"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 !" Bahá'u'lláh was thus described by the well-known Cambridge University Orientalist Edward Granville Browne in 1890.
Bahá'u'lláh had, at that time, been a prisoner and an exile for almost 40 years and His teachings were shrouded in obscurity; today He is recognized by millions of followers around the world as the Manifestation of God or Divine Teacher for this age.
On 12 November 1817 in Teheran, the capital of Persia, a son
was born to a prominent minister of state, Mirza Buzurg,
and his wife Khadijih. The boy, to whom they gave the names of
Husayn-Ali, was later to be known as Baha'u'llah.
The child led a carefree life, growing up as a member of a
wealthy family who never suspected that their son might one
day proclaim Himself to be the great Universal Teacher foretold
by every earlier Messenger of God. Yet the father soon realised
that his son was different from other children.
For, although little Mirza Husayn-Ali had never been
in school and had only recieved some instruction at home,
He was extraordinarily knowledgable.
Mirza Husayn-'Ali, who was now twenty-seven years of age, received a scroll written by the Bab. When He began to read it He realised that its Author spoke the truth and He recognized Him as the Messenger of God. Without any thoughts for His wealth or noble birth, He accepted the new Faith and at once began to devote Himself entirely to spreading the teachings of the Bab. His recognition of the religion of the Báb, which arose in 1844 in Persia and was destined to fulfil the prophecies of Islam, caused Him to be cast into prison and subsequently exiled.
In His writings, the Báb alluded to the imminent coming
of the Promised One foretold in all the world's religions
-- a role claimed by Bahá'u'lláh. "This is the
King of Days," Bahá'u'lláh thus extols the age
that has witnessed the advent of His Revelation,
"the Day that hath seen the coming of the
Best-beloved, Him Who through all eternity hath been
acclaimed the Desire of the World.""I am the One," He in another connection affirms, "Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned." Of Himself, He wrote: "Naught is seen in My temple but the Temple of God, and in My beauty but His Beauty, and in My being but His Being, and in My self but His Self, and in My movement but His Movement, and in My acquiescence but His Acquiescence, and in My pen but His Pen, the Mighty, the All-Praised. There hath not been in My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could be seen but God."
It was during His initial imprisonment that Bahá'u'lláh first experienced divine revelation. Of it, He wrote: During the days I lay in the prison of Tihrán, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear.
Throughout the long years of exile He endured,
Bahá'u'lláh revealed divinely inspired passages
equivalent to over 100 volumes. This revelation comprises
mystical writings, social and ethical teachings, laws and
ordinances, and a fearless proclamation of His message to
the kings and rulers of the world, including Napoleon
III, Queen Victoria, Pope Pius IX, the Shah of Persia,
Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, the Emperor Franz Joseph of
Austria, and others. The conception of human nature found in Bahá'u'lláh's revelation is one of dignity and essential nobility. In one passage, He writes, with the voice of God, "O Son of Spirit! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created." Elsewhere, He states, "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.". Every person, He asserts, is capable of recognizing God; all that is needed is a degree of detachment:
When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all
worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly
perceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable
distances, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter
the City of Certitude.....That city is none other than
the Word of God revealed in every age and
dispensation.... All the guidance, the blessings, the
learning, the understanding, the faith, and certitude,
conferred upon all that is in heaven and on earth, are
hidden and treasured within these Cities.Bahá'u'lláh's Son, `Abdu'l-Bahá, who was appointed by Him as His successor, described the mission of His Father in these words:
He bore these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent in the world of humanity; that the Most Great Peace should become a reality; that human souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that heavenly miracles would be wrought among men; that human faith should be strengthened and perfected; that the precious, priceless bestowal of God, the human mind, might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of the body; and man become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it hath been revealed in the Bible: `We shall create man in Our own image.'
Bahá'u'lláh passed from this earthly world in 1892,
still nominally a prisoner in Palestine. One hundred
years later, in 1992, the Bahá'í international
community observed a Holy Year to commemorate the
centenary of His ascension.
In May of that year, a delegation of several thousand Bahá'ís from over 200 countries and territories gathered at His shrine in the Holy Land to pay homage to Him. And the following November a congress of some 27,000 followers assembled in New York City in an atmosphere of reverence and joy to celebrate the inauguration of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant which has preserved the Unity of His Faith since its inception. A statement written to acquaint people everywhere with the details of Bahá'u'lláh's life and mission was also released during this special year.