For other related uses, see, Monotheistic religion founded by Baháʼu'lláh. God treats all humans as equal 5. As the Báb's teachings spread, which the Islamic clergy saw as blasphemous, his followers came under increased persecution and torture. According to The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004: The majority of Baháʼís live in Asia (3.6 million), Africa (1.8 million), and Latin America (900,000). Worldwide, as of 2018, ten Baháʼí Houses of Worship, including eight Mother Temples and two local Houses of Worship have been built[118] and a further five are planned for construction. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. [28] Specific religious social teachings (for example, the direction of prayer, or dietary restrictions) may be revoked by a subsequent manifestation so that a more appropriate requirement for the time and place may be established. They share this belief in God's nature with Christians, Jews, and Muslims, although what each of these religions believes about the one and only God can be quite different. These functions include teaching and education, implementing Baháʼí laws, addressing social issues, and caring for the weak and the poor. [67][72] ʻAbdu'l-Bahá had shared his father's long exile and imprisonment, which continued until ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's own release as a result of the Young Turk Revolution in 1908. Baha'i Beliefs. Baháʼu'lláh first announces his claim to divine revelation in Baghdad, Iraq. It was founded by Baha'u'llah in Iran in the 19th century. Prejudices(unkind beliefs about people without knowing them first) should be fixed 7. [11] His followers were therefore known as Bábís. Centers of Learning The Baha’is of the United States operate three year-round conference and retreat centers that offer a wide range of programming for adults, youth and children. The Greater Covenant is viewed as a more enduring agreement between God and humanity, where a Manifestation of God is expected to come to humanity about every thousand years, at times of turmoil and uncertainty. All Baháʼí community properties, including Baháʼí centers, libraries, and cemeteries, have been confiscated by the government and fatwas have been issued charging Baháʼís with apostasy. Baháʼu'lláh's Kitáb-i-Aqdas and The Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá are foundational documents of the Baháʼí administrative order. Baha’is believe God is unknowable; therefore, God cannot incarnate Himself to be present among men. From 1844-1850, when The Bab, the Herald of Baha’i Faith, unfurled his revelation, he taught a number of truths also deeply held by Indigenous peoples around the world. [143][145], During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to divert attention from economic difficulties in Iran and from a growing nationalist movement, a campaign of persecution against the Baháʼís was instituted. [24] Three principles are central to these teachings: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of humanity. From the very beginning of the Baha’i Faith—which started with the revelation of The Bab—the Baha’i teachings aligned remarkably with many Indigenous beliefs. [112], While some of the laws from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are applicable at the present time, others are dependent upon the existence of a predominantly Baháʼí society, such as the punishments for arson or murder. The most severe persecutions have occurred in Iran, where more than 200 Baháʼís were executed between 1978 and 1998. BAHA’I FAITH INTRODUCTION: THE BAHA’I FAITH AND ITS PEOPLE The Baha’i house of worship in New Delhi, India, built in 1986. [115] Baháʼu'lláh highly praised marriage, discouraged divorce, and required chastity outside of marriage; Baháʼu'lláh taught that a husband and wife should strive to improve the spiritual life of each other. [78] In 1953, he launched the first international plan, the Ten Year World Crusade. The religion has three central figures: the Báb (1819–1850), considered a herald who taught that God would soon send a prophet in the same way of Jesus or Muhammad and who was executed by Iranian authorities in 1850; Baháʼu'lláh (1817–1892), who claimed to be that prophet in 1863 and faced exile and imprisonment for most of his life; and his son, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1844–1921), who was released from confinement in 1908 and made teaching trips to Europe and the United States. They further state: "The Baha'i Faith is the only religion to have grown faster in every United Nations region over the past 100 years than the general population; Bahaʼi was thus the fastest-growing religion between 1910 and 2010, growing at least twice as fast as the population of almost every UN region. [114] The Baháʼí teachings on marriage call it a fortress for well-being and salvation and place marriage and the family as the foundation of the structure of human society. The Báb himself was imprisoned and eventually executed in 1850. [67][73] In his Will, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá appointed Shoghi Effendi, his eldest grandson, as the first Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith. Baha’i Faith, religion founded in Iraq in the mid-19th century by Mirza Hosayn ‘Ali Nuri, who is known as Baha’ Allah. [35] Baháʼís, however, assert that their religion is a