Fast facts
- Began
- 1863, Baghdad, following the Báb's movement in Iran from 1844
- Founder / origin
- Bahá'u'lláh (Mírzá Husayn-'Alí Núrí), preceded by the Báb
- Followers
- About 5–8 million
- Figure from
- Bahá'í International Community statistics and World Religion Database estimates
- Where
- India, Iran, the United States, Kenya, Vietnam, Bolivia; the world centre is in Haifa
- Scriptures
- Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, chiefly the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Kitáb-i-Íqán, plus writings of the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá
- View of God
- One unknowable God, revealed through a succession of Manifestations
Core beliefs
- One God, unknowable in essence
- Progressive revelation: Abraham (PBUH), Moses (PBUH), Krishna, Buddha, Jesus (PBUH), Muhammad (SAW) and Bahá'u'lláh are all Manifestations of God for their age
- The unity of humanity, the equality of men and women, and the elimination of prejudice
- Independent investigation of truth, with no clergy
- Harmony of science and religion
- A future world commonwealth and a universal auxiliary language
Practice
Daily obligatory prayer, a nineteen-day fast from sunrise to sunset in March, a calendar of nineteen months of nineteen days, the Nineteen Day Feast for community gathering, no alcohol, and administration by elected local and national assemblies with the Universal House of Justice in Haifa at the head.
Bahá'ís have faced severe persecution in Iran since the movement's beginning, including denial of higher education and imprisonment.
The Islamic view
Where it meets Islam, and where it differs
Common ground
- Strict monotheism, and a God who is beyond human comprehension in essence.
- Daily prayer, an annual fast, prohibition of alcohol, and a strong ethic of honesty and service.
- Recognition of Muhammad (SAW) as a genuine messenger of God, which no other non-Muslim religion offers.
- Emphasis on justice, education and the equal worth of every human being.
Where Islam differs
- The central disagreement is finality. Islam holds Muhammad (SAW) to be the seal of the prophets (PBUT), with no messenger after him — the Qur'an states it explicitly. Bahá'í belief requires that the line continued.
- The Qur'an is held by Muslims to be the final, preserved revelation and the criterion over what came before; it is not superseded.
- Islam does not accept Krishna or the Buddha as known prophets. It affirms that God sent messengers to every people, but does not name those it has not named.
- The Bahá'í ordering of religions as stages implies earlier ones are outgrown; Islam holds that the message of was the same from the first prophet to the last.
Talking points
- There is a great deal of shared ground, so be precise rather than broad: the question is one specific claim, prophethood after Muhammad (SAW), and it should be discussed with evidence and courtesy.
- Ask what standard establishes a messenger, and then look together at the standard the Qur'an sets for itself — the challenge to produce its like, and its own claim to finality.
- Bahá'ís are usually well-read, warm and unafraid of discussion. Match that tone.
- They know Islam far better than most people you will speak to. Do not be careless with a or a verse.
Avoid
- Do not be dismissive or mocking. Many Bahá'ís have relatives who have suffered badly in Iran, and hostility from a Muslim will be heard in that light.
- Do not pretend the disagreement is small; both sides know exactly where it lies. Name it honestly and keep the tone kind.
Sources
- Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas and Kitáb-i-Íqán
- Bahá'í International Community published statistics
- Qur'an 33:40; 5:3; 2:23
This overview describes the tradition as its own followers describe it. The Islamic view is kept in its own section above so the description stays honest.
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