The Founders of the great religions had two missions. One was to clear the path to God from the débris piled up by man. The other was to give the directions needed for social progress. Each gave the same basic teachings of faith in one God, the law of love, the brotherhood of man, and the life eternal. The urgent need of our day is a just world order and the chief aim of every Bahá’í is to promote the oneness of mankind.
The
Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion, not a sect or offshoot of an existing creed. It came into being in
Shíráz,
Persia, the night of May 22, 1844. ‘Alí Muḥammad, a descendant of
Muḥammad, stunned His young guest,
Mullá Ḥusayn, by declaring Himself to be a Messenger of God. He assumed the title of
Báb or Gate. Like
John the Baptist, He claimed to be the Herald of One greater than Himself. Beyond this, He claimed to be an independent Prophet with authority to change existing religious practices and to reveal prayers and laws. His message would be supplanted by that of “Him Whom God shall manifest.”
The Báb was born in
Shíráz, Persia, the city of the poets
Ḥáfiẓ and Sa‘dí, on October 20, 1819. As a child, His goodness and innate knowledge amazed His teacher. Later, his sense of probity