View source for Baháʼí Faith

{{Short description|Religion established by Baháʼu'lláh}}
{{Redirect|Bahai}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox religion
| name               = Baháʼí Faith
| native_name        = 
| image              = File:Seat of the House of Justice.jpg
| imagewidth         = 250px
| alt                = A white building with several columns and a domed roof.
| caption            = Seat of the [[Universal House of Justice]], governing body of the Baháʼís, in [[Haifa]], Israel.
| main_classification = [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]], [[Iranian religions|Iranian]]
| orientation        = 
| scripture          = ''[[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]]'', various other [[Baháʼí literature|Baháʼí scriptures]]
| theology           = [[God in the Baháʼí Faith|Monotheistic]]
| leader_title       = 
| area               = [[Baháʼí Faith by country|Worldwide]]
| headquarters       = [[Baháʼí World Centre]]{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=71–72|ps=: {{nowrap|"Baháʼí World Centre"}}}}
| founder            = [[Baháʼu'lláh]]
| founded_date       = 19th century
| founded_place      = [[Qajar Iran]]
| separated_from     = [[Bábism]]
| congregations      = 
| associations       = 
| members            = 7–8 million
| ministers          = 
| website            = [https://www.bahai.org/ bahai.org]
}}
{{Baháʼí sidebar}}
{{Contains special characters|Perso-Arabic}}

The '''Baháʼí Faith''' is a religion{{efn|The Baháʼí Faith is variously described as a 'religion', 'sect',{{sfn|World Christian Encyclopedia|1982|p=817}} 'relatively new religion',{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=244}} '[[world religion]]',{{sfn|Iranica-Bahaism|1988}} 'major world religion',{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=248}} 'megareligion',{{sfn|World Christian Encyclopedia|2001|p=2:4}} 'independent world religion',{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=8}} '[[new religious movement]]',{{sfn|Clarke|2006}} 'alternative religion',{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=24}} and other attempts to convey that it is new (relative to well-established faiths), not mainstream, and with no racial or national focus.}} established by [[Baháʼu'lláh]] in the 19th century that teaches the [[Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion|essential worth of all religions]] and [[Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity|the unity of all people]].{{efn|Sources summarize the Baháʼí Faith as teaching, "the essential worth of all religions, the unity of all peoples, and the equality of the sexes",{{sfn|Dictionary.com|2017}} "the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity",<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Bahāʾī Faith |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref> "the spiritual unity of mankind and advocates peace and universal education",{{sfn|World Christian Encyclopedia|2001|p=2:653}} "the unity of all peoples under God",{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=248}} or "religious unity... the Oneness of Humanity... the equality of all human beings regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or social class".{{sfn|Garlington|2008|pp=xxii–xxiii}}}} It initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced [[Persecution of Baháʼís|ongoing persecution]] since its inception.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}} The religion has 7–8 million adherents known as '''Baháʼís''' who are spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories.{{efn|See [[Baháʼí Faith by country]] for various estimates.}}

The Baháʼí Faith has three central figures: the [[Báb]] (1819–1850), executed for heresy, who taught that a prophet similar to [[Jesus]] and [[Muhammad]] would soon appear; [[Baháʼu'lláh]] (1817–1892), who claimed to be said prophet in 1863 and who had to endure both exile and imprisonment; and his son, [[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]] (1844–1921), who made teaching trips to Europe and the United States after his release from confinement in 1908. After ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death in 1921, the leadership of the religion fell to his grandson [[Shoghi Effendi]] (1897–1957). Baháʼís annually elect local, regional, and national [[Spiritual Assembly|Spiritual Assemblies]] that govern the religion's affairs, and every five years an election is held for the [[Universal House of Justice]], the nine-member governing institution of the worldwide Baháʼí community that is located in [[Haifa]], Israel, near the [[Shrine of the Báb]].

According to [[Baháʼí teachings]], religion is revealed in an orderly and progressive way by a single God through [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestations of God]], who are the founders of major world religions throughout human history; the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are cited as the most recent of these Manifestations of God before the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh. Baháʼís regard the world's major religions as fundamentally unified in their purpose, but divergent in their social practices and interpretations. The Baháʼí Faith stresses the unity of all people as its core teaching; as a result, it explicitly rejects notions of racism, sexism, and nationalism. At the heart of Baháʼí teachings is the desire to establish a [[New world order (Baháʼí)|unified world order]] that ensures the prosperity of all nations, races, creeds, and classes.{{sfn|Hatcher|Martin|1998}}{{sfn|Momen|2011}}

Letters and epistles by Baháʼu'lláh, along with writings and talks by his son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, have been collected and assembled into a canon of [[Baháʼí literature|Baháʼí scriptures]]. This collection also includes works by the Báb, who is regarded as Baháʼu'lláh's forerunner. Prominent among the works of Baháʼí literature are the ''[[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]]'', the ''[[Kitáb-i-Íqán]]'', ''[[Some Answered Questions]]'', and ''[[The Dawn-Breakers]]''.

== Etymology ==
{{Main|Baháʼí orthography}}
The word "Baháʼí" ({{IPAc-en|b|ɑː|h|ɑː|ˈ|i}}, {{IPAc-en|b|ə|h|aɪ}};<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Baha'i}}</ref> {{lang|ar|بهائی}}) is used either as an adjective to refer to the Baháʼí Faith or as a term for a follower of [[Baháʼu'lláh]]. The proper name of the religion is the "Baháʼí Faith", not ''Baháʼí'' or ''Baháʼism'' (the latter, once common among academics, is regarded as derogatory by the Baháʼís).{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=1}}{{sfn|Hatcher|Martin|1998|p=xiii}} It is derived from the [[Arabic]] "Baháʼ" ({{lang|ar|بهاء}}), a name Baháʼu'lláh chose for himself, referring to the 'glory' or 'splendor' of God. In English, the word is commonly pronounced {{respell|bə|HYE}} ({{IPAc-en|b|ə|ˈ|h|aɪ}}), but the more accurate rendering of the Arabic is {{respell|bə|HAH|ee}} ({{IPAc-en|b|ə|ˈ|h|ɑ:|.|i:}}).<ref>[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bahai "Bahaʾi"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref>

The [[Acute accent|accent marks]] above the letters, representing long vowels, derive from a system of [[Transliteration|transliterating]] Arabic and Persian script that was adopted by Baháʼís in 1923, and which has been used in almost all Baháʼí publications since.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=1}} Baháʼís prefer the orthographies ''Baháʼí'', ''the Báb'', ''Baháʼu'lláh'', and ''ʻAbdu'l-Bahá''. When accent marks are unavailable, ''Bahaʼi'' or ''Bahaʼuʼllah'' are often used.

