It was founded by Baha'u'llah in Iran in the 19th century. According to the Bahá'í calendar: 1 Year = 19 months, months = 19 days, with four or five intercalary days, to make a... 2. The general functions of this body are defined through the writings of Baháʼu'lláh and clarified in the writings of Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. Baháʼí sources since 1991 usually estimate the worldwide Baháʼí population to be above 5 million. It is the most diverse religion on earth and a force for peace and unity around the world. Prominent among Baháʼí literature are the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Kitáb-i-Íqán, Some Answered Questions, and The Dawn-Breakers. The Baha’i belief is a monotheistic which emphasizes the spirituality of all mankind. There are three core principles: Unity of God; Unity of religion; and Unity of humanity. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. [172] The first identification cards were issued to two Baháʼís under the new decree on 8 August 2009. Bahá'í at a glance. Throughout the rest of his life Baháʼu'lláh gained the allegiance of most of the Bábís, who came to be known as Baháʼís. This book reveals that Baha'u'llah never intended to be the Funder of a new religion (the Baha'i Faith), but merely the Founder of a Shi'ite Sufi (Mystical) Order. 1. Baháʼís do not expect a new manifestation of God to appear within 1000 years of Baháʼu'lláh's revelation. The Bahá'í New Year corresponds to the traditional Persian New Year, called Naw Rúz, and occurs on the vernal equinox, 21 March, at the end of the month of fasting. The Baháʼí Faith is a medium-sized religion[106] and was listed in The Britannica Book of the Year (1992–present) as the second most widespread of the world's independent religions in terms of the number of countries represented. The writings belief describes a single, personal, inaccessible, omniscient, omnipresent, imperishable, and almighty God who is the creator of all things in the universe. The House of Justice then launched a nine-year plan in 1964, and a series of subsequent multi-year plans of varying length and goals followed, guiding the direction of the international Baháʼí community. Baha’is believe that Baha’ Allah and his forerunner, the Bab, were manifestations of God. [69] During the period in Adrianople, he began declaring his mission as a Messenger of God in letters to the world's religious and secular rulers, including Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III, and Queen Victoria. 8. [22], The teachings of Baháʼu'lláh form the foundation of Baháʼí belief. There are specific requirements for Baháʼí burial that include a specified prayer to be read at the interment. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. [27][35] The religion was initially seen as a sect of Islam because of its belief in the prophethood of Muhammad and in the authenticity and veracity of the Qur’an. The Báb's claim to divine revelation was rejected by the generality of Islamic clergy in Iran, ending in his public execution by authorities in 1850. [96] Baháʼí cemeteries have been desecrated and property has been seized and occasionally demolished, including the House of Mírzá Buzurg, Baháʼu'lláh's father. For other related uses, see, Monotheistic religion founded by Baháʼu'lláh. Therefore, human understanding of God is achieved through his revelations via his Manifestations. After receiving chastising letters from Baháʼu'lláh, Ottoman authorities turned against him and put him under house arrest in Adrianople (now Edirne), where he remained for four years, until a royal decree of 1868 banished all Bábís to either Cyprus or ʻAkká. Shortly thereafter he was expelled from Iran and traveled to Baghdad, in the Ottoman Empire. [149][152] The Friends court case has been postponed several times, but was finally underway on 12 January 2010. [27] Though inaccessible directly, God is nevertheless seen as conscious of creation, with a will and purpose expressed through messengers called Manifestations of God. According to a US panel, attacks on Baháʼís in Iran increased under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. “the Baha’i Faith,”or “the Baha’i community.”. Centers of Learning The Baha’is of the United States operate three year-round conference and retreat centers that offer a wide range of programming for adults, youth and children. Bahá'í Faith is Compatible with Secular Facts. [14] It is derived from the Arabic Baháʼ (بهاء), meaning "glory" or "splendor". [129] Educational projects include schools, which range from village tutorial schools to large secondary schools, and some universities. [30], Baháʼí notions of progressive religious revelation result in their accepting the validity of the well known religions of the world, whose founders and central figures are seen as Manifestations of God. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Universal House of Justice. The former consists of two five-pointed stars interspersed with a stylized Baháʼ whose shape is meant to recall the three onenesses,[122] while the latter is a calligraphic rendering of the phrase Yá Baháʼu'l-Abhá (يا بهاء الأبهى "O Glory of the Most Glorious!"). [173], This article is about the global religious community. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer dated 9 June 1932, Stockman, R. H. (2012). [28][29], Baháʼí teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully comprehend, or to create a complete and accurate image of by themselves. [90] Baháʼí sources since 1991 usually estimate the worldwide Baháʼí population to be above 5 million. 