About the Bahai Faith
The roots of the Baha’i faith lie in the Shi’ite sect of Islam which was led by 12 successive Imams, descendants of Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali. The 12th Imam, as a child, withdrew from society to escape assassination, the inevitable fate of his 12 predecessors. He would make contact with the faithful through “Gates,” individuals through whom he would give his teachings.
In 1844, Mirza Ali Muhammad (1819-1850) declared himself to be the “Gate,” the “Bab” (pronounced Bob). He claimed he was not just a “Gate,” but rather the “Gate” of God, a major Manifestation of God equal to the prophet Muhammad. For six years he gathered the faithful around him, proclaimed a new revelation and the eventual appearance of the final Manifestation for this cycle of human history. After numerous armed conflicts with Muslim authorities, the Bab was martyred in 1850 and his followers scattered.
Before his death the Bab designated Mirza Yahya, a son of nobility, as a caretaker to follow him. Another devoted follower of the Bab, Yahya’s half brother Mirza Husayn Ali, proclaimed himself to be “He-Whom-God-Will-Manifest,” the major Manifestation of God prophesied by the Bab. He also changed his name to Baha’u’llah, “Glory of God,” and proclaimed that the Bab was his forerunner. Mirza Yahya strenuously opposed this and both sides appear to have been involved in assassination plots.
The original followers of the Bab who gave their allegiance to Baha’u’llah became known as Baha’is. Baha’u’llah, a dynamic personality with great force of will, wrote over 100 volumes of Baha’i scripture, entertained dignitaries and maintained a large correspondence while under virtual house arrest for decades.
A troubled period of transition followed Baha’u’llah’s death in 1892. He had designated his eldest son, Abdu’l’ Baha (“Slave of Baha”), as his successor. Abdu’l’ Baha’s brother, Mirza Muhammad Ali, challenged the extent of his authority. Abdu’l’ Baha retaliated by “excommunicating” practically all his closest relatives and depriving them of their income from Baha’u’llah’s estate.
The Baha’i Faith became worldwide under Abdu’l’ Baha’s leadership, and his mission trips to the West. However, upon his death in 1921, the transition of power was once again very troubled. Shoghi Effendi, Abdu’l’ Baha’s grandson, was designated the successor, the First Guardian of the Faith. With this position “.his decisions were absolute and final and his words authoritative” (The Baha’i Faith: Its History and Teaching, p.251). This brought him into conflict with other family members and he soon excommunicated every living relative, including his own parents. However, under Shoghi Effendi’s administrative skills the Baha’i Faith continued to grow until his death in 1957. He left no designated successor and the Faith is now under the administration of the Universal House of Justice, a group of nine people who are elected democratically and oversee the Cause internationally.
Baha’i historians and authorities have suppressed & the earliest source materials and rewritten the early years of the Faith. One of the earliest and most important historical documents of the time, the Nuqtatu’l-Kaf, was written by the Babi, Mirza Jani. It clearly states that the Bab declared Mirza Yahya as his successor.