​About the Baha'i Faith

Throughout history, God has sent to humanity a series of divine Educators—known as Manifestations of God—whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of civilization. These Manifestations have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Bahá’u’lláh, the latest of these Messengers, and Founder of the Baha'i Faith explained that religions of the world come from the same divine Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.

Purpose of the Baha'i Faith

      The Bahai Faith teaches the oneness of humankind as the pivot around which the entire world, with its entrenched pattern of conflict, can be changed into a world in which harmony and co-operation prevail to the benefit of everyone.
     Recognizing the oneness of humanity requires that all of us abandon prejudices of any kind including race, class, color, creed, nation, or gender,
     Baha'i teachings affirm that the oneness of humanity is not just profoundly needed as the basis for a world of justice and peace, but is a growing realization whose fulfillment is inevitable.
"The world passeth away, and that which is everlasting is the love of God."  (Baha'ullah)

Some Central Baha'i Teachings  

  •  ​​The oneness of God
  • The oneness of humanity and its unity in diversity
  • The essential oneness of religion  
  • Historical progress of religious learning
  • The purpose of religion is spiritual advancement of humankind
  • The harmony of science and religion
  • Equality of women and men  
  • The importance of education for all 
  • The importance of independent investigation of Truth 
  • Elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty   
 "The​ well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." (Baha'u'llah)

Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith

The Bab 
Prophet-Herald of the Baha'i Faith

The Báb (1819-1850)—the “Gate”—was an independent Manifestation of God, whose mission was to inaugurate a new cycle in the spiritual development of humanity. His Writings prepared the way for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh.
Shown above is the shrine where His sacred remains are entombed.
​A small collection of extracts from the Báb’s Writings, translated into English, can be found here 

Baha'u'llah 
Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith

In the middle of the 19th century, Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892)-- a title meaning the “Glory of God" --delivered a new Revelation from God to humanity. Shown above is a gateway leading to His Shrine which is surrounded by acres of formal gardens. For four decades, thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen, amounting to some 100 volumes of Sacred Writings. Principal works of Bahá’u’lláh that have been translated into English are available here.

Abdu'l-Baha
​​Centre of the Baha'i Covenant 
 

In His will, Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921), to be the authorized interpreter of His teachings and  the Centre to Whom all Baha'is should turn after Him.  Shown above is the family home where He greeted officials and pilgrims from East and West.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings, and authorized transcripts of His talks, constitute a central part of Bahá’í scripture.  A selection of these are available here.


Central Institutions of the Baha'i Faith
​

The Guardianship 

‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose and appointed His eldest grandson Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957) to be Guardian of the Baha'i Faith after Him.  Shoghi Effendi fulfilled this monumental role from 1921 ​to 1957, guiding worldwide growth of the Bahá’í community, deepening its  under-standing of the Faith, beautifying its Holy Places with world-famous gardens like those shown above, and preparing its administrative bodies to elect the first Universal House of Justice in 1963. 

​Shoghi Effendi guarded and guided the Baha'i world community through his translations of Sacred Writings, his expositions of its principles, and his extensive correspondence, much of which has been collected in book form available here.

The Universal House of Justice

Elected every five years by an International Convention of the 190+ National Spiritual Assemblies of the world, the Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith. Shown above is the building which houses offices of the Universal House of Justice which was opened in 1983.

Bahá’u’lláh ordained the creation of this institution in His book of laws, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.  Since 1963, the Universal House of Justice has guided the Bahá’í world community to develop its capacity for building a peaceful, prosperous and equitable global civilization.

Messages of the Universal House of Justice, to the Baha'i world, and on occasion to the entire world or its cultural leaders, are freely available in its reference library, here.
 Information on the history and current development of the worldwide Baha'i Community is readily available at the official global site  https://www.bahai.org      For scholarly material, visit: https://www.bahai.org/library