Shoghi Effendi, the great grand-son of Baha'u'llah, the first Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, the head of the World Super-State Government.

Shoghi Effendie, the great grand-son of Baha'u'llah, the first Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, the living Spiritual Leader to whom millions of Bahai's of the world are devoted to and are bound together in his centre, the future and first Head or Chairman of the International House of Justice or World Super-State Government, writes that "The Humanitarian...

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The teachings of the Bab were a mixture of Western European thoughts and some Persian nonsense

Russian consul F.A. Bakulin summed up the teachings of the Bab: “Western European utopias of equality, brotherhood and fair distribution of goods with a touch of some Persian nonsense formed the essence of the teachings of the Bab.” This was not an objective opinion, although it cannot be denied that the teachings proclaimed were characterized by great...

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The Bab's teachings bore the marks of fanaticism.

In the context of considerations about the intelligentsia, it should be noted that the Bab was a charismatic leader, but he did not have a thorough education, and the nature of his beliefs and the way they were spread bore the marks of fanaticism. After 1863, two groups emerged that can be associated with two streams of the intelligentsia: radical...

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Baha'u'llah was impacted by Christian ideas and contacts with European missionaries

Impacted by Christian ideas and contacts with European missionaries, Bahá’u’lláh became increasingly charmed by Western conceptions (Abassy 2010, pp. 90–91; MacEoin 1983, p. 227). While staying in Edirne, Bahá began to create the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Arabic: الکِتَاب الأقدَس; the Most Holy Book). This, the Bahá’í Faith’s most important scripture, was an...

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Why was Baha'u'llah imprisoned in Iran and why he went to Baghdad?

In August 1852, a small group of Babis in Tehran unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the Shah—an event that was reported in several European newspapers and in diplomatic reports. Many Babis, including Baha’u’llah, were arrested, and about fifty of them were executed, some after cruel torture. Baha’u’llah, who clearly was not involved in the assassination...

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‘Abdu’l-Baha indicated to him that the Shah would be assassinated

When Mirza Mahmud-i-Furughi, an outstanding teacher of the Faith, was on pilgrimage, ‘Abdu’l-Baha indicated to him that the Shah would be assassinated and told him to warn the believers to be on their guard. In 1896 Nasiri’d-Din Shah was indeed struck down by an assassin on the very eve of his jubilee celebrations. The Baha'is had nothing whatever...

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attempts to kill ‘Abdu’l-Baha

In these years the Covenant-breakers gave up demanding that the Master pay for their upkeep but at the same time two attempts were made by them to kill ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Poison was twice placed by one individual in a jug of drinking water used by Him but on both occasions it was discovered in time. Another individual concealed a dagger under his clothes...

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large tract of land was purchased and registered in the name of Mirza Husayn-‘Ali (Baha’u’llah

When Baha’u’llah and the Master set afoot the movement of the exiles from the immediate environs of ‘Akka, land was purchased in the Jordan Valley near the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). At four sites Baha’is settled, making their homes. South of the hamlet called Nugayb, on the eastern shore of the lake below the Golan heights, Mirza Muhammad-Quli...

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Feeding the British army in 1918.

‘Abdu’l-Baha had given the Baha’i farmers specific guidance in their agricultural development, and His instructions on the storage of grains allowed the accumulations which permitted Him to feed the population of ‘Akka during the deprivation of World War I and even-to aid the British army in meeting its needs in 1918.(Door of hope - a century of the...

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Shoghi Effendi expelled his brothers, sisters and aunts from the Faith.

Shoghi Effendi... expel[led] his brothers, sisters and aunts from the Faith. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covena...

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Severe laws and harsh measures against nonbelievers in the Persian Bayan

…among those ordinances (of the Persian Bayán) are a significant number of… severe laws, which… prescribe harsh measures against nonbelievers, similar to the Islamic “law of the sword,” including holy war. The Bayán’s gate 5 of the fifth unity ordains that all lands must be conquered by the Bayán and the property of unbelievers must be seized unless...

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Impressive writings!?

