God's Messenger For This Day - Bahá’u’lláh
Bahá'u'lláh is the Messenger of God for all of
humanity in this Day. The corner-stone of His Teachings is the
establishment of the spiritual unity of humanity. He has revealed a
system of laws and ordinances to guide humanity to its spiritual
maturity. He teaches that
Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus,
Muhammad and Abraham are all Divine Messengers progressively revealing
God's Divine Plan to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Bahá’u’lláh was born in Persia (modern day Iran), in
1817 into a wealthy family. His father was a government minister. In His
youth, Bahá’u’lláh was known as the “father of the poor” for His deeds
of kindness. From an early age He displayed marvelous faculties of
intellect. Although passionately interested in social justice, He was
not attracted to political life. He chose not to follow in His father’s
footsteps, and turned down offers to serve in the government.
The Announcement of the Coming of the Promised One
In 1844, at the age of 27, Bahá'u'lláh
became a follower of the Báb. The Báb was an independent Messenger of
God and the Forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh. He announced the imminent advent
of a Prophet greater than Himself, Who would fulfill the prophecies of
past religions regarding the establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth.
Bahá’u’lláh and the other followers of the Báb were
persecuted for their beliefs because the priests and rulers of Persia
wrongly charged them as heretics.
Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation
In 1852, in Teheran, Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned in the
Black Pit (Siyáh-Chál), an underground dungeon. It was there, under “the
galling weight of the chains” and oppressed by “the stench-filled air,”
that He received a revelation from God that He was the Promised One
foretold by the Báb and all the Manifestations of God who had come
before Him. He describes the experience in these words:
"I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice,
calling above My head...I beheld a Maiden--the embodiment of the
remembrance of the name of My Lord...Pointing with her finger unto My
head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth,
saying, ‘By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye
comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power
of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand."
Forty Years of Exile and Imprisonment
Bahá’u’lláh was released from prison and exiled from
His native land. His wealth and land were confiscated by government
decree. He spent the remaining forty years of His life in exile and
imprisonment.
Those forty years saw an outpouring of spiritual
revelation unprecedented in religious history. Hundreds of books,
tablets and letters were revealed, which today are the sacred Scripture
of the Bahá’í Faith. In these Writings He presented a blueprint for the
reconstruction of human society at all levels and for the spiritual
regeneration of the human race.
Exile to the Holy Land
The first years of exile were spent in Baghdad,
followed by periods in Istanbul and Adrianople (modern Edirne). In 1868
He was exiled to Akká, a prison city in the Ottoman province (now
Israel). He lived there until His death in 1892. Despite the fierce
opposition of the priests and rulers of Persia and the Ottoman Empire,
and their persecution of His followers, Bahá’u’lláh fearlessly announced
His mission and directed His followers to carry His teachings throughout
the world. He also sent letters from prison to the kings and rulers of
the day, informing them of His mission and calling on them to band
together in the pursuit of justice and peace.
Bahá’u’lláh Sacrificed Wealth and Power
Bahá’u’lláh never rebelled against His oppressors. He
endured sacrifice and imprisonment in order to raise the standard of a
new era of unity and justice for humankind. About His purpose, he said:
“By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to
lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the
hearts of men. Whoso followeth His Lord, will renounce the world and
all that is therein.”
Bahá’u’lláh Suffered for the Sake of Humanity
Here, in His own words, is Bahá’u’lláh’s statement of
the redeeming power of His life of persecution and sacrifice, which all
the Manifestations of God before Him endured as well:
“The Ancient Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh) hath consented to
be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage,
and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty
Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath
drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the
earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This
is the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We
have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye
may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might
prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world,
behold, how they...have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate
of cities!”
Bahá'u'lláh teaches us about...
Oneness of God
Oneness of mankind
Common foundation of all
religions
Individual search for truth
Elimination of prejudice of all
kinds
Universal auxiliary language
Equality of men and women
Universal education
Harmony of science and religion
Elimination of extremes of wealth
and poverty
Universal peace upheld by a world
government
Protection of cultural diversity
We invite you to learn more about our Faith - its
perspective of the past, its understanding of the present, and its
vision of the future.
Official site of the
Bahá'í World Faith
Official site of the
Bahá'ís of the United States
