What is Baha'i? discussion
WHAT IS BAHÁ’Í?
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The headquarters of the Faith is on Mount Carmel in Israel. It is interesting to note that two of Faith’s holy places in Israel have been designated as World Heritage sites by UNESCO.
The Faith has Houses of Worship on all continents. The House of Worship in India has been described as the second most visited building in the world, second only to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
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Three great Personalities constitute the Central Figures of the Faith. They are Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Faith; the Báb, who is the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh; and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Successor to Bahá’u’lláh.
THE BÁB: The Báb was born in October 1819 so October 2019 marked the bicentenary of His birth. He declared His mission in 1844. The name “The Báb” is actually a title in Arabic and means “The Gate”. As the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, He prepared the people of Persia (present-day Iran) for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. Thus He was the Gate through which Bahá’u’lláh came to carry out His Mission. The Báb was also the Gate to a new Age and Cycle of human existence. He was martyred for His claims in 1850.
Beyond being the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb was a Manifestation of God in His own right in that He brought a new Book, new laws and a religion called the Babi Faith. 20,000 of His followers were martyred in Persia for His Faith.
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH: Bahá’u’lláh was born in Persia in November 1817, so the world celebrated the bicentenary of His birth in 2017. Bahá’u’lláh’s mission as God’s Manifestation began in 1852, but He only declared this mission in 1863 while exiled in Baghdad, the capital of present-day Iraq. Bahá’u’lláh’s mission lasted for 40 years, and He passed away in 1892 in the land of present-day Israel (where He is also buried).
During His mission He wrote over 100 volumes of books.
Bahá’u’lláh suffered all throughout His mission, including being imprisoned and exiled from His country. The name Bahá’u’lláh is Arabic and means “The Glory of God”. Bahá’u’lláh is the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Followers of Bahá’u’lláh are known as Bahá’ís.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ: The name ‘Abdu’l-Bahá means “The Servant of Glory”. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not a Manifestation of God like the Báb or Bahá’u’lláh, but He was a very unique personality.
He was the eldest Son of Bahá’u’lláh and was born in 1844, the same night that the Báb declared His mission as a Manifestation of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was with His Father throughout His exiles and sufferings. After His Father’s passing, He undertook a three-year journey to proclaim the new Faith in North Africa, Europe and North America. He passed away in 1921 and is buried in Israel.
Bahá’ís consider ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as very unique in all religious history – because although He was not a Manifestation of God (which means He did come with a new revelation from God), He still had the knowledge and spiritual qualities of a perfect Being.
He was appointed by His Father to succeed Him as the leader of the Faith and was given the authority to accurately interpret the Teachings of the Faith for the believers. He led a life which was perfect and which serves as the example for Bahá’ís to follow. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá helped keep the Faith united.
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THE 12 PRINCIPLES: Bahá’u’lláh taught many spiritual and moral principles. But He also taught twelve other principles which underpin His vision for a peaceful and united world. These are called THE TWELVE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH. These principles are:
1. The oneness of God;
2. The oneness of religion (because the foundation of all religions is one);
3. The oneness of mankind;
4. Independent investigation of truth;
5. The elimination of all kinds of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national;
6. The need for harmony between science and religion;
7. World peace safeguarded by the necessary agencies, such as a world legislature and a world tribunal;
8. The equality of men and women;
9. The adoption of a universal auxiliary language;
10. Universal compulsory education;
11. A spiritual solution to economic problems, including the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty;
12. A world government.
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BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATION: The Bahá’í Faith has no clergy – no priests, bishops, archbishops, etc. What it has is a system of administration at local, national and international levels. After the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His chosen successor, Shoghi Effendi, became the Guardian of the Faith and under his direction, Bahá’í administrative institutions gradually came into being all across the globe.
The Universal House of Justice: This is made up of nine adult persons who are elected every five years to administer the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith worldwide. The Universal House of Justice is based at the Faith’s international headquarters in Haifa, Israel.
The National Spiritual Assembly: In every country with sufficient Bahá’ís, nine adult believers are elected each year from the community to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly of that country. The National Assembly administers the affairs of the Faith in that country. There are currently over 180 National Spiritual Assemblies in the world.
The Local Spiritual Assembly: Local Spiritual Assemblies are elected in every locality (village, town or city) where there are sufficient Bahá’ís. They are made up of nine adult believers who are elected each year from amongst the believers in the locality. The Local Assembly administers the affairs of the Faith in that locality.
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THE LAWS OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH: Bahá’u’lláh revealed many laws to guide the affairs of individual believers and the societies of the future. The laws for individuals include prayer, fasting, marriage and divorce, pilgrimage, burial, inheritance, and laws against the consumption of alcohol and narcotic drugs, among many others.
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THE STATION OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH: It is interesting to note that all the major religions of the world are in expectation of a great Manifestation of God who would appear in the “Last Day” to either take their members to “heaven” or bring about lasting renewal and change on the planet.
The Jews await their Messiah and believe His appearance in Israel (their ancestral Promised Land) will coincide with their own reassembling in that land after a long period of dispersal around the world.
The Christians believe, of course, that Jesus Christ will come again “in the glory of the Father”.
Muslims await Prophet Isa (Isa means Jesus) to be preceded by another Prophet they call the Mahdi.
Hindus anticipate that the coming of Kalki Avatar will occur whenever the world begins to suffer from rampant corruption and sin.
Buddhist expect the coming of their Fifth Buddha whom they call Maitreya, the Buddha of Universal Fellowship.
And Zoroastrians believe that in Persia (Iran), the land where their Prophet Zoroaster lived and taught 3,000 years ago, Shah Bahram will be revealed.
Bahá’u’lláh claims to be the fulfilment of all these expectations. It is not surprising therefore that significant numbers of Bahá’ís can be found amongst all religious groups in every corner of the globe.
Bahá’ís believe Bahá’u’lláh to be the Manifestation of God for Today and the Promised One of all Religions.