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Bahá'í Faith
The Báb 1844; Bahá'u'lláh's declaration 1863· Religion or tradition· New movements & secular thought
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
A religion founded in 1800s Iran by Bahá'u'lláh, teaching the oneness of God, religion and humanity; an estimated 5–8 million followers.
See it on the World Religions map →What it is
In 1844 a young merchant in Shiraz, the Báb ('the Gate'), announced a new revelation; Iran's authorities executed him in 1850. His follower Mirza Husayn-Ali, called Bahá'u'lláh ('Glory of God'), declared in Baghdad in 1863 that he was the messenger the Báb had foretold. Exiled to Ottoman Palestine, he died near Acre in 1892. Bahá'ís believe God sends a series of messengers, including Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad, and stress world unity, equality of women and men, and harmony of science and religion.
Why it matters
It spread to nearly every country in the 1900s; its world center stands on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, and its followers in Iran still face persecution.
Sources and history
Bahá'u'lláh's writings such as the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Iranian and Ottoman records, Western observers like E. G. Browne, who met him in 1890, and the community's own reports.
Questions and debates
Membership is uncertain: the community's figures and independent estimates range from about 5 to 8 million, and how many counted members are active is unknown.
Connections (3)
▸Bahá'í Faith grew out of Shia IslamHistorical record
The connection
The Bahá'í Faith began among Shia Muslims in Iran. Twelver Shia await the return of the hidden Twelfth Imam; in 1844 the Báb claimed to be the 'Gate' to him, and later the promised one himself. Bahá'u'lláh then declared a new revelation. Bahá'ís honor Muhammad as a messenger of God but see their faith as independent.
When and where
Shiraz in 1844, spreading through Qajar Iran; Bahá'u'lláh declared his mission in Baghdad in 1863 while in Ottoman exile.
Historical evidence
The Báb's and Bahá'u'lláh's writings use Shia terms and expectations; Iranian and Ottoman records document the origins and persecution.
Questions and debates
Bahá'ís see their faith as independent of Islam, as Christianity is of Judaism; Iran's government and many Muslim authorities call it heresy, with grave human-rights consequences.
▸Bahá'í Faith anticipated Interfaith dialogueMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Bahá'u'lláh taught that God reveals himself through a series of messengers and that the world's religions are fundamentally one. His son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá spoke in churches and synagogues across Europe and North America in 1911–13. American Bahá'ís started World Religion Day in 1950.
When and where
Ottoman Palestine, 1860s–1890s; ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's tours of 1911–1913; World Religion Day, United States, 1950.
How do we know?
Bahá'u'lláh's writings, newspaper reports of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's talks, and Bahá'í participation in interfaith bodies.
Questions and debates
Bahá'ís see their faith as the newest revelation, not one equal voice among many, so how it fits interfaith equality is discussed.
▸Iranian Revolution intensified persecution of Bahá'í FaithHistorical record
The connection
Iran's largest non-Muslim minority, about 300,000 Bahá'ís, was already disliked by clerics who saw a faith after Muhammad as heresy. The Islamic Republic executed more than 200 Bahá'ís, mostly in 1979–85, including ten women hanged in Shiraz in 1983. It destroyed holy sites, seized property and barred Bahá'ís from universities.
When and where
Iran, from 1979, peaking 1980–85; a 1991 government memorandum on 'blocking their progress'; seven community leaders jailed in 2008.
Historical evidence
UN human rights reports, Amnesty International records, the leaked 1991 memorandum, and Iranian court documents.
Questions and debates
Iran denies religious persecution and accuses Bahá'ís of spying for Israel, citing their world center in Haifa, which exists because the Ottomans exiled Bahá'u'lláh to nearby Acre.