Bahá’u’lláh & History

[caption id="attachment_2117" align="alignleft" width="756"] The resting place of Baha'u'llah in Bahji, Israel[/caption]

Baha’u’llah was born a Persian nobleman. He lived in Iran in the 1800’s. He was born to wealth, power and privilege. Baha’u’llah joined the followers of the Bab and was a natural leader to that community. When He became a Babi, He chose His name, Baha’u’llah, which means ‘The Glory of God. When the Bab was martyred, the followers of the Bab turned to Baha’u’llah for guidance and encouragement. They recognized that Baha’u’llah had great spiritual presence and wisdom. For being a Babi, Baha’u’llah lost all His possessions and was thrown into a terrible prison.

It was in these most horrific prison conditions that Baha’u’llah received a revelation that He was the Promised One about Whom the Báb had prophesied, and that His time had at last come. Baha’u’llah later wrote of the experience, “One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every side: ‘Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth -- men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him.’” (ESW, p. 21). Several years after His release from prison, Baha’u’llah declared His Mission. The Babis quickly accepted His station because Baha’u’llah had shown them such perfection in His character, such knowledge, and such spiritual dignity.

Baha’u’llah was banished from Iran, to Iraq, to Istanbul, to Egypt, and finally to Israel where He was imprisoned for decades. As His religion spread, His followers were often hunted down and killed all throughout the Middle East. But this persecution could not stop His Message. Soon it spread to India, to Europe, to America and beyond.

The message of Baha’u’llah is simple: that God had sent His Promised One at long last to bring all of humanity together in a single family. Baha’u’llah claimed to be the fulfillment of Christian, Muslim, Judaic, and many other traditions. He claimed to bring the New Jerusalem in the form of His unique new religious system. He promised that His Cause would transform the planet into a heavenly kingdom. Baha’u’llah sacrificed His life of comfort and ease for a life of persecution, imprisonment, poverty, abuse and banishment; just to bring His Message of peace, justice, and unity to humanity. Baha’u’llah wrote of Himself, “The Ancient Beauty 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 of 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 that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!” (GWB, p. 99)

[caption id="attachment_2113" align="alignleft" width="475"] The resting place of the Bab in Haifa, Israel[/caption]

The Bab was a Persian merchant in the mid-1800’s. The word ‘Bab’ means ‘Gate,’ in Arabic. The Bab started a new religion in 1844. He received His inspiration from God to prepare the world for the coming of the Promised One of All Religions. The Bab’s religion spread quickly as many religious students and scholars had been predicting the coming of a Messenger of God at the time. The Bab quickly spread His message of fulfillment of prophecies and of preparation for a New Age throughout Iran and Iraq.

The religion spread so rapidly that many religious leaders and monarchs became alarmed that they would lose their authority, wealth, and prestige. They began to persecute the new followers of the Bab, who called themselves Babis. Thousands of Babis were martyred in Iran. At first the Babis defended themselves with arms in heroic and miraculous acts of bravery and self-sacrifice, but eventually the sword was abandoned, and a nonviolent approach was taken. This did not stop the leaders of the time from murdering them.  Tragically, even the Bab Himself was martyred in 1850. Tens of thousands of Babis died during this early history of the Baha’i Faith, but the persecution continues to this day in the Middle East. Today in Iran for example, Baha’is are often shut out from schools and colleges, forced to give up their property and wealth, have no legal protections or rights, and are even sometimes killed for their beliefs.