This is what I believed as a Baha'i, that his writings were superhuman. This is what the writings themselves put forward as the greatest proof after his person (for those who didn't get to meet him).Combined with the reportedly prolific pace with which he wrote, it felt incredibly compelling.What's interesting is that after several years of leaving...

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He should ask his mother why he is this way.

When it comes to those who deny his (Baha's) claims. It’s just that the House isn’t keen to translate those bits of his letters. One of many passages:تالله الحق من ينكر هذا الفضل الظاهر الباهر المتعالي المنير ينبغي له بان يسئل من امه حاله فسوف يرجع الی اسفل الجحیمBy God, the Truth! One who denies this luminous, exalted, dazzling, evident grace should...

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Spiritual aspects of the Faith cannot be separated from the administrative aspects

Any attempt to separate the purely spiritual aspects of the Faith from the administrative aspects “... can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself.”Dr. Firuz Kazemzadehhttps://bahai.works/The_American_Bahá’í/Volume_2/Issue_8/T...

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NSAs are the generals of the Army of Light

The standard-bearers of this Nine Year Plan are the Hands of the Cause of God. The responsibility for directing the work will rest upon the shoulders of the National Spiritual Assemblies, the generals of the Army of Light, under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986)https://www.baha...

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In 1948, the Baha'is congratulated David Ben-Gurion on the establishment of the State of Israel.

In 1948, the Baha'is congratulated David Ben-Gurion on the establishment of the State of Israel, but also made sure to mention their neutrality (although they sometimes emphasized that the Jewish state was established in the Baha'i period, not the Christian or Muslim one). Israel approved the establishment of the Baha'i Temple in Haifa and its ongoing...

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Baha'u'llah and Mirza Musa's properties in Palestine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCBenVHiXVYBaha'u'llah and Mirza Musa's properties in Palestine and Abdul Baha selling these lands to Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) in 1903 and to other Jewish organizations. Starts from 15 mins 20 S...

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America is a noble nation, the standard-bearer of peace throughout the world

America is a noble nation, the standard-bearer of peace throughout the world, shedding light to all regions. Foreign nations are not untrammeled and free from intrigues and complications like the United States; therefore, they are not able to bring about universal harmony. But America — praise be to God! — is at peace with all the world and is worthy...

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A large percentage of seekers who join study circles go on to accept the Faith.

"The process of the Baha'i communities opening their activities has been slow but successful. About 70 to 80 per cent of the participants in Baha'i classes for children are from non-Baha'i families and 50 to 60 per cent of seekers participate in the devotional meetings. A large percentage of seekers who join study circles go on to accept the Faith."(The...

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Governor-General Sir Stewart Symes

... the Governor-General Sir Stewart Symes was an old acquaintance and invited them [Shoghi Effendi and Ruhiyyih Khanum] to lunch at the Palace on 1 October [1929].(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redm...

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Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum entered the Congo

Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum entered the Congo at Lubumbashi, a major copper mining centre, where the Guardian admired beautiful green malachite carved into various objects. While in the Congo, their car broke down on an isolated jungle track. While it was being repaired, Rúhíyyih Khánum asked Shoghi Effendi if she could stretch her legs a bit....

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There is an artificial hill which the Guardian made from the houses of the covenant breakers who had been occupying the Mansion.

The gardens at Bahjí are places where pilgrims and others are to be found slowly walking and trying to absorb and retain that spiritual fragrance. There is an artificial hill which the Guardian made from the houses of the covenant breakers who had been occupying the Mansion. He destroyed those houses and then made them into a terraced hill of gardens....

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Former Baha'i, Payam Aryan exposes Baha'i belief about Baha'u'llah

https://www.youtube.com/live/osoVlbf3Uzk?si=i3G4GegNqHIGIOhp&t=941Starts at 15:40Baha'u'llah is the sender of the prophets.https://www.youtube.com/live/osoVlbf3Uzk?si=i3G4GegNqHIGIOhp&t=3180Starts at 58...

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You know, before 'Abdu'l-Bahá passing away, it was on a Friday, we went visit the mosque in Haifa, Friday morning.

