Bahá'í Faith

Overview

The Bahá'í faith is one of the world’s youngest major religions. It began in the mid-nineteenth century, offering scholars the opportunity to observe a religion in the making. While some of the acts of religious founders such as Buddha or Jesus cannot be substantiated, the modern founders of Bahá'í were more contemporary figures.

Number of Adherents Worldwide: Reliable membership figures are lacking; in the early 2020s, the Bahá’í World News Service estimated that more than 5 million people practiced the religion worldwide. Although particularly prominent in Middle Eastern nations such as Iran, where the faith originated, Bahá'í has spread to many countries, particularly India, the United States, and Canada. The largest populations of Bahá'ís are in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; India houses an estimated 2.2 million adherents, the largest number in any single country, while Iran has an estimated 300,000 adherents, making them the nation's largest religious minority. The US is home to an estimated 175,000 adherents as of 2014.

Basic Tenets: The Bahá'í faith has three major doctrines. The first doctrine is that there is one transcendent God, and all religions worship that God, regardless of the name given to the deity. Adherents believe that religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Buddha, and the Prophet Muhammad were different revelations of God unique to their time and place. The second doctrine is that there is only one religion, though each world faith is valid and was founded by a “manifestation of God” who is part of a divine plan for educating humanity. The third doctrine is a belief in the unity of all humankind. In light of this underlying unity, those of the Bahá'í faith work for social justice. They believe that seeking consensus among various groups diffuses typical power struggles and to this end, they employ a method called consultation, which is a nonadversarial decision-making process.

The Bahá'í believe that the human soul is immortal, and that after death the soul moves nearer or farther away from God. The idea of an afterlife comprised of a literal "heaven" or “hell” is not part of the faith.

Sacred Text: The Most Holy Book, or the Tablets, written by Baha’u’llah, form the basis of Bahá'í teachings. Though not considered binding, scriptures from other faiths are regarded as “Divine Revelation.” Due to the importance the Bahá'í place on the international nature of their faith, official translations of the Tablets have been published in many languages, and in 2018 English translations were made available online for free.

Major Figures: The Bab (The Gate of God) Siyyad ’Ali Mohammad (1819–50), founder of the Bábí movement that broke from Islam, spoke of a coming new messenger of God. Mirza Hoseyn ’Ali Nuri (1817–92), who realized that he was that prophet, was given the title Baha’u’llah (Glory of God). Born into Persia’s landed gentry, he was part of the country's ruling class, and is considered the founder of the Bahá'í faith. His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant of the Glory of God), who lived from 1844 until 1921, became the leader of the group after his father’s death in 1892. The oldest son of his eldest daughter, Shogi Effendi Rabbani (1899–1957), oversaw a rapid expansion, visiting Egypt, America, and nations in Europe. Tahirih (the Pure One) was a woman poet who challenged stereotypes by appearing unveiled at meetings.

Major Holy Sites: The Bahá'í World Center is located near Haifa, Israel. The burial shrine of the Bab, a pilgrimage site, is also there. The Shrine of Baha’u’llah near Acre, Israel, is another pilgrimage site. The American headquarters are in Wilmette, Illinois. Carmel in Israel is regarded as the world center of the faith.

Major Rites and Celebrations: Each year, the Bahá'í celebrate Ridvan Festival, a twelve-day feast from sunset on April 20 to sunset on May 2. The festival marks Baha’u’llah’s declaration of prophethood, as prophesized by the Bab, at a Baghdad garden. (Ridvan means Paradise.) The holy days within that feast are the first (Baha’u’llah’s garden arrival), ninth (the arrival of his family), and twelfth (his departure from Ridvan Garden)—on these days, the Bahá'í do not work. During this feast, people attend social events and meet for devotions. Baha’u’llah referred to it as the King of Festivals and Most Great Festival. The Bahá'í celebrate several other events, including World Religion Day and Race Unity Day, both founded by Bahá'í, as well as days connected with significant events in the life of the founder, including his ascension to heaven. Elections to the Spiritual Assemblies, and the national and local administrations; international elections are held every five years.

Origins

History & Geography: The Bahá'í faith first emerged in the nineteenth century. Siyyad ‘Ali Muhammad was born into a merchant family of Shiraz in 1819. Both his parents were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s central figure. Like the Prophet, the man who became the Bab lost his father at an early age and was raised by an uncle. A devout child, he entered his uncle’s business by age fifteen. After visiting Muslim holy cities, he returned to Shiraz, where he married a distant relative named Khadijih.