[caption id="attachment_2124" align="alignleft" width="400"] Abdu'l-Baha[/caption]

The name Abdu’l-Bahá is a title that means ‘Servant of Baha.’ After Baha’u’llah passed on in 1892--His eldest Son--Abdu’l-Bahá was appointed to be the leader of the Baha’i Cause in His Father’s Will and Testament. Abdu’l-Bahá was a gentle Man of infinite kindness who dedicated Himself to the service of all humanity. Baha’is cherish His life on this earth as a perfect example of how we might all live out our days. Abdu’l-Baha gave everything He had to others. He was known throughout the lands in which He lived and traveled as One who would give generously to the poor, care for the sick, and shower love and kindness on everyone with whom He had contact. No one left from His presence without feeling unconditionally loved.  As Abdu’l-Baha wrote, “Never is it the wish of Abdu'l-Bahá to see any being hurt, nor will He make anyone to grieve; for man can receive no greater gift than this, that he rejoice another's heart. I beg of God that ye will be bringers of joy, even as are the angels in Heaven.” (Abdu'l-Baha, SWA, p. 203)

When Abdu’l-Baha passed away in 1921, His Will and Testament left the affairs of the Baha’i Religion in the hands of His twenty-four year-old grandson, Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi was given the title of the ‘Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.’ As the Guardian, he was tasked with interpreting the Holy Scriptures and leading the affairs of the community. Shoghi Effendi, a master of the English language by the age of twenty-four, immediately began translating the most important works of Baha’u’llah into English. He also began corresponding with Baha’is all over the planet, encouraging them, guiding them, and answering questions about the Holy Texts.

Until his death in 1957, Shoghi Effendi worked tirelessly as an inspired administrator of the Baha’i religion, helping to spread the Cause to every corner of the Globe, including Africa, South America, and Asia-Pacific. Shoghi Effendi brought a professionalism and efficiency to the Cause of God’s administration that helped transform it into a self-regulating organism.

Baha’u’llah wrote (with His own pen) that after He left this world His Faith would be run by a Universal House of Justice. He ordained the creation of this administrative Body in His Most Holy Book. He wrote, “The men of God's House of Justice have been charged with the affairs of the people. They, in truth, are the Trustees of God among His servants and the daysprings of authority in His countries.” (TB pg. 26)  Baha’u’llah also wrote in His Will and Testament that until this Universal House of Justice was formed, all authority would pass to His Son, Abdu’l-Bahá. His Son, in turn, wrote in his Will and Testament that authority would pass to Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice (when it was formed). It took several decades for the Universal House of Justice to get formed—as a worldwide community was needed to be able to elect it—but in 1963 the Universal House of Justice was at last established, and it took over control of the Baha’i community’s administration and leadership. Along the way, there have been attempts to break the Faith at every transition, and there are even folks today trying to break up the community. They have never succeeded because Baha’u’llah promised His Faith would never be successfully divided. Baha’u’llah made this promise in the form of a covenant with His followers. As is written in our texts, “Had the Covenant not come to pass, had it not been revealed from the Supreme Pen and had not the Book of the Covenant, like unto the ray of the Sun of Reality, illuminated the world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly scattered and certain souls who were the prisoners of their own passions and lusts would have taken into their hands an axe, cutting the root of this Blessed Tree.” (Abdu'l-Baha, TDP, p. 51)

Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, had three wives. For many who investigate the Baha’i Faith, this is a surprise and often a test. But Baha’is do have a reasonable explanation that might be considered.

Today, the Baha’i Faith forbids polygamy, but this is a truth that has evolved as the Baha’i Faith has developed. Baha’is believe there is a great wisdom in this. They look at these teachings and laws of a Manifestation of God in the context of history and culture.

For example, in Islam, a man is allowed to have four wives. Many people today criticize Islam for this fact, but they do not see the historical context of this teaching.  For early believers in Islam, limiting them to four wives was a test for those of a culture where tribesmen often had many more wives than that, wives they treated like cattle. Muhammad taught that women should be treated as equals in the sight of God, unfortunately many Muslim cultures did not internalize this teaching and they have yet to live up to the Koran’s standards.

For Baha’is, this was the beginning of a weaning of these ancient cultures from polygamy. Baha’u’llah, in His book of Laws, said that a Baha’i could only have two wives—as long as the husband could treat both women equally. As time went on, this law was interpreted further by Abdu’l-Baha, who said that no husband could treat two wives perfectly equally, and therefore polygamy was forbidden for Baha’is.