2, United Nations Development Fund for Women, United Nations Economic and Social Council, United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Political Non-involvement and Obedience to Government – A compilation of some of the Messages of the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice, Principles of the Baháʼí Faith & 26 March 2006, Universal House of Justice & September 2002, "Shoghi Effendi, 61, Baha'i Faith Leader", Universal House of Justice & 17 January 2003, Universal House of Justice & 21 April 2010, Association of Religion Data Archives 2010, International Federation of Human Rights & August 2003, "Lights of Guidance/Administrative Rights, Sanctions, Dissimulation - Bahaiworks, a library of works about the Bahá'í Faith", Baháʼí Office of Social and Economic Development 2018, Baháʼí International Community & 6 June 2000, Baháʼí World News Service & 8 September 2000, International Religious Freedom Report 2013, Ominous wave of Yemen arrests raises alarm, Archives of Bahá'í Persecution in Iran: Historical Overview, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center 2007, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights & 8 March 2006, "Woman Expelled From Iranian University Just Before Obtaining Degree Because She's Baha'i", Iran Human Rights Documentation Center 2008b, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center 2008, Baháʼí World News Service & 17 April 2009, Baháʼí World News Service & 14 August 2009, "History of Baháʼí Educational Efforts in Iran", "The eschatology of Globalization: The multiple-messiahship of Bahā'u'llāh revisited", "Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010", "Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-2010", https://www.amazon.com/World-Christian-Encyclopedia-Comparative-D/dp/0195724356, "Global statistics for all religions: 2001 AD", "The Specter of Ideological Genocide: The Baháʼís of Iran", "Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations: An Empirical Assessment of the World Christian Database", Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, "Education of women and socio-economic development", "Conspiracies and Forgeries: the attack upon the Baha'i community in Iran", "The Baha'i Faith 1957–1988: A Survey of Contemporary Developments", "Numbers and Classifications of Sacred Writings & Texts", "The Economist explains: The Bahai faith", "History of Active Cooperation with the United Nations", "First identification cards issued to Egyptian Baháʼís using a "dash" instead of religion", "Egypt officially changes rules for ID cards", "Plans to build new Houses of Worship announced", "Trial underway for Baha'i leaders in Iran", "Sentences for Iran's Baha'i leaders reportedly reduced", "A Trial in Tehran: Their Only 'Crime' – Their Faith", "IHRDC Condemns the Arrest of Leading Baháʼís", "Court sentences leaders of Bahai faith to 20 years in prison", "Iran Baha'i Leaders Scheduled in Court on Election Anniversary", "Date set for second court session for seven Baha'is in Iran", "Nine-Pointed Star, The:History and Symbolism by Universal House of Justice 1999-01-24", "Baháʼí United Nations Representative Addresses World Leaders at the Millennium Summit", "Dismay at lack of human rights resolution on Iran as persecution worsens", "The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions", "Discrimination against religious minorities in Iran", "International Religious Freedom Report for 2013", "A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Baha'is of Iran", "For the Betterment of the World: The Worldwide Baháʼí Community's Approach to Social and Economic Development", "Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion or belief concerned about treatment of followers of Baháʼí Faith in Iran", "A Discussion with Farida Vahedi, Executive Director of the Department of External Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India", The Bahá'ís: Contributing to an Emerging Global Civilization, The Bahá’í Faith – The website of the worldwide Bahá’í community, Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) – The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community, New religious movements and right wing politics, INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), Academic study of new religious movements, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baháʼí_Faith&oldid=1000971951, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Persian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with default search, Wikipedia articles with TDVİA identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The Báb declares his mission in Shiraz, Iran, The Báb is publicly executed in Tabriz, Iran, Baháʼu'lláh is imprisoned and forced into exile. A Baháʼí-published document reported 4.74 million Baháʼís in 1986 growing at a rate of 4.4%. [121] The ringstone symbol and calligraphy of the Greatest Name are also often encountered. In English, the word Baháʼí is used either as an adjective to refer to the Baháʼí Faith or as a term for a follower of Baháʼu'lláh. [130] By 2017 there were an estimated 40,000 small scale projects, 1,400 sustained projects, and 135 Baháʼí inspired organizations. [139] When the Báb started attracting a large following, the clergy hoped to stop the movement from spreading by stating that its followers were enemies of God. [109], While some of the laws from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are applicable at the present time, others are dependent upon the existence of a predominantly Baháʼí society, such as the punishments for arson or murder. [85] Annually, on 21 April, the Universal House of Justice sends a 'Ridván' message to the worldwide Baháʼí community,[86] that updates Baháʼís on current developments and provides further guidance for the year to come. [38][39] Baháʼís describe their faith as an independent world religion, differing from the other traditions in its relative age and in the appropriateness of Baháʼu'lláh's teachings to the modern context. [148] In March 2018, two more Baháʼí students were expelled from universities in the cities of Zanjan and Gilan because of their religion. At this time Baháʼís view Baháʼu'lláh's revelation as a binding lesser covenant for his followers; in the Baháʼí writings being firm in the covenant is considered a virtue to work toward. Sources summarize the Baháʼí Faith as teaching, "the essential worth of all religions, the unity of all peoples, and the equality of the sexes". 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