A Brief History of the
Bahá'í Faith
This is a work in progress. The most recent additions were made March 10,
2001.
Bahá'í History can be divided into seven periods thus far.
The first three periods form the Apostolic or Heroic Age. The first epoch centers around the youthful and
gentle Báb [meaning the Gate, also known as the Forerunner of
the Ancient Beauty], Whose brief tumultuous Ministry prepared the
way for the long-awaited coming of the promised Messenger of God.
The second epoch is centered about the
majestic, powerful and awe-inspiring figure of Bahá'u'lláh
[meaning the Glory of God, also known by the titles: The
Blessed Perfection, The Ancient Beauty], the Promised One of all
religions. Having given up a life of extreme wealth and ease, He
promoted the Message of the Báb, only later to learn that He
Himself was the Promised One foretold by the Báb and by the
religions of the past. Enduring 40 years of exiles and
imprisonments, and under nearly impossible circumstances,
surrounded by enemies and their plots, lies and intrigues, He
revealed God's Message for this Day. The third
epoch revolves around the ministry of 'Abdu'l-Bahá [meaning
servant of the Glory, i.e. of the Glory of God] and eldest son of
Bahá'u'lláh. Sharing His Father's exiles and imprisonments,
'Abdu'l-Bahá became the perfect example of His Father's
Teachings and today is known as the Exemplar and Interpreter of
the Bahá'í Faith, The Most Great Branch, The Master, and The
Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant.
The last four periods comprise the Formative Age. The first epoch of the Formative Age
"witnessed the birth and the primary stages in the erection
of the framework of the Administrative Order of the Faith".
"That epoch was characterized by a twofold process aiming at
the consolidation of the administrative structure of the Faith
and the extension of the range of its institutions." --Citadel
of Faith, p. 5. The second epoch
extended that twofold process, extending the range of
'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan and culminating with the election of
the Universal House of Justice. The third epoch,
characterized by rapid growth, concluded with the beginning
of the Faith's emergence from obscurity into the larger arena of
public notice, fueled in no small part by the persecution of the
Bahá'í's in the land of It's birth. The fourth epoch began with the increased maturation of
the administrative institutions from the local spiritual
assemblies up to and including the Universal House of Justice
which is now engaged in a vast expansion of the World Center. The fifth
and present epoch began with a marked maturation in Bahá'í institutions
and will witness the complete emergence of the Faith
from obscurity and vastly greater involvement in the social and
economic development of the world.
This brief guide provides a chronological view of the more
significant events in the history of the religion. The chronology
has been pieced together from a broad array of historical sources
which will one day be listed at the end.
Prounciation Guide
Shoghi Effendi's system of transliteration
is used throughout to most accurately display Persian and Arabic
names. HTML does not permit full accuracy in this regard, as it
does not support all the necessary characters. Here is a brief
pronunciation guide to assist the reader:
Bahá'u'lláh is pronounced: Ba (as in back) - haw - o
(as in short) - law. Wherever you see á, think a as in
arm. ' indicates a pause. Mírzá is pronounced: Meerzaw.
Whenever you see í, think ee as in meet. Bahá'í would
therefore be Ba - haw - (brief pause) - ee; in this context the
í means of, as in follower of. Quddús is pronounced: Khodoos.
Whenever you see ú think oo as in moon. Don't worry too much
about the Q - it is a guttural sound that doesn't come naturally
to Anglophones . Unless you have heard Arabic or Persian, just
treat it like a K.
Other Information
This is a work in progress. More details
on the development of the World Center will be added when I can
do so. For further information on the religious persecution of
the Iránian Bahá'ís, check out Religious
Persecution of Iránian Bahá'ís and especially The
Situation of the Bahá'ís in Iran from the official Bahá'í World website. Also, hyperlinks
cross-referencing the Writings will be included at a future date.
It is my hope that this chronology provides you with an overview
which will aid your understanding of the extraordinary
circumstances in which the Bahá'í Teachings have been revealed.
This is by no means an exhaustive work; myriads of details have
been left out for the sake of brevity. As a suggestion, try
viewing this chronology when you pick up one of Bahá'u'lláh's
works. Look at His trials and tribulations and peruse the words
from The Pen of Glory. How else could such outpourings of wisdom
and love have emanated under such circumstances from an
uneducated Man except through the Power of God? This is the first
and foremost proof of the Manifestation of God: His Revelation.
--J. Thomas Pawlowski
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
brief history. If you discover any errors, believe that a
significant event should be included, or have any suggestions
please contact us. This condensed history was written
by J. Thomas Pawlowski with some recent segments added from the Reno Baha'i
Community web site.
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