Bahá’u’lláh: The Promised One of All Ages

Bahá’ís are the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, Who they believe is the Promised One of all Ages. The traditions of almost every people include the promise of a future when peace and harmony will be established on earth and humankind will live in prosperity. Baha’is believe that the promised hour has come and that Bahá’u’lláh is the great Personage Whose Teachings will enable humanity to build a new world.

   
^{A place of pilgrimage for Bahá’ís,
the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh is located near ‘Akká, Israel}

Bahá’u’lláh was born on 12 November 1817 in Teḥrán, the capital city of Persia (not Iran). Though He did not attend school, from His earliest childhood, Bahá’u’lláh showed signs of greatness. Born of a noble family, Bahá’u’lláh was offered a position in the court of the King. He chose instead to pursue a life of helping the downtrodden and promoting justice in the world. As with all the great Messengers of God, and in spite of the great suffering He endured throughout His life, Bahá’u’lláh greatly affected the hearts and minds of all those He encountered.

Bearing the weight of chains so heavy that He could not lift His head, Bahá’u’lláh suffered imprisonment for four months in the Síyáh-Chál, a dungeon in Tehran. For His beliefs, He was also exiled from His homeland, sent over the course of many years as a prisoner to lands such as Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally ‘Akká (northern Israel). Though a prisoner and an exile, for forty years Bahá’u’lláh continued to reveal the Word of God, bringing to all mankind solutions for the problems facing humanity in the modern age. Bahá’u’lláh passed away in 1892. His Shrine is located in northern Israel, near the city of ‘Akká.

Millions from every walk of life have embraced His Teachings, which center on the oneness and wholeness of the entire human race, as the best remedy for a ailing civilization, and the highest hope for the realization of a peaceful and united world.