Founder of the Bahá'í Faith
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A view of the Shrine of
Bahá'u'lláh near Acre, Israel.
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Born in 1817,
Bahá'u'lláh was a member of one of the great patrician
families of Persia. The family could trace its lineage to the
ruling dynasties of Persia's imperial past, and was endowed
with wealth and vast estates. Turning His back on the position
at court which these advantages offered Him, Bahá'u'lláh
became known for His generosity and kindliness which made Him
deeply loved among His countrymen.
This privileged position did not long survive Bahá'u'lláh's
announcement of support for the message of the Báb.
Engulfed in the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábís
after the Báb's execution Bahá'u'lláh suffered not only the
loss of all His worldly endowments but was subjected to
imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishments. The first
was to Baghdad where, in 1863, He announced Himself as the One
promised by the Báb. From Baghdad, Bahá'u'lláh was sent to
Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Acre, in the
Holy Land, where He arrived as a prisoner in 1868.
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Bahá'u'lláh's prison cell,
Acre, Israel.
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From Adrianople and later from Acre,
Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters to the rulers of His
day that are among the most remarkable documents in religious
history. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity
and the emergence of a world civilization.
The kings, emperors, and presidents of the nineteenth
century were called upon to reconcile their differences,
curtail their armaments, and devote their energies to the
establishment of universal peace.
Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahjí, just north of Acre, and
is buried there. His teachings had already begun to spread
beyond the confines of the Middle East, and His Shrine is
today the focal point of the world community which these
teachings have brought into being.