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Baháʼí Faith}}
[[File:Shrine Bab North West.jpg|left|alt=A domed building|thumb|upright|[[Shrine of the Báb]] in [[Haifa]], Israel]]
<!-- BEGIN TIMELINE -->
{|style="clear:right; float:right; width:20%; border:1px solid #ddd; margin:0 0 1em 1em; padding:0 0 1em 1em; vertical-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|-
|+ [[Baháʼí timeline]]
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1817
|Baháʼu'lláh was born in Tehran, Iran
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1819
|The Báb was born in Shiraz, Iran
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1844
|The Báb declares his mission in Shiraz, Iran
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1850
|The Báb is publicly executed in Tabriz, Iran
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1852
|Thousands of Bábís are executed
|-
|align="right">|
|Baháʼu'lláh is imprisoned and forced into exile
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1863
|Baháʼu'lláh first announces his claim to divine revelation in Baghdad, Iraq.
|-
|align="right">|
|He is forced to leave Baghdad for Istanbul, then Adrianople
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1868
|Baháʼu'lláh is forced into harsher confinement in ʻ[[Akká]],
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1892
|Baháʼu'lláh dies near ʻAkká
|-
|align="right">|
|His Will appointed ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as successor
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1908
|ʻAbdu'l-Bahá is released from prison
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1921
|ʻAbdu'l-Bahá dies in Haifa
|-
|align="right">|
|His Will appointed Shoghi Effendi as Guardian
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1957
|Shoghi Effendi dies in England
----
|-
|valign="top" align="right">|1963
|The Universal House of Justice is first elected
|}
<!-- END TIMELINE -->
The Baháʼí Faith traces its beginnings to the religion of the [[Báb]] and the [[Shaykhism|Shaykhi]] movement that immediately preceded it. The Báb was a merchant who began preaching in 1844 that he was the bearer of a new revelation from God, but was rejected by the generality of [[Islamic clergy]] in Iran, ending in his public execution in 1850 for the crime of heresy.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=11}} The Báb taught that God would soon send a new messenger, and Baháʼís consider Baháʼu'lláh to be that person.{{sfn|A.V.|2017}} Although they are distinct movements, the Báb is so interwoven into Baháʼí theology and history that Baháʼís celebrate his birth, death, and declaration as [[Baháʼí Holy Days|holy days]], and consider him one of their three central figures (along with Baháʼu'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá). A historical account of the Bábí movement (''[[The Dawn-Breakers]]'') is considered one of three books that every Baháʼí should "master" and read "over and over again".<ref>From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer dated 9 June 1932{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}</ref>

The Baháʼí community was mostly confined to the [[Qajar dynasty|Iranian]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] empires until after the death of Baháʼu'lláh in 1892; at that time, he had followers in 13 countries of Asia and Africa.{{sfn|Taherzadeh|1987|p=125}} Under the leadership of his son, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the religion gained a footing in Europe and America, and was consolidated in Iran, where it still suffers intense persecution.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}} ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death in 1921 marks the end of what Baháʼís call the "heroic age" of the religion.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=56}}

=== Báb ===
{{Main|Báb}}
On the evening of 22 May 1844, Siyyid ʻAlí-Muhammad of Shiraz gained his first convert and took on the title of "the [[Báb]]" ({{lang|ar|الباب}} "Gate"), referring to his later claim to the status of [[Mahdi]] of [[Shia Islam|Shiʻa Islam]].{{sfn|Affolter|2005}} His followers were known as [[Bábism|Bábís]]. As the Báb's teachings spread, which the Islamic clergy saw as blasphemous, his followers came under increased persecution and torture.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} The conflicts escalated in several places to military sieges by the [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar|Shah]]'s army. The Báb himself was imprisoned and eventually executed in 1850.{{sfn|MacEoin|2009|p=414}}

Baháʼís see the Báb as the forerunner of the Baháʼí Faith, because the Báb's writings introduced the concept of "[[He whom God shall make manifest]]", a messianic figure whose coming, according to Baháʼís, was announced in the scriptures of all of the world's great religions, and whom Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, claimed to be.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} The Báb's tomb, located on [[Mount Carmel]] in [[Haifa]], Israel, is an important place of [[Baháʼí pilgrimage|pilgrimage for Baháʼís]]. The remains of the Báb were brought secretly from Iran to the Holy Land and eventually interred in the tomb built for them in a spot specifically designated by Baháʼu'lláh.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|pp=75–76}} The writings of the Báb are considered inspired scripture by Baháʼís, though having been superseded by the laws and teachings of Baháʼu'lláh.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=101}} The main written works translated into English of the Báb are compiled in ''[[Selections from the Writings of the Báb]]'' (1976) out of the estimated 135 works.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=102}}{{sfn|Universal House of Justice|2002}}

=== Baháʼu'lláh ===
{{Main|Baháʼu'lláh}}
[[File:Bahá'u'lláh (Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí) in 1868.jpg|thumb|left|[[Baháʼu'lláh]], the founder of the Baháʼí Faith]] <!-- Baháʼu'lláh is the founder of this religion, so this image is relevant. Do not remove it from this article. -->
Mírzá Husayn ʻAlí Núrí was one of the early followers of the Báb,{{sfn|MacEoin|2009|p=498}} and later took the title of Baháʼu'lláh.{{sfn|Warburg|2006|p=145}} In August 1852, a few Bábís made a failed attempt to assassinate the [[Shah]], [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar]].<ref name="Religio 12-1">{{Cite journal |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link=Moojan Momen |title=Millennialism and Violence: The Attempted Assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah of Iran by the Babis in 1852 |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=57–82 |date=August 2008 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2008.12.1.57 |doi=10.1525/nr.2008.12.1.57|quote=The actual attempt on the shah’s life was made by three individuals who appear to have been very ill-prepared for their task, having only pistols loaded with grape-shot unlikely to kill anyone. }}<!-- access-date = Sep 6, 2022 --></ref>{{sfn|Warburg|2006|p=146}} The Shah responded by ordering the killing and in some cases torturing of about 50 Bábís in Tehran.{{sfn|Warburg|2006|p=146}} Further bloodshed spread throughout the country and hundreds were reported in period newspapers by October, and tens of thousands by the end of December.<ref>{{*}}{{Cite news| title=Persia – The Journal de Constantinople| newspaper=The Guardian| location=London, UK| page=2| date=3 Nov 1852| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10893156/hundreds_of_babis_executed_babibahai/| access-date=Sep 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}
<br/>{{*}}{{Cite news| title=Persia| newspaper=The Sun| location=Baltimore, MD| page=1| date=17 November 1852| url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/871886/hundreds_of_babis_killed_following/| access-date=Sep 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}
<br/>{{*}}{{Cite news| title=Turkey| newspaper=London Standard|location=London, UK|page=3|date=20 December 1852| url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?basicsearch=%22babs%20was%20awful%2C%20and%20that%2020%2C000%20or%2030%2C000%22&phrasesearch=%22babs%20was%20awful%2C%20and%20that%2020%2C000%20or%2030%2C000%22&sortorder=score&o=date&d=asc| access-date=Sep 6, 2022 |via=BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk}}{{subscription required}}</ref> Baháʼu'lláh was not involved in the assassination attempt but was imprisoned in Tehran until his release was arranged four months later by the [[Russia]]n ambassador, after which he joined other Bábís in exile in Baghdad.{{sfn|Warburg|2006|pp=146–147}}

Shortly thereafter he was expelled from Iran and traveled to [[Baghdad]], in the Ottoman Empire.{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} In Baghdad, his leadership revived the persecuted followers of the Báb in Iran, so Iranian authorities requested his removal, which instigated a summons to Constantinople (now [[Istanbul]]) from the Ottoman Sultan. In 1863, at the time of his removal from Baghdad, Baháʼu'lláh first announced his claim of prophethood to his family and followers, which he said came to him years earlier while in a [[Síyáh-Chál|dungeon of Tehran]].{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} From the time of the initial exile from Iran, tensions grew between him and [[Subh-i-Azal]], the appointed leader of the Bábís, who did not recognize Baháʼu'lláh's claim. Throughout the rest of his life Baháʼu'lláh gained the allegiance of almost all of the Bábís, who came to be known as Baháʼís, while a remnant of Bábís became known as [[Azalis]], and are regarded by Bahá'ís as equivalent to apostates.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|pp=48, 51}}

He spent less than four months in Constantinople. After receiving chastising letters from Baháʼu'lláh, Ottoman authorities turned against him and put him under house arrest in Adrianople (now [[Edirne]]), where he remained for four years, until a royal decree of 1868 banished all Bábís to either [[Cyprus]] or [[Acre, Palestine|ʻAkká]].

