BAH

ESSENTIALS OF
BAH FAITH
ESSENTIALS OF
THE BAH FAITH

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION MEMBERS OF THE BAH

FAITH WORLDWIDE. IT IS THE SECOND MOST WIDESPREAD OF

ALL WORLD RELIGIONS CURRENTLY FOUND IN 253 COUNTRIES.

CENTRAL TO THE BAH FAITH IS THE CONVICTION

THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL AND SHARE A COMMON

DESTINY. IT IS A MONOTHEISTIC FAITH THAT RECOGNIZES

THE VALIDITY OF ALL THE WORLDS GREAT RELIGIONS. THE

RELIGION WAS FOUNDED APPROXIMATELY 160 YEARS AGO,

MAKING IT THE WORLDS YOUNGEST MONOTHEISTIC FAITH.

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 6,000 BAHS IN THE UK TODAY.

HISTORY OF
THE BAH FAITH
THE HERALD
The Bah Faith revolves around three
central Figures, the rst of whom was a
youth, a native of Shrz, named Mrz
Ali-Muhammad, known as the Bb (Gate),
who in May, 1844, at the age of twenty-ve,
advanced the claim of being the Herald
Who, according to the sacred Scriptures
of previous Dispensations, must prepare
the way for the advent of One greater
than Himself, Whose mission would be
to inaugurate an era of righteousness
and peace, an era that would be hailed
as the consummation of all previous
Dispensations, and initiate a new cycle in
the religious history of mankind.
Swift and severe persecution, launched
by the organised forces of Church and
State in Iran, precipitated His arrest, His
exile to the mountains of Adhrbyjn, His
imprisonment in the fortresses of Mh-K
and Chihrq, and His execution, in July,
1850, by a ring squad in the public square
of Tabrz. No less than twenty thousand
of his followers were put to death with
barbarous cruelty. The remains of the Bb
were preserved and concealed for over 60
years and then transferred to the
Holy Land.
BAHULLH
Mrz Husayn-Al, surnamed Bahullh returned to His home on the eve of the
(the Glory of God), a native of Mzindarn,
Whose advent the Bb had foretold, was
imprisoned in Tihrn, was banished, in 1852,
to Baghdd, and then to Constantinople
and Adrianople, and nally to the
prison city of Akk, where He remained
incarcerated for twenty-four years, and
in whose neighborhood He passed away
in 1892. In the course of His banishment,
and particularly in Adrianople and Akk,
He formulated the laws and ordinances
of His Dispensation, expounded, in over a
hundred volumes, the principles of His Faith,
proclaimed His Message to the kings and
rulers of both the East and the West, both
Christian and Muslim, addressed the Pope,
the Caliph of Islm, the Chief Magistrates
of the Republics of the American continent,
the entire Christian sacerdotal order, the
leaders of Shih and Sunn Islm, and the
high priests of the Zoroastrian religion.
`ABDUL-BAH
His eldest son, Abbs Effendi, known
as `Abdul-Bah (the Servant of Bah),
appointed by Him as His lawful successor
and the authorized interpreter of His
teachings. Since early childhood `Abdul-
Bah had been closely associated with His
Father, shared His exile and tribulations and
remained a prisoner until 1908, when, as a
result of the Young Turk Revolution, He was
released from His connement. Establishing
His residence in Haifa, He embarked soon
after on His three-year journey to Egypt,
Europe and North America, in the course
of which He expounded before vast
audiences, the teachings of His Father and
predicted the approach of that catastrophe
that was soon to befall mankind. He
First World War, in the course of which He
was exposed to constant danger, until the
liberation of Palestine by the forces under
the command of General Allenby. In 1921
`Abdul-Bah passed away, and was buried
in a vault in the mausoleum erected on
Mount Carmel, at the express instruction
of Bahullh, for the remains of the Bb. worship. This practical expression of the
TRADITIONS
AND BELIEFS
Like Christianity, Bahs believe in one
God and that Jesus is His Son. Like Islam,
Bahs believe that God has sent many
prophets, including Jesus and Muhammad.
Bahs have no priests, ministers or
prayer leaders, and have very little public
ritual. Daily private prayer and study
are essential parts of individual Bah
life, and the Bah community meets
regularly for worship and consultation.
The primary belief is in the oneness
of the human race. The Bah goal is
lasting world peace and unity which
Bahs believe can be reached only when
the barriers of prejudice - from gender
imbalance to racism - have been broken.
Bahs believe all humans are equal, part
of Gods creation and on a spiritual journey
