{"id":192,"date":"2021-01-27T17:37:34","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T17:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understandingreligion\/chapter\/bahai\/"},"modified":"2024-10-08T09:47:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T09:47:04","slug":"bahai","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understandingreligion\/chapter\/bahai\/","title":{"rendered":"2.7 Baha\u2019i"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n\r\nGod grant that the light of unity may envelope the whole earth, and that the seal, 'the Kingdom is God\u2019s', may be stamped upon the brow of all its people.\r\n

Bah\u00e1'u'll\u00e1h<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThe Baha\u2019i Faith originated in 19th-century Iran as a development from Shi'a Islam. As a new monotheistic global religion it emphasized the \u2018oneness\u2019 of God, with different faiths representing different approaches to the one religion. \u00a0The central figure is Mirza Husayn \u2018Ali Nuri (1817\u20131892), who took the title Baha\u2019u\u2019llah, and whose writings represent the latest revelation of the Word of God. He was preceded by Sayyid \u2018Ali Muhammad Shirazi (1819\u20131850), the Bab (\u2018Gate\u2019), whom Baha\u2019is regard as having paved the way for Baha\u2019u\u2019llah.\r\n\r\nBoth the Bab and Baha\u2019u\u2019llah are termed \u2018Manifestations of God\u2019, and are viewed as intermediaries between God and humanity. Baha\u2019u\u2019llah was succeeded by his eldest son \u2018Abbas Effendi, known as \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha (1844\u20131921) and after him by \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha\u2019s eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (1897\u20131957). Today a nine-man body, the Universal House of Justice, first elected in 1963, is the international governing body of the worldwide Baha\u2019i community.\r\n

<\/h3>\r\n

History and Context<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWith help from Peter Smith[footnote]Now semi-retired, Associate Professor Peter Smith founded and for many years chaired the Social Science Division at Mahidol University International College, Thailand, where he still teaches courses on the History of Social and Political Thought and on Modern World History. He has published extensively on Baha\u2019i Studies, including An Introduction to the Baha\u2019i Faith (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) and A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha\u2019i Faith (Oneworld). He holds a PhD in the Sociology of Religion from the University of Lancaster in England.[\/footnote] and Moojan Momen[footnote]Dr. Moojan Momen was born in Iran, but was raised and educated in England, attending the University of Cambridge. He has a special interest in the study of Shi`i Islam, the Baha'i Faith, and more recently the study of the phenomenon of religion. His principal publications in these fields include: Introduction to Shi`i Islam; The Phenomenon of Religion (republished as Understanding Religion); Understanding the Baha\u2019i Faith; and The Baha'i Communities of Iran (1851\u20131921). He has contributed articles to encyclopaedias such as Encyclopedia Iranica and Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World as well as papers to many academic journals.[\/footnote]:\r\n\r\nThe Baha\u2019i Faith is a dynamic world religion with several million adherents from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds. The central figure of the religion is Baha\u2019u\u2019llah, and Baha\u2019is 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\u2019i Faith. He was born into the Iranian nobility but spent the majority of his life living in exile in the Ottoman Empire due to his involvement with the Babi movement, and later his own claims to divine mission.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_890\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\"]\"Image<\/a> Image of a pentagram tablet made by Siyyid Ali-Muhammad-i-Shirazi, also known as the B\u00e1b.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Babi movement began in Iran during the 1840s and early 1850s. In 1844, a young Shirazi merchant named Sayyid \u2018Ali Muhammad<\/strong> (1819\u20131850) had announced that he was the intermediary (the \u2018bab<\/em>\u2019 or \u2018gate\u2019) between the Shi\u2018a faithful and the expected messianic figure of the Twelfth Imam, a concept from Shi'a Islam.\r\n\r\nThe Bab quickly attracted followers (\u2018Babis\u2019) throughout Iran and the Shi\u2018a areas of what is now Iraq.\u00a0 He also presented\u00a0 his own book of laws (the Bay\u0101n<\/em>) to replace those of Islam, and announced that he would eventually be followed by the further messianic figure of\u00a0 \u2018He whom God would make manifest\u2019.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_891\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\"]\"The<\/a> The Shrine of Baha'u'llah[\/caption]\r\n\r\nMirza Husayn \u2018Ali Nuri<\/strong> (1817\u20131892), who became known as \u2018Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019, claimed to be that Twelfth Imam. After a series of religious experiences he wrote a number of major books that provided the Babis with guidance and hope. These works included Hidden Words<\/em>, Seven Valleys<\/em>, and Book of Certitude.<\/em>\r\n\r\nOnce Baha\u2019u\u2019llah had announced that he was the promised one foretold by the Bab, many Babis accepted him, adopting the name of \u2018Baha\u2019is\u2019, i.e. \u2018followers of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe majority of the B\u00e1b\u2019s followers accepted Baha\u2019u\u2019llah as the Twelfth Imam and became Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds by the 1870s. Under Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s leadership, an emphasis was place on converting of Shi\u2019ite Muslims to Bah\u00e1\u2019i. By the 1880s, Iranian Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians began to convert to being Baha'i. Traveling preachers went to nations surrounding Iran and continued to convert people, the majority converted being Shi'a Muslims.\r\n\r\nBaha'u'llah was exiled from Iran in December 1852, after a time in prison after a group of B\u00e1b\u00eds attempted to assassinate the Shah of Iran. Because of his claims to be the Twelfth Iman,\u00a0 and in some measure due to his growing stature as a religious figure and leader, Baha\u2019u\u2019llah was repeatedly banished. He went from Baghdad to Istanbul to Edirne, a small city in European Turkey, and ultimately, in 1868, to Akka, a\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_477\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"364\"]\"Map<\/a> Map of Baha'u'llah's banishment from Iran to ultimately Acre in the Ottoman Empire.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nprison city in Palestine. There he lived out the rest of his days either in prison or under house arrest. Except for the years 1868-1870, however, Baha\u2019u\u2019llah was able to receive visitors and had the freedom to write.\r\n\r\nBaha\u2019u\u2019llah died in 1892 at the age of 74.\u00a0 His writings throughout his life are considered divine revelations. The followers considered his revelation the ultimate unfolding of all religions.\r\n\r\n \r\n

