'Abdu'l-Bahá as a young man.
Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad, known as the Báb, in an encounter with a young seeker called Mullá Husayn declared that He was the return of the Hidden Imam, long expected in the Islamic world, sent by God in fulfillment of prophecies contained in Holy books such as the Bible and the Qur'án to prepare the people for the coming of One greater than Him, "Him Whom God Will Make Manifest". In His Writings he repeated that the coming of this Great Universal Educator was very close. This encounter took place in May 1844 in Shiraz, Persia.
The Báb was born in Shiraz in 1819 and was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. His father died when He was still a child. When He was fifteen He joined His uncle in the family business. After His declaration to Mullá Husayn He embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Arabia. While standing at the Kaaba in Mecca He declared to all who were there: "I am that Qá'im Whose advent you have been waiting."
After His return to Persia the fervent activities of His first followers to disseminate the Teachings of this new Faith, stirred the imagination of many in the population but alarmed members of the clergy. In Shiah Islam, the dominant branch of Islam in Persia, dogma accorded unlimited authority to the Hidden Imam over human society.
The opposition from the clergy, who in nineteenth century Persia exercised great power, was ferocious. A great number of Bábis were tortured and killed. The Báb was arrested, imprisoned and in July 1850 was publicly executed by a firing squad in Tabriz. His followers were left with the clear expectation that the advent of The Promised One was to take place very soon. Prominent among the Bábis was one called Mírza Husayn 'Ali, who had been instrumental in leading the persecuted followers of the imprisoned Prophet, in the face of the combined forces of the government and the clergy.
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Mírza Husayn 'Ali, later known as Bahá'u'lláh, was born in Tihrán in 1817. His father was a Minister at the court of the Shah of Persia. From an early age Bahá'u'lláh showed signs of extraordinary qualities and it was expected that He would follow in His father's footsteps and serve as a high ranking court official. At age twenty two when His father passed away and the government offered Him to succeed him in his functions, Bahá'u'lláh declined to pursue His own path as a protector of the oppressed and the poor. When at the age of twenty seven He received some of the Writings of the Báb, He accepted His Message immediately and became one of His most ardent followers.
The Bábis, as they were known, were severely persecuted by the authorities and Bahá'u'lláh was incarcerated in a dark dungeon known as the Black Pit. During the months spent in the Black Pit with chains so heavy around His neck that He could not raise His head, Bahá'u'lláh became aware, through a vision, of His station as a Messenger from God. After four months in these horrible conditions Bahá'u'lláh was stripped of all His possessions and exiled with His family. In the middle of the winter with insufficient clothing they travelled through the mountains to Baghdad in the Ottoman Empire.
During the next three years a small group of followers and family members gathered around Bahá'u'lláh. One of them, His half brother Mírzá Yahyá rose in opposition to Bahá'u'lláh, claiming to be the successor of the Báb, when in fact the Báb had refused to appoint a successor because of the imminent coming of "Him Whom God Will Make Manifest". In response to the confusion caused by this false claim, Bahá'u'lláh left without warning to live in seclusion in the mountains of Kurdistán. During this two year absence even His family did not know where Bahá'u'lláh was. Mirzá Yahyá demonstrated his complete lack of spiritual leadership qualities and soon the band of Bábis had fallen to a state of near extinction.
After Bahá'u'lláh returned He injected a new life among the Bábis and His influence among the population and notables grew. The Persian government feared the effect of Bahá'u'lláh's prestige and pressured the Ottoman government to exile Him further, this time to Constantinople. While preparations were underway for this exile, Bahá'u'lláh made a public announcement to His followers that He was "He Whom God Will Make Manifest" the Messenger of God promised in the writings of the Báb and the Scriptures of past religions. Three months later, in August 1863, the exiles arrived in Constantinople the capital of the Ottoman empire.
Soon new pressures by the Persian Ambassador on the Ottoman government resulted in banishment to Adrianople, in December 1863. In Adrianople Mírzá Yahyá continued his plotting against Bahá'u'lláh, going as far as attempting twice to assassinate Him. In that city Bahá'u'lláh made a formal announcement to His half-brother regarding His earlier declaration as the Manifestation of God promised by the Báb. Mírzá Yahyá made a counter-claim and was immediately rejected by the vast majority of Bábis who from then on became known as Bahá'ís. It is at this time that the Bahá'í Faith became a distinct religion from the Babí Faith. At this time Bahá'u'lláh wrote a series of letters to the kings and rulers of the world announcing to them that He had been sent by God as promised by prophecies of previous religions to guide mankind toward the establishment of a world civilization, marked by peace and unity.
The continued plotting of His enemies resulted in Bahá'u'lláh's banishment to 'Akká in Palestine. With strict orders to keep their Prisoner in complete isolation the local authorities imposed very harsh conditions on Bahá'u'lláh, His family and the small number of His followers who were sent to 'Akká, in the hope that this would lead to the ultimate and permanent extinction of this new faith. Gradually the local authorities came to realize that Bahá'u'lláh was not the common criminal that the banishment edict from the capital had referred to. His magnetic personality won the admiration and respect of many. Although the orders making Him a prisoner were never lifted, progressively their application was enforced less strictly. At the end of His life Bahá'u'lláh was able to live outside of the prison city walls. He passed away in a rented residence in the countryside outside of 'Akká.
