Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh,, which in Persian means " The Glory of God " was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He was born in Iran on 12 November 1817 into a noble family. Even as a child, he astonished theologians with his intelligence and logic. A disciple of the Báb, he was imprisoned in the Siah Chal, a black underground pit where he was locked up with criminals and thieves. The marks of the chains which were put on him, stayed with him for the rest of his life. He was then exiled to Baghdad with other Bábis (disciples of the Báb). A year later, he withdrew alone into the desert to meditate. Upon his return, he declared to be the one whom the Báb had foretold. This declaration took place in the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad. He was then exiled to Constantinople and then to Adrianople. To ensure his extermination and the faith which he inspired, he was banished along with 70 people, family and followers, to the prison city of Akka (St. Jean d'Acre) in 1868 into permanent exile.

Despite all he endured, Bahá'u'lláh never stopped propagating his teachings. During these, the darkest years of his ministry, he wrote the most important of his works for mankind ; a book containing the essential laws and ordinances for a future world order. During this same period he sent individual tablets to each of the rulers of the world :Queen Victoria of England, Napoleon 111, Czar Alexander 11 of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm 1 of Austria, Násiri'd-Dín Shah of Persia. He also addressed Christian ecclesiastics, in particular Pope Pius 1X and Zoroastrian, Jewish and Muslim leaders. At the end of this period, the goodness of his character softened his hardened jailers and he was permitted to leave the city of Akka. He took up residence in a mansion at Bahji, near Akka. He died on 29 May 1892 at the age of 75.

The message of Bahá'u'lláh is in harmony with that of other founders of the religions of the past (Christ, Moses, Mohammed etc.) because spiritual teachings are eternal. The differences lie in the social principles which were revolutionary for the time. The works of Bahá'u'lláh are voluminous and for the first time in the history of humanity a messenger from God has left, for posterity, his teachings written with his own hand.