The Tablets<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nBaha\u2019is refer to the works of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah as being the \u2018Revelation\u2019 of the Word of God and to Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s writings (which comprise of letters to individuals and some books) as \u2018Tablets\u2019. Over 20,000 unique works by Baha\u2019u\u2019llah have been identified at the Baha\u2019i World Centre, comprising just under seven million words. The Baha\u2019i Faith is a scriptural religion; the current written texts are considered fully authoritative. Oral reports, although they exist, are considered too unreliable to be fully authoritative and are to be discounted completely if they contradict the written text. Most of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s writings are in a mixture of Arabic and Persian, although there are some that are just in Arabic, some in Persian and some in pure Persian (farsi-e sareh<\/em>, Persian with little or no use of Arabic and other loan words).\r\n\r\nAs Baha\u2019u\u2019llah spent most of his adult life in exile, remote from the majority of his followers in Iran, his communication with them was mostly through the written word in the form of Tablets, which were often written in response to questions sent by the Baha\u2019is. These would be taken to Iran by a few dedicated couriers and a steady flow of pilgrims who made the arduous journey.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_478\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"260\"]\"Manuscript<\/a> Manuscript copy of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s most important book, the Kit\u0101b al-aqdas (The Most Holy Book). The copyist is Mulla Zayn al-\u2018Abidin Najafabadi who was given the title Zayn al-Muqarrabin. He made copies of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s writings for onward transmission to Iran and elsewhere. His copies are highly regarded for their accuracy.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAs each Tablet arrived in Iran, it would be studied by its recipient and copies made to distribute to other Baha\u2019is. These Tablets formed the main source of inspiration and guidance for the community, comprising Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s theological, mystical and ethical teachings and laws for the individual; his social teachings; and teachings intended to bring peace and harmony at the global level.\r\n\r\nIn Iran, when a Tablet arrived in a town or village, the local Baha\u2019is would gather to hear it read out to them and they would consult about it. Copies of it would be made and many of the Baha\u2019is would have bound compilations of these Tablets either written out by themselves or by a local Baha\u2019i with good handwriting.\r\n\r\nThe Baha\u2019i scriptures encourage individuals to transform themselves from self-centeredness and a desire for wealth and power into individuals with spiritual attributes such as love, justice, patience, trustworthiness and truthfulness. This transformation best occurs when the individual lives a life of service to others; a cohesive interaction of an individual\u2019s \u2018being\u2019 and \u2018doing\u2019. The framework for this endeavor are the laws regarding prayer, fasting and meditation given by Baha\u2019u\u2019llah. The aim is to be of service to the wider society, not just the Baha\u2019i community.\r\n\r\nThese scriptures also give instructions and guidance for the institutional structure of the Baha\u2019i community. They seek to create communities in which power has been removed from individual members of political and religious hierarchies and given instead to elected councils which operate by a consultative decision making process that Baha\u2019u\u2019llah and his successors have developed. The result is the formation of elected councils (the Spiritual Assemblies at the local and national levels) and the establishment in 1963 of the supreme global elected council of the Baha\u2019i community, the Universal House of Justice.\r\n\r\n \r\n

What do Baha\u2019is believe?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nBaha\u2019is emphasize the importance of their own authoritative texts\u00a0in describing Baha\u2019i beliefs and practices. These comprise of the authenticated writings of Baha\u2019u\u2019llah, considered the \u2018Word of God\u2019, together with the interpretation of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi and the legislation of the Universal House of Justice. The writings of the Bab are relatively neglected, seen as a source of inspiration, but not binding in terms of practice. A substantial \u2018canon\u2019 of authenticated material now exists.\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n

Key Takeaway<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s key theme is world unity.<\/strong> The goal of developing a new world society is a paramount need at the present time. Central to the Baha\u2019i Faith is that all human beings are equally God\u2019s creation regardless of gender, race, nationality or creed and should be respected and treated without prejudice. It is essential to work for the equality of men and women and the emancipation of minority groups. For the world\u2019s peoples and nations to live together in peace, international institutions need to be developed and systems of governance have to promote justice and human wellbeing for all.\"\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\nThe central principles of the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Faith are:\r\n