The wisdom of gradually applying the laws of God is explained by Baha’u’llah when He wrote, “Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed unto men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declineth until it reacheth its setting point. Were it, all of a sudden, to manifest the energies latent within it, it would, no doubt, cause injury to all created things.... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist.” (Baha’u’llah, GWB p. 87)

Baha’is know that Baha’u’llah had not revealed the Baha’i law until He wrote His Book of Laws.  And Baha’u’llah married his wives before His Book of Laws had been revealed. So it was not binding until after He revealed the Book. Today that law is interpreted to forbid polygamy. The truth is Baha’u’llah preached the total equality of woman and men to a society that treated women as less than human.

This was a drastic change for society, and something that may take generations for some parts of the world to accept. Abdu’l-Baha wrote, “And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.”  (Abdu'l-Baha, BWF p. 288).

By today's standard, the idea that a religious founder had multiple wives is culturally unacceptable. But a student of religion knows that the Founders of the world’s great religions often did things in their lives that were a test for people around them. For example, Moses killed a man and was banished from his community and branded a murderer. Jesus appeared to the community to be a bastard child and was forced to wander the lands without a place to lay his head. Muhammad was an orphan and had no clan to protect him in a society where a family’s tribe meant everything. These were realities that blinded the majority of society from accepting what They had to say.

In Baha’u’llah’s time, the test for society was not that He had multiple wives, but rather that He was preaching religion without any training. In His time this was culturally unacceptable because Baha’u’llah appeared to a society where to even utter a word on religion, without the proper training, was tantamount to blasphemy. This was a society where people studied for decades in exclusive religious universities before they could preach to the people.

Therefore, for Baha’u’llah, who had never had any religious schooling, to pronounce even a syllable on the topic of religion, was a great test. What infuriated the religious leaders even more was that Baha’u’llah seemed to know the teachings and religious philosophy better than any of them, as He constantly bested them in one religious argument after another. This was the great test for society in His time. As Baha’u’llah challenged them when He wrote, “We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the Ever-Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of the earth, could ye but comprehend it.” (GWB, p. 199).

Today, the biggest tests for people investigating the Baha'i Faith tend to be around the rules and standards set for personal behavior. Many people find the laws against drinking alcohol, or forbidding sexual relations outside of a marriage between a man and a woman to be unacceptable. But those who give it a chance and investigate the reasons behind these laws often find a deeper spiritual wisdom. The laws of Baha'u'llah are not meant to restrict our freedoms and hinder our happiness. On the contrary, they are meant to help us focus on the spiritual aspects of life, detach us from carnal desires and our lower natures, and rise to a more noble reality where we live closer to God in everything we do. 

The point is, new religions often challenge us in ways we don't expect. Those who take the time to investigate the answers with an open mind and an open heart may find their own opinions changing in the process as new information is explored. As Baha'u'lah wrote, "O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself." (Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words #18)

The Baha’i Holy Writings consist of the written works of the Three Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith:  The Báb, Baha’u’llah, and Abdul’-Baha.

Are any books more important than others? Baha’is believe that the most important Writings are those written by Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah wrote over 100 volumes of Holy Texts. Additionally, we believe that the Bab revealed the Word of God, as He was also an independent Manifestation of God. But we believe that Abdu’l-Baha’s works are secondary to these Manifestations’ works, (note #165 in the KA), as Abdu’l-Baha was not a Manifestation of God, but rather the greatest servant of the Manifestations.

The works of Shoghi Effendi (the appointed Guardian of the Faith after Abdu’l Baha passed) are regarded to be infallible interpretations of the works of the Central Figures, but we believe that Shoghi Effendi’s writings are below in spiritual rank. Additionally, the writings of the Universal House of Justice are divinely inspired.  It is worth noting that Shoghi Effendi would often dictate messages to his secretaries who would take notes and compose the letters later. This is why many of the quotes from Shoghi Effendi say ‘written on behalf of.’

