What we believe
"The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the World."
— Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 129
The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, Bahji, near Acre, Israel
The Bahá’í Faith is based on the teachings of its Founder — Bahá'u'lláh, whose name translates as the "Glory of God". Bahá'u'lláh taught that there is one God, that all religions are essentially one religion - because they have come from the one God - and that the human race is one family.
Bahá'u'lláh was born in Iran in 1817. He died in 1892 near ‘Akká, a city which at that time was part of Palestine in the Ottoman Empire. He and His followers suffered severe persecution and Bahá'u'lláh Himself was exiled and imprisoned, then held under house arrest for 40 years of His life.
Throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Their religions come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.
Bahá’u’lláh, the latest of these Messengers, brought new spiritual and social teachings for our time. His essential message is of unity. He taught the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion.
Bahá’u’lláh said, “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens,” and that, as foretold in all the sacred scriptures of the past, now is the time for humanity to live in unity.
Founded more than a century and a half ago, the Bahá'í Faith has spread around the globe. Members of the Bahá'í Faith live in more than 100,000 localities and come from nearly every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic background.
Bahá'ís believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the nature and purpose of life and of the future of society. Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh.
"The essence of Bahá'u'lláh's Teaching is all-embracing love, for love includeth every excellence of humankind. It causeth every soul to go forward. It bestoweth on each one, for a heritage, immortal life."
— 'Abdu'l-Bahá
At the centre of all the Bahá'í teachings, like the axle of a wheel, is the principle of the oneness of the human race. The purpose of Bahá'u'lláh's message is to unite humankind through the power of divine love, wisdom and justice.
A vision so immense as the unification of the planet has many different aspects. Some of the main aspects are outlined under the Principles tab, giving a glimpse of the grandeur of the concepts that streamed from Bahá'u'lláh's pen.
To learn more about what the Bahá’ís are doing in your town or locality and how to get involved in community-building, please contact the Bahá’í National office - we'd love to hear from you.