The Baháʼí Faith is a monotheistic religion that emerged in 19th century Persia, with a focus on the fundamental worth of all religions and the essential unity of humanity. Since its founding by Baháʼu’lláh in 1863, it has grown to approximately eight million adherents worldwide, and is the only religion to have grown faster in every United Nations region over the past century than the general population.
On the evening of May 22, 1844, in Shiraz, Siyyid ʻAlí-Muhammad gained his first convert. He adopted the title “the Báb,” meaning “the Gate,” alluding to his later claim to the status of the Mahdi in Shiʻa Islam. The Báb began preaching a new revelation from God. His teachings quickly spread, attracting many followers known as Bábís. However, the rapid growth and the Báb’s claims were widely rejected by the majority of Islamic clergy in Iran. This rejection led to severe persecution.
As the Báb’s teachings were seen as blasphemous by the Islamic clergy, his followers faced increasing persecution and torture. Conflicts escalated in several areas, resulting in military sieges by the Shah’s army. The Báb himself was imprisoned. Ultimately, he was publicly executed for heresy in 1850.
The Báb taught that God would soon send a new messenger. Baháʼís view the Báb as the forerunner of their faith because his writings introduced the concept of “He whom God shall make manifest.” The Báb is deeply interwoven into Baháʼí theology and history. Baháʼís celebrate his birth, death, and declaration as holy days, considering him one of their three central figures. His tomb, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, is a significant place of pilgrimage for Baháʼís.
One of the Báb’s early followers was Mírzá Husayn ʻAlí Núrí, who later adopted the title Baháʼu’lláh. In August 1852, a small group of Bábís made a failed assassination attempt on the Shah, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Baháʼu’lláh was not involved in the attempt, but he was nevertheless imprisoned in Tehran.
Baháʼu’lláh was released four months later, through the intervention of the Russian ambassador. He then joined other Bábís in exile in Baghdad, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. The Shah responded to the assassination attempt with widespread violence, ordering the killing and torture of many Bábís in Tehran and throughout the country.
In 1863, just before his departure from Baghdad, Baháʼu’lláh publicly announced his claim of prophethood to his family and followers. He stated that this divine revelation had come to him years earlier while he was imprisoned in a Tehran dungeon. From the time of his initial exile from Iran, tensions grew between Baháʼu’lláh and Subh-i-Azal, the appointed leader of the Bábís, who did not recognize Baháʼu’lláh’s claim. Over the remainder of his life, Baháʼu’lláh gained the allegiance of nearly all Bábís, who then became known as Baháʼís. A small group of Bábís who did not accept Baháʼu’lláh’s claim became known as Azalis, regarded by Baháʼís as apostates.
Iranian authorities requested Baháʼu’lláh’s removal from their land, and he was summoned him to Constantinople by the Ottoman Sultan. Baháʼu’lláh spent less than four months in Constantinople. After receiving challenging letters from him, Ottoman authorities turned against him. He was placed under house arrest in Adrianople, now Edirne, where he remained for four years. A royal decree in 1868 then banished all Bábís to either Cyprus or ʻAkká.
Baháʼu’lláh spent the rest of his life in or near the Ottoman penal colony of ʻAkká, in Palestine. After an initial period of strict and harsh confinement, he was allowed to live in a home near ʻAkká, though he remained officially a prisoner of the city. He passed away there in 1892. Baháʼís regard Baháʼu’lláh’s resting place at Bahjí as the Qiblih, the direction to which they turn in prayer each day.
The teachings of Baháʼu’lláh form the foundation of Baháʼí beliefs. Three central principles underscore these teachings: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of humanity. Baháʼís believe that God periodically reveals His will through divine messengers, whose purpose is to transform human character and develop moral and spiritual qualities in those who respond.
Religion is thus viewed as an orderly, unified, and progressive process across different ages. Baháʼí writings describe God as a single, personal, inaccessible, omniscient, omnipresent, imperishable, and almighty Creator. The existence of God and the universe is considered eternal, without beginning or end.
While God is not believed to be directly accessible, God is perceived as being conscious of creation, with a will and purpose expressed through Manifestations of God. The Baháʼí conception of God is that of an “unknowable essence,” the source of all existence, known through the perception of human virtues. Baháʼí teachings also include panentheistic elements, seeing signs of God in all things, yet affirming God’s reality as exalted above the physical world.
Baháʼí teachings state that God is too immense for humans to fully comprehend or create a complete and accurate image of Him. Therefore, human understanding of God is achieved through recognizing the Manifestations and understanding their revelations. God is often referred to by titles and attributes like the All-Powerful or the All-Loving. These attributes are understood to translate Godliness into human terms, helping individuals focus on developing their own spiritual attributes in worshipping God.
Baháʼu’lláh also wrote of the necessity for world government in humanity’s current stage of collective life. This emphasis has led the international Baháʼí community to support efforts to improve international relations through organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations, while holding some reservations about the present structure and constitution of the UN.