You know, before 'Abdu'l-Bahá passing away, it was on a Friday, we went visit the mosque in Haifa, Friday morning. That day return from mosque, He had to walk up the step. He says "I am tired," went into the room. Then Friday, Saturday, Sunday! Three days. Sunday night, He passed away. Those days we had many American pilgrims there. That Mr. and Mrs....

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Dr Mirza Muhammad-Mihdi Khan visited Baha'u'llah and his sons and followers at ‘Akka, and Subh-i-Azal at Famagusta in Cyprus

This is how Browne evaluates the work of Dr Mirza Muhammad-Mihdi Khan (the Persian journalist, the Za‘imu’d-Dawlih. He was the author of Miftahu Babi’l Abwab, or the Key to the Gate of Gates, a purported history of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths): The author, though a determined antagonist of the Babis, writes with some appearance of moderation. Though...

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India will become a beautiful garden of believers.

Abdul-Baha has said that Bombay will surely advance and that India will become a beautiful garden of believers. (Star of the West - Oct. 16, 19...

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The history of this Mulla is very interesting.

For the time being we have employed a Mulla, who has just accepted the Faith under somewhat mysterious circumstances, to teach Burmese and Arabic. The history of this Mulla is very interesting. He was one of the staunchest Mullas prior to when the Message came to be delivered in the village of Kunjangoon, in which place, as you have seen, the Bahai...

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Among mankind money is the greatest thing.

This tithe giving is a blessed privilege. Among mankind money is the greatest thing. This giving will confirm the people. With this money many great works will be done. In Hamadan in Persia, the Jewish believers raised much money in this way. At first I did not accept this money, but later on I directed that it should be used in their own town for...

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Baha'u'llah was not a descendant from the Prophet Zoroaster

Baha'u'llah was not a descendant from the Prophet Zoroaster.-Abdul Baha(Star of the West, Oct. 16, 1910)https://bahai.works/index.php?title=File:SW_Vol1_No12.pdf&pag...

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Baha'i Children Classes

The increase in the number of children's classes worldwide during the Five Year Plan was dramatic. At the beginning of the Plan, there were some 3,800 children's classes worldwide serving 42,000 children, the vast majority of whom (87 per cent) came from Baha'i families. By April 2006, there were well over 10,000 classes serving more than 93,000 children,...

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Baha'i Education in State Schools (BESS) programme in Australia

The largest, most systematic approach to providing Baha'i education for children was undoubtedly the Baha'i Education in State Schools (BESS) programme in Australia which, while initiated before 2001, expanded and improved significantly during the Five Year Plan. A number of school principals, as a means of attracting enrolments to their school, promoted...

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training and deploying human resources

At the heart of this framework were "two complementary, reinforcing movements'', which guided and focused the efforts of the believers in systematically advancing the process of entry by troops. Through patient, sustained endeavour it became apparent that as more and more friends completed the sequence of courses and arose to carry out the tasks of...

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Baha'i schools

Many schools have gone beyond the initial stages of establishment, often fraught with difficult yet inevitable challenges, to infuse their programmes with elements that enhance their Bahá’í character. The presence of such a well-functioning school in a region redounds to the good name of the Faith and provides for the sound intellectual and moral development...

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The Baha’i Faith as an organization does the complete opposite of what they teach ‘seekers’.

One exBahai says:The Baha’i Faith as an organization does the complete opposite of what they teach ‘seekers’. They tell interested souls that it is a universal religion that accepts the validity of all religions, then goes around telling its own membership that the world is suffering because all of humanity hasn’t become Baha’is. It tells interested...

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Revision, Censorship, and Suppression in Modern Baha’i Literature

While Babi-Baha’i history suffers a kind of distortion at the hands of Baha’i authors which is rather subtle, a more direct approach is taken by the Baha’i Administration and publishers, through revision of previously printed materials and by a review process of future publications. This ongoing policy of updating earlier writings and regulating works...