While on pilgrimage in 1844 to the black stone of Ka’bah, a sacred site in Islam, the Bab stood with his hand on that holy object and declared that he was the prophet for whom they had been waiting. The Sunni did not give credence to these claims. The Bab went to Persia, where the Shia sect was the majority. However, because Muhammad had been regarded as the "Seal of the Prophets," and the one who spoke the final revelation, Shia clergy viewed his claims as threatening. As such, nothing further would be revealed until the Day of Judgment. The authority of the clergy was in danger from this new movement.

The Bab was placed under house arrest, and then confined to a fortress on the Russian frontier. That move to a more remote area only increased the number of converts, as did a subsequent move to another Kurdish fortress. He was eventually taken to Tabriz in Iran and tried before the Muslim clergy in 1848. Condemned, he was caned on the soles of his feet and treated by a British doctor who was impressed by him.

Despite his treatment and the persecution of his followers—many of the Bab’s eighteen disciples, termed the "Letters of the Living," were tortured and executed—the Bab refused to articulate a doctrine of jihad. The Babis were allowed to defend themselves, but were forbidden to use holy war as a means of religious conquest. In three major confrontations sparked by the Shia clergy, Babis were defeated. The Bab was sentenced as a heretic and shot by a firing squad in 1850. Lacking leadership and grief-stricken, in 1852 two young Babis fired on the shah, the leader of Iran, in 1852, unleashing greater persecutions and cruelty against those of the Bahá'í faith.

A follower of the Bab, Mirza Hoseyn ’Ali Nuri, announced in 1863 that he was the one who was to come (the twelfth imam of Islam), the "Glory of God," or Baha’u’llah. Considered the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, he was a tireless writer who anointed his son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the next leader. Despite deprivations and imprisonments, Baha’u’llah lived to be seventy-five years old, relinquishing control of the organization to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before the time of his death.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whom his father had called "the Master," expanded the faith to the nations of Europe and North America. In 1893, at the Parliament of Religions at the Chicago World’s Fair, the faith was first mentioned in the United States. Within a few years, communities of faith were established in Chicago and Wisconsin. In 1911, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá began a twenty-eight month tour of Europe and North America to promote the Bahá'í faith. Administratively, he established the spiritual assemblies that were the forerunner of the Houses of Justice that his father had envisioned.

During World War I (1914–18), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá engaged in humanitarian work among the Palestinians in the Middle East, where he lived. In recognition of his efforts, he was granted knighthood by the British government. Thousands of people, including many political and religious dignitaries, attended his funeral in 1921.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá conferred the role of Guardian, or sole interpreter of Bahá'í teaching, to his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani. To him, all questions regarding the faith were to be addressed. Shoghi Effendi Rabbani was a descendent of Baha’u’llah through both parents. He headed the Bahá'í faith from 1921 to 1963, achieving four major projects: he oversaw the physical development of the World Centre and expanded the administrative order; he carried out the plan his father had set in motion; and he provided for the translating and interpreting of Bahá'í teachings, as the writings of both the Bab and those of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have been translated and published in more than eight hundred languages.

Beginning in 1937, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani began a series of specific plans with goals tied to deadlines. In 1953, during the second seven-year plan, the house of worship in Wilmette, Illinois, was completed and dedicated.

Although the beliefs originated in Shi’ite Islam, the Bahá'í Faith has been declared a new religion without connections to Islam. To followers of Islam, it is a heretical sect. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the start of the reign of the Ayatollah Khomeini, a time when Iran was especially intolerant of religious minorities, the Bahá'í began to face widespread persecution.

Founder or Major Prophet: Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri, known as Baha’u’llah, was born into privilege in 1817 in what was then Persia, now present-day Iran. At twenty-two, he declined a government post offered at his father’s death. Although a member of a politically prestigious family, he did not follow the career path of several generations of his ancestors. Instead, he managed the family estates and devoted himself to charities, earning the title "Father of the Poor."

At twenty-seven, he followed the Babis’s movement within Shia Islam, corresponding with the Bab and traveling to further the faith. He also provided financial support. In 1848, he organized and helped to direct a conference that explained the Bab’s teaching. At the conference, he gave symbolic names to the eighty-one followers who had attended, based on the spiritual qualities he had observed.

Although he managed to escape death during the persecutions before and after the Bab’s death, a fact largely attributed to his upbringing, Baha’u’llah was imprisoned several times. During a four-month stay in an underground dungeon in Tehran, he realized from a dream that he was the one of whom the Bab had prophesied. After being released, he was banished from Persia and had his property confiscated by the shah. He went to Baghdad, refusing the offer of refuge that had come from Russia. Over the following three years a small band of followers joined him, including members of his family. When his younger brother attempted to take over the leadership of the Babis, Baha’u’llah spent two years in a self-imposed exile in the Kurdistan wilderness. In 1856, with the community near anarchy as a result of his brother’s failure of leadership, Baha’u’llah returned to the community and restored its position over the next seven years.