It was in or near the Ottoman penal colony of ʻAkká, in Palestine, that Baháʼu'lláh spent the remainder of his life. After initially strict and harsh confinement, he was allowed to live in a home near ʻAkká, while still officially a prisoner of that city.{{sfn|Iranica-Baha'-Allah|1988}} He died there in 1892. Baháʼís regard his resting place at [[Mansion of Bahjí|Bahjí]] as the [[Qiblih]] to which they turn in prayer each day.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=20–21, 28}}

He produced over 18,000 works in his lifetime, in both Arabic and Persian, of which only 8% have been translated into English.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=2}} During the period in Adrianople, he began declaring his mission as a Messenger of God in letters to the world's religious and secular rulers, including [[Pope Pius IX]], [[Napoleon III]], and [[Queen Victoria]].{{sfn|Berry|2004}}

=== ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ===
{{Main|ʻAbdu'l-Bahá}}
[[File:‘Abdu’l-Bahá portrait.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]], the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh]]

ʻAbbás Effendi was Baháʼu'lláh's eldest son, who chose for himself the title of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ("Servant of Bahá"). His father left a [[Tablets of Baháʼu'lláh#Kitáb-i-ʻAhd (Book of the Covenant)|will]] that appointed ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as the leader of the Baháʼí community.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|pp=73–76}} ʻAbdu'l-Bahá had shared his father's long exile and imprisonment, which continued until ʻAbdu'l-Bahá'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 Baháʼí Faith.{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} Bahá'ís consider ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to be a perfect exemplar of the Baháʼí teachings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert H. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429027772 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |date=2021-11-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-02777-2 |edition=1 |location=London |language=en |doi=10.4324/9780429027772}}</ref>

As of 2020, there are over 38,000 extant documents containing the words of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, which are of widely varying lengths.{{sfn|Yazdani|2022}} Only a fraction of these documents have been translated into English.{{update after|2022|7|27}}{{sfn|Universal House of Justice|2002}} Among the more well known are ''[[The Secret of Divine Civilization]]'', ''[[Some Answered Questions]]'', the ''[[Tablet to Dr. Forel|Tablet to Auguste-Henri Forel]]'', the ''[[Tablets of the Divine Plan]]'', and the ''[[Tablet to The Hague]]''.{{sfn|Yazdani|2022}} Additionally notes taken of a number of his talks were published in various volumes like ''[[Paris Talks]]'' during his [[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West|journeys to the West]].

=== Shoghi Effendi ===
{{Main|Shoghi Effendi}}

Baháʼu'lláh's ''[[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]]'' and ''The [[Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]]'' are foundational documents of the Baháʼí administrative order. Baháʼu'lláh established the elected [[Universal House of Justice]], and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá established the appointed hereditary Guardianship and clarified the relationship between the two institutions.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=55–57}} In his Will, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá appointed Shoghi Effendi, his eldest grandson, as the first Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith. Shoghi Effendi served for 36 years as the head of the religion until his death in 1957.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=55}}

Throughout his lifetime, Shoghi Effendi translated [[Baháʼí texts]]; developed global plans for the expansion of the Baháʼí community; developed the [[Baháʼí 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.{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} 

In 1937, Shoghi Effendi launched a [[Baháʼí teaching plans#1st Seven Year Plan (1937–1944)|seven-year plan]] for the Baháʼís of North America, followed by another in 1946. In 1953, he launched the first international plan, the [[Ten Year Crusade|Ten Year World Crusade]]. This plan included extremely ambitious goals for the expansion of Baháʼí communities and institutions, the translation of Baháʼí texts into several new languages, and the sending of [[Baháʼí teaching plans#Pioneering|Baháʼí pioneers]] into previously unreached nations.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=64}} He announced in letters during the Ten Year Crusade that it would be followed by other plans under the direction of the Universal House of Justice, which was elected in 1963 at the culmination of the Ten Year Crusade.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert H. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429027772 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |date=2021-11-26 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-02777-2 |edition=1 |location=London |language=en |doi=10.4324/9780429027772}}</ref> 

Shoghi Effendi died unexpectedly after a brief illness on 4 November 1957 in London, England, under conditions that did not allow for a successor to be appointed.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=58–69}}{{sfn|Smith|2022a}} He is buried in [[New Southgate Cemetery]] in Barnet, London. 

=== Universal House of Justice ===
{{Main|Universal House of Justice}}
[[File:Seat of the Universal House of Justice IMG 0888.JPG|thumb|upright=1.15|Seat of the Universal House of Justice]]
Since 1963, the Universal House of Justice has been the elected head of the Baháʼí Faith. The general functions of this body are defined through the writings of Baháʼu'lláh and clarified in the writings of Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. These functions include teaching and education, implementing Baháʼí laws, addressing social issues, and caring for the weak and the poor.{{sfn|Iranica-Bayt-al-'adl|1989}}

Starting with the Nine Year Plan that began in 1964, the Universal House of Justice has directed the work of the Baháʼí community through a series of [[Baháʼí teaching plans|multi-year international plans]].{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989}}{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=107}} The Baháʼí leadership sought to continue the expansion of the religion but also to "consolidate" new members, meaning increase their knowledge of the [[Baháʼí teachings]].{{sfn|Fozdar|2015}} In this vein, in the 1970s, the [[Ruhi Institute]] was founded by [[Baháʼí Faith in Colombia|Baháʼís in Colombia]] to offer short courses on Baháʼí beliefs, ranging in length from a weekend to nine days.{{sfn|Fozdar|2015}} The associated Ruhi Foundation, whose purpose was to systematically "consolidate" new Baháʼís, was registered in 1992, and since the late 1990s the courses of the Ruhi Institute have been the dominant way of teaching the Baháʼí Faith around the world.{{sfn|Fozdar|2015}} By 2013 there were over 300 Baháʼí training institutes around the world and 100,000 people participating in courses.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|pp=193–194}} The courses of the Ruhi Institute train communities to self-organize classes for the spiritual education of children and youth, among other activities.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|pp=193–194}} Additional lines of action the Universal House of Justice has encouraged for the contemporary Baháʼí community include [[Socioeconomic development and the Baháʼí Faith|social action]] and participation in the prevalent discourses of society.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=203}}

Annually, on 21 April, the Universal House of Justice sends a '[[Ridván]]' message to the worldwide Baháʼí community,{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=297|ps=: "Ridván"}} that updates Baháʼís on current developments and provides further guidance for the year to come.{{efn|All Ridván messages can be found at [http://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages Bahai.org].}}

