Overview

The Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion, the purpose of which is to unite all the races and peoples of the world and to establish a new civilization rooted in the oneness of humanity and founded on justice, equality, and unity in diversity. Bahá’ís are the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God, the Promised One of all Ages and the great spiritual Educator of our time.

Bahá’u’lláh teaches that God is unknowable in His essence and that we cannot understand the nature of God. However, God’s love touches our lives and our beings ceaselessly. In an Eternal Covenant, God never leaves us alone and without guidance. “In every era of history, God has opened the gates of grace to the world by providing us with one of His Manifestations charged with providing the moral and spiritual stimulus that human beings need to cooperate and advance”.[1] Some of the past Manifestations of God are Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammed. “These spiritual and social visionaries, stainless mirrors of virtue, set out teachings and truths that answered the urgent needs of the age. As the world now faces its most pressing challenges yet, we acclaim Bahá’u’lláh, [born in 1817], as such a Figure—indeed, as the One Whose teachings will bring the maturation of humanity, ushering in the long-promised time when all the peoples of the world will live side by side in peace and unity.”[2] Our responsibility in the Eternal Covenant is to recognize these Manifestations of God whenever and wherever They are sent, and to obey the brilliant transformational guidance which They provide us.

Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation contains laws, principles and truths which make possible the unification of the human family and the construction of a world which is both materially and spiritually prosperous. The need for all of humanity to receive Bahá’u’lláh’s healing Message grows greater every day. In this turbulent stage of the world's transition from collective adolescence to maturity, humanity is gripped by intense crises and challenges. Growing extremes of wealth and poverty fuel instability in world affairs. Religious extremism is warping the character of communities and nations. Failure on the part of institutions and leaders has led to the decline of public trust. Social consensus about right and wrong, truth and error, has been largely eroded. Amidst a growing crisis of identity, prejudices of all kinds rear their ugly heads. More and more suffer from the effects of disunity.

The course which humanity takes to achieve its noble destiny may very well be tortuous. Bahá’ís understand however that the suffering and crises afflicting all the peoples of the world are symptoms of an old world order falling apart. Amidst the forces of disintegration which tear at the fabric of society can also be seen forces of integration—of new ways of being and doing coming into existence. It is the task of every individual who is alive to Bahá’u’lláh’s Vision to align themselves with these integrative processes. The Universal House of Justice explains:
“A heart that has embraced love for the whole of humanity will certainly be pained when confronted by the suffering that so many endure because of disunity. But the friends of God cannot shut themselves off from the increasing turmoil of the society that surrounds them; they must guard themselves, too, from becoming enmeshed in its conflicts or falling into its adversarial methods. No matter how bleak conditions may appear at any given time, no matter how dismal the immediate prospects for bringing about unity, there is no cause for despair. The distressing state of the world can only spur us to redouble our commitment to constructive action. 'These are not days of prosperity and triumph' cautions Bahá’u’lláh. 'The whole of mankind is in the grip of manifold ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life through the wholesome medicine which the almighty hand of the unerring Physician hath prepared.'”[3]

There are many reasons to be hopeful. We know that "world peace is not only possible but inevitable"[4] and promised by the Sacred Scriptures of many Faiths. It is our sure and happy ending and the beginning of another future chapter of a fully-united humanity. This peace will grow out of the seeds already planted. Sprouts from the seeds of justice, equity and reciprocity are growing even as opposing forces gasp their dying breaths. Unity will appear from universal justice. Peace will appear from this unity. But we must work together to bring this into reality. The longer we take to respond to the Divine Call, the more hardship will befall humanity. No-one is excluded from the effects. No-one can be left out the healing process.