Baháʼu’lláh’s eldest son, ʻAbbás Effendi, chose the title ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, meaning “Servant of Bahá.” Baháʼu’lláh’s will appointed ʻAbdu’l-Bahá as the leader of the Baháʼí community. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá had shared his father’s long exile and imprisonment, which continued until his own release in 1908, a result of the Young Turk Revolution.
When ʻAbdu’l-Bahá first traveled to Europe and America in 1911-1912, he delivered public talks articulating the basic principles of the Baháʼí Faith. These included advocating for the equality of men and women, racial unity, the necessity of world peace, and other ideas considered progressive at the time. Published summaries of Baháʼí teachings often list these principles, though the specific wording and content may vary.
In his will, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá appointed his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the first Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith. Shoghi Effendi translated Baháʼí texts and developed global plans for the expansion of the Baháʼí community. He also developed the Baháʼí World Centre and maintained extensive correspondence with communities and individuals globally. He systematically built the administrative structure of the religion, preparing the community for the election of the Universal House of Justice that Baháʼu’lláh had established.
In 1937, Shoghi Effendi launched a seven-year plan for the Baháʼís of North America, followed by another in 1946. In 1953, he initiated the first international plan, the Ten Year World Crusade. This plan set ambitious goals for expanding Baháʼí communities and institutions, translating Baháʼí texts into new languages, and sending Baháʼí pioneers to previously unreached nations.
Shoghi Effendi announced that the Ten Year Crusade would be followed by other plans directed by the Universal House of Justice. The Universal House of Justice was indeed elected in 1963, at the culmination of the Ten Year Crusade. His death in 1957 occurred under circumstances that did not allow for a successor to be appointed.
Since 1963, the Universal House of Justice has served as the elected head of the Baháʼí Faith. Its general functions are defined through the writings of Baháʼu’lláh and clarified by ʻAbdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. These responsibilities include teaching and education, implementing Baháʼí laws, addressing social issues, and caring for the vulnerable.
The Universal House of Justice serves as the final authority for resolving disagreements among Baháʼís. The few attempts at schism have either become extinct or remained extremely small, numbering only a few hundred adherents collectively. Followers of such divisions are regarded as Covenant-breakers and are shunned.
The canonical texts of the Baháʼí Faith consist of the writings of the Báb, Baháʼu’lláh, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, as well as the authenticated talks of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá. The writings of the Báb and Baháʼu’lláh are considered divine revelation, while the writings and talks of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá and the writings of Shoghi Effendi are regarded as authoritative interpretation. The writings of the Universal House of Justice are considered authoritative legislation and elucidation. A measure of divine guidance is assumed for all of these texts.
Baháʼu’lláh’s teachings on personal conduct include specific requirements and encouragements. Baháʼís over the age of 15 are required to individually recite an obligatory prayer each day, using fixed words and form. In addition, Baháʼís are encouraged to offer daily devotional prayers, meditate, and study sacred scripture.
The most enduring persecution of Baháʼís has occurred in Iran, the birthplace of the religion. When the Báb began attracting followers, the Islamic clergy sought to halt the movement by declaring its followers enemies of God. These clerical directives led to mob attacks and public executions. During the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a campaign of persecution against the Baháʼís was instituted, partly to divert attention from Iran’s economic difficulties and a growing nationalist movement. An approved and coordinated anti-Baháʼí campaign began in 1955, including the dissemination of anti-Baháʼí propaganda on national radio stations and in official newspapers.
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranian Baháʼís have regularly had their homes ransacked, been banned from attending university, or been barred from holding government jobs. Several hundred have received prison sentences for their religious beliefs, most recently for participating in study circles. The Iranian government claims that the Baháʼí Faith is not a religion but a political organization, and therefore refuses to recognize it as a minority religion.
The Baháʼí World Centre, located in Haifa and Acre, Israel, serves as the spiritual and administrative heart of the Baháʼí Faith. It encompasses the Shrine of the Báb, the Shrine of Baháʼu’lláh, and the terraced gardens on Mount Carmel. These sites, along with other holy places associated with the lives of Baháʼu’lláh and the Báb, are significant pilgrimage destinations for Baháʼís from around the world.
Key Sources:
Adamson, H. C. (2009). The A to Z of the Bahá’í faith.
Garlington, W. (2008). The Baha’i Faith in America. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
McMullen, M. (2000). The Bahá’í: The Religious Construction of a Global Identity. Rutgers University Press.
Nash, G. (1982). Iran’s secret pogrom: The Conspiracy to Wipe Out the Bahaʼis.
Smith, P. (2008). An introduction to the Baha’i faith. Cambridge University Press.
Warburg, M. (2018). Citizens of the world: A History and Sociology of the Baha’is from a Globalisation Perspective. Brill.
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