At local, regional, and national levels, Baháʼís elect members to nine-person [[Spiritual Assembly|Spiritual Assemblies]], which run the affairs of the religion. There are also [[Institution of the Counsellors|appointed individuals]] working at various levels, including locally and internationally, which perform the function of propagating the teachings and protecting the community. The latter do not serve as clergy, which the Baháʼí Faith does not have.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}}{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=160}} The [[Universal House of Justice]] remains the supreme governing body of the Baháʼí Faith, and its 9 members are elected every five years by the members of all National Spiritual Assemblies.{{sfn|Warburg|2001|p=20}} Any male Baháʼí, 18 years or older, is eligible to be elected to the Universal House of Justice; all other positions are open to male and female Baháʼís.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=205}}

== Beliefs ==
{{Main|Baháʼí teachings}}
[[File:Bahaitemplesydney.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=A white domed building|Baháʼí House of Worship in [[Ingleside, New South Wales|Ingleside]], [[Sydney]], Australia]]

The teachings of Baháʼu'lláh form the foundation of Baháʼí beliefs. Three principles are central to these teachings: the [[God in the Baháʼí Faith|unity of God]], the [[Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion|unity of religion]], and the [[Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity|unity of humanity]].{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} Bahá'ís believe that God periodically reveals his will through divine messengers, whose purpose is to transform the character of humankind and to develop, within those who respond, moral and spiritual qualities. Religion is thus seen as orderly, unified, and progressive from age to age.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=108–109}}

=== God ===
{{Main|God in the Baháʼí Faith}}
[[File:Greatest Name.svg|thumb|The Greatest Name is a [[Baháʼí symbols|Baháʼí symbol]] for God. It is the [[calligraphic]] rendering of the [[Arabic language|Arabic text]]: يا بهاء الأبهى, translated as "''O Thou Glory of Glories''".]]
Baháʼí writings describe a single, personal, inaccessible, omniscient, omnipresent, imperishable, and almighty God who is the creator of all things in the universe.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=106}} The [[existence of God]] and the [[universe]] are thought to be eternal, with no beginning or end.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} Even though God is not directly accessible, he is seen as being conscious of creation, with a will and a purpose which is expressed through messengers who are called [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestations of God]].{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=106–107, 111–112}} The Baháʼí conception of [[God]] is of an "unknowable essence" who is the source of all existence and known through the perception of human virtues.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In another sense, Baháʼí teachings on God are also [[Panentheism|panentheistic]], seeing signs of God in all things, but the reality of God being exalted and above the physical world.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=33}}

Baháʼí teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully comprehend, and based on them, humans cannot create a complete and accurate image of God by themselves. Therefore, human understanding of God is achieved through the recognition of the person of the Manifestation and through the understanding of his revelations via his Manifestations.{{sfn|Hatcher|2005}}{{sfn|Cole|1982}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} In the Baháʼí Faith, God is often referred to by titles and attributes (for example, the All-Powerful, or the All-Loving), and there is a substantial emphasis on [[monotheism]]. Baháʼí teachings state that these attributes do not apply to God directly but are used to translate Godliness into human terms and to help people concentrate on their own attributes in worshipping God to develop their potential on their spiritual path.{{sfn|Hatcher|2005}}{{sfn|Cole|1982}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} According to the Baháʼí teachings the human purpose is to learn to know and love God through such methods as [[Prayer in the Baháʼí Faith|prayer]], [[Introspection|reflection]], and being of service to others.{{sfn|Hatcher|2005}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion}}
{{See also|Progressive revelation (Baháʼí)}}
[[File:Wilmette how side.jpg|upright|alt=A white column with ornate designs carved into it, including a Star of David|left|thumb |Symbols of many religions on a pillar of the [[Baháʼí House of Worship (Wilmette, Illinois)|Baháʼí House of Worship]] in Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.]]

Baháʼí notions of progressive religious revelation result in their accepting the validity of the well known religions of the world, whose founders and central figures are seen as Manifestations of God.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=14}} Religious history is interpreted as a series of [[dispensationalism|dispensations]], where each ''manifestation'' brings a somewhat broader and more advanced [[revelation]] that is rendered as a text of scripture and passed on through history with greater or lesser reliability but at least true in substance,{{sfn|Stockman|2013|pp=40–42}} suited for the time and place in which it was expressed.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} Specific religious social teachings (for example, 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 (for example, neighbourliness, or charity) are seen to be universal and consistent. In Baháʼí belief, this process of progressive revelation will not end; it is, however, believed to be cyclical. Baháʼís do not expect a new manifestation of God to appear within 1000 years of Baháʼu'lláh's revelation.{{sfn|McMullen|2000|p=7}}

Baháʼís assert that their religion is a distinct tradition with its own [[Baháʼí literature|scriptures]] and [[Baháʼí laws|laws]], and not a sect of another religion.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=24}} Most religious specialists now see it as an independent religion, with its religious background in [[Shiʻa Islam]] being seen as analogous to the Jewish context in which Christianity was established.{{sfn|Van der Vyer|1996|p=449}} Baháʼís describe their faith as an independent world religion, differing from the other traditions in its relative age and modern context.{{sfn|Lundberg|2005}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

The Baháʼí Faith has been described as belonging to the family of [[Abrahamic religion]]s, as it is monotheistic and recognizes its own descent from the prophet [[Abraham]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |entry=Baha'i Faith |first=John |last=Cappucci | editor-last=Çakmak | editor-first=Cenap | encyclopedia=Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia | publisher=Bloomsbury | year=2017 | isbn=979-8-216-10532-9}}</ref>

=== Human beings ===
{{See also|Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity|Baháʼí Faith on life after death}}
[[File:Ringstone.svg|alt=A stylized Arabic figure which has intersecting lines that lock around rings and five-pointed stars to either side|thumb|right|The [[Baháʼí symbols#Ringstone symbol|ringstone symbol]], representing humanity's connection to God]]
The Baháʼí writings state that human beings have a "rational soul", and that this provides the species with a unique capacity to recognize God's status and humanity's relationship with its creator. Every human is seen to have a duty to recognize God through his [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Messengers]], and to conform to their teachings.{{sfn|McMullen|2000|pp=57–58}} Through recognition and obedience, service to humanity and regular prayer and spiritual practice, the Baháʼí writings state that the soul becomes closer to God, the spiritual ideal in Baháʼí belief. According to Baháʼí belief, when a human dies, the soul is permanently separated from the body and carries on in the next world where it is judged based on the person's actions in the physical world. 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.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=45}}

The Baháʼí 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 acceptance. Doctrines of racism, nationalism, caste, social class, and gender-based hierarchy are seen as artificial impediments to unity.{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} The Baháʼí teachings state that the unification of humanity is the paramount issue in the religious and political conditions of the present world.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}}

=== Social principles ===
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 14823 Bahai Gardens.jpg|thumb|The [[Terraces (Baháʼí)|Baháʼí gardens]] in [[Haifa|Haifa, Israel]]]]
When [[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]] first traveled to Europe and America in 1911–1912, he gave public talks that articulated the basic principles of the Baháʼí Faith.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=52–53}} These included preaching on the equality of men and women, race unity, the need for world peace, and other ideas considered progressive in the early 20th century. Published summaries of the Baháʼí teachings often include a list of these principles, and lists vary in wording and what is included.{{sfn|Iranica-The Faith|1988}}