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One Christian ex-Baha'i about Baha'u'llah

One Christian ex-Baha'i says: Baha'u'llah claimed to be God or a Manifestation of God depending on his mood at the time of dictating. He also is considered "Return of Christ" ... equal to Jesus.I analyzed his life and see absolutely nothing that would lead me to conclude that he was anything like Jesus. I wish I'd been able to do that analysis when...

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One exBahai writes about Baha'u'llah being a "prolific writer" and the "biblical prophecy" of Baha'u'llah

In response to Baha'u'llah being a prolific writer, if you look at other prolific writers you'll notice many of them have something in common, repetition. They find a formula that works and stick to it. I don't think Baha'u'llah is an exception to this. I find that he says the same things over and over.I also do not put much stock in prophecy because...

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Baha'i resembles a cult in many ways.

Baha'i resembles a cult in many ways. I've studied cults and their mind control techniques.1) Information control - Baha'i is big on this. For example, making Baha'is afraid to listen to covenant breakers or read what they wrote. Baha'is are not trusted to make up their own minds and independent thinking is not allowed... plus there's the right of...

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The Bab had assured his followers that he could not be put to death - bullets could have no power over him.

At length some of the more restless spirits, contrary, it is said, to the counsel of the Bab, raised the standard of rebellion against the Persian Government. The suppression of this rebellion severely taxed the powers of the Government; but in the end it was suppressed, and its leaders put to death. The Bab also, though he had taken no part in the...

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Altogether, more than 200,000 worldwide have completed Book 1 of the Ruhi Institute

While inadequate to express the full significance of the developments taking place, the statistics suggest something of the scope of what is being achieved. The human resources of the Faith have steadily multiplied. Altogether, more than 200,000 worldwide have completed Book 1 of the Ruhi Institute, and many thousands have reached the level where they...

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Rashid Ridá's encounter with the Baha'i faith in Egypt

Rashid Ridá, then a student in Tripoli, read the al-Muqtataf article and with a group of friends wrote a letter to Gulpáygání protesting its contents. This was the beginning of Ridá's antipathy to the Bahá'í Faith. Later, when he arrived in Cairo, he met with Gulpáygání and was unhappy with the latter's exposition of the divinity of Bahá'u'lláh. As...

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Abdul Baha would attend Muhammad 'Abduh's study sessions

He [Rashid Ridá] says that when 'Abduh [one of the key figures of Islamic Modernism and the Salafi movement, also an opponent of the Ottoman ulama] was living in Beirut (presumably in the late 1880s) 'Abdu'l-Bahá more than once came to Beirut from Haifa and would make a point of attending some of Muḥammad 'Abduh's study sessions. Bahá'í sources, however,...

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"it is impossible to treat multiple wives equally."

"Prior to the Revelation of the Prophet Muhammad, the Apostle of God (may the blessings of God rest upon Him), the practice of polygamy was so prevalent among the Arabs that it would not have been possible to enjoin monogamy on them all of a sudden. This notwithstanding, the Prophet Muhammad declared that if a man was incapable of treating all four...

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Baha'u'llah's influence

"Among 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visitors that morning, according to Sohrab, was the Intizamu's-Saltanih, for whom He related this story: "There was a Mirza Fadlu'lláh who was looking for a government appointment. He came one day to the Blessed Perfection and begged Him to use His influence before the secretary of one of the departments so that he may become...

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Shoghi Effendi created the IBC to succeed him as his successor!

The mystery of Shoghi creating the IBC as his successor as I claimed in my previous statement is found within the last Will & Testament of Abdul-Baha himself. Let me carefully explain. First, if you notice, Abdul-Baha’s last Will & Testament is primarily written in the Persian language. But, there are times where he switches up & writes...

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if a king violates to the extent of one atom he shall be cut off immediately.

The confirmation of the Kingdom of Abhá' shall descend uninterruptedly upon those souls who are firm in the Covenant. Thou hast well observed that every firm one is assisted and aided and every violator is degraded, humiliated and lost... This Covenant is the Covenant of His Holiness Baha'u'llah. Now its importance is not known befittingly, but in...

