[f] An approved and coordinated anti-Baháʼí campaign (to incite public passion against the Baháʼís) started in 1955 and it included the spreading of anti-Baháʼí propaganda on national radio stations and in official newspapers. [12], So perfect and comprehensive is His creation that no mind or heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable Essence...[13][14]. Baháʼís regard his resting place at Bahjí as the Qiblih to which they turn in prayer each day.[68]. Nothing short of His all-encompassing grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly achieved it. In English, the word Baháʼí is used either as an adjective to refer to the Baháʼí Faith or as a term for a follower of Baháʼu'lláh. [156] On 11 August 2010 it became known that the court sentence was 20 years imprisonment for each of the seven prisoners[157] which was later reduced to ten years. The House of Justice then launched a nine-year plan in 1964, and a series of subsequent multi-year plans of varying length and goals followed, guiding the direction of the international Baháʼí community. Shoghi Effendi served for 36 years as the head of the religion until his death. "[citation needed] It was written to a follower of Sufism, in the style of ʻAttar, the Persian Muslim poet,[58] and sets forth the stages of the soul's journey towards God. All Baháʼí community properties, including Baháʼí centers, libraries, and cemeteries, have been confiscated by the government and fatwas have been issued charging Baháʼís with apostasy. Bahá'ís see their religion as the latest, but not final, in a series of prophetic dispensations, which include various world religions as previous cycles. Since the Baháʼí teachings state that God is too great for humans to ever comprehend or to create more than a limited conception of, the Baháʼí scripture instead focuses on the created divine virtues and attributes which are described in the teachings of the Manifestations. [5], The Baháʼí teachings state that there is only one God and that his essence is absolutely inaccessible from the physical realm of existence and that, therefore, his reality is completely unknowable. According to The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004: The majority of Baháʼís live in Asia (3.6 million), Africa (1.8 million), and Latin America (900,000). [112] Although parents should not choose partners for their children, once two individuals decide to marry, they must receive the consent of all living biological parents, whether they are Baháʼí or not. [140] During that campaign, initiated by Mulla Muhammad Taghi Falsafi, the Baha'i center in Tehran was demolished at the orders of Tehran military governor, General Timor Bakhtiar. Shoghi Effendi, the head of the religion from 1921 to 1957, wrote the following summary of what he considered to be the distinguishing principles of Baháʼu'lláh's teachings, which, he said, together with the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas constitute the bedrock of the Baháʼí Faith: The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of human kind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind—these stand out as the essential elements [which Baháʼu'lláh proclaimed]. [90] Baháʼí sources since 1991 usually estimate the worldwide Baháʼí population to be above 5 million. In Brookshaw & Fazel, eds. The Bahá'í Faith is the only world religion whose teachings and writing embrace without question the fundamental equality of men and women. The Baha’i Faith is one of the major religions of the world with a following of over 7 million people. According to Britannica, the Baháʼí Faith (as of 2010) is established in 221 countries and territories and has an estimated seven million adherents worldwide. [77] He announced in letters during the Ten Year Crusade that it would be followed by other plans under the direction of the Universal House of Justice, which was elected in 1963 at the culmination of the Crusade. [121] The ringstone symbol and calligraphy of the Greatest Name are also often encountered. [112] The vows are "We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God. [133], Baháʼís continue to be persecuted in some majority-Islamic countries, whose leaders do not recognize the Baháʼí Faith as an independent religion, but rather as apostasy from Islam. Educ… Religion is thus seen as orderly, unified, and progressive from age to age. [140] In one case in Yazd in 1903 more than 100 Baháʼís were killed. [158] After the sentence, they were transferred to Gohardasht prison. [30], Baháʼí notions of progressive religious revelation result in their accepting the validity of the well known religions of the world, whose founders and central figures are seen as Manifestations of God. There are also appointed individuals working at various levels, including locally and internationally, which perform the function of propagating the teachings and protecting the community. [67] He died there in 1892. This knowledge of the attributes is also proportioned. The laws, when not in direct conflict with the civil laws of the country of residence, are binding on every Baháʼí. In the Baháʼí understanding, the attributes attributed to God, such as All-Powerful and All-Loving are derived from limited human experiences of power and love. [24] The Baháʼí teachings state that the unification of humanity is the paramount issue in the religious and political conditions of the present world. To entertain such belief would be sheer blasphemy. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer dated 9 June 1932, Stockman, R. H. (2012). It was initiated and established by the Báb and various works were written in calligraphy shaped into a five-pointed star. After receiving chastising letters from Baháʼu'lláh, Ottoman authorities turned against him and put him under house arrest in Adrianople (now Edirne), where he remained for four years, until a royal decree of 1868 banished all Bábís to either Cyprus or ʻAkká. [27], Each of the 19 months is given a name which is an attribute of God; some examples include Baháʼ (Splendour), ʻIlm (Knowledge), and Jamál (Beauty). We are eagerly preparing to hold a variety of events to celebrate the 200th Birthday of the Founder of the Faith, Baha'u'llah, born in 1817! A&C Black. [69] During the period in Adrianople, he began declaring his mission as a Messenger of God in letters to the world's religious and secular rulers, including Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III, and Queen Victoria. Additionally notes taken of a number of his talks were published in various volumes like Paris Talks during his journeys to the West. 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