# Chapter 14, Baha'i

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lewis M. Hopfe, Chapter 14, Baha'i, New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1987, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Chapter 14, "Bahá'í"
> 
> Lewis M. Hopfe
> published in Religions of the World pp. 427-437
> 
> New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1987
> 
> [page 428]
> 
> All the prophets of God proclaim the same faith.
> 
> —Bahaullah
> 
> Bahá'í began as a sect of Islam but has moved so far away from that
> religion as to be considered a separate religion altogether. Several themes are
> central to Bahá'í. Bahá'í assumes that all the religions of the world spring
> from one source, that there is a basic unity of all religious truth, and that
> all the prophets have had a partial message from the one God. Bahá'í further
> maintains that religion must work in harmony with science and education to
> provide a peaceful world order; Bahá'ís also believe in the equality of
> opportunity among the races and between the sexes. By emphasizing these themes,
> Bahá'í has attracted followers in many of the nations of the world.
> 
> ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF BAHA'I
> 
> The Shi'ite sect of Islam, particularly in Persia, has always
> taught that there were twelve legitimate descendants of Ali, the son-in-law and
> legitimate successor to Muhammad. These twelve imams were often referred
> to as "gates" whereby the believers gained access to the true faith. The
> twelfth of these successors disappeared in the ninth century A.D., and the
> Shi'ites have always believed that one day he would reappear as a messiah.
> 
> In 1844, a Shi'ite Muslim, named Mirza Ali Muhammad, declared that he was the
> promised twelfth imam and called himself Bab-ud-Din ("the gate of
> faith"). He advocated sweeping religious and social reforms, such as raising
> the status of women, and thus the Bab gathered around him a group of disciples,
> who called themselves Babis. The movement was short-lived as both the religious
> and political forces of Persia moved to crush it. The Bab was publicly executed
> in 1850, and many of his disciples were imprisoned or executed. Before he died,
> however, the Bab predicted that he had prepared the way for one yet to come who
> would found a universal religion. The body of the Bab was rescued by some of
> his followers and preserved for several years. Ultimately it was transported to
> the city of Haifa, in Palestine, where it was finally buried.
> 
> One of the Bab's imprisoned disciples was a man named Mirza Husayn Ali, the
> son of one of the most distinguished families in Persia. Because of his family
> Mirza was not executed with the Bab but was
> 
> [page 429]
> 
> imprisoned in Tehran. In 1852, another of the Bab's followers attempted to
> assassinate the Shah of Iran, and this brought further persecution upon the
> group. Mirza Ali was exiled to Baghdad, and there he spent the next ten years
> of his life. During his imprisonment and exile it was revealed to Mirza that he
> was the one whom the Bab had foretold. In 1863, Mirza and the remaining Babis
> were exiled from Baghdad to Constantinople, and on the eve of their departure
> he revealed to the Babis that he was the one promised by the Bab. This
> revelation was made in Ridvan, near Baghdad, and today is commemorated annually
> by Bahá'ís, with a feast. Mirza assumed the name Bahaullah ("the glory of
> God"), and those Babis who accepted him and followed his teachings became known
> as Bahá'ís.
> 
> In the following years Bahaullah and the Bahá'ís were forced from one capital
> city in the Middle East to another. From Constantinople they went to
> Adrianople. Finally, they were banished to the Turkish prison city of Acca, in
> Palestine. At first Bahaullah and about eighty of his followers were
> incarcerated for two years in an army barracks, where they suffered from hunger
> and disease. After this period the group was transferred to other quarters,
> which were somewhat more comfortable. Eventually, more freedom was given to
> Bahaullah, but he spent the remainder of his life as a prisoner of the Turkish
> government in Acca. Although he was imprisoned during his years in Acca,
> Bahaullah was able to send out missionaries and receive guests and thus spread
> his teachings of unity and world peace. During this period he wrote many
> letters and books. One series of letters was sent to the pope and to the world
> heads of state, announcing his mission and calling for their help in furthering
> world peace. He wrote books such as the Kitab-i-Aqdas ("The Most Holy
> Book"), the Kitab-i-Iqan ("The Book of Certitudes"), and The Hidden
> Words. He died in Acca in 1892, at the age of 75.
