Being a Bahá'í
The Bahá'í Faith is:
A world religion
whose purpose is to unite all the races and all the peoples
in one universal Cause and one common Faith.
Bahá'ís are the followers of Bahá'u'lláh.
Bahá'u'lláh is the Promised One of all Ages.
Many traditions include the promise of a future when a world where
peace and harmony will be established on earth, and where humankind
will live in prosperity.
Bahá'ís believe:
The promised hour has come
Bahá'u'lláh is the great Personage Whose Teachings will enable humanity to build a new world.
That
which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest
instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its
peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
God in a Bahá'í perspective
Bahá'u'lláh teaches that God is unknowable in His Essence.
We should not make images of God in our mind, thinking of Him, for
example, as a man. In general, that which has been created cannot
understand its creator. For instance, a table cannot understand the
nature of the carpenter who made it. The carpenter's existence is
totally incomprehensible to the objects he makes.
God is the Creator of all things. He has made the heavens and the
earth, with its mountains and valleys, its deserts and seas, its
rivers, its meadows and trees. God has created the animals and God has
created the human being.
The reason behind our creation, we are told by Bahá'u'lláh, is love:
O
Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do
thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the
spirit of life.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Manifestations of God
Although God’s existence is far beyond our understanding, His
love touches our lives and our beings ceaselessly. The way this love
flows to us is through His Eternal Covenant. According to this Eternal
Covenant, God never leaves us alone and without guidance. Whenever
humanity moves away from Him and forgets His Teachings, a Manifestation
of God appears and makes His Will and Purpose known to us.
The word “manifest” means to reveal, to bring forth
something that was not known before. The Manifestations of God are
those special Beings Who reveal to humanity the Word and the Will of
God; thus when we listen to Them, we are responding to the Call of God.
There is an example from the physical world that helps us to understand
the concept of “Manifestation” as taught by
Bahá'u'lláh. In this world, the sun is the source of all
warmth and light, without which life would not exist on the planet. Yet
the sun itself does not descend to earth, and if we tried to approach
it, we would be totally consumed.
But suppose we take a well-polished mirror and point it towards the
sun. In it we will see the image of the sun, and the more perfectly
polished the mirror, the more perfect the image will be.
The Manifestations of God are like perfect Mirrors that reflect
the Light of God in all its Splendour. And all these Mirrors reflect
the same light. While God is beyond our reach, these perfect Beings
come to us from time to time, live among us, give us guidance, and fill
us with the energy we need to progress, materially and spiritually.
There were several Manifestations in the past through whom God sent his
Teachings to humanity. Jesus Christ was one of them, as were Abraham,
Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, and Muhammad, and most people
were raised according to the Teachings of one of them. Now everyone can
receive the Teachings of a new Manifestation,
Bahá'u'lláh, whose title means the Glory of God.
Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings, then, are in perfect harmony
with the Teachings of the Manifestations of the past, but they address
the condition of humanity today. If you think for a moment about the
plight of humanity, you will agree that the time is right for another
Manifestation of God to have appeared. The Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh speak about the Day in which we live:
This
is the Day in which God's most excellent favours have been poured out
upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into
all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world
to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace,
abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Unity in diversity
The aim of the Bahá'í Faith is to unify humanity.
In Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings we are told that:
we are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.
Although we differ from one another physically and emotionally,
although we have different talents and capacities, we all spring from
the same root; we all belong to the same human family.
This is the concept of unity in diversity.
Humanity can be likened to a vast garden in which grow side by side
flowers of every form, colour and perfume. The charm and beauty of the
garden lie in this diversity. We should not allow the differences that
exist among us in our physical characteristics, our temperaments, our
backgrounds, our thoughts and opinions to give rise to conflict and
strife. We should see the members of the human race as beautiful
flowers growing in the garden of humanity and rejoice in belonging to
this garden.
Although the oneness of humankind is an undeniable truth, the people of
earth are so far from it that unifying them is no easy task. If you
choose to join the Bahá’í community, you will
participate in its efforts to build and maintain unity.
Bahá'ís are all striving to bring their thoughts and
actions in line with their belief in the oneness of humankind.
Bahá'ís are told that:
when a thought of war enters our minds, we should immediately replace it with a thought of peace.
when a feeling of hate begins to take shape in our hearts, we should immediately replace it with a feeling of love.
we should do everything possible to overcome our prejudices.
prejudices of race, color nationality, culture, religion, and sex are among the greatest obstacles to building a better world.
So many passages in the Bahá'í writings teach us how to
walk in the ways of unity and how to help others take the same path.
Bahá'u'lláh
has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of
all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of
the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and
we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of
unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us.
