Baha'i
Publié le 22/02/2012
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A religion founded in Iran in the second
half of the 19th century. The Baha'i faith sees itself
called to unite spiritually all the peoples of the
world.
HISTORY
During the 1840s a religious fi gure in Iran known
as the Bab ("gateway") predicted the coming of
"the one whom GOD shall reveal." In 1863, one
of his followers, now known as Baha'ullah (1817–
92), claimed to be that one.
The teachings of the Bab and of Baha'ullah
threatened the authority of orthodox Islamic
scholars. As a result, Baha'ullah spent much of
his life in exile and in jail. From 1868 until his
death he lived in what is now Israel. For that reason,
the center of the Baha'i community is located
in Israel.
When Baha'ullah died, control of the community
passed to his son, known in the Baha'i
community as Abd al-Baha (1844–1921), and his
grandson, Shoghi Effendi (1899–1957). It then
passed to a board known as the Council of the
Hands of the Cause (1957–62) and fi nally to an
elected assembly, the International House of Justice
(1962–present).
The Baha'i faith fi rst attracted widespread
attention with the missionary travels of Abd al-
Baha. By the end of the 20th century it had roughly
two million adherents.
TEACHINGS, PRACTICES, AND ORGANIZATION
The Baha'i faith sees itself as continuing the revelation
of God found in JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, and
ISLAM. The prophets of each of these traditions,
it teaches, were genuine messengers from God.
Each of them fulfi lled the task assigned by God.
But Baha'is insist that the process of God's revelation
will never end. Neither MOSES nor JESUS nor
MUHAMMAD was the last of God's messengers. For
the contemporary world there is a new messenger,
Baha'ullah. He was made known a new task: to
unite spiritually all people.
Baha'is are enjoined to pray in private every
day. In addition, local communities gather together
on the fi rst day of every month. (Baha'i months
are 19 days long). A major Baha'i festival is Noruz,
New Year's. In accordance with Persian practice it
is celebrated on March 21, the time of the spring
equinox. During the month prior to Noruz, Baha'is
observe a fast. They neither eat nor drink from
sunup to sundown; they eat and drink at night.
(Muslims observe a similar fast during the Islamic
month of Ramadan. Moreover, Baha'is are never
permitted to drink alcohol.
During the 20th century a leading initiative
of the Baha'i community was the construction of
major houses of WORSHIP, one on each continent.
The design of each house of worship refl ects signifi
cant elements of its location. For example, the
house of worship in New Delhi, India, is in the
form of a LOTUS, a sacred plant in India. The brick
work of the house of worship in Panama refl ects
stone work in the ancient temples of middle America.
At the same time, all Baha'i houses of worship
share certain features. For example, they have nine
doorways and nine-sided domes. Baha'is see the
number nine as a sign of the highest unity. Therefore,
the doors and domes emphasize the unity
that Baha'is believe characterizes God, all people,
and all religions.
Further reading: John Ferraby, All Things Made
New: A Comprehensive Outline of the Baha'i Faith
(London: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1975); Peter
Smith, The Babi and Baha'i Religions (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 1987); ———, A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith (Oxford:
Oneworld, 1999); ———, A Short History of the
Baha'i Faith (Oxford: Oneworld, 1997).