The Bahá'í Faith is a
monotheistic
religion, whose members follow the teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh, their prophet founder. The Bahá'í Faith is the
second most widespread of the world's independent religions in terms
of the number of countries in which it is represented (second due to
its absence from the
Vatican City), established in 236 countries and territories
throughout the world. Bahá'ís come from over 2,100 ethnic, racial,
and tribal groups and are numbered at approximately 6 million
adherents worldwide. The central works of the Bahá'í Scriptures have
been translated into 802 languages.Bahá'u'lláh taught that there
is one God
Who progressively reveals His will to humanity. Each of the great
religions brought by the Messengers of God - such as
Moses,
Krishna,
Buddha,
Zoroaster, Jesus,
Muhammad, the
Báb -
represents a successive stage in the spiritual development of
civilization. Bahá'u'lláh, the most recent Messenger in this line as
Bahá'ís believe, has brought teachings that address the moral and
spiritual challenges of the modern world. As such, although the
Bahá'í Faith is not traditionally included among the
Abrahamic religions, it recognizes many of the same personages.
Some consider the Bahá'í Faith as the youngest of the world's
independent religions. Its central theme is that humanity is one
single race and that the day has come for its unification in one
global society.
History
The Báb
In 1844
the
Persian prophet Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad, who adopted the title "the
Báb",
which means "the Gate" in Arabic, established a new religion. It is
distinct from Islam
but grew out of the Islamic matrix in the same way that Christianity
grew out of Judaism or
Buddhism out of
Hinduism. Followers of the Báb were known as
Bábís
and their religion as "the Bábí Faith". The Bábí Faith has its own
scriptures and religious teachings, but its duration was very short.
The Báb's primary purpose was to prepare the way for "Him whom God
shall manifest," the One promised in the scriptures of all of the
world's great religions.
The ecclesiastical and political authorities were alarmed by the
large numbers of people who quickly became attracted to these new
religious teachings. The Báb and his followers were persecuted
relentlessly. The Báb was imprisoned and eventually executed by a
firing squad in
Tabriz,
Persia
(present-day
Iran)
on July
9, 1850.
His mission lasted six years.
Bahá'u'lláh
Mírzá Husayn-`Alí, who took the title
Bahá'u'lláh, which is Arabic for "the Glory of God", was a
Persian nobleman who became one of the early, prominent followers of
the Báb. He was arrested and imprisoned during a period of severe
persecution in 1852. While incarcerated in the dungeon of the Siyáh-Chál
in Tehran, He received the first intimations that He was the One
anticipated by the Báb. Nine years later, in
1863,
while exiled in
Baghdad,
Iraq,
He formally announced His mission to His family and a small number
of followers.
The machinations of the Persian and Ottoman authorities took
Bahá'u'lláh further and further into exile, from Baghdad to
Constantinople (present-day
Istanbul), then to
Adrianople (present-day Edirne), and finally, in
1868,
to the penal colony of Acre, on the very edge of the
Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh remained there until His passing on
May 29,
1892,
after forty years of exile and imprisonment. Bahá'ís regard His
resting place outside the city as the holiest spot on earth, to
which they turn in prayer each day.
The other important Bahá'í holy place in the Haifa/Acre area is
the tomb or Shrine of the Báb, located on the slope of Mount Carmel
in Haifa. The remains of the Báb were brought secretly from Persia
to the Holy Land and were eventually interred in the Shrine built
for them in a spot specifically designated by Bahá'u'lláh.
Bahá'u'lláh revealed the equivalent of more than one hundred
volumes of divinely inspired writings in
Arabic and
Persian. The main repository of the laws of Bahá'u'lláh's
revelation is the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas, "the Most Holy Book".
`Abdu'l-Bahá
Before His passing, Bahá'u'lláh appointed His eldest son,
`Abdu'l-Bahá;, as His successor and the sole interpreter of His
teachings. Bahá'u'lláh designated him "Center of the Covenant" and
directed all Bahá'ís to turn to `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Head of their
Faith.
(In the Bahá'í Faith, "Covenant" refers specifically to the
succession of authority from Bahá'u'lláh to `Abdu'l-Bahá, and from
`Abdu'l-Bahá to the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice.
Those who publicly deny and rebel against this established
succession of authority are known as "Covenant-Breakers", and are
subsequently excommunicated from the Bahá'í community. The purpose
of the Covenant is to safeguard the unity of the Bahá'í community,
protecting it from the influence of schismatics.)
`Abdu'l-Bahá had shared his Father's long exile and imprisonment.
This imprisonment continued until `Abdu'l-Bahá's own release as a
result of the "Young Turk" revolution in
1908.
Shortly after his release, `Abdu'l-Bahá traveled to Europe and
America, proclaiming the teachings of his Father and nurturing the
fledgling Bahá'í communities that had sprung up in various centers
in Europe, the
United States and
Canada.
Many of his talks were recorded and have been published in books
entitled "Paris Talks" and "The Promulgation of Universal Peace."
Another important work of `Abdu'l-Bahá, which set the course of the
expansion and consolidation of the Bahá'í world community, is a
series of documents called "Tablets of the Divine Plan". He also
carried on a voluminous correspondence with Bahá'í communities and
individuals over a period of many years, and many of these letters,
or "Tablets", have been translated and published in various
languages.
`Abdu'l-Bahá died in Haifa on
November 28,
1921.
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and schism
The Bahá'í Faith since its inception has been attacked from
within by individuals and groups who have tried to seize control
from the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh,'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Shoghi Effendi, or the
Universal House of Justice. Prior to
1970s
no such attempt survived beyond its founder's death. Bahá'ís believe
that through the history of the Faith, each of these attempts to
attack the Faith have faded away into obscurity through the
protection of the "Covenant", which is essentially the written Will
and Testaments of the respective Centers of the Covenant. Thus
according to the Bahá'í beliefs the Faith of God is protected from
division by the Covenant. The following quote of Abdu'l-Bahá brings
light to this in unequivocal terms.
- "As to the most great characteristic of the revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, a specific teaching not given by any of the Prophets
of the past: It is the ordination and appointment of the Centre of
the Covenant. By this appointment and provision He has safeguarded
and protected the religion of God against difference and schisms,
making it impossible for anyone to create a new sect or faction of
belief." —Abdu'l-Bahá
The most recent such attempt at schism dates from
1960
when Charles Mason Remey called for the Bahá'í community to
recognize him as the head of the faith. Since Remey's death in
1974,
some would claim a schism of the Bahá'í Faith has occurred and that
the Faith is divided between the majority followers under the
administration of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa and the
Orthodox Bahai Faith or perhaps one of the
Minor Baha'i divisions derived from Remey's claims. The majority
of Bahá'ís however believe that such a claim is unwarranted, is in
violation of the Covenant, that the schismatic groups will quickly
fade away.
A history of the Charles Mason Remey affair, and the groups which
identify with him is available here:
Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him.
(http://bahai-library.com/?file=uhj_mason_remey_followers.html)
(external link at bahai-library.com). This review of the Remey
affair was written by the Universal House of Justice, and has
conclusions which are stated from their point of view. The
historical record included appears neutral.
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