In every corner of the globe, Bahá’ís and their like-minded friends strive to build unity by systematically applying Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings to their daily lives. “From villages, neighbourhoods, towns and cities are arising institutions, communities, and individuals dedicated to labouring together for the emergence of a united and prospering world that might truly deserve to be called the kingdom of God on earth”.[5] The work of the Bahá’í community is not accidental but is systematic and highly organized. All acts of service are undertaken within an evolving framework for action which is refined by the head of the Faith in the light of growing experience. The essence of the current world-wide plan is a process of community building set in motion by four core activities: devotional meetings (gatherings for prayer and meditation on the Creative Word), classes for the spiritual education of children (ages 6–11), groups for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth (ages 12–15), and circles of study which enable youth and adults to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to carry out specific acts of service, i.e., to develop an ever-increasing capacity for building community. When these four core activities are sustained and grow in number to embrace an entire local population, the effect is profound. Through the systematic spiritual education which children, youth and adults receive, communities become capable of addressing the challenges they face and of working in unity to build a better world. By applying the instruments of the current Plan, “under a wide diversity of conditions, in virtually any cluster, it is possible for an expanding nucleus of individuals to generate a movement towards the goal of a new World Order”[6] or in other words, building a new world civilization rooted in the recognition of the oneness of humanity. “Beloved friends: The devoted efforts that you and your like-minded collaborators are making to build communities founded on spiritual principles, to apply those principles for the betterment of your societies, and to offer the insights arising - these are the surest ways you can hasten the fulfilment of the promise of world peace.”[7]

“To those who are yet to become familiar with the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, a simple invitation is extended: seize this opportunity to find out who He was and what He represents. Put to the test the remedy He has prescribed. His coming offers sure proof that the human race, threatened by numerous perils, has not been forgotten. When so many people of goodwill throughout the world have for so long beseeched God for an answer to the problems that beset them in their common homeland, is it so surprising that He should have answered their prayer? ”[8]

1 Universal House of Justice, October 2017, to all who celebrate the Glory of God
2 Ibid.
3 Universal House of Justice, 18th January 2019, to the Bahá’ís of the world
4 Universal House of Justice, October 1985, to the peoples of the world
5 Universal House of Justice, October 2017, to all who celebrate the Glory of God
6 Universal House of Justice, 28th December 2010, to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
7 Universal House of Justice, 18th January 2019, to the Bahá’ís of the world
8 Ibid.

Summary Overview of the Bahá’í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi

The Embracing Vision of the Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá’í Faith upholds the unity of God, recognizes the unity of His Prophets, and inculcates the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the entire human race. It proclaims the necessity and the inevitability of the unification of mankind, asserts that it is gradually approaching, and claims that nothing short of the transmuting spirit of God, working through His chosen Mouthpiece in this day, can ultimately succeed in bringing it about. It, moreover, enjoins upon its followers the primary duty of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all manner of prejudice and superstition, declares the purpose of religion to be the promotion of amity and concord, proclaims its essential harmony with science, and recognizes it as the foremost agency for the pacification and the orderly progress of human society.

Principles for a New World Civilization

It unequivocally maintains the principle of equal rights, opportunities and privileges for men and women, insists on compulsory education, eliminates extremes of poverty and wealth, abolishes the institution of priesthood, prohibits slavery, asceticism, mendicancy and monasticism, prescribes monogamy, discourages divorce, emphasizes the necessity of strict obedience to one's government, exalts any work performed in the spirit of service to the level of worship, urges either the creation or the selection of an auxiliary international language, and delineates the outlines of those institutions that must establish and perpetuate the general peace of mankind.

The Dawn of a New Revelation: The Báb

The Bahá’í Faith revolves around three central Figures, the first of whom was a youth, a native of Shíráz, named Mírzá ‘Alí-Muḥammad, known as the Báb (Gate), who in May 1844, at the age of twenty-five, advanced the claim of being the Herald Who according to the sacred Scriptures of previous Dispensations, must needs announce and prepare the way for the advent of One greater than Himself, Whose mission would be, according to those same Scriptures, to inaugurate an era of righteousness and peace, an era that would be hailed as the consummation of all previous Dispensations, and initiate a new cycle in the religious history of mankind.