('Abdu'l-Bahá)
Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of God
Bahá'u'lláh was born in 1817 in Tehrán, the
capital of Iran. From His early childhood, He showed signs of
greatness. He received some instruction at home, but did not need to
attend school, for He was endowed by God with innate knowledge.
Bahá'u'lláh came from a noble family and when he was a
young man, was offered a high position in the court of the King, but He
refused it. He wished to dedicate His time to helping the oppressed,
the sick and the poor, and to champion the cause of justice.
There are two aspects of the life of Bahá'u'lláh which
actually characterize the lives of all the Manifestations of God:
The suffering He endured.
The tremendous influence He had on the hearts and minds of people.
Bahá'u'lláh's sufferings began the moment He arose to
proclaim the Cause of God. His life was one of exile, imprisonment and
persecution. He was put in chains in a dark and dismal dungeon in
Tehrán. He was exiled four times from land to land, finally
being sent to the Prison City of 'Akká in the Ottoman Empire. So
intense were His sufferings there that He has referred to Akká
as the "Most Great Prison". In one of His Tablets, we read:
Remember
My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote
prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not
waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all
the heavens and the earth arise against thee.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
About His own sufferings, He says:
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!
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Opposition to Bahá'u'lláh
Every effort was made by two powerful courts – those of the King
of Iran and the Ottoman Emperor – to oppose
Bahá'u'lláh and His Teachings. But the Light of Truth is
not easily extinguished. The very water that is poured on this fire to
put out its flame turns into oil, and the fire burns with more
intensity. Nothing could be done to stop Bahá'u'lláh's
growing influence. The farther the authorities banished Him, the
greater the number of people who were attracted to His Teachings and
recognized His Power and Majesty. In spite of constant persecution,
Bahá'u'lláh continued to reveal the Word of God for more
than forty years and brought so much love and spiritual energy into
this world that the final victory of His Cause is certain.
Passing
Bahá'u'lláh passed away in 1892. His Shrine, which we
consider the Holiest Spot on earth, is located near the city of
'Akká. It is surrounded by gardens, and is a place of pilgrimage
for Bahá'ís.
The Báb, the Gate
Several years before Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed His Mission,
God sent a special Messenger to announce His coming. This great
Messenger took the title “The Báb” which means the
gate. He was indeed a gate to the knowledge of God and to a new era in
human existence. For six years He taught ceaselessly that the
appearance of the new Manifestation of God was near and prepared the
way for His coming. He told the people that they were witnessing the
dawn of a new Age, the dawn of the Promised Day of God. He called upon
them to purify their hearts from earthly vanities so that they could
recognize Him Whom God would soon manifest.
The fate of the early believers
Thousands upon thousands of people accepted the Message of the
Báb and began to follow His Teachings. But the government of
Iran and the powerful clergy who ruled over the masses rose against
Him. His followers were persecuted and large numbers were put to death
or tortured. The Báb Himself at the age of 31 was martyred by a
regiment of soldiers who, at the orders of the government, suspended
Him in a public square and opened fire on Him.
The following two prayers show how penetrating are the Words of the
Báb. Many Bahá’ís know especially the first
prayer by heart and say it either aloud or mentally in times of
difficulties. It is easy to memorize.
"Is
there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is
God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!"
"Say:
God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens
or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily He is in Himself the Knower,
the Sustainer, the Omnipotent."
(the Báb)
Following His martyrdom, the remains of the Báb were recovered
by His followers and taken from place to place, always hidden from the
enemies of the Faith. Finally, they were transferred to Mount Carmel in
the Holy Land. His Shrine is in Haifa, and there are other Holy Places
in that city and in 'Akka, which is across the bay. These twin cities
are today the spiritual and administrative world centers of the
Bahá'í Faith – the spiritual center because it is
here that the Shrines of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh,
as well as many other Holy Places, are located, and the administrative
center because the Seat of the supreme governing body of the Faith, the
Universal House of Justice, is also on Mount Carmel.
'Abdu’l-Bahá, and the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh
The idea most central to the lives of Bahá'ís is that
they have entered into a Covenant with Bahá'u'lláh. In
all other religions, after the passing of the Manifestation, His
followers had thousands of disputes among themselves and, as a result,
split the religion into many sects. The cause of disunity was sometimes
the desire for leadership of certain ambitious individuals. But, when
differences of opinion arose between even sincere believers about what
the Words of the Manifestation meant, no one had been authorized by the
Manifestation Himself to settle the disagreements, and this contributed
to conflict and dissension. Each set of interpretations led to the
creation of a different sect.