> 
> Leadership of the movement passed to the son of Bahaullah, Abbas Effendi, who
> became known as Abdul Baha (the servant of Baha). Abdul Baha carried on his
> father's program of writing, and in 1908 he was freed by the Turks. For the
> remaining years of his life he traveled widely in Europe and North America
> preaching the doctrines of Bahá'í and establishing Bahá'í assemblies in many
> nations. In 1920, the British conferred the knighthood of the British Empire
> upon Abdul Baha because of his work for world peace. Upon Abdul Baha's death in
> 1921, leadership of the movement was passed to his grandson, Shoghi Effendi,
> who continued the work of establishing local and national assemblies in many
> nations, until his death in 1957. At this point Bahá'í came to be governed, not
> by one of the descendants of Bahaullah, but by a body elected from Bahá'ís all
> over the world.
> 
> [page 430]
> 
> THE TEACHINGS OF BAHA'I
> 
> Although Bahá'í originated within the Shi'ite sect of Islam it
> soon came to differ radically from it. Bahá'í does not revere the Quran to the
> same degree that Islam does. Much of the Quran is modified, explained
> allegorically, or treated symbolically. Belief in angels and evil spirits has
> been discarded by Bahá'í, while heaven and hell are treated symbolically. The
> Quran takes its place, along with the Christian and Jewish bibles and the
> sacred writings of other religions, as a source for Bahá'í worship. This
> attitude toward the Quran has made Bahá'í most unpopular among Muslims, and it
> has even been outlawed in Iran, the land of its birth. Persecution against
> Bahá'ís in Iran became especially harsh after the so-called Islamic revolution
> of 1979.
> 
> The basic belief of Bahá'í is that all religions come from the same source. In
> nearly every era God has revealed his truth through prophets. Moses, Zoroaster,
> Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna, Buddha, and Bahaullah were the prophets of God, and
> all presented a portion of the truth of God in their times, but Bahaullah, as
> the last and the greatest of these prophets, revealed the final truth from God.
> Bahaullah's greatest message was the oneness of the human race. All of
> humankind, all races, both sexes, and all religious truths are the work of the
> one God. In the words of Bahaullah:
> 
> There can be no doubt
> whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive
> their inspiration from one heavenly Source and are the subjects of one
> God.1
> 
> On the basis of these religious truths found in the writings of Bahaullah,
> Abdul Baha went out from Acca to preach the following Bahá'í doctrines of the
> world.
> 
> The oneness of the entire human race is the pivotal
> principle and fundamental doctrine of the faith. This principle is essential to
> Bahá'í. It is the basis for most of its teachings and practices.
> 
> There must be an independent search after truth, unfettered by
> superstition or tradition. Anyone who wishes to be a Bahá'í must be willing to
> search out the truth of God without relying on the prophets and the traditions
> of the past. "The freedom of man from superstition and imitation, so that he
> may discern the Manifestations of God with the eye of Oneness, and consider all
> affairs with keen sight..."2 is one of the basic teachings of
> Bahá'í.
> 
> 1. Bahaullah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahaullah
> (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1952), p. 217.
> 
> 2. J. E. Esslemont, Bahaullah and the New Era (Wilmette, Ii: Bahá'í
> Books, 1976), p. 85.
> 
> [page 431]
> 
> There is a basic unity of all religions. Growing
> out of the belief that there is a oneness in the human race is the teaching
> that all religions essentially teach the same message. This is not to say that
> differences do not exist among the religions of the world, but Bahá'í doctrine
> states that the basic message of every religion is the same and that all minor
> differences should be forgotten. In a conversation with a visitor, Bahaullah
> said:
> 
> That all nations should become one in faith and all men
> as brothers; that the bonds of affections and unity between the Sons of men
> should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and
> differences of race be annulled . . . these strifes and this bloodshed and
> discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family. .