The Three Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith wrote and spoke Arabic and Persian.  Therefore, Shoghi Effendi spent much of his life translating the works of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha into English. Translation is a very difficult process. It was critical that Shoghi Effendi, the authorized ‘interpreter’ of the Baha’i Faith, taught the Baha’is how to translate these Holy Texts in a proper way—a way that would not confuse meanings. For Baha’is, therefore, Shoghi Effendi set the bar for how we translate these works today. Baha’is have many volumes of tablets and books that are yet to be translated. There are teams of translators at the Baha’i Center in Haifa, Israel, who dedicate much of their lives to this work.

Some wonder how Baha’is can be sure they know what is in the religion if Baha’u’llah wrote so much, and it has not yet all been translated. This is where understanding Shoghi Effendi’s station as a divinely inspired interpreter becomes critical. Baha’is can be sure that Shoghi Effendi translated the most important books and tablets for the Baha’i World. Baha’is can trust that these works clearly articulate the Message to humanity and give the proper mandate to the Baha’i world. In this way, we can trust that the core of our Faith is available.  The rest of the many volumes of untranslated works written by the Baha’i Central Figures will be translated over the coming centuries. The Baha’i world community eagerly anticipates these works, as every newly translated Word of the Lord only adds to their love and appreciation for this new Faith.

Foundation Works: These books are often considered the most important books in the Baha’i Faith. They explain some of the basics tenets, principles and laws of the Baha'i Faith

Some often wonder why the Baha’i Writings are all in ‘fancy old’ English? This can make the works of Shoghi Effendi challenging for some to read. The fact is, Shoghi Effendi was a master of the English Language. He studied at Oxford, and his book God Passes By is held on reserve in the Oxford library as a perfect example of the English language. If the language is difficult at first, this is only natural. Most Baha’is will tell you that it usually takes some getting used to.  But after a while, Baha’is often learn to appreciate the poetry and beauty of Shoghi Effendi’s work.

Why are there so many strange names in the Baha’i Faith? This is because the Baha’i Faith has an Arabic and Persian background. It is something that people in the West often struggle with, just as the first believers in the West may have struggled with early Christian names that came from Jewish traditions.

Baha’is believe that the foundation for our lives is the spiritual connection we make with our Creator, and the Writings help to create that connection. Our Writings tell us, “For the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites man with God.” (on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; LG p.544)  But some people do not understand why Baha’is read prayers, rather than make them up on our own. They often feel that a prayer is more personal when it comes from their own hearts, rather than reading some other person’s prayers. They may forget that one of the most moving passages of the Bible is the Lord’s Prayer. These are the words of Jesus addressing God, and He taught us how to address God through His example.   For Baha’is, reading prayers revealed by Baha’u’llah is an extremely personal and powerful experience. Baha’is believe that these Writings teach the language of prayer. This language elevates your own spiritual nature. The Words are noble, eloquent, and articulate. But more than the tone, the substance of these prayers teaches what is important. Baha’is learn to seek detachment, spiritual growth, and steadfastness in faith. They are reminded of God’s qualities of strength, power, knowledge, forgiveness, mercy, beneficence, love, and compassion.  These prayers teach the language of prayer, not just in spirit, but in content. In one Prayer, Baha’u’llah points out that we could not know how to address our Creator unless He taught us when He wrote, “But for Thy leave, who is there that could venture to express Thy might and Thy grandeur; and were it not for Thine instruction, who is the man that could discover the ways of Thy pleasure in the kingdom of Thy creation?” (Baha’u’llah; PM 176).

In the end, the Baha’i Writings are a great ocean of knowledge and insight that are available to anyone. These Writings are the greatest treasure of the Baha’i Faith, and Baha’is hold them close to their hearts. As Baha’u’llah wrote, “Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this Cause -- a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him.”  (GWB, p. 136)