GREENWICH
BAHA'I COMMUNITY
Shrine of the Bab at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel
HISTORY
"The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not force or coercion." ~ The Bab
THE BAB(1819-1850)
On 23 May, 1844, in Shiraz, Persia, a young man known as the Bab announced the imminent appearance of the next Messenger of God, Baha'u'llah, awaited by all the peoples of the world. Although Himself the bearer of an independent revelation from God, the Bab declared that His purpose was to prepare mankind for the coming of Baha'u'llah. Swift and savage persecution followed this announcement. The Bab was arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and finally on 9 July, 1850 was executed in the public square of the city of Tabriz. Some 20,000 of His followers perished in a series of massacres throughout Persia. Today, the majestic building with the golden dome (picture above), overlooking the Bay of Haifa, Israel, and set amidst beautiful gardens, is the Shrine where the Bab's earthly remains are entombed. Learn more about the Bab here.
BAHA'U'LLAH (1817-1892)
"The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord."
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~ Abdu'l-Baha
The Baha'i Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. The Founder, Baha'u'llah, is regarded by Baha'is as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The central theme of Baha'u'llah's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Baha'u'llah said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation, that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of harmony and unification. One of the purposes of the Baha'i Faith is to help make this possible. A worldwide community of some six million Baha'is, representative of most of the nations, races and cultures on earth, is working to give Baha'u'llah's teachings practical effect. Their experience will be a source of encouragement to all who share their vision of humanity as one global family and the earth as one homeland who collectively work together for the betterment of the world. Learn more about Baha'u'llah here.
ABDU'L-BAHA (1844-1921)
From earliest childhood, the eldest son of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha, shared His Father's sufferings and banishments. Baha'u'llah appointed Him the one authorised interpreter of the Baha'i teachings and as Head of the Faith after His own passing. Abdu'l-Baha is seen as a perfect example of the Baha'i way of life. While Abdu'l-Baha was still a prisoner of the Ottomans, the first Baha'i pilgrims from the western world arrived in Acre in 1898. After His release in 1908, Abdu'l-Baha set out on a series of journeys which took Him to Europe and America between 1911 and 1913. There He proclaimed Baha'u'llah's message of unity and social justice to church congregations, peace societies, the members of trade unions, university faculties, journalists, government officials, and many public audiences. Abdu'l-Baha passed away in 1921, having consolidated the foundations of the Baha'i Faith and greatly expanded its reach. The northern rooms of the Shrine of the Bab (picture above), where He is interred, are a place of pilgrimage for Baha'is. Learn more about Abdu'l-Baha here.
"Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God’s blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope."
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