which begins in the womb, continues
throughout life and goes on after death.
There is no concept of heaven or hell -
at least, not as places. To Bahs, heaven great religions. Bahs believe that all the
is closeness to God and hell is distance
from God. In this life, we make choices
which bring us closer to God: developing
honesty, generosity, justice in our dealings
with others, and other spiritual qualities.
Like people of all religions, Bahs believe
that actions in this life prepare us for the
next. Bahs pray and meditate, hold an
annual fast, and study the Bah writings.
The Bah teachings make clear that work
done in the spirit of service is equivalent to
Bah Faith takes many forms. There are
Bah social and economic development
projects around the world - schools,
village literacy projects, healthcare, and
the development of village democracies.
All work done in service to others,
Bahs believe, takes us closer to God.
After death, Bahs believe that the
journey towards God continues - and,
if we use our time in this life well, we
will already have made progress in this
journey. Bahs do not believe that non-
believers will not reach God, but they
will not have come as far along the way.
Bahs believe that in the end, however,
we are all dependent on Gods mercy.
Bahullhs main message was that the
earth is truly one country, and that lasting
peace will be impossible until we really
live with this in our hearts and minds.
Bahs regard world peace as being not
just desirable, but inevitable. However
Bahs are not pacists. The religion took
no stance on the Iraq war, for example or
any other conict. It takes no sides in the
political controversies of the day. Nor do
Bahs have any quarrel with the other
religions come from one divine source:
God. Bahi followers believe that they are
parts of a single historical process taking
humankind from its beginnings to the global
civilisation that Bahs believe will be the
inevitable development in human life.
WORSHIP
Bah houses of worship hold ceremonies
which include readings from sacred texts,
prayers, meditations and choral music. At
certain times, fasting is also practiced. The
Faith has no clergy or sacraments. There is
no equivalent of the Sabbath for Bahs,
The Nineteen Day Feast would be the
closest approximation. As the name implies,
this observance occurs every 19th day.
The Bah community believes that
in offering service to humanity one is
worshipping God, however there is still
a very strong emphasis on the need for
community worship and Bah communities
hold regular devotional meetings that are
open to people from all faith communities.
As already has been said, there
are few rituals in the Bah Faith:
THE OBLIGATORY
DAILY PRAYER
AT FUNERALS, THE
RECITATION OF A
SPECIAL PRAYER
FOR THE DEAD.
A SIMPLE
MARRIAGE VOW.
HOLY DAYS,
FESTIVALS
AND RITUALS
Holy Days and Celebrations
Naw-Rz. The New Year, celebrated on
the rst day of spring (March 21st).
Ayym-i-Ha. 26 February 1 March.
Days in which followers should offer
hospitality, gift-giving and kindness.
Fasting. 2 21 March. Fasting is
required from sunrise to sunset. This
occurs during the last calendar month of
the Bah year.
Ridvn. 21 April 2 May. It marks
the time that the Bahullh spent in
the garden of Ridvn, just before he
announced that he was the prophet
heralded by the Bb.
Bahullhs public declaration of His
mission. April 21, 29, and May 2.
Bbs declaration of His mission: 23
May.
Ascension of Bahullh. 3am, on the
29th May.
Martyrdom of the Bb. 9 July.
Birth of the Bb. 20 October.
Birth of Bahullh. 12 November.
The day of the Covenant. 26 November
The Passing of Abdul-Bah. 28th
November.
THE
BAH
TIME LINE
1817 BIRTH BAHULLH.
1819 BIRTH OF THE BB
1844 DECLARATION OF THE BB
1850 EXECUTION OF THE BB
1863 BAHULLH DECLARES HIS MISSION
1863-
1892 BAHULLH SPENDS THE REST OF HIS
LIFE IN PRISON OR EXILE.
1892 DEATH OF THE BAHULLH
1892 ABDUL-BAH (SERVANT OF BAH),
BAHULLHS SON, IS APPOINTED
BY HIS FATHER TO BE THE LEADER OF
THE BAH FAITH.
1898 THE FIRST PERSON IN BRITAIN
BECOMES A BAH, AN AMERICAN
CALLED MARY THORNBURGH-CROPPER
1911 ABDUL-BAH VISITS THE UK.
1921 DEATH OF ABDUL-BAH
1921 SHOGHI EFFENDI, ABDUL-BAHS
GRANDSON, IS APPOINTED
HIS SUCCESSOR, THE GUARDIAN OF
THE FAITH.
1957 DEATH OF SHOGHI EFFENDI
1963 THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
WAS ELECTED WITH NINE MEMBERS
AS THE SUPREME GOVERNING
COUNCIL OF THE BAH FAITH.
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