distinct tradition with its own scriptures, teachings, laws, and history. [25] In Baghdad, his leadership revived the persecuted followers of the Báb in Iran, so Iranian authorities requested his removal, which instigated a summons to Constantinople (now Istanbul) from the Ottoman Sultan. Baha’i Religion or Baha’i is believed that God periodically reveals his will through divine messengers, whose purpose is to transform the character of humankind and to develop, within those who respond to moral and spiritual qualities. The Bahá'í Faith is an Abrahamic religion started in the 1800s by an Iranian person called Bahá'u'lláh who was born in Tehran, Iran.Followers of this religion call themselves Bahá'ís.The name Bahá'u'lláh is Arabic for "The Glory of God". "[115], Baháʼu'lláh prohibited a mendicant and ascetic lifestyle. Consequently, Baháʼís were unable to obtain government identification documents (such as national identification cards, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage or divorce certificates, or passports) necessary to exercise their rights in their country unless they lied about their religion, which conflicts with Baháʼí religious principle. [28] The Báb's tomb, located in Haifa, Israel, is an important place of pilgrimage for Baháʼís. Baha'u'llah announced that he was a messenger from God sent to help bring about a new age of global civilisation which would be characterised by unity and peace. Bahá'í at a glance; Beliefs. In thousands upon thousands of locations around the world, the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith inspire individuals and communities as they work to improve their own lives and contribute to the advancement of civilization. The central figure of the religion is Baha’u’llah, and Baha’is consider him to be the latest in a series of divine messengers.His writings, which promote peace and unity, are at the heart of the Baha’i Faith. [56], Some of Baháʼu'lláh's most important writings include the Kitáb-i-Aqdas ("Most Holy Book"), which defines many laws and practices for individuals and society,[57] the Kitáb-i-Íqán ("Book of Certitude"), which became the foundation of much of Baháʼí belief,[58] and Gems of Divine Mysteries, which includes further doctrinal foundations. The Baha’i Faith is a worldwide religion based on the teachings of Baha’u’llah (1817-1892). The Baha'i faith was founded in the mid-19th century C.E. [146] In the late 1970s the Shah's regime consistently lost legitimacy due to criticism that it was pro-Western. [25] The Baháʼí New Year corresponds to the traditional Iranian New Year, called Naw Rúz, and occurs on the vernal equinox, near 21 March, at the end of the month of fasting. The Baha’i Faith is a global faith community, established in virtually every country in the world. Aside from these countries, numbers vary greatly. BahaiTeachings.org is excited to share this animated introduction to the Baha'i Faith by Rainn Wilson. Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892), the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, is recognized as the most recent in a line of Divine Messengers that includes … Conversely, certain general principles (for example, neighbourliness, or charity) are seen to be universal and consistent. Every human is seen to have a duty to recognize God through his messengers, and to conform to their teachings. Currently, no country has a Baháʼí majority.[108]. [74], Shoghi Effendi throughout his lifetime translated Baháʼí texts; developed global plans for the expansion of the Baháʼí community; developed the Baháʼí World Centre; carried on a voluminous correspondence with communities and individuals around the world; and built the administrative structure of the religion, preparing the community for the election of the Universal House of Justice. According to the Baháʼí teachings, God is single and all-powerful. [37] Most religious specialists now see it as an independent religion, with its religious background in Shiʻa Islam being seen as analogous to the Jewish context in which Christianity was established. Unity is at all times the overarching theme of Bahá'í belief; in theological terms, it manifests itself in the understanding that the sole Creator has a single plan for the one humanity. Beyond this lay the difficulty which the regime faced in harnessing the nationalist movement that had supported Musaddiq. What Bahá'ís Believe Central tenets of the Bahá'í Faith, based on the questions in the Belief-O-Matic quiz. [163] On 3 January 2010, Iranian authorities detained ten more members of the Baha'i minority, reportedly including Leva Khanjani, granddaughter of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of seven Baha'i leaders jailed since 2008 and in February, they arrested his son, Niki Khanjani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1994. "Glory" is a word that means "importance", "power", and "beauty". [91] Any male Baháʼí, 21 years or older, is eligible to be elected to the Universal House of Justice; all other positions are open to male and female Baháʼís. These beliefs are: belief in one God Bahá'í beliefs about God. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. Bahá'í at a glance; Beliefs. Baháʼu'lláh taught that religion is revealed in an orderly and progressive way by Manifestations of God, who are the founders of major world religions throughout history; Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are noted as the most recent of these before the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh. Bahá'ís believe there is one God and that all the universe and creation belong to him; God is omnipotent, perfect and has complete knowledge of life [170] In fact it was the Iranian leader Naser al-Din Shah Qajar who banished Baháʼu'lláh from Iran to the Ottoman Empire and Baháʼu'lláh was later exiled by the Ottoman Sultan, at the behest of the Iranian Shah, to territories further away from Iran and finally to Acre in Syria, which only a century later was incorporated into the state of Israel. A summary of the main Bahá’í beliefs is set out in the collected talks which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave in the USA. [122] The Baháʼí week is familiar in that it consists of seven days, with each day of the week also named after an attribute of God. At the heart of Baháʼí teachings is the goal of a unified world order that ensures the prosperity of all nations, races, creeds, and classes.[13][14]. ... Beliefs. BAHA’I FAITH INTRODUCTION: THE BAHA’I FAITH AND ITS PEOPLE The Baha’i house of worship in New Delhi, India, built in 1986. There is only One God, but he has many names 3. The Baha’i Faith is a worldwide religion based on the teachings of Baha’u’llah (1817-1892). Baha'i. Later, the Universal House of Justice was founded as the governing body for the religion. [133] By 2017 there were an estimated 40,000 small scale projects, 1,400 sustained projects, and 135 Baháʼí inspired organizations. Islam and the Bahá'í Faith, An Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith for Muslims. Baháʼís regard the major religions as fundamentally unified in purpose, though varied in social practices and interpretations. [156] Other observers were not allowed in the court. Spiritual Beliefs of the Bahá'í Faith >> Bahá'í Principles >> Progressive Revelation >> Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh >> Selection of Bahá'í Prayers >> How Bahá'ís view other religions >> “The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.” A&C Black. [165] However, the government has never produced convincing evidence supporting its characterization of the Baháʼí community. [80], Current initiatives of social action include activities in areas like health, sanitation, education, gender equality, arts and media, agriculture, and the environment. The Báb taught that God would soon send a new messenger, and Baháʼís consider Baháʼu'lláh to be that person. [66], Baháʼís see the Báb as the forerunner of the Baháʼí Faith, because the Báb's writings introduced the concept of "He whom God shall make manifest", a Messianic figure whose coming, according to Baháʼís, was announced in the scriptures of all of the world's great religions, and whom Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, claimed to be. “He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body.”— Bahá’u’lláh. BAHÁ'Í BELIEFS RELATED TO HEALTH CARE. Later, the Universal House of Justice was founded as the governing body for the religion. There are over 27,000 extant documents by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, mostly letters, of which only a fraction have been translated into English. The Hidden Words is another book written by Baháʼu'lláh during the same period, containing 153 short passages in which Baháʼu'lláh claims to have taken the basic essence of certain spiritual truths and written them in brief form. [175] The first identification cards were issued to two Baháʼís under the new decree on 8 August 2009. For the establishment of a lasting peace (The Most Great Peace) and the purging of the "overwhelming Corruptions" it is necessary that all the people of the world universally unite under a universal Faith.[48]. The Bahá’í Faith is a world religion based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. [143] During that campaign, initiated by Mulla Muhammad Taghi Falsafi, the Baha'i center in Tehran was demolished at the orders of Tehran military governor, General Timor Bakhtiar. Bahá'í beliefs promoted major social changes when they were first circulated in the 19th century: they supported gender and race equality; world government; freedom of expression and assembly; world peace; religious tolerance, and religious cooperation. "Glory" is a word that means "importance", "power", and "beauty". Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892), the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, is recognized as the most recent in a line of Divine Messengers that includes … God There is one God, no Trinity. From a Bahá’í viewpoint, true health extends beyond the physical. The Baha’i Faith. [31], Baháʼí notions of progressive religious revelation result in their accepting the validity of the well known religions of the world, whose founders and central figures are seen as Manifestations of God. [99] Baháʼí cemeteries have been desecrated and property has been seized and occasionally demolished, including the House of Mírzá Buzurg, Baháʼu'lláh's father. [28][36] The religion was initially seen as a sect of Islam because of its belief in the prophethood of Muhammad and in the authenticity and veracity of the Qur’an. This site is an individual initiative and is not affiliated with any Baha'i Institutions. 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