The concept of the [[Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity|unity of humankind]], seen by Baháʼís as an ancient truth, is the starting point for many of the ideas. The equality of races and the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty, for example, are implications of that unity.{{sfn|Stockman|2013|p=9}} Another outgrowth of the concept is the need for a united world federation, and some practical recommendations to encourage its realization involve the establishment of a universal language, a standard economy and system of measurement, universal compulsory education, and an international court of arbitration to settle disputes between nations.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=21}} Nationalism, according to this viewpoint, should be abandoned in favor of allegiance to the whole of humankind. With regard to the pursuit of world peace, Baháʼu'lláh prescribed a world-embracing [[collective security]] arrangement.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=266–267}}

Other Baháʼí social principles revolve around spiritual unity. Religion is viewed as progressive from age to age, but to recognize a newer revelation one has to abandon tradition and independently investigate. Baháʼís are taught to view religion as a source of unity, and religious prejudice as destructive. Science is also viewed in harmony with true religion.{{sfn|Iranica-The Faith|1988}} Though Baháʼu'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá called for a united world that is free of war, they also anticipate that over the long term, the establishment of a lasting peace (The Most Great Peace) and the purging of the "overwhelming Corruptions" requires that the people of the world unite under a universal faith with spiritual virtues and ethics to complement material civilization.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=266–267}}

[[Shoghi Effendi]], the head of the religion from 1921 to 1957, wrote the following summary of what he considered to be the distinguishing principles of Baháʼu'lláh's teachings, which, he said, together with the laws and ordinances of the ''[[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]]'' constitute the bedrock of the Baháʼí Faith:

{{Blockquote|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 [[Baháʼí Faith and auxiliary language|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 Baháʼu'lláh proclaimed].{{sfn|Effendi|1944|pp=281–282}}{{sfn|Adamson|2009|pp=383–384}}}}

=== Covenant ===
{{Main|Covenant of Baháʼu'lláh}}
Baháʼís highly value unity, and Baháʼu'lláh clearly established rules for holding the community together and resolving disagreements. Within this framework, no individual follower may propose 'inspired' or 'authoritative' interpretations of scripture, and individuals agree to support the line of authority established in Baháʼí scriptures.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=20}} This practice has left the Baháʼí community unified and free of any serious fracturing.{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=114}} The [[Universal House of Justice]] is the final authority to resolve any disagreements among Baháʼís, and the few [[Attempted schisms in the Baháʼí Faith|attempts at schism]]{{sfn|Stockman|2020|pp=36–37}} have all either become extinct or remained extremely small, numbering a few hundred adherents collectively.{{sfn|Iranica-Bahai and Babi Schisms|1988|p=448}}{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|p=201}} The followers of such divisions are regarded as [[Covenant-breaker]]s and shunned.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=173}}

== Sacred texts ==
{{Baháʼí texts sidebar}}
{{Main|Baháʼí literature}}
The ''canonical texts'' of the Baháʼí Faith are the writings of the [[Báb]], Baháʼu'lláh, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the [[Universal House of Justice]], and the authenticated talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The writings of the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh are considered as divine revelation, the writings and talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and the writings of Shoghi Effendi as authoritative interpretation, and those of the Universal House of Justice as authoritative legislation and elucidation. Some measure of divine guidance is assumed for all of these texts.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=100–101|ps=: {{nowrap|"Canonical texts"}}}}

Some of Baháʼu'lláh's most important writings include the ''Kitáb-i-Aqdas'' ("Most Holy Book"), which defines many laws and practices for individuals and society,{{sfn|Hatcher|Martin|1998|p=46}} the ''[[Kitáb-i-Íqán]]'' ("Book of Certitude"), which became the foundation of much of Baháʼí belief,{{sfn|Hatcher|Martin|1998|p=137}} and ''[[Gems of Divine Mysteries]]'', which includes further doctrinal foundations. Although the Baháʼí teachings have a strong emphasis on social and ethical issues, a number of foundational texts have been described as [[Mysticism|mystical]].{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} These include the ''[[Seven Valleys]]'' and the [[The Four Valleys|''Four Valleys'']].{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=20}} ''The Seven Valleys'' was written to a follower of [[Sufism]], in the style of [[Attar Neyshapuri|ʻAttar]], the [[Persian people|Persian]] Muslim poet,{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=311|ps=: {{nowrap|"Seven Valleys"}}}} and sets forth the stages of the soul's journey towards God. It was first translated into English in 1906, becoming one of the earliest available books of Baháʼu'lláh to the West. ''[[Hidden Words|The Hidden Words]]'' is another book written by Baháʼu'lláh during the same period, containing 153 short passages in which Baháʼu'lláh claims to have taken the basic essence of certain spiritual truths and written them in brief form.{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=181|ps=: {{nowrap|"Hidden Words"}}}}

== Demographics ==
{{Further|Baháʼí Faith by country|Growth of religion}}

[[File:Lotus Temple in New Delhi 03-2016.jpg|thumb |alt=A large temple in the shape of an open lotus flower|The [[Lotus Temple]], the first [[Baháʼí House of Worship]] of India, built in 1986. It attracts an estimated 4.5&nbsp;million visitors a year.|upright=1]]

As of 2020, there were about 8 million Bahá'ís in the world.{{sfn|Smith|2022b|p=509}}<ref name="wrd-2020-bahais">{{Cite web |title=Baha'is by Country |website=World Religion Database |publisher=Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs |date=2020 |url=https://worldreligiondatabase.org/ |access-date=21 December 2020}} {{subscription required}}</ref> In 2013, two scholars of demography wrote that, "The Baha'i Faith is the only religion to have grown faster in every United Nations region over the past 100 years than the general population; Bahaʼi [sic] was thus the fastest-growing religion between 1910 and 2010, growing at least twice as fast as the population of almost every UN region."{{sfn|Johnson|Grim|2013}} 
[[File:Baha'i Temple at Dusk.jpg|thumb|The [[Baháʼí House of Worship (Wilmette, Illinois)|Baháʼí House of Worship]] in [[Wilmette, Illinois]], US is the oldest surviving Baháʼí House of Worship in the world.{{sfn|Stausberg|2011|p=96}}|upright=1]]
The largest proportions of the total worldwide Bahá'í population were found in sub-Saharan Africa (29.9%) and South Asia (26.8%), followed by Southeast Asia (12.7%) and Latin America (12.2%).{{sfn|Smith|2022a|p=510}} Lesser numbers are found in North America (7.6%) and the Middle East/North Africa (6.2%), with the smallest being in Europe (2.0%), Australasia (1.6%), and [[Northeast Asia]] (0.9%). In 2015, the Bahá'í Faith was the second largest religion in Iran,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Iran – Religious Adherents
| url = https://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_110_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 12 June 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210612220129/https://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_110_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Panama,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Panama – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_174_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 12 July 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190712231843/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_174_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Belize,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Belize – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_23_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 22 November 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151122030203/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_23_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Bolivia,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Bolivia – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_27_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 15 October 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015204554/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_27_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> Zambia,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Zambia – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_245_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 23 June 2017
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170623232023/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_245_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> and Papua New Guinea,<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Papua New Guinea – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_175_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 27 September 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130927084940/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_175_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> and the third largest in Chad<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Chad – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_45_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 18 June 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210618141728/https://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_45_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> and Kenya.<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Kenya – Religious Adherents
| url = http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_121_2.asp
| publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives
| date = 2015
| access-date = Jul 21, 2022
| archive-date = 5 January 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200105165733/http://www.thearda.com/internationaldata/countries/Country_121_2.asp
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

