God's
Messenger For This Day - Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh is the Messenger
of God for all of humanity in this Day. The corner-stone of His Teachings
is the establishment of the spiritual unity of humanity. He has revealed
a system of Laws and Ordinances to guide humanity to its spiritual
maturity. He teaches that Abraham, Zoroaster, Moses, Krishna, Buddha,
Jesus, and Muhammad are all Divine Messengers progressively revealing
God's Divine Plan to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Bahá'u'lláh was born in Persia, (modern day Iran), in 1817. His
father was a government minister. In His youth, Bahá'u'lláh was
known as the "father of the poor" for his deeds of kindness. From
early age he displayed marvelous faculties of intellect. Although
passionately interested in social justice, he was not attracted
to political life. He chose not to follow in his father's footsteps,
and turned down offers to serve in the government.
The Announcement of the Coming of the Promised One
In 1844, at the age of twenty-seven, Bahá'u'lláh became a follower
of the Báb. The Báb was the Forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh, and Bahá'ís
believe the Báb is an independent Messenger of God. He announced
the imminent advent of a Prophet greater than himself, Who would
fulfill the prophecies of past religions regarding the establishment
of God's Kingdom on Earth.
Bahá'u'lláh and the other followers of the Báb were persecuted
for their beliefs because the priests and rulers of Persia wrongly
charged them as heretics.
Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation
In 1852, in Tehran, Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in the Black Pit
(Siyáh-Chál), an underground dungeon. It was there, under "the galling
weight of the chains" and oppressed by "the stench-filled air,"
that He received a revelation from God that He was the Promised
One foretold by the Báb and all the Manifestations of God who had
come before him. He describes the experience in these words:
"I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My
head...I beheld a Maiden--the embodiment of the remembrance of
the name of My Lord...Pointing with her finger unto My head, she
addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying,
'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend
not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His
sovereignty within you, could ye but understand."
Forty Years of Exile and Imprisonment
Bahá'u'lláh was released from prison after four months and exiled
from His native land. His wealth and land were confiscated by government
decree. He spent the remaining forty years of His life in exile
and imprisonment.
Those forty years saw an outpouring of spiritual revelation unprecedented
in religious history. Hundreds of books, tablets and letters were
revealed, which today are the sacred scripture of the Bahá'í Faith.
In these writings He presented a blueprint for the reconstruction
of human society at all levels and for the spiritual regeneration
of the human race.
Exile to the Holy Land
The first years of exile were spent in Baghdad, followed by periods
in Istanbul and Adrianople (modern Edirne). In 1868 He was exiled
to Akká, a prison city in the Ottoman province (now Israel). He
lived there until His death in 1892. Despite the fierce opposition
of the priests and rulers of Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and
their persecution of his followers, Bahá'u'lláh fearlessly announced
his mission and directed his followers to carry his teachings throughout
the world. He also sent letters from prison to the kings and rulers
of the day, informing them of his mission and calling on them to
band together in the pursuit of justice and peace.
Bahá'u'lláh Sacrificed Wealth and Power
Bahá'u'lláh never rebelled against His oppressors. He endured sacrifice
and imprisonment in order to raise the standard of a new era of
unity and justice for humankind. About his purpose, he said:
"By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands
on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts
of men. Whoso followeth His Lord, will renounce the world and
all that is therein."
Bahá'u'lláh Suffered for the Sake of Humanity
Here, in His own words, is Bahá'u'lláh's statement of the redeeming
power of His life of persecution and sacrifice, which all the Manifestations
of God before Him endured as well:
"The Ancient Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh) hath consented to be bound
with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and
hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold
that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained
to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth
may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This
is the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God,
that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions,
that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build
anew the whole world, behold, how they...have forced Him to dwell
within the most desolate of cities!"
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