Concerned by the growing popularity of the new faith, the shah demanded that the Babis move further away from Persia. They went to Constantinople where, in 1863, Baha’u’llah revealed to the whole group that he was "He Whom God Will Make Manifest." From there the Bahá'í were sent to Adrianople in Turkey, and at last, in 1868, to the town of Acre in modern-day Israel. Baha’u’llah was imprisoned in Acre and survived severe prison conditions. In 1877, he moved from prison to a country estate, then to a mansion. He died in 1892 after a fever.

Philosophical Basis: The thinking of Shia Muslims contributed to the development of Bahá'í. The writings incorporate language and concepts from the Qur’an (Islam’s holy book). Like Muslims, the Bahá'í believe that God is one. God sends messengers, the Manifestations of God, to instruct people and benefit society. These have included Jesus Christ, the Buddha, the Prophet Muhammad, Krishna, and the Bab. Bahá'í also goes further than Islam in accepting all religions—not just Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—as being part of a divinely inspired plan.

Shia Muslims believe that Muhammad’s descendants should lead the faithful community. The leaders, known as imams, were considered infallible. The Sunni Muslims believed that following the way (sunna) of Muhammad was sufficient qualification for leadership. Sunni dynasties regarded the imams as a threat and executed them, starting with two of Muhammad’s grandsons, who became Shia martyrs.

In Persia, a state with a long tradition of divinely appointed rulers, the Shia sect was strong. When the Safavids, a Shia dynasty, came to power in the sixteenth century, the custom of the imamate was victorious. One tradition states that in 873, the last appointed imam, who was still a child, went into hiding to avoid being killed. For the following sixty-nine years, this twelfth imam communicated through his deputies to the faithful. Each of the deputies was called bab, or gate, because they led to the "Hidden Imam." Four babs existed through 941, and the last one died without naming the next bab. The Hidden Imam is thought to emerge at the end of time to bring in a worldwide reign of justice. From this tradition came the expectation of a Mahdi (Guided One) to lead the people.

During the early nineteenth century, many followers of both the Christian and Islamic faiths expected their respective messiahs to return. Shia teachers believed that the return of the Mahdi imam was near. In 1843, one teacher, Siyyid Kázim, noted that the Hidden Imam had disappeared one thousand lunar years earlier. He urged the faithful to look for the Mahdi imam.

The following year in Shiraz, Siyyad ’Ali Mohammad announced that he was the Mahdi. (Siyyad is a term meaning descended from Muhammad.) He referred to himself as the Bab, though he expanded the term’s meaning. Eighteen men, impressed with his ability to expound the Qur’an, believed him. They became the Letters of the Living, and were sent throughout Persia (present-day Iran) to announce the dawning of the Day of God.

In 1853, Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri experienced a revelation that he was "He Whom God Shall Make Manifest," the one of whom the Bab prophesied. Accepted as such, he began writing the words that became the Bahá'í scriptures. Much of what is known of the early days of the faith comes from a Cambridge academic, Edward Granville Browne, who first visited Baha’u’llah in the 1890. Browne wrote of his meeting, introducing this faith to the West.

The emphasis of the Bahá'í faith is on personal development and the breaking down of barriers between people. Service to humanity is important and encouraged. Marriage, with a belief in the equality of both men and women, is also encouraged. Consent of both sets of parents is required prior to marrying.

Holy Places: The shrine of the Bab near Haifa, Israel, and that of Baha’u‘llah near Acre, Israel, are the two most revered sites for those of the Bahá'í faith. In 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized both as World Heritage Sites. They are the first such sites from a modern religious tradition to be added to the list of sites. Both sites are appreciated for the formal gardens surrounding them that blend design elements from different cultures. For the Bahá'í, Baha’u’llah’s shrine is the focus of prayer, comparable to the significance given to the Ka’bah in Mecca for Muslims or to the Western Wall for Jewish people.

As of 2024, there were eight Bahá'í "mother" temples in the world, one on each inhabited continent, serving as the headquarters of the faith in that region. There are also several local temples. All temples are built with a center dome and nine sides, symbolizing both diversity and world unity. The North American temple is located in Wilmette, Illinois. There, daily prayer services take place as well as a Sunday service.

The Bahá'í Faith in Depth

Governance: Elected members of lay councils at international, national, and local levels administer the work of the faith. The Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel, is the location of the international nine-member body. Elections for all of these lay councils are by secret ballot, and do not include nominating, candidates, or campaigns. Those twenty-one and older are permitted to vote. The councils make decisions according to a process of collective decision-making called consultation. They strive to serve as a model for governing a united global society.

