Bahai SymbolBAHA'I FAITH

History

The Baha'i Faith arose from Islam, similar to the way Christianity arose from Judaism. It has since grown to be a world-wide faith. Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad (1819-1850) assumed the title Bab which means the Gate, and in 1844 announced His mission as heralding the arrival of "One greater than Himself", Who would fulfill the prophetic expectations of all the great religions. His followers became known as Babis -- 20,000 were martyred for their beliefs. The religious ferment His movement caused, led to His execution in 1850 by order of the Shah's chief minister and at the instigation of Muslim clerics, who saw His movement as a threat to orthodox Islam.

One of the Bab's followers, Mirza Husayn-'Ali-i-Nuri (1817-1892), a prominent follower of the Bab to Whom the Bab had given several indications of His future station, publicly announced himself to be the anticipated prophet in 1863. His assumed title, Baha'u'llah, by which He is generally known, was the title the Bab used to refer to Him. The last forty years of Baha'u'llah's life were spent in prison or in exile. The last 22 years were spent in or near Acre, then a prison city. The world centre of the Baha'i Faith is in the Holy Land today as a result.

Baha'u'llah's son 'Abdu'l-Baha (1844-1921), was appointed by his father to be leader of the movement after his father's death.

The religion came to North America in 1893. There are now about 6 million members in over 200 countries. There are 14,730 followers of the Bah'ai Faith in Canada (1991 Census) The Baha'is are still looked upon by many Muslims as a breakaway sect of Islam. They are heavily persecuted in some areas because of this.

Beliefs:

Bah'ais believe that God is transcendent and unknowable. However, He has sent, and will continue to send, great prophets to mankind, each with a new revelation. These Messengers have included: Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Mohammad, Krishna, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah.

The Baha'i belief in an essential unity of the various religions, does not mean they believe the various religious creeds and doctrines are the same. Rather, they believe there is in essence only one religion and the great Messengers of the past have progressively and more fully revealed its nature. Those differences in doctrine and belief which can be attributed to their Founders and are not later accretions, can be attributed to the circumstances and needs of the time and place in which each religion started.

Unlike most religions which attempt to preserve the past, Baha'i beliefs promoted major evolutionary change when originated in the 19th century: gender and race equality, world government, freedom of expression, world peace. Followers are heavily involved in promoting these concepts today.

Practices:

The Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel, is the global governing body -- its functions were set out by Baha'u'llah.

National Spiritual Assemblies supervise affairs in each country. In each locality where there are more than nine adult believers, affairs are administered by Local Spiritual Assemblies. Each of these institutions has nine members and is elected, not appointed. Their functions have been defined by Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha in Baha'i scripture. There are no clergy, sacraments or rituals.

Members:

Sacred Texts

Baha'i scripture comprises the writings of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, together with the writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Among the better known writings of Baha'u'llah are, The Most Holy Book, The Book of Certitude, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys. There are many others books of Baha'i scripture.

Holy Days:

The Baha'is have a new calendar. Its year begins on March 21, the spring equinox. Other seasonal days of celebration or commemoration are:

Persecution in Iran

There are about 350,000 Bah'ais in Iran who are experiencing government persecution for their religious beliefs. In 1996-APR, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights expressed concern about the state of religious freedom in that country for members of the Bah'ai and other minority faiths. On 1996-MAY-14, Reuters news service quoted the most senior judge in Iran, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, saying that the Bah'ai faith "is not a religion but an espionage establishment". Since the late 1970's, the government of Iran has accused Baha'is of spying for other countries. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States stated on 1996-MAY-15: "Since the Islamic regime took power, more than 200 Baha'is have been executed on account of their religion, and thousands have been imprisoned. Baha'is have systematically been denied access to education, jobs and pensions, and both personal and Baha'i community properties have been confiscated."

Internet Reference and Mailing Lists

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