"The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow.... No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!"
That is how Bahá'u'lláh was described in 1890 by well-known Cambridge University Orientalist Edward Granville Browne.
At the time of that meeting, Bahá'u'lláh -- God's most-recent Manifestation -- had been a prisoner and an exile for nearly 40 years, and he had endured significant torture and other maltreatment.
His message was quite simple yet profound:
"According to Bahá'í belief, Manifestations of God, including Moses, Abraham, Christ, Muhammad, Krishna, and Buddha, have appeared at intervals throughout history to found the world's great religious systems," states the Bahá'í International Community's Web site.
"They have been sent by a loving Creator to enable us to know and to worship Him and to bring human civilization to ever higher levels of achievement."
Entrance to Shrine
Today and tomorrow, Bahá'ís throughout the world will observe the anniversary of His birth, Nov. 11, 1817. He ascended in 1892.
"Bahá'u'lláh was a member of one of the great patrician families of Persia," the Web site states on its historical biography of Him.
"The family could trace its lineage to the ruling dynasties of Persia's imperial past, and was endowed with wealth and vast estates.
"Turning His back on the position at court which these advantages offered Him, Bahá'u'lláh became known for His generosity and kindliness which made Him deeply loved among His countrymen.
"This privileged position did not long survive Bahá'u'lláh's announcement of support for the message of the Báb {Arabic: "The Gate"}. Engulfed in the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábís after the Báb's execution, Bahá'u'lláh suffered not only the loss of all His worldly endowments but was subjected to imprisonment, torture and a series of banishments."
The persecution of Bahá'ís continues today primarily in Iran, but also in Yemen and Egypt, as well as other countries, in addition to the to-be-expected prejudice and discrimination that are admittedly present for some Bahá'ís in other countries, whether it's employment, education and/or social settings.
Persecution, prejudice and discrimination, however, have done little to slow down the international nature of the emerging global religion that Bahá'u'lláh founded.
Former prison cell, ‘Akká, Israel
His message, as mentioned, was quite simple but profound:
"The station of these Manifestations is unique in creation," the Web site states.
"Their essential nature is twofold: they are at once human and divine. But they are not identical with God, the Creator, Who is Unknowable. Of God, Bahá'u'lláh has written:
'He, in truth, hath, throughout eternity, been one in His Essence, one in His attributes, one in His works.
'Any and every comparison is applicable only to His creatures, and all conceptions of association are conceptions that belong solely to those that serve Him.
'Immeasurably exalted is His Essence above the descriptions of His creatures. He, alone, occupieth the Seat of transcendent majesty, of supreme and inaccessible glory.
'The birds of men's hearts, however high they soar, can never hope to attain the heights of His unknowable Essence.
'It is He Who hath called into being the whole of creation, Who hath caused every created thing to spring forth at His behest.'"
To clear up any misconceptions, Bahá'u'lláh is not God, nor were any of the Creator's prior Manifestations.
Addressing God in a prayer, the Web site notes, Bahá'u'lláh says:
"'Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou above any attempt to measure the greatness of Thy Cause, above any comparison that one may seek to make, above the efforts of the human tongue to utter its import!
From everlasting Thou hast existed, alone with no one else beside Thee, and wilt, to everlasting, continue to remain the same, in the sublimity of Thine essence and the inaccessible heights of Thy glory.
'And when Thou didst purpose to make Thyself known unto men, Thou didst successively reveal the Manifestations of Thy Cause, and ordained each to be a sign of Thy Revelation among Thy people, and the Day-Spring of Thine invisible Self amidst Thy creatures. ...'"
The Bahá'í Web site explains further.
"Describing the relationship between the Manifestations of God and Their Creator, Bahá'u'lláh used the analogy of the mirror: God is as the Sun, and the Manifestations are as Mirrors that reflect that divine light -- but they are in no way to be considered as identical to that Sun:
'These sanctified Mirrors ... are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory.'"
So what is the purpose of the Bahá'í Faith?
"Bahá'u'lláh's central message for humanity in this day is one of unity and justice," the Web site stated, adding several of Bahá'u'lláh's most-quoted passages:
"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."
"This is the prescription of God, the divine and all-knowing Physician, for our ailing world," the Web site states.
Further reading:
Bahá'í International Community
Bahá'í Reference Library
(The photos and quotes are copyrighted by the Bahá'í International Community and used according to terms. Use does not imply endorsement of this blog, nor is this blog associated with any Bahá'í institution.)
His life affirmed that "Love is the most great law," that it is civilization's foundation and that the "supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity" among all peoples, according to the Bahá'í International Community.
.jpg)
.jpg)