Personal Conduct: In addition to private prayer and acts of social justice, those of the Bahá'í faith are encouraged to have a profession, craft, or trade. They are also asked to shun and refrain from slander and partisan politics. Gambling and sexual activity outside marriage are forbidden. The Bahá'í faith does not recognize same-sex marriage.

The Bahá'í faith does not have professional clergy, nor does it engage in missionary work. However, Bahá'í may share their faith with others and may move to another country as a "pioneer." Pioneers are unlike traditional missionaries, and are expected to support themselves through a career and as a member of the community.

Avenues of Service: Those of the Bahá'í faith place a high value on service to humanity, considering it an act of worship. This can be done through caring for one’s own family or through one’s choice of vocation. Within the local community, people may teach classes for children, mentor youth groups, host devotional programs, or teach adult study circles. Many are engaged in economic or social development programs as well. Although not mandated, a year or two of service is often undertaken following high school or during college.

United Nations Involvement: Beginning in 1947, just one year after the United Nations (UN) first met, the Bahá'í Faith was represented at that body. In 1948, the Bahá'í International Community was accredited by the UN as an international nongovernmental organization (NGO). In 1970, the faith received special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Following World War I, a Bahá'í office opened in Geneva, Switzerland, where the League of Nations was headquartered. Thus, the Bahá'í Faith has a long tradition of supporting global institutions.

Money Matters: The International Bahá'í Fund exists to develop and support the growth of the faith, and the Universal House of Justice oversees the distribution of the money. Contributions are also used to maintain the Bahá'í World Center. No money is accepted from non-Bahá'í sources. National and local funds, administered by National or Local Spiritual Assemblies, are used in supporting service projects, publishing endeavors, schools, and Bahá'í centers. For the Bahá'í, the size of the donation is less important than regular contributions and the spirit of sacrifice behind them.

Food Restrictions: Bahá'í between fifteen and seventy years of age fast nineteen days a year, abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Fasting occurs the first day of each month of the Bahá'í calendar, which divides the year into nineteen months of nineteen days each. The Bahá'í faithful do not drink alcohol or use narcotics because these will deaden the mind with repeated use.

Rites, Celebrations, and Services: Daily prayer and meditation is recommended in the Bahá'í faith. During services there are mediations and prayers, along with the reading of Bahá'í scriptures and other world faith traditions. There is no set ritual, no offering, and no sermon. Choirs sing, but are unaccompanied by musical instruments. Light refreshments may be served afterward.

Bahá'í place great stress on marriage, the only state in which sex is permitted. Referred to as "a fortress for well-being and salvation," a monogamous, heterosexual marriage is the ideal. To express the oneness of humanity, interracial marriages are encouraged. After obtaining the consent of their parents, the couple takes the following vow: "We will all, verily, abide by the will of God." The remainder of the service may be individually crafted and may also include dance, music, feasting, and ceremony. Should a couple choose to end a marriage, they must first complete a year of living apart while trying to reconcile differences. Divorce is discouraged, but permitted after that initial year.

Criticism of the Bahá'í Faith

Criticisms of the Bahá'í faith come primarily from Christian and Islamic leaders, as well as from the Iranian government—the country in which the largest population of Bahá'ís live. Christians dismiss the Bahá'í faith’s existence as a combination of religions and argue that discrepancies between the different faiths contradict the Bahá'í faith’s idea of unity of religion. They cite the Christian doctrine of atonement as an example, stating that atonement is commonly understood to exclude all other religions as a path to God. Muslims, on the other hand, dismiss Bahá'í faith due to the Islamic belief that Muhammad was God’s final prophet and, therefore, Islam is the final religion for all humankind. In addition, the Iranian government—which is largely governed by Islamic doctrine—has accused Bahá'ís of being spies for an assortment of countries, including Russia and the United States, and of being agents of Zionism, a doctrine that expresses nationalist support for Israel as a Jewish homeland. In 2024, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch accused Iran of committing a crime against humanity for its persecution of adherents to the Bahá'í faith, which has included decades of repression, imprisonment, and violation of the human rights of Bahá'ís.

Other criticisms of Bahá'í faith include accusations by former members of the religion of cult-like behaviors, including social isolation of adherents, financial irregularities, and sexual deviance. Others criticize the Bahá'í faith’s stance on gender equality, arguing that while the religion claims to support gender equality, its doctrines show traditions of excluding women during menstruation, having dowry laws with a virginity refund clause, and emphasizing traditional family values.

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