From the Bahá'í Faith's origins in the 19th century until the 1950s, the vast majority of Baháʼís were found in Iran; converts from outside Iran were mostly found in India and the Western world.{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989|pp=70–71}} From having roughly 200,000 Baháʼís in 1950,{{sfn|Smith|2016}} the religion grew to have over 4 million by the late 1980s, with a wide international distribution.{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989|pp=70–71}}{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1988|p=303}} As of 2008, there were about 110,000 followers in Iran.<ref>{{Citation |title=Bibliography |date=2015-08-25 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvx06zsp.15 |work=No Jim Crow Church |pages=287–302 |access-date=2023-09-26 |publisher=University Press of Florida|doi=10.2307/j.ctvx06zsp.15 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Most of the growth in the late 20th century was seeded out of North America by means of the planned migration of individuals.<ref name=HampsonPhD>{{Cite thesis |last=Hampson |first=Arthur |date=May 1980 |title=The growth and spread of the Baha'i Faith |type=PhD |publisher=Department of Geography, University of Hawaii |id=UMI 8022655 |oclc=652914306 |url=https://bahai-library.com/hampson_growth_spread_bahai |pages=458–459, 472|access-date=Jul 24, 2022}}</ref> Yet, rather than being a cultural spread from either Iran or North America, in 2001, sociologist [[David B. Barrett]] wrote that the Baháʼí Faith is, "A world religion with no racial or national focus".{{sfn|World Christian Encyclopedia|2001}} However, the growth has not been even. From the late 1920s to the late 1980s, the religion was banned and its adherents were harassed in the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-led [[Eastern Bloc]],<ref name="Kolarz">{{Cite book| last=Kolarz| first=Walter| author-link=Walter Kolarz |title=Religion in the Soviet Union |publisher=St. Martin's Press |series=Armenian Research Center collection |year=1962 |pages=470–473 |oclc=254603830}}</ref>{{sfn|Momen|1994a}}<ref name="hass">{{Cite journal
| last = Hassall
| first = Graham
| title = Notes on the Bábí and Baháʼí Religions in Russia and its Territories
| journal = Journal of Baháʼí Studies
| volume = 5
| issue = 3
| pages = 
| date = 1992
| url = http://bahai-studies.ca/journal/files/jbs/5.3%20Hassall.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164853/http://bahai-studies.ca/journal/files/jbs/5.3%20Hassall.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011
| access-date =Jul 21, 2022}}</ref> and then again from the 1970s into the 1990s across some countries in sub-Saharan Africa.{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989}}<ref>{{Cite web
 | last = compiled by Wagner
 | first = Ralph D.
 | title = NIGER
 | work = Synopsis of References to the Baháʼí Faith, in the US State Department's Reports on Human Rights 1991–2000
 | publisher = Baháʼí Library Online
 | url = http://bahai-library.com/documents/hr/hr-niger.htm
 | access-date = May 4, 2008}}</ref> The most intense opposition has been in Iran and neighboring [[Shia Islam|Shia]]-majority countries,<ref>For one recent published study see: {{Cite journal
| last = Morlock
| first = Naghme Naseri
| title = Religious Persecution & Oppression: A Study of Iranian Baha'ís' Strategies of Survival
| journal = Journal of Hate Studies
| volume = 17
| issue = 2
| pages = 15–24
| date = 6 Dec 2021
| doi = 10.33972/jhs.201
| s2cid = 245113244
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> considered an attempted [[genocide]] by some scholars, watchdog agencies and [[human rights]] organizations.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}}<ref>{{Cite web| last =Dallaire| first =Roméo| author-link =Roméo Dallaire| title =Baha'i People in Iran—Inquiry| work =Statements from Roméo Dallaire| publisher =The Liberal caucus in the Senate| date =29 November 2011| url =http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/14788_Bahai-People-in-IranInquiry| access-date =2012-03-28| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032336/http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/14788_Bahai-People-in-IranInquiry| archive-date =6 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title =Genocide and politicide watch: Iran | publisher =Genocide Watch; The International Alliance to End Genocide | date =2012-03-28 | url =http://www.genocidewatch.org/iran.html | access-date = 2012-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| last = Seyfried | first = Rebeka | title =Progress report from Mercyhurst: Assessing the risk of genocide in Iran | work =Iranian Baha'is | publisher = The Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention | date =2012-03-21 | url =http://thesentinelproject.org/progress-update-from-mercyhurst-assessing-risk-of-genocide-iran/ | access-date = 2012-03-28}}</ref> Meanwhile, in other times and places, the religion has experienced surges in growth. Before it was banned in certain countries, the religion "hugely increased" in [[sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref name="UofC">{{Cite web|title=Overview Of World Religions |work=General Essay on the Religions of Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=Division of Religion and Philosophy, [[University of Cumbria]] |url=http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/geness.html |access-date=2008-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209082606/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/geness.html |archive-date=2007-12-09 }}</ref> In 1989 the Universal House of Justice named [[Bolivia]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Haiti]], [[India]], [[Liberia]], [[Peru]], the [[Philippines]], and [[Taiwan]] as countries where the growth of the religion had been notable in the previous decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19890421_001/1#313524548|title=Riḍván 1989 – To the Bahá'ís of the World &#124; Bahá'í Reference Library|website=www.bahai.org}}</ref> Bahá'í sources claimed "more than five million" Bahá'ís in 1991–92.{{sfn|Baháʼí World News Service|1992}} However, since around 2001 the Universal House of Justice has prioritized statistics of the community by their levels of activity rather than simply their population of avowed adherents or numbers of local assemblies.{{sfn|Stockman|2022a|p=565}}{{sfn|Stockman|2022b|p=578}}{{sfn|Hassal|2022|p=588}}

Because Bahá'ís do not represent the majority of the population in any country,{{sfn|Park|2004}} and most often represent only a tiny fraction of countries' total populations,{{sfn|Association of Religion Data Archives|2010}} there are problems of [[under-reporting]].{{sfn|Pew Global Religious Landscape|2012}} In addition, there are examples where the adherents have their highest density among minorities in societies who face their own challenges.<ref name="Kolodner">{{Cite web| last =Kolodner| first =Alexander| title =The Baha'i Faith Compared to Race in American Counties| date =May 1, 2014| url =https://sites.tufts.edu/gis/files/2014/11/Kolodner_Alex.pdf| access-date =March 18, 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|2022b|p=619}}

[[Malietoa Tanumafili II]] of [[Samoa]], who became Baháʼí in 1968 and died in 2007, was the first serving head of state to embrace the Baháʼí Faith.{{sfn|Hassall|2022}} Baháʼís consider [[Marie of Romania|Queen Marie of Romania]] to be the first crowned head to accept and promote the teachings of Baháʼu'lláh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MARIE ALEXANDRA VICTORIA |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/marie-alexandra/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Encyclopaedia Iranica |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Social practices ==
{{See also|Baháʼí laws}}

