the announcement by a young man, Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad, in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), that He had been sent by God to prepare humanity for a new age and the imminent appearance of another Messenger even greater than Himself.
Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad took the title of the Báb (meaning “Gate” in Arabic) and said the one whose coming He foretold would be the universal Manifestation of God sent to inaugurate an age of peace and enlightenment as promised in all the world’s religions.
The Báb’s teachings, which spread rapidly, were viewed as heretical by the clergy and government of Persia. More than 20,000 of His followers, known as Bábís, perished in a series of massacres throughout the country.
The Báb Himself was publicly executed in the city of Tabriz on 9 July 1850.
Bahá’ís consider the Báb to be both an independent Messenger of God and the forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh (“the Glory of God” in Arabic), who is the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahá’u’lláh, whose name was Mírzá Husayn ‘Alí, was born into a noble family in Tehran on 12 November 1817. In His mid-20s, He declined a life of privilege and became one of the leading disciples of the Báb.
In 1852, in the course of the persecution of the Bábís, He was arrested, beaten, and thrown into an infamous dungeon in Tehran. After four months, He was released and banished from His native land – the beginning of 40 years of exile and imprisonment.
He was first sent to Baghdad, where He and His companions stayed for 10 years. In 1863, on the eve of His further banishment to what is now Turkey and then to the Holy Land, Bahá’u’lláh announced that He was the Universal Messenger of God foretold by the Báb.
In 1868, Bahá’u’lláh arrived in the Holy Land with about 70 family members and followers, sentenced by the Ottoman authorities to perpetual confinement in the penal colony of Acre. The order of confinement was never lifted, but because of the growing recognition of His outstanding character, He eventually was able to move outside the walls of the prison city. He lived His final years at a country home called Bahjí, where He passed away in 1892. He was interred there, and His shrine is the holiest place on earth for Bahá’ís.
During the 40 years of His exile, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a series of books, tablets, and letters that today form the core of the holy writings of the Bahá’í Faith. Comprising the equivalent of some 100 volumes, the writings of Bahá’u’lláh describe the nature of God and the purpose of human existence, give new religious laws, and outline a vision for creating a peaceful and prosperous global society.
In His will, Bahá’u’lláh named His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi (1844-1921), as the head of the Bahá’í Faith and authorized interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abbás Effendi, known to Bahá’ís as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (“Servant of Bahá”), became well-known in the Haifa-Acre area for his charitable works, and he also traveled through Europe and North America to encourage nascent Bahá’í communities and to proclaim Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to the general public. The writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are considered part of the sacred scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921. In his will he had designated his grandson Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957) as his successor, with the title of Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. During the ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the religion spread around the world, and its local and national administrative institutions were established. With the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, the line of hereditary leaders of the Bahá’í Faith came to an end.
Following provisions established by Bahá’u’lláh, in 1963 the Universal House of Justice was elected to direct the affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community. The nine members of the Universal House of Justice are elected every five years by the members of the Bahá’í national administrative bodies around the world.
The castle of Máh-Kú, where the Báb was imprisoned.
The sea gate where Bahá'u'lláh and His companions entered ‘Akká in 1868, c. 1920.
Cypress grove on the south side of the Shrine of the Báb, where Bahá’u’lláh indicated to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá where the Shrine of the Báb was to be built, c. 1909.
Mansion of Bahjí where Bahá’u’lláh spent the final years of His life, early 1900s.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a group of Bahá’ís at Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois, 3 May 1912.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressing a large gathering at the Plymouth Congregational Church, Chicago, Illinois, 5 May 1912.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a group of friends in Brooklyn, New York, June 1912.
'Abdu’l-Bahá walking outside 7 Haparsim Street in Haifa, c. 1919.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land, c. 1920.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá receiving knighthood for relief of distress and famine during the war, 27 April 1920.
Ten thousand mourners from numerous religious backgrounds attend the funeral of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa, 29 November 1921.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Bahá’í community of the United States sponsored a series of race amity conferences and meetings, like this one held by the New York Bahá’í Assembly and the New York Urban League in New York City in 1930.
Shrine of the Báb.
Pathway to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.
Graphic rendering of the garden covering the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.