Between His declaration in 1863 and the end of His life in 1892 Bahá'u'lláh revealed countless verses on a vast number of subjects related to the spiritual nature of man and the means to achieve unity on this planet among all the peoples of the human family. In His Will and Testament He named His eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant, the one to whom all the believers should turn to.
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'Abdú'l-Bahá was born in 1844 the same day the Báb declared His mission to Mulla Husayn, the first to recognize Him. He was only seven years old when His father was thrown in the Black Pit dungeon in Tihrán and He accompanied His father in all His subsequent exiles. At a very early age He recognized the station of his Father and submitted His will completely to the will of the Manifestation of God. He acted as a shield for Bahá'u'lláh, dealing with practical matters pertaining to the daily life of His family and the followers who were sent in exile with Him. After Bahá'u'lláh's passing, having been designated the Center of the Covenant, He faced tremendous opposition from members of His family who had ambitions for leadership. For many years His wisdom, His love and His care for the poor and the sick in 'Akká had won Him the affection and admiration of many among the population as well as the local officials. The lies and machinations of his enemies brought great hardship to Him but they never succeeded in dividing the community of Bahá'ís around the world. When eventually the Ottoman empire fell, 'Abdú'l-Bahá was free to travel and He undertook, at an advanced age, to travel to Europe and North America. Everywhere He went he addressed people gathered to hear Him and brought the message of Bahá'u'lláh, a message of spiritual rejuvenation for all of mankind.
Through His written communications with the Bahá'ís of East and West 'Abdú'l-Bahá provided guidance and inspiration and made it possible for their numbers to grow and their unity to be preserved.
At His passing in 1921, large numbers of peoples from the local Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Bahá'í population of 'Akká gathered to mourn the loss of one who was known as the Father of the Poor.
In His Will and Testament He identified two institutions to provide spiritual leadership of the Faith of His Father - the Universal House of Justice and the Guardianship. He named His grandson Shoghi Effendi to succeed Him as the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith and stated that a Universal House of Justice should be elected.
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'Abdú'l-Bahá's oldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, was born in 1897 in the prison city of 'Akká. His mother was 'Abdú'l-Bahá's eldest daughter. At this time 'Abdú'l-Bahá and his family were still prisoners of the Ottoman Empire. From his earliest age Shoghi Effendi was connected to his grandfather by a special bond of affection. He was trained by 'Abdú'l-Bahá and worked closely with Him. He received his education in Beirut at the American University and at Oxford University were he was to perfect his English preparing himself to serve his beloved grandfather as His secretary and translator. It is when he was studying at Oxford, in 1921, that he received the devastating news of the passing of 'Abdú'l-Bahá. In the midst of his grief, upon his return to Palestine, he learned of his appointment as the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith from a sealed document left for him by 'Abdú'l-Bahá.
Shoghi Effendi accepted the mantle of responsibility and authority placed on his young shoulders and devoted the remainder of his life to the advancement of the Faith founded by Bahá'u'lláh. During his ministry he translated the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh into English, wrote a masterful history of the early years of the Faith, and through a continual flow of communication elucidated the meaning of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. Taking 'Abdú'l-Bahá's "Tablets of the Divine Plan" as his Charter Shoghi Effendi set out to encourage the Bahá'ís everywhere and channel their energies into action.
He guided the small number Bahá'ís living mostly in Persia and North America through a succession of Plans devised to systematically develop the Bahá'í community and its infrastructure. This was a necessary step for the eventual election of the Universal House of Justice mentioned by Bahá'ulláh and 'Abdú'l-Bahá in their Writings.
Through his efforts and the inspiration and leadership he provided the Faith of Bahá'ulláh was brought to ordinary people as well as monarchs and rulers in all parts of the world. During his lifetime national governing bodies were elected by Bahá'ís in twenty six countries.
Immediately after the passing of 'Abdú'l-Bahá and for all his years, Shoghi Effendi was confronted by the opposition of those who for their own selfish reasons sought to grasp from his hands the leadership of the Faith founded by Bahá'ulláh. But despite all the grief they inflicted on him, these enemies failed to create a permanent breach in the ranks of the Bahá'ís. In 1957 the sudden passing of Shoghi Effendi found the Bahá'ís at the half way point of a Ten Year Crusade in which they were engaged around the world. Their resolve was unshaken and they completed the goals of this last plan provided by Shoghi Effendi and elected for the first time a Universal House of Justice, in April 1963.
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The establishment of the Universal House of Justice was ordained explicitly by Bahá'u'lláh in His Writings. Its role was confirmed by 'Abdú'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament and Shoghi Effendi laid the foundation for its election at the end of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963.
It is the highest legislative body in the Bahá'í Administrative Order and is empowered to enact laws on matters that are not explicitly stated in Bahá'í Scriptures. It is authorized to repel its own laws to respond to changing conditions in the world.
`Abdu'l-Bahá confirmed that the Universal House of Justice is "under the protection and the unerring guidance of God."
Elections for the nine members of the Universal House of Justice take place every five years. Members from all existing National Spiritual Assemblies vote by secret ballot, in a spiritual atmosphere completely devoid of political maneuvering.
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'Abdu'l-Bahá as a young man.
Shrine of the Báb, Mount Carmel, Israel.
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