=== Exhortations ===
The following are a few examples from Baháʼu'lláh's teachings on personal conduct that are required or encouraged of his followers:
* Baháʼís over the age of 15 should individually recite an [[Obligatory Baháʼí prayers|obligatory prayer]] each day, using fixed words and form.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|p=334}}
* In addition to the daily obligatory prayer, Baháʼís should offer daily devotional prayer and should meditate and study sacred scripture.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=161–162}}
* Adult Baháʼís should observe a [[Nineteen-Day Fast]] each year during daylight hours in March, with certain exemptions.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|pp=339–340}}<!-- for details of daylight, existence of exemptions, need another cite-->
* There are specific requirements for Baháʼí burial that include a specified prayer to be read at the interment. Embalming or cremating the body is strongly discouraged.{{sfn|Iranica-Burial|2020}}
* Baháʼís should make a 19% voluntary payment on any wealth in excess of what is necessary to live comfortably, after the remittance of any outstanding debt. The payments go to the [[Universal House of Justice]].{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|pp=339–340}}

=== Prohibitions ===
[[File:Bahá'í gardens by David Shankbone.jpg|alt=Elaborate gardens with several gates and a walkway leading to a domed building in the distance|thumb|The [[Terraces (Baháʼí)|Baháʼí gardens]] in [[Haifa|Haifa, Israel]]]]
The following are a few acts of personal conduct that are prohibited or discouraged by Baháʼu'lláh's teachings:
* [[Backbiting]] and gossiping are prohibited and denounced.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|pp=330–332}}
* Drinking and selling [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] are forbidden.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|p=323}}
* [[Sexual intercourse]] is permitted only between a husband and a wife, and as a result, premarital, extramarital, and homosexual intercourse are all forbidden.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|p=326}} ''(See also [[Homosexuality and the Baháʼí Faith]])''
* Participation in [[Partisan (political)|partisan]] politics is forbidden.{{sfn|McMullen|2015|pp=69, 136, 149, 253–254, 269}}
* Begging is forbidden as a profession.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=154–155}}

The observance of personal laws, such as prayer or fasting, is the sole responsibility of the individual.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|p=339}} There are, however, occasions when a Baháʼí might be administratively expelled from the community for a public disregard of the laws, or gross immorality. Such expulsions are administered by the National Spiritual Assembly and do not involve shunning.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|p=348–349}}

While some of the laws in the ''Kitáb-i-Aqdas'' are applicable at the present time, other laws are dependent upon the existence of a predominantly Baháʼí society, such as the punishments for arson and murder.{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|pp=321–323}} The laws, when not in direct conflict with the civil laws of the country of residence, are binding on every Baháʼí.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=158}}{{sfn|Schaefer|2002|pp=312,315}}

=== Marriage ===
{{Main|Baháʼí marriage}}
The purpose of marriage in the Baháʼí Faith is mainly to foster spiritual harmony, fellowship and unity between a man and a woman and to provide a stable and loving environment for the rearing of children.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=164–165}} The Baháʼí 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 [[society|human society]].{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=164}} Baháʼu'lláh highly praised marriage, discouraged divorce, and required [[chastity]] outside of marriage; Baháʼu'lláh taught that a husband and wife should strive to improve the spiritual life of each other.{{sfn|Momen|2022}} [[Interracial marriage]] is also highly praised throughout Baháʼí scripture.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=164}}

Baháʼís intending to marry are asked to obtain a thorough understanding of the other's character before deciding to marry.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=164}} Although parents should not [[Arranged marriage|choose partners for their children]], once two individuals decide to marry, they must receive the consent of all living biological parents, whether they are Baháʼí or not. The Baháʼí marriage ceremony is simple; the only compulsory part of the wedding is the reading of the wedding vows prescribed by Baháʼu'lláh which both the groom and the bride read, in the presence of two witnesses.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=164}} The vows are "We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God."{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=164}}

Transgender people can gain recognition of their gender in the Baháʼí Faith if they have medically transitioned and undergone [[sex reassignment surgery]] (SRS). After SRS, they are considered transitioned and may have a Baháʼí marriage.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 December 2002 |title=Transsexuality |url=http://bahai-library.com/uhj_transsexuality |publisher=[[Universal House of Justice]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Parashar |first=Singh M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VEnrDwAAQBAJ&dq='bahai+faith%22+transgender&pg=PT210 |title=Why Homosexuality Was Not Opposed by Narendra Modi ? |date=2020-04-17 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=978-1-984594-67-9 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Work ===
Baháʼu'lláh prohibited a [[Mendicancy|mendicant]] and [[Asceticism|ascetic]] lifestyle.{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=154–155}} [[Monasticism]] is forbidden, and Baháʼís are taught to practice spirituality while engaging in useful work.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}} The importance of self-exertion and service to humanity in one's spiritual life is emphasised further in Baháʼu'lláh's writings, where he states that work done in the spirit of service to humanity enjoys a rank equal to that of prayer and worship in the sight of God.{{sfn|Daume|Watson|1992}}

=== Places of worship ===
{{Main|Baháʼí House of Worship}}
[[File:House of Worship Germany 2007.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15 |alt=A white domed building with palm trees in front of it|Baháʼí House of Worship, [[Langenhain]], Germany]]
Bahá'í devotional meetings in most communities currently take place in people's homes or [[Haziratu'l-Quds|Bahá'í centres]], but in some communities Bahá'í Houses of Worship (also known as Bahá'í temples) have been built.{{sfn|Afnan|2022}} Bahá'í Houses of Worship are places where both Baháʼís and non-Baháʼís can express devotion to God.{{sfn|Warburg|2006|p=492}} They are also known by the name ''Mashriqu'l-Adhkár'' ([[Arabic]] for "Dawning-place of the remembrance of God").{{sfn|Hassall|2012}} Only the holy scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith and other religions can be read or chanted inside, and while readings and prayers that have been set to music may be sung by choirs, no musical instruments may be played inside.{{sfn|Iranica-Bahai-temples|1988}} Furthermore, no [[sermon]]s may be delivered, and no ritualistic ceremonies practiced.{{sfn|Iranica-Bahai-temples|1988}} All Bahá'í Houses of Worship have a nine-sided shape ([[nonagon]]) as well as nine pathways leading outward and nine gardens surrounding them.{{sfn|Iranica-Mašreq al-Aḏkār|2010}} There are currently eight "continental" Bahá'í Houses of Worship and some local Bahá'í Houses of Worship completed or under construction.{{sfn|Smith|2022a}} The Bahá'í writings also envision Bahá'í Houses of Worship being surrounded by institutions for humanitarian, scientific, and educational pursuits,{{sfn|Hassall|2012}} though none has yet been built up to such an extent.{{sfn|Warburg|2006|p=486}}

=== Calendar ===
{{Main|Baháʼí calendar}}
The Baháʼí calendar is based upon the calendar established by the [[Báb]]. The year consists of 19 months, each having 19 days, with four or five [[Ayyám-i-Há|intercalary days]], to make a full [[Tropical year|solar year]].{{sfn|Hutter|2005|pp=737–740}} The Baháʼí New Year corresponds to the traditional Iranian New Year, called [[Baháʼí Naw-Rúz|Naw Rúz]], and occurs on the [[Vernal equinox (Northern Hemisphere)|vernal equinox]], near 21 March, at the end of the month of fasting. Once every Baháʼí month there is a gathering of the Baháʼí community called a [[Nineteen Day Feast]] with three parts: first, a devotional part for prayer and reading from Baháʼí scripture; second, an administrative part for consultation and community matters; and third, a social part for the community to interact freely.{{sfn|Afnan|2022}}