> .3
> 
> All forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class, or
> national, are condemned. In one of his speeches in Paris Abdul Baha
> said:
> 
> Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and
> disputes to vanish from the face of the earth; it should give birth to
> spirituality, and bring light and life to every soul. If religion becomes a
> cause of dislike, hatred and division, it would be better to be without it. . .
> . Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no
> religion.4
> 
> Harmony must exist between religion and science. Bahá'í arose in the
> nineteenth century when great battles were fought between the established
> religions and the newly emerging sciences. These two forces must be
> harmonized.
> 
> Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, said: "That which
> is in conformity with science is also in conformity with religion." Whatever
> the intelligence of man cannot understand, religion ought not to accept.
> Religion and science walk hand in hand, and any religion contrary to science is
> not the truth.5
> 
> There is equality of men and women. Bahá'í may be the only religion
> of the world that has asserted from the beginning that women are equal to
> men.
> Humanity is like a bird with its two wings—the one is
> male, the other female. Unless both wings are strong and impelled by some
> common force, the bird cannot fly heavenwards. According to the spirit of this
> age, women
> 
> 3. ibid., p. 126.
> 
> 4. ibid., p. 165.
> 
> 5. ibid., p. 202.
> 
> [page 432]
> 
> must advance and fulfill their mission in
> all departments of life, becoming equal to
> men.6
> 
> Compulsory education must prevail. Although neither Bahaullah nor
> Abdul Baha had the opportunity of formal education, both preached that
> universal education was a necessary condition for world peace and stability.
> 
> In addition to universal education, Bahá'í teaches that there should
> be a universal language. Bahaullah said:
> 
> We commanded the
> Trustees of the House of Justice, either to choose one of the existing tongues,
> or to originate a new one, and in like manner to adopt a common script,
> teaching these to the children in all the schools of the world, that the world
> may become even as one land and one home.7
> 
> Abdul Baha was an advocate of the adoption of Esperanto as the universal
> language.
> 
> Extremes of wealth and poverty should be abolished. Coming from a
> family of high rank and then spending much of his life in prisons, Bahaullah
> was acutely aware of the extremes of wealth and poverty in the world. Believing
> that both extremes were unhealthy and abnormal, he urged their abolition. He
> did not offer an elaborate plan that would bring about this change. Rather, he
> suggested to the rich of the world that they should open their hearts and
> contribute to the poor. He also advocated that the governments of the world
> should pass laws to prevent the two extremes.
> 
> A world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations
> should be instituted. Forty years before the establishment of the League of
> Nations, Bahaullah was urging such an organization from his prison cell in
> Acca. However, when the League of Nations was formed after World War I, Abdul
> Baha considered it too weak to be effective.
> 
> Work performed in the spirit of service should be exalted to the
> rank of worship. According to Bahá'í, a good society is one in which everyone
> works at some task. There are to be no loafers or idlers.
> 
> It
> is enjoined on every one of you to engage in some occupation—some art, trade,
> or the like. We have made this—your occupation—identical with the worship of
> God, the true One.8
> 
> Thus Bahaullah, like Calvin and the ancient Jewish Pharisees, believed in the
> religious efficacy of labor.
> 
> 6. ibid., p. 154.
> 
> 7. ibid., p. 170.
> 
> 8. Bahaullah, Glad Tidings.
> 
> [page 433]
> 
> Justice should be glorified as the ruling
> principle in human society and religion, for the protection of all peoples and
> nations.
