The Baha’i Faith is a revealed religion, like Christianity and Islam, and is an independent unified world religion. At it’s heart lay the remarkable claims of its founder, Baha’u’llah, a 19th century Persian nobleman who was imprisoned for over 40 years for his claim to be the bearer of a divine revelation for our time.
If you are already starting to question stuff- like the idea of a man bringing a revelation that anyone should take seriously- or because the name “Baha’u’llah” or “Baha’i” are unusual and seem strange to you- you need to stick with us! This is a truly remarkable religion and Baha’u’llah invests his message with an intellectual and spiritual integrity that you will likely find very compelling.
The religion that Baha’u’llah founded has grown to be the most diverse community of people in the planet, with followers that now number over 7 million. But nothing about it’s demographics is going to tell the real story. The real story is in its incredible sacred Writings which address the world and both the modern and ancient questions of humanity in new and dynamic ways. And they are beyond beautiful. When you come to see Baha’u’llah’s words “from the inside”, you see them as the most astonishingly rich and incomparable words you have ever heard. Christians viewed the words of Christ as the divine Logos embodying everything that was true and right and good, Muslims viewed the Quran as “miraculous” and “uncreated”. That same spirit flows through the Writings of Baha’u’llah, and the patterns and meanings they sketch change everything about how we should see the world.
“Progressive Revelation”
The most fundamental concept that Baha’u’llah revealed is that divine revelation itself is a progressive and dynamic process, with revelations following one another in history in line with humanity’s spiritual and social evolution. In essence, all these revelations are the expression of what is fundamentally One religion, like a book with different chapters. All of humanity have been the beneficiaries of these great “revelations”, with each one being responsible for the building of a great civilization. So Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the other great Faiths are all fundamentally true, and their differences reflect the historical circumstances of their revelations. This incredible and unifying concept- called progressive revelation- is at the heart of Baha’u’llah’s teachings.
With that context, Baha’u’llah claimed to be the revealer of God’s teachings for us modern humans. His teachings therefore represent the will of God for our time- what God wants us to do, as a world, as societies, as individuals.
And what an incredible message it is! Consider some of these fundamental and challenging concepts from the message of God for our time:
“It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”
“Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice. Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.”
“The Oneness of Humanity”
The central theme of Baha’u’llah’s revelation is the oneness of the human race. He taught that humanity had passed through stages of its social and spiritual evolution, with higher degrees of unity at each stage- from the tribe, to the city-state, and to the modern nation. Our next step is to recognize our “oneness and wholeness”, for each person to consider themselves citizens of one world, and to break down barriers of all the forms of prejudice that keep us apart. Baha’u’llah described this as “the monarch of all aspirations” and the “goal that exceeds all other goals”. To do that, He taught us to recognize ourselves as spiritual realities primarily, with all the “accidental” aspects of culture, race, and birth religion as secondary elements that provide a beautiful diversity to our fundamental unity.
“Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself above another. Ponder at all times in your heart how ye were created. Since We created you all from one same substance, it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul…”
What is strikingly apparent from the quote above and from the plentiful other Tablets and Writings of Baha’u’llah is that He speaks with the Voice of God, with a power and authority that is not of this world. Like Christ and Muhammad before him, the sacred Word is communicated in a manner that expresses spiritual intimacy to each of us, with a power and beauty that recreates people.
Baha’u’llah laid out further principles for the peace of the world- including universal education, the equality of men and women, eliminating the extremes of wealth and poverty, and a coherent approach to truth that recognizes the value of religion, reason, and science.
The message of God belongs to everyone and is shared liberally by Baha’is without distinction to whoever is interested in listening. Baha’u’llah further taught that “conflict and contention‘ in the name of religion are “categorically prohibited“, that the message of God must be spread through the power of “understanding“, as each person shares it with another in a spirit of the “utmost love and kindness“.
Sifter of Dust is committed to helping people explore this astonishingly rich and beautiful religion. You can sign up for our latest posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Many of our posts are simple short quotes meant to inspire, and we include music when available. Other posts are informative, as we draw on the Baha’i Writings and the previous revelations from God to understand ourselves and our world more deeply. Those are often categorized as a series of essays on certain themes. Our welcome page links include a catalogue of our informative posts, with essays on various aspects of Baha’u’llah’s revelation and what it means to the world. Please also visit our introductory resources page where we have pulled together various forms of introductory material, both books and multi-media.
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