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Abdul Baha "revealing" Tablets!

“Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was freed from His many daily engagements, He would call Aqa Mirza Nuru’d-Diin and begin dictating divine verses. At the same time, previously revealed Tablets were presented to ‘Abdu’l-Baha for His review, correction and signature. Here, He wrote in His own hand while simultaneously dictating verses, for He was the essential reality...

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More Ahmadiyah Muslims than Baha'is

In 125 years since their inception the Ahmadiyah claim to have spread to over 200 countries worldwide with millions of adherents. They claim to run over 15000 mosques and 1000 schools from one end of the earth to the other providing secular education to children of all backgrounds. They say they have founded over 300 hospitals open to people of every...

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This law is binding on Persian believers

"…the Universal House of Justice instructs us to say that according to its ruling, the law of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas that the lapse of time between engagement and marriage should not exceed ninety-five days, is binding on Persian believers wherever they reside, if both parties are Persian. This law is not applicable, however, if one of the parties is a...

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Baha'u'llah laments being surrounded by the Jews of Israel

"This Holy Land hath been mentioned and extolled in all the sacred Scriptures. In it have appeared the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones. This is the wilderness in which all the Messengers of God have wandered, from which their cry, "Here am I, here am I, O my God" was raised. This is the promised Land in which He Who is the Revelation of God was...

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Bahá’u’lláh says ‘Soon will a foul odor be spread; shun it...

“O thou dear maid-servant of God!“Thy letter was received and the contents became known. Thou hast asked some questions; that why the blessed and spiritual souls who are firm and steadfast, shun the company of degenerate persons. This is because that just as the bodily diseases, like consumption and cancer, are contagious, likewise, the spiritual diseases...

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Abdul Baha's prayer for the Baha'is - shield them from the doubts of the violators and the evil suggestions of the waverers

O my Lord! O my Lord! Intoxicate them with the wine of knowledge; sweeten their tastes with the delicacies of prayer in the early morn and eve; gather them together in one congregation; confer upon them a shelter; protect them in the cave of thy Covenant and thy Testament; shield them from the doubts of the violators and the evil suggestions of the...

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most terrible of all punishments

... most terrible of all punishments described by the Master in His Will when He wrote: ‘Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God.’(“Guard Ye the Cause of God” A Message from the...

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Undoubtedly the unworthy souls must be shunned

“O thou who are firm in the Covenant:“Your letter was received. You have Written that some of the waverers had written to me and that I had written answers to them; [and] that some have taken this as a proof that association with the waverers is permissible. This is the essence of error! For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá corresponds with all the people, even with the...

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These few nakazeen cannot accomplish anything worth while.

“O thou divine servant! ...“Convey the wonderful Abhá greeting to the believers. Chicago, in comparison with the cities of America, was in advance and numerically contained more Bahá’í's. But when the stench (vile odor) of the nakazeen [violators of the Covenant] was spread in that city there was stagnation. The Cause in other cities of America is...

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They must suffer to awaken.

After the coming calamity the United States will fulfill the prophecy that the United States will suffer, then it will lead all the nations spiritually. He said that he has given up warning the friends, as they paid no heed to either the warnings of Abdu'l-Bahá nor to Shoghi Effendi. They must suffer to awaken.https://bahai-library.com/moffett_pil...

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Mirza 'Ali-Akbar saved the Cause!

This person was none other than Mirza 'Ali-Akbar, the son of Mishkin Qalam. It was he who had saved the day by informing 'Abdu'l-Bahá of Mirza Aqa Jan's intention to announce a claim as Guardian of the Faith. Had he been able to do so, there would have followed-as the Covenant-breakers hoped-a major confrontation between them and the believers, and...

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Mirza Aqa Jan was induced to lay an independent claim to divine inspiration.

And so they [the CBs] secretly established communication with him and encouraged him to rebel. As previously mentioned, having deceived him, the Covenant-breakers instructed and trained him, fed his ego and on the strength of his eminent position as the recorder of the verses of revelation received by Bahá'u'lláh, induced him to lay an independent...

