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Baha’i

Today marks the birth of Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), the founder of the Bahá’í faith. Baha’u’llah was a 19th-century Persian nobleman from Tehran (in present-day Iran) who, according to Bahai.org, “left a life of princely comfort and security and, in the face of intense persecution and deprivation, brought to humanity a stirring new message of peace and unity.”

Like Muhammad, Baha’u’llah claimed to be the newest messenger sent by God (the latest in the line of Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad). He authored several texts, including the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude), the Hidden Words and the Seven Valleys. In his manuscripts, he taught that there is only one God. Along these thoughts of unity, he also taught that mankind should be united as one people, one human race, one country. That sense of unity underlies the processes of the community itself – no sects or divisions have broken off from the Bahá’í faith. According to followers, it remains united. Here are some other interesting tidbits about the faith founded by Baha’u’llah:

Followers: The Bahá’í faith claims more than six million members, residing in more than 2,100 different ethnic communities and groups in 200 countries across the world. Members are governed by freely elected councils. They focus on social justice, cultural diversity, environmental conservation, and so forth; as a result, they have started a large number of grass-roots movements throughout the world.

The goal: To know and love God and to bring about peace in a global community.

Connection to other religions: Since Baha’u’llah claimed to be a messenger like Jesus and Buddha, he thereby validated all other religious faiths and of their founders and messengers. Though the Bahá’í faith is its own religion, it draws on Shia Islam (just as Christianity was established on top of Jewish beliefs).

Social connection: Baha’u’llah’s sense of unity was rooted in the idea of globalization and a global community. He felt the world was evolving and becoming more and more unified and globalized. The idea seems rather relevant to today’s culture, in which the Internet and a more global economic system have given way to increased awareness of the other. Baha’u’llah wanted to take it a step further, eliminating prejudice and bringing about a harmonious universal civilization with a universal religion. As such, members of the faith have been heavily involved in government and, in 2000, their Bahá’í International Community was the only non-governmental speaker invited to the United Nations’ Millennium Forum.

To learn more about Baha’u’llah, visit www.bahaullah.org.