'Abdu'l-Bahá
Bahá'u'lláh has protected His Faith against such division
by endowing it with a unique power, the power of the Covenant.
Before His passing, He stated in the clearest terms, in writing, that
after Him, all Bahá'ís should turn to
'Abdu'l-Bahá. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His oldest Son, was thus
named the sole Interpreter of His Words and the Centre of His Covenant.
He had been raised by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, had recognized
His Station even as a child, and had shared the sufferings of His
Father. He was a most precious gift given to humanity, the perfect
Exemplar of all Bahá'í Teachings.
'Abdu'I-Bahá lived on this earth for 77 years. He was born on
the same night the Báb declared His Mission in 1844 and passed
away in November 1921. His life was filled with affliction, but to
everyone who entered His presence He brought the greatest joy and
happiness. After the passing of His Father, the responsibility for the
Bahá’í community fell on His shoulders, and He
laboured day and night to spread the Faith throughout the East and the
West. He wrote thousands of Tablets to individuals and groups
everywhere and clarified the Teachings of His Father. His
interpretations are now an essential part of the Writings of the
Bahá’í Faith.
By focusing on 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center of
Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, the Bahá'ís of the
world remain united in their efforts to live a Bahá'í
life and to create a new civilization. We remember that as part of our
promise to Bahá'u'lláh, we are to love one another and,
in 'Abdu'l-Bahá, we see the perfect example of one who loves. We
remember that we must uphold justice, that we must be generous, that we
must overlook the faults of others, and from the example of
'Abdu'l-Bahá we learn justice, generosity and forgiveness. More
than anything else, by keeping our focus on 'Abdu'l-Bahá, we are
always aware of our covenant with Bahá'u'lláh that we
will not allow the unity of His followers to be broken and that, united
as a worldwide community, we will labour until the oneness of humankind
has been firmly established.
Shoghi Effendi
In His Will and Testament, 'Abdu'l-Bahá named His grandson the
Guardian of the Faith and after His passing, Shoghi Effendi became the
authorized interpreter of the Teachings. For 36 years, he continued the
work of His Grandfather, clarifying the Words of the Manifestation and
firmly establishing His Faith in all parts of the planet.
The Universal House of Justice
Five and half years after the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the
Bahá'ís of the world elected the Universal House of
Justice, as envisioned by Bahá'u'lláh and clearly
described by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian. The Universal House
of Justice is the supreme institution of the Faith to which all the
Bahá'ís of the world now turn.
Bahá'í Laws
A most important aspect of every religion is the laws that the
Manifestation brings to humanity in order to guide it in the right
path. Some of these laws and commandments are eternal, others changes
as humanity progresses and evolves. In the Faith we are taught that we
should not think of Bahá'í laws as a series of do's and
don'ts. Bahá'u'lláh tells us that His laws are
...the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Nor should we obey these laws out of fear of punishment, for He clearly has stated in His Most Holy Book:
Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
The following are a few examples of Bahá'í laws.
Obligatory Prayer
In the physical world, human beings have to eat every day. This is a
requirement of the human body; if we don't, we will get sick and
quickly die. We can say, then, that eating daily is a law of physical
existence which has to be obeyed. In the same way one of the
commandments of Bahá'u'lláh is that we should pray every
day. Like our body, our soul needs constant nourishment, and prayer
provides the nourishment for our spiritual growth. There are many
beautiful prayers revealed by the Báb, by
Bahá'u'lláh and by 'Abdu'l-Bahá which we can say
when we are alone or recite in meetings. Some of these prayers are
special, and some are obligatory. One obligatory prayer is
recited by Bahá’ís every day sometime between
noon and sunset. It is a short and beautiful prayer and is easy to
memorize. It says:
"I
bear witness, 0 my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to
worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy
might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but
Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting”.
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Prohibition of backbiting
In another commandment, Bahá'u'lláh prohibits backbiting
and calumny. This is important because one of the greatest enemies of
unity is backbiting. And unfortunately, it has become an established
practice among most of humanity to talk about other people's faults in
their absence. Everybody seems to be concerned with everybody else's
shortcomings, which are made bigger and bigger as they are constantly
mentioned. 'Abdu'l-Bahá tells us to do just the opposite. If we
see ten good qualities in someone and one fault, we should concentrate
on the ten, and even if a person has ten faults and only one good
quality we should focus on that one quality.
"O
Companion of My Throne! Hear no evil, and see no evil, abase not
thyself, neither sigh and weep. Speak no evil, that thou mayest not
hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that
thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of
anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of
thy life, that are less than a fleeting moment, with thy mind
stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature
sanctified, so that, free and content, thou mayest put away this mortal
frame, and repair unto the mystic paradise and abide in the eternal
kingdom forevermore."
