MORE ABOUT THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH

Excerpt from a book by Christopher Buck:

"The Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion, which began in 19th-century Persia (present-day Iran) and is now established in virtually every country and territory around the world (except for North Korea and the Vatican City State). The Bahá’í Faith therefore is a global community. Although relatively small in numbers, the rapid “diffusion” (or spread) is quite remarkable, given the relatively recent appearance of the Bahá’í religion on the historical horizon. The purpose of the Bahá’í Faith is to “unify the world.” 

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“The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation and that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification.”

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Peter Smith traces the development of the Bahá'í Faith from its roots in the Bábi movement of mid-nineteenth century Iran, through the lives and work of its prophet-founder, Bahá'u'lláh, and His successors, to its contemporary emergence as a worldwide religion. The book explores the textual sources for Bahá'í belief and practice, theology and anthropology, and the understanding of other religions. It covers the concept of the spiritual path, the Faith’s law and administration, aspects of community life, and it examines the Bahá'í’s social teachings and activities in the wider world.

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

Read His Writings

In His will, Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921), to be the authorized interpreter of His teachings and Head of the Bahá’í Faith after Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings and authoritative texts of His utterances constitute a central part of Bahá’í scripture. This collection offers the principal works of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that have been translated and published in English.

Writings and Talks

Appointed Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His eldest grandson Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957) guided the worldwide growth of the Bahá’í community through his extensive correspondence, much of which has been collected in book form.

Writings of Shoghi Effendi