 |
 |
|
| City &
Highlight Sightseeing ::
Religions |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Where to Eat & Drink
in Shiraz
Restaurants & Teahouses
Always try a new local cuisines , you never
forget it. |
|
|
|
Vital Information
Money , Getting
around, internet, Health, Post, Visa,
Safety...etc
A few things to know before getting there |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bahai: |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
The Bah??Faith is a
religion founded by
Bah?u'll? in 19th century
Persia. Bah?? number around 6
million in more than 200 countries
around the world.[1][2]
According to Bah??teachings,
religious history is seen as an
evolving educational process for
mankind, through God's messengers,
which are termed
Manifestations of God.
Bah?u'll? is seen as the most
recent, pivotal, but not final of
these individuals. He claimed to be
the expected redeemer and teacher
prophesied in
Judaism,
Christianity,
Islam,
Hinduism,
Buddhism, and other religions,
and that his mission was to
establish a firm basis for unity
throughout the world, and inaugurate
an age of peace and justice, which
Bah?? expect will inevitably
arise.[3]
"Bah??/b>" (/baˈhaːʔiː/)
can be an adjective referring to the
Bah??Faith, or the term for a
follower of Bah?u'll? (Bah??is
not a noun meaning the religion as a
whole). The term comes from the
Arabic word
Bah?/a> (بهاء), meaning "glory" or
"splendor".[4]
Beliefs
Three core principles of Bah??
teachings are often referred to
simply as: the
unity of God, the
unity of religion, and the
unity of mankind.[2]
Many Bah??beliefs and practices
are rooted in these priorities; but
taken alone these would be an
over-simplification of Bah??
teachings.
God
-
Bah?? believe in a single,
imperishable
God, the creator of all things,
including all the creatures and
forces in the universe.
[5] The existence of God
is thought to be eternal, without a
beginning or end,[5]
and is described as "a personal God,
unknowable, inaccessible, the source
of all Revelation, eternal,
omniscient, omnipresent and
almighty."
[6]
Though inaccessible directly, God is
nevertheless seen as conscious of
his creation, with a will and
purpose. Bah?? believe that God
expresses this will in many ways,
including through a series of divine
messengers referred to as
Manifestations of God or
sometimes divine educators.[2]
In expressing God's intent, these
manifestations are seen to establish
religion in the world.
Bah??teachings state that God
is too great for humans to fully
comprehend, or to create a complete
and accurate image.[7]
In the Bah??religion God is often
referred to by titles (e.g. the
All-Powerful, or the All-Loving),
and there is a substantial emphasis
on
monotheism, rejecting such
doctrines as the
Trinity.[8][9]
Religion
-
Bah??notions of progressive
religious revelation result in their
accepting the validity of most of
the worlds' religions, whose
founders and central figures are
seen as Manifestations of God. These
include, but are not limited to
Jesus,
Muhammad,
Moses, and
Buddha. Bah?? also believe
that other religious figures, such
as
Adam,
Noah, and
H? historically existed and
were prophets of God. Religious
history is interpreted as a series
of
dispensations, where each
manifestation brings a somewhat
broader and more advanced
revelation, suited for the time
and place in which it was expressed.[5]
Specific religious social teachings
(e.g. the direction of prayer, or
dietary restrictions) may be revoked
by a subsequent manifestation so
that a more appropriate requirement
for the time and place may be
established. Conversely, certain
general principles (e.g.
neighbourliness, or charity) are
seen to be universal and consistent.
Bah?? do not believe that this
process of progressive revelation
will end. They do, however, believe
that it is cyclical. Bah?? do not
expect a new manifestation of god to
appear prior to 1000 years after
Bah?u'll?'s revelation.[10][11]
Bah??beliefs are sometimes
described as
syncretic combinations of
earlier religions' beliefs. Bah??,
however, assert that their religion
is a distinct tradition with its own
scriptures, teachings, laws, and
history.[5]
Its cultural and religious debt to
the
Shi'a Islamic matrix in which it
was founded is seen as analogous to
the Jewish socio-religious context
in which Christianity was
established. Bah?? describe their
faith as an independent world
religion, differing from the other
traditions only in its relative
newness and in the appropriateness
of Bah?u'll?'s teachings to the
modern context. Bah?u'll? is
believed to fulfill the
messianic expectations of these
precursor faiths.
