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Flora Teckie
Bahá’ís of Harare join Bahá’í communities all around the world to celebrate the 179th anniversary of the beginning of the Bahá’í Faith on May 24.
The Bahá’í Faith began with the mission entrusted by God to two divine messengers – the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
The Báb, the Herald of the Bahá’í Faith, announced in 1844, that he had been sent by God to prepare humanity for the appearance of another divine messenger even greater than Himself.
The Báb said the one whose coming he foretold would be the messenger of God sent to inaugurate an age of justice, peace and enlightenment.
In 1863, Bahá’u’lláh announced that he was the divine messenger foretold by the Báb.
Bahá’ís regard Bahá’u’lláh as the most recent in the line of messengers of God. As in the case of the other messengers of God, Bahá’u’lláh was the direct recipient of revelation from God.
Revelation, in the Bahá’í view, is the infallible and direct conveyance of God’s creative word that is accessible only to the messengers of God who transmit it to mankind.
This innate, divinely revealed knowledge enables them to establish laws and teachings that correspond to human needs and conditions at a given time in history.
Bahá’u’lláh revealed a series of books, tablets and letters that today form the core of the holy writings of the Bahá’í Faith.
He outlined a framework for the development of a global civilisation which takes into account both the spiritual and material dimensions of human life. His writings offer spiritual guidance as well as directives for personal and social conduct.
They are designed to reshape the divisive society of the present world and usher in an era of universal peace.
In his writings, Bahá’u’lláh confirms that there is only one God, the creator of the universe and its absolute ruler. Although people may pray to God in different languages and call him by different names, nevertheless they have in mind the same almighty creator.
The principle of the oneness of humanity is “the pivot round which the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve…”. The conviction that we all belong to one human family is at the heart of the Bahá’í Faith.
The belief in oneness of humanity does not imply uniformity. Rather, the Bahá’í writings affirm the principle of unity in diversity.
More than the mere tolerance of differences or celebration of superficial aspects of diverse cultures, the diversity of the human family should be the cause of abiding love and harmony, “as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord”.
It is Bahá’í belief that, throughout history, God has revealed himself to humanity through a series of divine manifestations. Each of them has founded a great religion and their teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society.
The Bahá’í Faith recognises the divine origin of all the major world religions, honours and reveres their founders.
The writings of Bahá’u’lláh cover a vast range of subjects from social issues such as the oneness of humanity, racial integration, the equality of men and women, and universal education, to those questions that affect the innermost life of the human soul.
From his words, the worldwide Bahá’í community draws its inspiration, discovers its moral bearing and derives creative energy.
Bahá’u’lláh urges his followers to have a high sense of moral rectitude in their activities, purity, chastity and integrity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings with people of every race, nationality, class, or religion.
The Bahá’í Faith does not have a priesthood or professional clergy.
Bahá’í communities are administered and guided by elected institutions which operate at local, national, and international levels. At the international level the governing council of the Bahá’í international community is the Universal House of Justice. At the national level, the national spiritual assemblies administer and guide the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith in their respective countries.
At city, town or village levels, the local spiritual assemblies direct the affairs of their respective communities.
Bahá’ís live in tens of thousands of localities in every continent of the globe. Viewed together they can be said to represent the diversity of the entire human family. Through inspiration from the Bahá’í teachings, they work to improve their own lives and contribute to the advancement of civilisation.
Their aim is to foster fellowship and unity and establish peace and justice.
The Bahá’í community is one of learning and action, free from any sense of superiority or claim to exclusive understanding of truth.
It is a community that strives to cultivate hope for the future of humanity, to foster purposeful effort, and to celebrate the endeavours of all those in the world who work to promote unity and alleviate human suffering.
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