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At the time of the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, Mirza Aqa Jan had already been expelled

At the time of the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, Mirza Aqa Jan had already been expelled from the Faith and was unwelcome in Bahá'í circles. He lived a life of general misery and disgrace.(Memories of Nine Years in Akka by Youness Khan Afroukhteh, Oxford: George Ronald, 1952/2003)https://bahai-library.com/afroukhteh_nine_years_a...

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Africans are all like wild savages and land-dwelling animals

"Also, observe that if the human species is deprived of education and training, it becomes poisonous. For what is the difference between African natives and American natives? These [African natives] are like cows that God has created in the form of humans, uncivilized and without intelligence and culture, while even in this journey, in the gatherings,...

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dependent upon their connection with Abdul-Baha; for through Him and through Him only, can they receive the spiritual force

The Bahai Faith is THE COVENANT which is in this day established upon the earth, and Abdul-Baha is The Center of this COVENANT. From him all members of it receive spiritual force and sustenance.As the organs which make up the physical body of man are dependent upon connection with the heart in order that they may receive life force, so are the believers—composing...

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The National Assembly is the guardian of the welfare of the Faith

The National Assembly is the guardian of the welfare of the Faith, a most sacred and heavy responsibility and one which is inescapable. They must be ever vigilant, ever on the look-out, ever ready to take action, and, on all matters of fundamental principle, refuse to compromise for an instant. Only in this way can the body of the Faith be free of...

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full equality between men and women

In the 1995 statement The Prosperity of Humankind the Bahá’í International Community identified “a commitment to the establishment of full equality between men and women, in all departments of life and at every level of society” as “central to the success of efforts to conceive and implement a strategy of global development.”(Bahá’í World, v. 27, p....

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According to the Unitarian Baha'is, this text was fabricated by Abdul Baha

Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh by Bahá’u’lláhLawḥ-i-Arḍ-i-Bá (Tablet of the Land of Bá)https://bahai.works/Tablets_of_Bahá’u’lláh/Tablet_of_the_Land_of_BáAccording to the Unitarian Baha'is, this text was fabricated by Abdul Baha:Abbas Effendi himself made alterations in one of the Servant’s letters to Muhammad Mustafa of Baghdad in Beirut, that is to say added...

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Whoso awaiteth a Revelation after Me is of the lost. After Me, O people, cleave ye to the Aghṣán. After the Aghṣán, a lofty station hath been ordained for Mírzá Áqá Ján

Whoso awaiteth a Revelation after Me is of the lost. He who will appear after a thousand [years] shall speak in My Name, and in Mustagháth will come unto you Him Who shall bear witness to Me that I am God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth. None can comprehend this Revelation except to a certain degree. His knowledge embraceth all things.After...

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Thornton Chase's poem for Abdul Baha

Thornton Chase, the first American convert to the Bahá'í Faith to remain in the religion, wrote a poem to 'Abdu'l-Bahá.From Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 11, pp. 187–8.TO THE CENTER OF THE COVENANT: ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.May the Souls of all Mankind be a Sacrifice to Him!O THOU David of the Promised Kingdom of GOD!Thou Princely Leader of all Humanity!Thou...

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How Abdul Baha became the greatest example in the Bahá'í Faith?

You will remember that `Abdu'l-Bahá had been surrounded by Covenant-breakers. Whatever material benefit would come to `Abdu'l-Bahá he would feed these Covenant-breaker with these things, and still they wanted more. He fed them so perhaps they would keep quiet and no longer be dangerous for the Cause of God, and would not display themselves more than...

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Peter Khan warns the believers in North America

The first sort of fear which Peter Khan inspires in his speech is a fear of people, a sense of danger posed by flesh and blood human beings. In his address, Peter Khan warns the believers in North America that we are threatened by men and women within our own communities. He says that "dangerous forces" and "insidious influences" are at work within...

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Reality magazine

'Reality' was a Baha'i magazine produced in New York between 1919 and 1929. During the ten years of its existence, it changed its style and contents dramatically, serving first as an organ for articles on Baha'ism and related topics, then (1923-1926) as a vehicle for attacks on the new Baha'i organization being built up by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, and...