Human
beings
-
Bah?? believe that human beings
have a "rational
soul", and that this provides
the species with a unique capacity
to recognize God's station and
humanity's relationship with its
creator. Every human is seen to have
a duty to recognize God through his
messengers, and to conform to
their teachings.[12]
Through recognition and obedience,
service to fellow humans and regular
prayer and spiritual practice,
Bah?? believe that the soul
becomes closer to God, the spiritual
ideal in Bah??belief. When a human
dies, the soul passes into the next
world, where its spiritual
development in the physical world
becomes a basis for judgment and
advancement in the spiritual world.[13]
Heaven and Hell are taught to be
spiritual states of nearness or
distance from God that describe
relationships in this world and the
next, and not physical places of
reward and punishment achieved after
death.[13]
The Bah??writings emphasize the
essential equality of human beings,
and the abolition of prejudice.
Humanity is seen as essentially one,
though highly varied; its diversity
of race and culture are seen as
worthy of appreciation and
tolerance.[2]
Doctrines of racism, nationalism,
caste, and social class are seen as
artificial impediments to unity.[2]
The Bah??teachings state that the
unification of mankind is the
paramount issue in the religious and
political conditions of the present
world.[5]
Demographics
-
Bah??sources usually estimate
the worldwide Bah??population to
be above 5 million.[14]
Encyclopedias and similar sources
estimate from 2 to 8 million Bah??
in the world in the early
twenty-first century, with most
estimates between 5 and 6 million.[15][16][17][18]
From its origins in the
Persian and
Ottoman Empires, the Bah??
Faith acquired a number of
Western converts by
World War I. Fifty years later
its population was distributed much
more towards the
Third World as a result of
Bah??pioneering efforts.
According to The World Almanac
and Book of Facts 2004:
|
? |
The
majority of Bah?? live in
Asia (3.6 million), Africa
(1.8 million), and Latin
America (900,000). According
to some estimates, the
largest Bah??community in
the world is in
India, with 2.2 million
Bah??, next is
Iran, with 350,000, and
the
USA, with 150,000. Aside
from these countries,
numbers vary greatly.
Currently, no country has a
Bah??majority.
Guyana is the country
with the largest percentage
of Bah?? (7%). |
? |
The Bah??religion was listed in
The Britannica Book of the Year
(1992?present) as the second most
widespread of the world's
independent religions in terms of
the number of countries represented.
Britannica claims that it is
established in 247 countries and
territories; represents over 2,100
ethnic, racial, and tribal groups;
has scriptures translated into over
800 languages; and has seven million
adherents worldwide [2005].[15]
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Teachings
-
Summary
Shoghi Effendi, the appointed head of
the religion from 1921 to 1957, wrote the
following summary of what he considered to
be the distinguishing principles of
Bah?u'll?'s teachings, which, he said,
together with the laws and ordinances of the
Kit?-i-Aqdas constitute the
bed-rock of the Bah??Faith:
| ? |
The independent
search after truth, unfettered by
superstition or
tradition; the oneness of the
entire
human race, the pivotal
principle and fundamental doctrine
of the Faith; the basic unity of all
religions; the condemnation of all
forms of
prejudice, whether religious,
racial, class or national; the
harmony which must exist between
religion and
science; the equality of men and
women, the two wings on which the
bird of human kind is able to soar;
the introduction of compulsory
education; the adoption of a
universal auxiliary language;
the abolition of the extremes of
wealth and poverty; the institution
of a
world tribunal for the
adjudication of disputes between
nations; the exaltation of work,
performed in the spirit of service,
to the rank of
worship; the glorification of
justice as the ruling principle in
human society, and of religion as a
bulwark for the protection of all
peoples and nations; and the
establishment of a permanent and
universal peace as the supreme
goal of all mankind?these stand out
as the essential elements [which
Bah?u'll? proclaimed].[19] |
? |
Social
principles
The following 12 principles are
frequently listed as a quick summary of the
Bah??teachings. They are derived from
transcripts of speeches given by
`Abdu'l-Bah?/a> during his tour of Europe
and North America in 1912.[20]
The list is not authoritative and a variety
of such lists circulate.[20][21]
-
Mystical
teachings
Although it concentrates on social and
ethical issues as well, some of the Bah??
