# Baha'u'llah

*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: unknown, Baha'u'llah, bahai-library.com.
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                         http://religion.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1564822?sid=1564...
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> Baha'u'llah
> 
> Baha'u'llah, which means "Glory of God" in Arabic, founded the Baha'i faith in Persia (modern-day Iran) in the
> mid-19th century. He is considered by his followers to have ushered in an era of human unity and world peace.
> Bahaullah believed he was a prophet of God and endured a life of imprisonment and exile while attempting to
> propagate his religious conviction.
> 
> Baha'u'llah, originally named Mirza Husayn Ali, was born on November 12, 1817, in Persia. Typical of the affluent
> class into which he was born, Baha'u'llah received very little formal education while he was growing up but
> learned horsemanship, poetry, calligraphy, and religion. Although he was not given strict instruction in Islam,
> Baha'u'llah was interested in spirituality and turned down a prestigious government position to study mysticism
> and religion.
> 
> Baha'u'llah had heard of a Persian named Sayyid Ali Muhammed, also known as the Bab, who proclaimed to be
> the long-awaited imam and successor to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Baha'u'llah accepted the religion of
> the Bab at the age of 27 and began to convert others to the new faith. Within a few years, he was recognized as
> such a devout follower that, although they had never met, the Bab began corresponding with Baha'u'llah and sent
> him his pens and several important documents shortly before his death. When the Bab was executed in 1850, a
> number of people came forth and claimed they were his chosen successors, including Baha'u'llah, who became
> the group's new leader.
> 
> Two years after the Bab's death, Baha'u'llah was imprisoned in Tehran and accused of taking part in an
> assassination attempt on the shah of Persia. While he was in an underground dungeon, he purportedly received
> a revelation from a spirit of God that he had been chosen to be God's messenger. After his release from prison,
> Baha'u'llah was exiled from Persia and spent the remainder of his life teaching the Bab's religion and forming the
> first Baha'i communities. He lived in Baghdad for a number of years, where he wrote several texts that have
> become the scriptures of the Baha'i faith. Then, in 1863, Baha'u'llah was banished from Baghdad. He retreated to
> a garden that he named Ridvan (Paradise). There, he formally announced to his disciples that he was the
> prophet of God and that another prophet would not follow for 1,000 years. Today, the Baha'i celebrate the Feast
> of Ridvan every year from April 21 to May 2 to commemorate his announcement.
> 
> Following the declaration at Ridvan, Baha'u'llah spread his message to Istanbul and Adrianople (today called
> Edirne) and was finally exiled to Akka in 1868 (in present-day Israel), where he lived the remainder of his life.
> Baha'u'llah presented hundreds of revelations through books, tablets, and letters. Some of his writings were
> inspired by the Bab's teachings and the Sufi mystics he met while in exile; others, he claimed, came from direct
> revelation from God. The Baha'i scriptures teach that such historical religious figures as Abraham, Zoroaster,
> Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad were all prophets of God who delivered essentially the same
> message but moderated their messages to fit the era in which they lived. Baha'u'llah urged his followers to
> worship one God, lead a morally righteous life, and promote social equality and unity. In 1873, he wrote his most
> famous text, the Kitab-i-Aqda (Most Holy Book), in which he outlined the principles to be observed by his
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> World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy                         http://religion.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1564822?sid=1564...
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> followers. In the book, he concluded that a universal religion and language are the keys to world unification.
> 
> Baha'u'llah died of a fever in Bahji on May 29, 1892, after having appointed his eldest son, Abdul Baha, his
> successor. Within the next several years, Abdul Baha established groups of Baha'i followers in North Africa, Asia,
> Australia, and the United States. The Baha'i faith thrives today with nearly 6 million followers, and Baha'u'llah's
> life mission—"to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood"—has spread throughout the world.
> 
> ABC-CLIO
> 
> Further Reading
> 
> Esslemont, J. E. Baha'u'llah and the New Era: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Wilmette, IL: Bahai Publishing,
> 2006; Hofman, David. Baha'u'llah, the Prince of Peace: A Portrait. Oxford, UK: George Ronald, 1991.
> 
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> 2 of 2                                                                                                                02/11/11 12:44 PM
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> — *Baha'u'llah (Used by permission of the curator)*