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Prohibition of alcohol and substance abuse
Bahá'u'lláh prohibits the drinking of alcohol and, of
course, substance abuse. Drinking alcohol is really one of the greatest
social ills that exists today in the world. It is one of the most
common causes of violence and the ruin of healthy family life. It is
hard to understand why people would take something that interferes with
their minds and makes them lose their ability to think clearly.
Drinking makes people capable of acting in shameful ways, when we have
actually been created noble. The following is a beautiful quote from
Bahá'u'lláh's Writings about nobility:
"O
Son of Spirit! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of
the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou
enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded
thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto
thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty,
powerful and self-subsisting."
(Bahá'u'lláh)
Universal Education
Another commandment of Bahá'u'lláh is about the obligation of parents and society to educate children:
"Therefore,
the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful must train
their children with life and heart and teach them in the school of
virtue and perfection. They must not be lax in this matter; they must
not be inefficient. Truly, if a babe did not live at all it were better
than to let it grow ignorant, for that innocent babe, in later life,
would become afflicted with innumerable defects, responsible to and
questioned by God, reproached and rejected by the people. What a sin
this would be and what an omission!
"The
first duty of the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful
is this: They must strive by all possible means to educate both sexes,
male and female; girls like boys; there is no difference whatsoever
between them. The ignorance of both is blameworthy, and negligence in
both cases is reprovable. 'Are they who know and they who do not know
equal?'"
('Abdu'l-Bahá)
Building a world civilization
In becoming a Bahá'í you join a religion and do not just
accept a collection of nice ideals. In fact, the
Bahá’í Faith is a very organized religion whose aim
is nothing less than the unification of the entire human race. You can
think of the work of the Bahá'ís as the building of a
world civilization. The Universal House of Justice tells us that there
are three participants in this work, each with a very important role.
The individual
The first participant is the individual believer. It is the duty of
this individual to remain firm in the Covenant, to strive daily to
bring his or her life in line with Bahá'u'lláh's
Teachings, and to serve humanity, always conscious of the fact that
life does not end with death and that one's relation with God is
eternal. After death, our souls become free and continue to progress
towards God for all eternity. Our lives here are very much like
the life of an infant in the womb of the mother. For some nine months
the child develops faculties - eyes, ears, hands and so on - to be used
later in this world. In the same way, we are to develop here the
spiritual faculties that we need to progress in the other worlds of
God. Of course, we do not achieve our purpose by just thinking about
it. We have to work, serve our fellow human beings, and share the
knowledge we gain with others.
The community
The second participant is the community. Human beings were not created
to exist alone. We live in communities and must work together to build
the new civilization. The community closest to us is the local one
which consists of the Bahá'ís of our village or town. It
is in the local community where we learn to cooperate with one another,
to grow together and become united. In addition to being members of the
local community, we are also members of the national community and then
the worldwide Bahá'í community which is constantly
expanding and attracting people from every religious background, race,
and nationality.
The institutions
The institutions of the Faith represent the third participant in the
building of the new civilization. Included in the commandments of
Bahá’u’lláh are many related to the way
society should be organized. In the past, the Manifestations of God
have not said much about how their followers should organize themselves
and people have had to discover how to do this by themselves. But in
the case of the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh
has brought His own Administrative Order, which means that He has told
us what institutions we must create, how they should function, and how
humanity should be governed.
The supreme institution, the Universal House of Justice, has already
been mentioned. In each country, Bahá'ís select once a
year the National Spiritual Assembly, and in each locality, the Local
Spiritual Assembly, the institution that most new
Bahá’ís get to know the soonest. There are no
priests or clergy in the Bahá’í Faith, and it
is the Local Spiritual Assembly that guides the affairs of the
community and watches over the well-being of the individual believers.
A Local Spiritual Assembly consists of nine members elected in a
prayerful atmosphere by secret ballot by all the adult believers in the
community. Spiritual Assemblies are extremely important to
Bahá’ís. Through them we learn how human affairs
are to be administered and how a new order can be established in
society, an order which is to be known as the World Order of
Bahá'u'lIáh.
In closing this short presentation of the essentials of the
Bahá’í Faith, here is a prayer by
'Abdu'l-Bahá:
"0
God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. lIIumine my
powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my
Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy
and joyful being. 0 God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will
I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of
life.
"0 God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, 0 Lord."
('Abdu'l-Bahá)
based on the presentation of the Baha'i Faith in Ruhi Book 6 ("Anna's presentation")
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