The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahji, near Haifa, Israel

The Messenger for our age is Bahá'u'lláh.

God has continuously revealed Himself to humanity through a series of Messengers, referred to in the Bahá’í Faith as Manifestations of God. Abraham, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, and the Báb are all Manifestations of God, the perfect mirrors in which the light of God is reflected.


Baha’u’llah announced in 1863 that He is God's Messenger for this age. His teachings and sacred Writings are the basis of the Baha'i Faith. If you read - with an open heart and mind - any of the more than 100 volumes that Bahá'u'lláh wrote and compare the teachings contained therein with the teachings within the texts of any of the other Divinely-inspired religions you will hear the same Voice. There's a simple reason for this: God is One, God's Word is One, and thus all religion is One because its only true Source is God.


As the latest in the line of these Divine Physicians, Bahá'u'lláh has come with new prescriptions for our world today. These address the spiritual and moral life of the individual and the governance and development of a global society.


"This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness." (~ Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh)


It's important to understand that the spiritual teachings within the Bahá’í Faith are a continuation of all the spiritual teachings that have come before. Those are eternal. What changes with each new Manifestation of God are the social teachings.


"The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, mankind hath strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory." (~ Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh)


A Description of Bahá'u'lláh.

In April 1890, the noted Cambridge University orientalist, Professor Edward Granville Browne, met Bahá’u’lláh at Bahji in four successive interviews. Professor Browne wrote of his first meeting: "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 stated at that meeting:

"… That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this? … Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come.… Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind." (~ Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era)


You can view brief video introductions to the Bahá’í Faith on the U.S. Bahá’í National Center's YouTube Channel.

You can also view a photographic narrative of The Life of Baha'u'llah here. The photos present His story in pictures: His birthplace, the cities of His near 40-year exile, the cell in which He was confined for two years and His final resting place. You can also see examples of His handwriting, relics of His remarkable life, and photographs of the beautiful gardens in the Holy Land which His life inspired.

Note, however, that you will not see a picture of Bahá’u’lláh Himself. For Bahá’ís, the station of Bahá’u’lláh is such that even His photograph is very precious. It should, therefore, only be viewed with the utmost reverence and respect and not displayed openly, even in the private homes of Bahá’ís. Most Baha'is view it only when they are pilgrims to the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa.

"We spend our lives trying to unlock the mystery of the universe, but there was a Turkish prisoner, Bahá'u'lláh, in Akka, Palestine who had the Key." (~ Leo Tolstoy)