Faith's foundational texts might be
described as mystical.[5]
Shoghi Effendi has called the
Seven Valleys Bah?u'll?'s
"greatest mystical composition." It was
written to a follower of
Sufism, a mystic and esoterical
tradition of Islam.[22]
It was first translated into English in
1906, becoming one of the earliest available
books of Bah?u'll? to the
West. The
Hidden Words is another book written
by Bah?u'll? during the same period,
containing 153 short passages described by `Abdu'l-Bah?
as "a treasury of divine mysteries".
The
Covenant
-
Bah?? have high regard for what is
termed the "Greater Covenant", which they
see as universal in nature, and from "time
immemorial" has been carried through by the
Manifestations of God of all ages.[23]
They also regard highly the "Lesser
Covenant", which is viewed as an agreement
between a Messenger of God and his
followers, unique to each revelation, and
includes social practices and the
continuation of authority in the religion.[24]
At this time Bah?? view Bah?u'll?'s
revelation as a binding lesser covenant for
his followers; in the Bah??writings being
firm in the covenant is considered as one of
the main religious virtues a person can work
toward.[24]
With unity as an essential teaching of
the religion, Bah?? follow an
administration that they believe is
divinely ordained, and therefore see
attempts to create schisms and divisions as
insignificant, doomed efforts which are
contrary to the teachings of Bah?u'll?.
Throughout Bah??history schisms have
occurred over the succession of authority.[24]
The followers of the various
Bah??divisions, who in total, number
in the low thousands, are regarded as
Covenant-breakers and shunned,[24]
essentially
excommunicated.
History
-
Bah??history is often traced through a
sequence of leaders, beginning with the
B?'s May 23, 1844 declaration in
Shiraz, and ultimately resting on an
administrative order established by the
central figures of the religion. The
tradition was mostly isolated to the
Persian and
Ottoman empires until after the death of
Bah?u'll? in 1892, at which time he had
followers in thirteen countries of Asia and
Africa.[25]
Under the leadership of his son, `Abdu'l-Bah?
the religion gained a footing in Europe and
America, and was consolidated in Iran, where
it still suffered intense
persecution.[26]
After the death of `Abdu'l-Bah?in 1921, the
leadership of the Bah??community entered a
new phase, evolving from that of a single
individual to an administrative order with a
system of both elected bodies and appointed
individuals.
The
B?
-
In 1844 Siyyid `Al?Muhammad of
Shiraz, Iran proclaimed that he was "the
B?" (Arabic:
الباب "the Gate"), after a
Shi`a religious concept.[26]
His followers were therefore known as
B??. As the B?'s teachings spread,
which the Islamic clergy saw as a threat,
B?? came under increased persecution, at
times being forced to choose between
renouncing their beliefs or being killed.[5]
Several military confrontations took place
between government and B??forces. The B?
himself was imprisoned and eventually
executed in 1850.[27]
Bah?? see the B? as the forerunner of
the Bah??Faith, because the B?'s writings
introduced the concept of "He
whom God shall make manifest", a
Messianic figure whose coming, according to
Bah??, was announced in the scriptures of
all of the world's great religions, and whom
Bah?u'll?, the founder of the Bah??
Faith, claimed to be in 1863.[5]
The B?'s tomb is located in
Haifa, Israel, and is an important place
of
pilgrimage for Bah??. The remains of
the B? were brought secretly from Persia to
the Holy Land and were eventually interred
in the Shrine built for them in a spot
specifically designated by Bah?u'll?.[28]
Bah?u'll?
-
M?z?Husayn `Al?of N? was one of the
early followers of the B?, who later took
the title of Bah?u'll?. He was arrested
and imprisoned for this involvement in 1852.
He claimed that while incarcerated in the
dungeon of the
S??-Ch? in
Tehran, he received the first
intimations that he was the one anticipated
by the B?.[2]
He announced this in 1863.