> 
> Finally, as a capstone to all of the teachings of Bahá'í, the
> establishment of a permanent and universal peace should be the supreme goal of
> humankind.9
> 
> Unlike Islam and other Western religions, Bahá'í believes that heaven and hell
> are not places but conditions of the soul. The soul, which is the reality of
> humankind, is eternal and in continuous progress. When the soul is near to God
> and God's purposes, that is heaven, when the soul is distant from God, that is
> hell. Thus the descriptions of heaven and hell that are found in other
> religions are regarded as symbolic rather than actual. When Bahá'ís speak of
> the unity of humankind, they mean not only the unity of humanity in this life
> but unity of the living and the dead as well. Thus it is possible that the
> living and the dead may commune with each other. Abdul Baha believed that this
> was the reason for the peculiar powers of the prophets and saints to see into
> the other world and commune with it.
> 
> According to the Bahá'í belief in the total unity of God, there can be no such
> thing as positive evil. If God is one and all, there can be no Satan figure in
> the universe. Just as darkness is only the absence of light, so that which
> appears to be evil is only the absence of good. According to Abdul
> Baha:
> 
> In creation there is no evil; all is good. Certain
> qualities and natures innate in some men and apparently blameworthy are not so
> in reality.10
> 
> BAHA'I PRACTICES
> 
> The daily life of Bahá'ís is governed by many regulations. The
> Bahá'í is required to pray daily. In fact, the entire life of a Bahá'í is
> supposed to be a prayer. One's work,, one's thoughts, and one's deeds are all
> to be done in the spirit of a prayer. This is one of the most important aspects
> of Bahá'í life. Bahaullah stressed this in the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
> 
> Chant (or recite) the Words of God every morning and evening. The one
> who neglects this has not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His
> agreement, and he who turns away from it today is of those who have turned away
> from God.11
> 
> 9. These thirteen principles are taken from information supplied
> by the Public Information Department, National Bahá'í Headquarters, 112 Linden
> Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.
> 
> 10. Abdul Baha, Some Answered Questions (Wilmette, Ill: Bahá'í
> Publishing Trust, 1964), p. 250.
> 
> 11. Bahaullah, Kitab-i-Aqdas.
> 
> [page 434]
> 
> [photo of Wilmette House of Worship]
> 
> Although there are many formal prayers a Bahá'í may recite in daily devotions,
> Bahaullah established three obligatory prayers. Bahá'ís are free to choose any
> one of these three as a part of their meditations.
> 
> Bahá'ís are also encouraged to fast for one of the nineteen months in their
> calendar. During the month of Ala (loftiness), which begins near the
> first of March, Bahá'ís are expected to fast for nineteen days. A full fast,
> with a complete abstinence from food, is not required; Bahá'ís must not eat
> during the daylight hours only. Since the fast occurs during the early spring
> each year, no food or drink is taken between about 6 AM. and 6 P.M. According
> to Abdul Baha:
> 
> Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies
> abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a
> reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to
> abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has
> no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no
> importance.12
> 
> At other periods during the Bahá'í year, followers engage in certain feasts
> which celebrate various events in the history of Bahá'í. These
> 
> 12. Abdul Baha, cited by J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the
> New Era, p. 189.
> 
> [page 435]
> 
> include the feast of the new year, celebrated on March 21, and the feast of
> Ridvan, celebrated between April 21 and May 2, which commemorates Bahaullah's
> declaration that he was the promised one.
> 
> For Bahá'ís, monogamy is the rule in marriage. Bahá'ís may marry only after
> they have the consent of both sets of parents. Bahaullah
> taught:
> 
> Verily in the Book of Bayan (the Bab's Revelation) the
> matter is restricted to the consent of both (bride and bridegroom). As We
> desired to bring about love and friendship and the unity of the people,
> therefore We made it conditional upon the consent of the parents also, that
> enmity and ill-feeling might be avoided.13
> 
> Divorce is permitted for Bahá'ís, but only in extreme cases of
> incompatibility. At such a point the couple must wait for one full year and
> seek to re-establish their relationship. If this does not happen, then a
> divorce may be granted. If a Bahá'í couple have children, they are obligated to
> provide their children with the best possible education. Alcohol and narcotics
> are forbidden to Bahá'ís.
