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History: a monotheistic religion born in the XIXe century
Baha'i emerges in Persia in the middle of the XIXe century, an era shaken by modernity, notably scientificity, under the leadership of Baha’u’llah. It is part of the movement of an esoteric and critical Shiite current with regard to the rigorism of the dominant clergy. Baha’u’llah was born in Tehran in 1817 under the name of Mirza Husayn Ali into a noble family. His father is minister of the shah.
At the same time, in the Persian city of Shiraz, Sayyid Ali Muhammad Sirazi was born. In 1844, the latter said he was carrying a message from God. He announces the arrival of a new "Mahdi" who will save the world at the end of time and he calls himself the Bab – "the door". He was quickly followed by many followers. Charged with apostasy, the Bab was sentenced to death and shot in 1850.
In 1852, Mirza Husayn Ali, a disciple of the Bab, was himself arrested and imprisoned in Tehran. In 1863, he claimed to be the prophet announced by the Bab and proclaimed himself Baha’u’llah – "the Glory of God" – before being exiled to Saint John of Acre in Ottoman Palestine (1868). It is there that he writes the majority of his work – a hundred volumes – which constitutes the foundation of the Baha'i faith.
His main teaching is to proclaim that God is one (there is only one God) and that religion is one, since humanity is one family. In other words, religions are all dedicated to one thing, unity and world peace. Their differences are only due to the historical, cultural, economic, social context in which they emerge. For example, food rites would respond to the constraints of an era and are no longer relevant. Each messenger of God – from Moses to Muhammad via Jesus or the Buddha – allows the advancement of civilization at an instant T, which opens the way to the next messenger. The Baha'i faith, the most recent monotheistic religion, is part of this continuity.
Baha’u’llah died in Saint John of Acre in 1892, where he was buried. Before his death, he decided that the remains of the Bab, his master, should be buried on the slopes of Mount Carmel, some 20 km from Saint-Jean d'Acre. The remains of the Bab will be transferred in 1909.
Baha’u’llah’s successor is his eldest son Abdu’l-Baha (1844-1921) who spread the Baha'i message in the West. He is buried in Haifa (Israel), near the Bab. The third leader bahaï is the grandson of Abdoul Baha: Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957), "the Guardian" of the bahaï faith, who leaves no descendants. From then on, it was the Universal House of Justice, composed of nine elected members, which became the world governing body of the Baha'is. According to the religion's website, around 5 to 7 million Baha'is are spread across more than 200 countries. But the Baha'i faith remains formally prohibited in Iran where its followers are persecuted, as well as in other countries such as Yemen.
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