Shortly thereafter he was expelled from
Persia to
Baghdad,[2]
in the
Ottoman Empire; then to
Constantinople; then to
Adrianople. During this time tensions
grew between Bah?u'll? and
Subh-i-Azal, the appointed leader of the
B??, culminating in Bah?u'll?'s 1866
declaration.[29]
While in Adrianople, he wrote letters to
several rulers of the world, including
Sultan
Abd??iz, declaring his mission as a
Messenger of God. As a result Bah?u'll?
was banished a final time, to the penal
colony of
`Akk?/a>, in present-day
Israel.[29]
Towards the end of his life, the strict
and harsh confinement was gradually relaxed,
and he was allowed to live in a home near `Akk?
while still officially a prisoner of that
city.[29]
He died there in 1892. Bah?? regard his
resting place at
Bahj?/a> as the
Qiblih to which they turn in prayer each
day. During his lifetime, Bah?u'll? left a
large volume of writings; the
Kit?-i-Aqdas, and the
Book of Certitude are recognized as
primary Bah??theological works, and the
Hidden Words and the
Seven Valleys as primary mystical
treatises.
`Abdu'l-Bah?/span>
-
`Abb? Effendi was Bah?u'll?'s eldest
son, known by the title of `Abdu'l-Bah?
(Servant of Bah?. His father left a
Will that appointed `Abdu'l-Bah?as the
leader of the Bah??community, and
designated him as the "Centre of the
Covenant", "Head of the Faith", and the sole
authoritative interpreter of Bah?u'll?'s
writings.[30][28]
`Abdu'l-Bah?had shared his father's long
exile and imprisonment, which continued
until `Abdu'l-Bah?s own release as a result
of the
Young Turk Revolution in 1908. Following
his release he led a life of travelling,
speaking, teaching, and maintaining
correspondence with communities of believers
and individuals, expounding the principles
of the Bah??Faith.[2]
Bah??
administration
-
Bah?u'll?'s
Kit?-i-Aqdas and The
Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bah?/a>
are foundation documents of the Bah??
administrative order. Bah?u'll?
established the elected
Universal House of Justice, and `Abdu'l-Bah?
established the appointed hereditary
Guardianship and clarified the relationship
between the two institutions.[28]
In his Will, `Abdu'l-Bah?appointed his
eldest grandson,
Shoghi Effendi, as the first Guardian of
the Bah??Faith.[3]
Shoghi Effendi throughout his lifetime
translated
Bah??literature; developed global
plans for the expansion of the Bah??
community; developed the
Bah??World Centre; carried on a
voluminous correspondence with communities
and individuals around the world; and built
the administrative structure of the
religion, preparing the community for the
election of the Universal House of Justice.[2]
He died in 1957 under conditions that didn't
allow for a successor to be appointed.
At local, regional, and national levels,
Bah?? elect members to nine-person
Spiritual Assemblies, which run the
affairs of the religion.[5]
There are also
appointed individuals working at various
levels, including locally and
internationally which perform the function
of propagating the faith and protecting the
community.[5]
The latter do not serve as
clergy, which the Bah??Faith does not
have.[5]
The Universal House of Justice, first
elected in 1963, remains the supreme
governing body of the Bah??Faith, and its
9 members are elected every five years by
the members of all National Spiritual
Assemblies.[31]
Any male Bah?? 21 years or older, is
eligible to be elected to the Universal
House of Justice; all other positions are
open to male and female Bah??.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Laws
-
The laws of the Bah??Faith
primarily come from the
Kit?-i-Aqdas, written by
Bah?u'll?. The following are a few
examples of basic laws and religious
observances,
- Bah?? over the age of 15
recite an
obligatory prayer each day.
There are three such prayers
among which one can be chosen
each day.
- Backbiting and gossip are
prohibited and denounced.
- Adult Bah?? in good health
observe a
nineteen-day sunrise-to-sunset
fast each year from March 2
through March 20.
- Bah?? are forbidden to
drink
alcohol or to take drugs,
unless prescribed by doctors.
- Sexual relationships are
permitted only between a husband
and wife, and thus
homosexual acts are not
permitted. See
Homosexuality and Bah??Faith.
-
Gambling is strictly
forbidden.