> 
> Bahá'í differs from many other religions in its manner of worship. The basic
> unit of worship is the Local Spiritual Assembly. This group may meet in the
> homes of members or in other buildings, but there are no special houses of
> worship as in other religions. Neither is there a special clergy to conduct the
> worship. Worship for Bahá'ís tends to be very simple, with a minimum of form
> and no ritual. A respected member of the community reads from the writings of
> Bahaullah and from the scriptures of other world religions. The remainder of
> the service consists of private prayers and readings. Bahá'í community worship
> is so simple in form that it rejects two elements that Christians and others
> often find essential, the sermon and the offering. While Bahá'ís are expected
> to contribute to the support of their religion, they refuse to take offerings
> from non-Bahá'ís.
> 
> Bahá'ís are organized on three levels. The most basic is that of the Local
> Spiritual Assembly already mentioned. In every community where there are nine
> or more adult Bahá'ís, a nine-member administrative body is elected each April
> 21 to govern the affairs of those Bahá'ís. As of 1968, there were 6,828 of
> these assemblies in the world. The second level of administration is the
> National Spiritual Assembly. This too is a nine-member body made up of people
> elected annually by delegates to the national conventions. In 1968 there were
> eighty-three National Assemblies. The top level of the Bahá'í organization is
> the Universal House of Justice. This is a nine-member body
> 
> [page 436]
> 
> elected by the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the
> world. These representatives serve a five-year term.
> 
> Although the Bahá'ís do not have local houses of worship they have constructed
> several magnificent temples around the world, and plan eventually to construct
> one on every continent. Those already in existence are located in Frankfurt,
> Germany; Sydney, Australia; Kampala, Uganda; and Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
> Each of these temples reflects a somewhat different style of architecture, but
> all must be nine-sided and covered with a dome. The number nine is symbolic for
> Bahá'í because it is the largest unit number and thus represents the worldwide
> unity that Bahá'í seeks to develop. In addition to these temples, the world
> center of Bahá'í is located on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel, near Acca, where
> Bahaullah spent his last days. In the midst of splendid gardens stand the
> gold-domed shrine of the Bab and the archive building.
> 
> Like other religions, Bahá'í has established its own calendar and its own holy
> days. The calendar is a solar one made up of nineteen months, each containing
> nineteen days. To achieve 365 days, four days are added after the last month of
> the year (five days are added in leap years). The new year begins on March 21,
> at the birth of spring. As is the case with the Jewish calendar, the day begins
> at sunset.
> 
> Although exact statistics are not available, it is estimated that there may be
> as many as five million Bahá'ís in the world today. Although still relatively
> small in terms of members, this religion appears to be growing.
> 
> STUDY QUESTIONS
> 
> Relate the beginnings of Bahá'í to the messianic hopes of Shia
> Islam.
> 
> Why do some consider Bahá'í to be the religion most in tune with the modern
> world?
> 
> How do Bahá'ís regard the scriptures of other religions?
> 
> SUGGESTED READING
> 
> Bahaullah. The Kitab-I-Iqan [The Book of Certitudes]. Translated
> by Shoghi Effendi. Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1931.
> 
> Gleanings from the Writings of Bahaullah. Translated by Shoghi Effendi.
> Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1952.
> 
> [page 437]
> 
> Effendi, Shoghi. God Passes By. Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> 1970.
> 
> Esslemont, J. E. Bahaullah and the New Era. Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í
> Books, 1976.
> 
> Lee, Anthony A., ed. Circle of Unity: Bahá'í Approaches to Current Social
> Issues. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1984.
> 
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> Views15205 views since posted 2002-02; last edit 2025-01-20 14:13 UTC;
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> — *Chapter 14, Baha'i (Used by permission of the curator)*