Swift and severe persecution, launched by the organized forces of Church and State in His native land, precipitated successively His arrest, His exile to the mountains of Ádhirbáyján, His imprisonment in the fortresses of Máh-Kú and Chihríq, and His execution, in July 1850, by a firing squad in the public square of Tabríz...

The Glory of God Revealed: Bahá'u'lláh's Divine Mission

Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí, surnamed Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God), a native of Mázindarán, Whose advent the Báb [Herald and Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh] had foretold, ... was imprisoned in Ṭihrán, was banished, in 1852, from His native land to Baghdád, and thence to Constantinople and Adrianople, and finally to the prison city of ‘Akká, where He remained incarcerated for no less than twenty-four years, and in whose neighborhood He passed away in 1892. In the course of His banishment, and particularly in Adrianople and ‘Akká, He formulated the laws and ordinances of His Dispensation, expounded, in over a hundred volumes, the principles of His Faith, proclaimed His Message to the kings and rulers of both the East and the West, both Christian and Muslim, addressed the Pope, the Caliph of Islam, the Chief Magistrates of the Republics of the American continent, the entire Christian sacerdotal order, the leaders of Shí‘ah and Sunní Islam, and the high priests of the Zoroastrian religion. In these writings He proclaimed His Revelation, summoned those whom He addressed to heed His call and espouse His Faith, warned them of the consequences of their refusal, and denounced, in some cases, their arrogance and tyranny.

The Covenant Exemplified: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Living Testament

His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi, known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (the Servant of Bahá), appointed by Him as His lawful successor and the authorized interpreter of His teachings, Who since early childhood had been closely associated with His Father, and shared His exile and tribulations, remained a prisoner until 1908, when, as a result of the Young Turk Revolution, He was released from His confinement. Establishing His residence in Haifa, He embarked soon after on His three-year journey to Egypt, Europe and North America, in the course of which He expounded before vast audiences, the teachings of His Father and predicted the approach of that catastrophe that was soon to befall mankind. He returned to His home on the eve of the first World War, in the course of which He was exposed to constant danger, until the liberation of Palestine by the forces under the command of General Allenby, who extended the utmost consideration to Him and to the small band of His fellow-exiles in ‘Akká and Haifa...

The Unfolding Divine Plan: The Administrative Order

The passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [in 1921] marked the termination of the first and Heroic Age of the Bahá’í Faith and signalized the opening of the Formative Age destined to witness the gradual emergence of its Administrative Order, whose establishment had been foretold by the Báb, whose laws were revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, whose outlines were delineated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will and Testament, and whose foundations are now being laid by the national and local councils which are elected by the professed adherents of the Faith...

A Divinely-Ordained System Unlike Any Other

This Administrative Order, unlike the systems evolved after the death of the Founders of the various religions, is divine in origin, rests securely on the laws, the precepts, the ordinances and institutions which the Founder of the Faith has Himself specifically laid down and unequivocally established, and functions in strict accordance with the interpretations of the authorized Interpreters of its holy scriptures...

Working for the Good of All Humanity

The Faith which this order serves, safeguards and promotes is, it should be noted in this connection, essentially supernatural, supranational, entirely non-political, non-partisan, and diametrically opposed to any policy or school of thought that seeks to exalt any particular race, class or nation. It is free from any form of ecclesiasticism, has neither priesthood nor rituals, and is supported exclusively by voluntary contributions made by its avowed adherents. Though loyal to their respective governments, though imbued with the love of their own country, and anxious to promote at all times, its best interests, the followers of the Bahá’í Faith, nevertheless, viewing mankind as one entity, and profoundly attached to its vital interests, will not hesitate to subordinate every particular interest, be it personal, regional or national, to the over-riding interests of the generality of mankind, knowing full well that in a world of interdependent peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no lasting result can be achieved by any of the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are neglected....