Baha'u'llah

Baháʼu'lláh (born Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʻAlí Núrí; Persian: میرزا حسین‌علی نوری‎ ; 1817–1892) was the Iranian prophet-founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He viewed humans as fundamentally spiritual beings, and taught religion's purpose is to lovingly bind hearts in unity to promote the collective advancement of humanity. Baháʼu'lláh calls upon individuals to live lives based upon spiritual principles by which solutions can be found for every social problem. Materially humanity has all it needs to resolve its challenges, what it still lacks is clear insight into what is possible and the spiritual maturity to unitedly act to do what must be done to realize oneness amidst its amazing diversity. For what he taught, Baháʼu'lláh faced torture, exile, and decades of imprisonment, but he left a large body of writings that expound his teachings.Bahá’u’lláh became a major proponent of the Báb, a young Persian with messianic claims. The Bábí Faith spread rapidly, attracting violent opposition from Muslim clergy and Iranian civil authorities fearful of its influence. After opponents killed the Báb and most leading figures of his cause, Baháʼu'lláh was imprisoned as a Bábí in 1852. During that time he claimed visions brought him divine revelation. He was subsequently exiled to Iraq by Iran's Shah. Over the course of further banishments by the Ottoman Sultan—finally resulting in his incarceration in the prison-city of ‘Akká—Bahá’u’lláh made public his claim to guidance from God. He detailed his teachings in letters and treatises numbering in the thousands. Baháʼu'lláh passed in 1892 near ‘Akká. His burial place is a destination for pilgrimage by his followers, known as Bahá’ís, who now reside everywhere in the world and number in the millions.Baháʼís regard Baháʼu'lláh as a Manifestation of God, a perfect intermediary between people and their Creator, similar to Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Since the dawn of humanity God is seen as having sent a series of such divine teachers to educate the human race in all times and areas to attain ever-greater spiritual, moral, social, and intellectual growth. Baháʼu'lláh's claim to be the most recent in this God-sent series of prophets is the basis for his faith’s widespread recognition as the only independent world religion to emerge in the modern age. Bahá’u’lláh’s written teachings, translated into over 800 languages, promote the principles of the oneness of God, of religion, and of the human race; eliminating all forms of prejudice; mandating universal education; full equality of women with men; harmony between science and religion; and means to create and sustain a peaceful united world.