While some of the laws from the
Kit?-i-Aqdas are applicable at the
present time and may be enforced to
a degree by the administrative
institutions,[40]
Bah?u'll? has provided for the
progressive application of other
laws that are dependent upon the
existence of a predominantly Bah??
society.[41]
The laws, when not in direct
conflict with the civil laws of the
country of residence, are binding on
every Bah??[41]
and the observance of personal laws,
such as prayer or fasting, is the
sole responsibility of the
individual.[42]
Places
of worship
-
Most Bah??meetings occur in
individuals' homes, local Bah??
centers, or rented facilities.
Worldwide, there are currently seven
Bah??Houses of Worship, basically
one per continent, with an eighth
under construction in Chile.[43]
Bah??writings refer to an
institution called a "Mashriqu'l-Adhk?"
(Dawning-place of the Mention of
God), which is to form the center of
a complex of institutions including
a hospital, university, and so on.[3]
Only the first ever Mashriqu'l-Adhk?
in
`Ishq??, Turkmenistan, was
built to such a degree.
Marriage
-
Bah??
marriage is the union of a man
and a woman. Its purpose is mainly
to foster spiritual harmony,
fellowship and unity between the two
partners and the rearing of
children.[44]
The Bah??teachings on marriage
call it a fortress for well-being
and salvation and place marriage
and the family as the foundation of
the structure of
human society. Bah?u'll?
highly praised marriage, declaring
it an eternal command of God, also
discouraging divorce, and requiring
chastity outside of marriage;
Bah?u'll? taught that a husband
and wife should strive to improve
the spiritual life of each other.[44]
Bah?? intending to marry
"should study each other's character
and spend time getting to know each
other before they decide to marry,
and when they do marry it should be
with the intention of establishing
an eternal bond."[45]
Although parents should not choose
partners for their children, once
two individuals decide to marry,
they must receive the consent of all
living parents, even if one partner
is not a Bah??[3]
Interracial marriage is highly
praised in the
Bah??teachings. The Bah??
marriage ceremony is simple; the
only compulsory part of the wedding
is the reading of the wedding vows
prescribed by
Bah?u'll? which both the groom
and the bride read, in the presence
of two witnesses.[3]
The vows are:
- "We will all, verily, abide
by the Will of God."[46]
Symbols
A stylized nine pointed
star, with the
calligraphy of the
Greatest Name in the
centre.
-
The official symbol of the Bah??
Faith is the five-pointed star, but
a nine-pointed star is more
frequently used.[47]
The ringstone symbol and calligraphy
of the Greatest Name are also often
encountered. The former consists of
two stars interspersed with a
stylized Bah?(Arabic:
بهاء "splendor" or
"glory") whose shape is meant to
recall the three onenesses.[48]
The Greatest Name is Y?
Bah?u'l-'Abh?(Arabic:
يا بهاء الأبهى "O
Glory of the Most Glorious!")
Calendar
-
The Bah??calendar is based upon
the calendar established by the B?.
The year consists of 19 months of 19
day, with four or five
intercalary day, to make a full
solar year.[2]
The Bah??New Year corresponds to
the traditional Persian New Year,
called
Naw R?, and occurs on the
vernal equinox,
March 21, at the end of the
month of fasting. Bah??communities
gather at the beginning of each
month at a meeting called a
Feast for worship, consultation
and socializing.[5]
Each of the 19 months is given a
name which is an attribute of God;
some examples include Bah?(Splendour),
?Ilm (Knowledge), and Jam?
(Beauty).[3]The
Bah??week is familiar in that it
consists of seven day, with each
day of the week also named after an
attribute of God; some examples
include Istiql? (Independence),
Kam? (Perfection) and ?Id?
(Justice). Bah?? observe 11
Holy day throughout the year,
with work suspended on 9 of these.
These day commemorate important
anniversaries in the history of the
religion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Persecution
-
 |
This section documents a
current event.
