The three central Figures most closely associated with the Bahá’i Faith are The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. According to Bahá’ís, The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are divine Messengers who also known as the twin Manifestations of God. Baha’u’llah has brought new spiritual and social teachings for our modern age.
The fourth Figure of colossal significance to the Bahá’ís is Shoghi Effendi, the eldest grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who became the leader of the Bahá’í community over the period 1921 to 1957. He is also known as The Guardian, a hereditary office of the Bahá’í Faith that was first mentioned in the Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Bahá Currently, the international Bahá’í community is led by the Universal House of Justice whose creation was ordained by Bahá’u’lláh
The Báb
In 1819, a man was born in Iran who would cause a profound spiritual revolution in His country and beyond its borders.Sayyid‘Alí Muhammad, as He was named by birth, and later known by the title of the “Gate”, declared at the age of 25 that God had chosen Him to be the mouthpiece of a new divine revelation. His main mission was to prepare the way for a greater Messenger of God who, within a decade, would follow to guide humanity to its golden age. Many world religious traditions of the past have predicted this event, describing it as the promised Day of God, and Bahá’ís believe that The Báb’s declaration, which began in May of 1844, was the beginning of the fulfilment of those predictions and prophesies.The new teachings attracted fierce persecution particularly as The Báb’s announcement was considered as heresy by the ecclesiastical establishment who,joining forces with the Iranian government, committed themselves to the eradication of the Faith of the Báb. Consequently, thousands of His followers-men, women and children-suffered cruel and brutal deaths over a period of six years, leading to His public execution in 1850.
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Bahá’u’lláh
One of the most distinguished disciples of the Báb was an Iranian aristocrat namedMírzá ?usayn-`Alí Núríwho later adopted the title of Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God).He was born on 12 November 1817 in Mazindarán.Following the death of the Báb,Bahá’u’lláh was at first imprisoned in Tehran, Iran and then banished to Iraq.In1863, Bahá’u’lláh declared Himself to be the Great Manifestation of God whose coming had been foretold by the Báb as well as many of the Prophets from previous religions.After His declaration, He was successively banished to the cities of Edirne, Istanbuland ‘Akká which were all part of the Ottoman Empire at the time. Bahá’u’lláh arrived at the penal colony of ‘Akká (present-day Israel) in 1868 and remained as a state prisoner until his death on 29 May, 1892. Bahá’ís consider His Holy sepulchre in the outskirts of the city as the most sacred place in the world.Bahá’u’lláh wrote more than one hundred volumes of texts on ethical, spiritual and social issues. Likewise, He wrote bold epistles to monarchs and rulers of the worldsuch as Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, Pope Pius IX, the Czar Alexander II of Russia,the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, the Shah of Iran and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.The main collection of the laws of Bahá’u’lláh is entitled The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book). The second book in importance is The Kitáb-i-Iqán (the Book of Certitude) explaining the principle of Progressive Revelation, that is, how all the Prophets of God have come from the same God throughout history. Bahá’u’lláh isrecognised by the Bahá’ís of the world as the Messenger of God for this age.Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh exhort mankind to universal peace and unity among allraces, nations, and religions.
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The Life of Baha’u’llah
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as head of the Bahá’í Faith after His passing. He instructed the Bahá’ís to turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, not only as the authorized interpreter of the Bahá’í Writings but also as the perfect exemplar of the Faith’s spirit and teachings. In this way the nascent Bahá’í Faith was protected from separating into various sects, as has occurred in many other Faiths.Like Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent decades in banishment outside Iran. In 1908 hewas released from imprisonment due to political changes affecting the stability of the Ottoman Sultan. Soon He commenced world tours to the United States and six European countries proclaiming the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and promotinguniversal peace. Due to His services to society and humanitarian work ‘Abdu’l-Baháwas knighted by the British crown in 1920.‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks and writings have been translated and published in many languages. He died in 1921 after appointing His grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith in His Will.
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Luminous Journey Film Excerpt ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
(This film excerpt from the feature length documentary, ‘Luminous Journey’introduces ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and gives a brief history leading up to his arrival in the United States in 1912. Run time 2:33 mins. copyright Perry Productions 2013)
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi was a student at Oxford University when his grandfather died.`Abdu’l-Bahá named Shoghi Effendi as The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, which heexecuted with extraordinary wisdom and foresightfor thirty-six years, until hispassing in 1957. During that period he worked unsparingly towards its growth,strengthening the development of the Bahá’í Faith worldwide and advancing theadministrative structure of local and national Bahá’í communities.He translatedthe Bahá’í Scripturesinto English, and penned many elaborationsabout the implications and scope of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Through variousglobal plans which he inaugurated, the Bahá’í Faith spread to all countries of theworld.He also developed the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel, through theerection and acquisition of buildings associated with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Bahá’u’lláh.
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The life of Shoghi Effendi is described in detail in the book titled The Priceless Pearl
The Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme body governing the Bahá’í Faith. It consists of nine members elected every five years by the delegates of all Baha’i national communities. The Bahá’ís consider the statements of the Universal House of Justice as sources of authority and cohesion.The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Its members are elected without nominations or campaigns. The most recent election was in April 2018, with the participation of about 1,500 Bahá’ís representing 157 countries and territories.
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