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The first Baha'i missionary in the USA

Ibrahim Kheiralla, was the first Baha'i missionary to travel to the West, arriving in Chicago in 1893 and winning his first converts in the following year. Something of an eccentric, Kheiralla -- a Syrian who was a member of the first graduating class of the American University in Beirut (then the Syrian Protestant College) in 1870 -- presented a curiously...

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The Bábí movement developed out of a school of Twelver Shiism known as Shaykhism, Mírzá Husayn 'Alí took as his Bábí title the divine name Bahá' (Splendor).

The Bábí movement developed out of a school of Twelver Shiism known as Shaykhism, so called after its founder Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsá'í (d. 1826), which contained millenarian emphases. Many prominent Bábís were converts from Shaykhism which came under the leadership of Sayyid Kázim Rashtí, al-Ahsá'í's successor…. Mírzá Husayn 'Alí quickly became a prominent...

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MacEoin's opinion about Baha'u'llah's sufi-style writings

I enjoyed the first part of Dr Cole's essay, in which he discusses the development of the Mujaddidi and Khalidi branches of the Naqshbandi tariqa as 'neo-orthodox Sufi movements' as a prelude to discussing Baha' Allah's involvement with the Khalidis of Sulaymaniyya. I was less happy with the following section dealing with the contents of a Sufi poem...

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Sufi influence on Baha'u'llah's writings

Mirza Husayn 'Ali Nuri Baha' Allah [spent some time with] some Naqshbandi Sufis during a period of self-imposed exile in Iraqi Kurdistan from 1854 to 1856. Many of Baha' Allah's writings from the period of his Baghdad exile (1853-1863) show profound Sufi influence, but until now this issue has been little studied because of the prevailing doctrine...

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if this is a sign of the direction in which Baha'i studies may be moving, it does not augur all that well for the future.

Since the 1950s or so, however, the situation in the West has changed somewhat, largely with the advent of a new generation of better-educated converts eager to study their religion in a more systematic and academic manner than has hitherto been the case. Such an approach is encouraged by doctrinal approval for 'the harmony of science and religion'...

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Denis MacEoin about Ishraq Khavari

Ishraq Khavari's many editions of Baha'i texts, for example, useful as they are in the absence of anything else, betray great carelessness and a lack of the most elementary knowledge of editorial methods.-Denis MacEoinSource: Bulletin (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies), Vol. 13, No. 1 (1986), pp. 85- 91Published by: Taylor & Francis,...

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In the West, Baha'ism had established itself as a moderately-successful middle-class cult, but it remained too peripheral to attract serious attention within the academic world.

In the West, Baha'ism had established itself as a moderately-successful middle-class cult, but it remained too peripheral to attract serious attention within the academic world. It had become far too Westernized in its modern phase to hold much appeal for orientalists; its pretensions to the status of a 'new world religion' carried little weight with...

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Who was Baha'u'llah and how he reached Israel? -Encyclopedia Britannica

Bahāʾ Allāh (born November 12, 1817, Tehrān, Iran—died May 29, 1892, Acre, Palestine [now ʿAkko, Israel]) was the founder of the Bahāʾī Faith upon his claim to be the manifestation of the unknowable God.Mīrzā Ḥosayn was a member of the Shīʿite branch of Islam. He subsequently allied himself with Mīrzā ʿAlī Moḥammad of Shīrāz, who was known as the Bāb...

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Baha'i belief about Imam Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam of the Shi'ih

One Baha'i says:We do not believe that the Imam Mahdi is the Twelfth Imam or that the Twelfth Imam remained alive and in physical occultation for 1000 years waiting for the time to suddenly appear and make Himself known. We do not believe that the Imam Mahdi will do some of the fantastical and improbable things like leading an army to conquer the world...

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Changing the meaning of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings by interpretation is explicitly forbidden

Changing the meaning of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings by interpretation is explicitly forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, with no exception for 'Abdu'l-Bahá:"Whoso interpreteth what hath been sent down from the heaven of Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning, he, verily, is of them that have perverted the Sublime Word of God, and is of the lost ones in the...