Information may change
rapidly as the event progresses. |
Bah?? continue to be persecuted in
Islamic countries, especially
Iran, where over 200 believers were
executed between 1978 and 1998. On
December 16,
2006, the Supreme Administrative
Council of Egypt made a ruling against
the Bah?? stating that the government
may not recognize the Bah??Faith in
official identification numbers.[49]
The ruling leaves Bah?? unable to
obtain the necessary government
documents to have rights in their
country; they cannot obtain ID cards,
birth certificates, death certificates,
marriage or divorce certificates,
passports; they also cannot be employed,
educated, treated in hospitals or vote
among other things.[49]
The EIPR stated that the press release
issued by the Chief Judge of the Supreme
Court did not respond to any of the
evidence and legal argumented presented
by the EIPR in the case, and that
instead the press release only discussed
the tenets and beliefs of the Bah??
Faith, which should have had no effect
on the decision of the court.[49]
Since the
Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranian
Bah?? have regularly had their homes
ransacked or been banned from attending
university or holding government jobs,
and several hundred have received prison
sentences for their religious beliefs,
most recently for participating in
study circles.[50]
Bah??cemeteries have been desecrated
and property seized and occasionally
demolished, including the House of M?z?
Buzurg, Bah?u'll?'s father.[26]
The House of the B? in
Shiraz has been destroyed twice, and
is one of three sites to which Bah??
perform
pilgrimage.
[26][51][52]
Even more recently the situation of
Bah?? has worsened; the
United Nations Commission on Human
Rights revealed an October 2005
confidential letter from Command
Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Iran
to identify Bah?? and to monitor their
activities
[53]
and in November 2005 the state-run and
influential
Kayhan
[54]
newspaper, whose managing editor is
appointed by Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Khamenei,[55]
ran nearly three dozen articles defaming
the Bah??Faith.[56]
Due to these actions, the Special
Rapporteur of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights stated on
March 20,
2006 that she "also expresses
concern that the information gained as a
result of such monitoring will be used
as a basis for the increased persecution
of, and discrimination against, members
of the Bah??faith, in violation of
international standards. ... The Special
Rapporteur is concerned that this latest
development indicates that the situation
with regard to religious minorities in
Iran is, in fact, deteriorating."[53]
Reactions
Bernard Lewis states that the Muslim
laity and Islamic authorities have
always had great difficulty in
accommodating post-Islamic monotheistic
religions such as the Bah??Faith,
since on one hand the followers of such
religions cannot be dismissed either as
benighted heathens, like the polytheists
of Asia and the animists of Africa, nor
as outdated precursors, like the Jews
and Christians. Moreover, their very
existence presents a challenge to the
Islamic doctrine of the perfection and
finality of Muhammad's revelation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Suggest your comments about nearby Sightseeing |
Private and group tours Tours , also Accommodation reservation services are available at
www.PersiaTours.com for further information , please contact us.
Use the following keywords to find this page online:
Bahai Religion, Travel Iran Bahai Religion , Iran
Bahai Religion vacations, Iran Bahai Religion tourism, Iran
Bahai Religion hotels, deals, Iran Bahai
Religion historical travel tour, Iran
Bahai Religion visitors
guide, Iran Bahai Religion advice, Iran Bahai Religion map, Iran
Bahai Religion pictures, Iran
Bahai Religion
information, Iran Bahai Religion ratings, Iran Bahai Religion reviews, Iran
Bahai Religion airport, Iran
Bahai Religion weather, Iran Bahai Religion things to do, Iran
Bahai Religion attractions, Iran
Bahai Religion cultural tours iran
, Iran Bahai Religion travel to Iran, Iran Bahai Religion Iran tours, Iran
Bahai Religion Iran touring,
Iran Bahai Religion Iran tourism, Tour to Iran Bahai Religion , Tours in Iran
Bahai Religion , Iran
Bahai Religion
tour operator, Adventure tours in Iran Bahai Religion , Business Travel to Iran
Bahai Religion ,
Business Trip to Iran, Archaeology tour in Iran Bahai Religion , Pilgrim tours in Iran
Bahai Religion , Persian tours Iran Bahai Religion , cultural tours in Iran
Bahai Religion , geographical
tours in Iran Bahai Religion , Persia, tour to Persia, Trekking tours in Iran
Bahai Religion , hunting tours in Iran , historical
tours in Iran , climbing tours in Iran Iran Bahai
Religion |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