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"I fully support a first strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities wherever they may be" - Ian Kluge, Canadian Baha'i scholar

...I fully support a first strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities wherever they may be hidden and by whatever means are needed to destroy them. If the Iranians deny us their oil, destroy their oil facilities – if we can’t have their oil, neither will they… Regime change (one way or another) is coming in the relatively near future and Baha’is must be there...

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Sunni Muslims are Covenant-breakers

In the Tablet of Salman Bahá'u'lláh explains one of the most interesting mysteries in the Qur'an, a mystery which had hitherto remained unnoticed. He refers to the well-known phrase, 'There is no God but Him'. This is the cardinal statement of faith which every Muslim must make, and which is the basis of the Islamic religion.As we have previously written,...

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Nabíl’s Narrative - "Shoghi Effendi had fabricated the entire thing"

At the time when Shoghi Effendi produced Nabíl’s Narrative, the Covenant-breakers spread a rumour among their Arab friends that Shoghi Effendi had fabricated the entire thing and that only they possessed Nabíl’s narrative. Apart from that claim, as stated earlier, we also have a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in which He states that the revised edition...

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Covenant-breakers stole papers from the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They stole two cases of papers that Bahá’u’lláh had given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

I have already explained that after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Covenant-breakers stole papers from the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They stole two cases of papers that Bahá’u’lláh had given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They literally did this at a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not in His room and was washing the body of Bahá’u’lláh. Those documents are probably still...

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Baha'is enjoyed the pilau and roast meat in the feast hosted by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab

Mirza Ahmad Sohrab and Shaykh Muhammad Husayn, both from Nayriz, hosted a feast on 16 April, a mid-day lunch at the Pilgrim House near the Shrine of the Bab. Few were given this privilege. More than 100 men were present to enjoy the pilau, roast meat and sour milk spread on the table. With so many present and only 28 able to sit at the table at one...

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Abdul Baha's prophecy about Israel

In the afternoon of February 13th, the American pilgrims held a special memorial meeting, for the departure of Mirza Abul-Fazl, at the holy threshold of the Bab, on Mount Carmel. Abdul-Baha attended the meeting and spent that night at the home of Abbas Kuli, near the blessed tomb. In the morning of February 14th, Abdul-Baha went to the hospice (the...

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Good quality Baha’is

I cannot understand, she said, why the friends show their concern and anxiety when simple-hearted people come into the Faith, who just say that they believe in Baha’u’llah, and who do not know much about the Faith. You want quality. But to get the quality, you need the quantity. Suppose we have 100 Baha’is and we find only 5 good Baha’is; let us calculate...

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We can only stop teaching the Faith when the Government of the country asks us to stop

She [Ruhiyyih Khanum] further remarked that we have 900 years more to consolidate but we do not know how many more years we will have to teach the Cause. We can only stop teaching the Faith when the Government of the country asks us to stop because, according to Baha’u’llah’s law, it is our Article of Faith to obey the Government of the country in...

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It was not Baha'u'llah but Shoghi Effendi who established the institutional forms for dealing with Covenant-breaking

It is of interest that there has only been a gradual implementation of the sanctions against Covenant-breakers and those continuing to associate with them. Many of Bahá'u'lláh's writings contain passages instructing the Bahá'ís to avoid contacts with the Covenant-breakers (see passages quoted by `Abdu'l-Bahá in SoW 13:19-25). Despite this, Bahá'u'lláh...

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Mirza Hadi Dawlatabadi, converted many but

One of Azal’s main supporters in Isfahan, Mirza Hadi Dawlatabadi, converted many but, as in Naraq and Kashan, several of these, such as Aqa ‘Ali Nur (d. c. 1294/1877)’ and Aga Muhammad Kazim, went to Baghdad and returned as supporters of Baha’u'llah. (Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851 to 1912, Vol. 2, by Dr. Moojan Momen)Mírzá Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí, one...

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