Each of the 19 months is given a name which is an attribute of God; some examples include Baháʼ (Splendour), ʻIlm (Knowledge), and Jamál (Beauty).{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=188–190}} The Baháʼí week is familiar in that it consists of seven days, with each day of the week also named after an attribute of God. Baháʼís observe 11 [[Ascension of Baháʼu'lláh|Holy Days]] throughout the year, with work suspended on 9 of these. These days commemorate important anniversaries in the history of the religion.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=188}}

=== Symbols ===
{{Main|Baháʼí symbols}}
[[File:051907 Wilmette IMG 1404 The Greatest Name.jpg|alt=Arabic script inscribed on a metal plate|thumb|upright=1.05|right|The calligraphy of the [[Baháʼí symbols#The Greatest Name|Greatest Name]] on a metal plate at the top of the interior of the [[Baháʼí House of Worship (Wilmette, Illinois)|Baháʼí House of Worship]] in [[Wilmette, Illinois]]]]

The symbols of the religion are derived from the Arabic word Baháʼ ({{lang|ar|بهاء}} "splendor" or "glory"), with a [[Abjad numerals|numerical value]] of nine. This numerical connection to the name of Baháʼu'lláh, as well as nine being the highest single-digit, symbolizing completeness, are why the most common symbol of the religion is a [[nine-pointed star]], and Baháʼí temples are nine-sided.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=167–168}}{{sfn|Hartz|2009|p=14}} The nine-pointed star is commonly set on Baháʼí gravestones.{{sfn|Warburg|2001|p=39}}

The ringstone symbol and calligraphy of the Greatest Name are also often encountered. The ringstone symbol consists of two five-pointed stars interspersed with a stylized Baháʼ whose shape is meant to recall God, the Manifestation of God, and the world of man;{{sfn|Warburg|2001|p=39}} the Greatest Name is a [[Arabic calligraphy|calligraphic]] rendering of the phrase Yá Baháʼu'l-Abhá ({{lang|ar|يا بهاء الأبهى}} "O Glory of the Most Glorious!") and is commonly found in Baháʼí temples and homes.{{sfn|Warburg|2001|p=39}}

=== Socio-economic development ===
{{Main|Socioeconomic development and the Baháʼí Faith}}
[[File:Tarbiyat School, Tehran, ca 1911.jpg|alt=A black-and-white photograph of several dozen girls seated in front of a school building|thumb|upright=1.15|Students of ''School for Girls'', [[Tehran]], 13 August 1933. This photograph may be of the students of ''Tarbiyat School for Girls'' which was established by the Baháʼí Community of Tehran in 1911; the school was closed by government decree in 1934.{{sfn|Baháʼí International Community|2005}}]]

Since its inception the Baháʼí Faith has had involvement in [[socio-economic development]] beginning by giving greater freedom to women,{{sfn|Momen|1994b|ps=: Section 9: Social and economic development}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern,{{sfn|Kingdon|1997}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural co-ops, and clinics.{{sfn|Momen|1994b|ps=: Section 9: Social and economic development}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message from the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released. Baháʼís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Baháʼí teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1,482.{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989}}

Current initiatives of social action include activities in areas like health, sanitation, education, gender equality, arts and media, agriculture, and the environment.{{sfn|Baháʼí Office of Social and Economic Development|2018}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} Educational projects include schools, which range from village tutorial schools to large secondary schools, and some universities.{{sfn|Momen|2007}} By 2017, the Baháʼí Office of Social and Economic Development estimated that there were 40,000 small-scale projects, 1,400 sustained projects, and 135 Baháʼí-inspired organizations.{{sfn|Baháʼí Office of Social and Economic Development|2018}}

=== United Nations ===
Baháʼu'lláh wrote of the need for [[world government]] in this age of humanity's collective life. Because of this emphasis the international Baháʼí community has chosen to support efforts of improving [[international relations]] through organizations such as the [[League of Nations]] and the [[United Nations]], with some reservations about the present structure and constitution of the UN.{{sfn|Momen|2007}} The [[Baháʼí International Community]] is an agency under the direction of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, and has consultative status with the following organizations:{{sfn|McMullen|2000|p=39}}{{sfn|Baháʼí International Community|2000}}
* [[UNICEF|United Nations Children's Fund]] (UNICEF)
* [[United Nations Development Fund for Women]] (UNIFEM)
* [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] (ECOSOC)
* [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP)
* [[World Health Organization]] (WHO)

The Baháʼí International Community has offices at the United Nations in New York and [[Geneva]] and representations to United Nations regional commissions and other offices in [[Addis Ababa]], [[Bangkok]], [[Nairobi]], Rome, [[Santiago]], and [[Vienna]].{{sfn|Baháʼí International Community|2000}} In recent years, an Office of the Environment and an Office for the Advancement of Women were established as part of its United Nations Office. The Baháʼí Faith has also undertaken joint development programs with various other United Nations agencies. In the 2000 [[Millennium Development Goals|Millennium Forum]] of the United Nations a Baháʼí was invited as one of the only non-governmental speakers during the summit.{{sfn|Baháʼí World News Service|2000}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

== Persecution ==
{{Main|Persecution of Baháʼís}}
[[File:Cemetery of yazd.jpg|alt=Broken cinder blocks and felled palm trees|thumb|The Baháʼí cemetery in [[Yazd]] after its desecration by the Iranian government]]
Baháʼís continue to be persecuted in some majority-Islamic countries, whose leaders do not recognize the Baháʼí Faith as an independent religion, but rather as [[apostasy from Islam]]. The most severe persecutions have occurred in Iran, where more than 200 Baháʼís were executed between 1978 and 1998.{{sfn|International Federation of Human Rights|2003}} The rights of Baháʼís have been restricted to greater or lesser extents in numerous other countries, including Egypt, Afghanistan,{{sfn|International Religious Freedom Report|2013|loc=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=222323 Afghanistan]}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} Indonesia,{{sfn|International Religious Freedom Report|2013|loc=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=222133 Indonesia]}} Iraq,{{sfn|International Religious Freedom Report|2013|loc=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=222291 Iraq]}} Morocco,{{sfn|International Religious Freedom Report|2013|loc=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=222305 Morocco]}} Yemen,{{sfn|Baháʼí World News Service|2017}} and several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.{{sfn|Smith|Momen|1989}}

=== Iran ===
The most enduring persecution of Baháʼís has been in Iran, the birthplace of the religion.{{sfn|Hartz|2009|pp=125–127}} When the Báb started attracting a large following, the clergy hoped to stop the movement from spreading by stating that its followers were enemies of God. These clerical directives led to mob attacks and public executions.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}} Starting in the twentieth century, in addition to repression aimed at individual Baháʼís, centrally directed campaigns that targeted the entire Baháʼí community and its institutions were initiated.{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006}} In one case in Yazd in 1903 more than 100 Baháʼís were killed.{{sfn|Nash|1982}} Baháʼí schools, such as the Tarbiyat boys' and girls' schools in Tehran, were closed in the 1930s and 1940s, Baháʼí marriages were not recognized and Baháʼí texts were censored.{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006}}{{sfn|Sanasarian|2000|pp=52–53}}

During the reign of [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], to divert attention from economic difficulties in Iran and from a growing nationalist movement, a campaign of persecution against the Baháʼís was instituted.{{efn|In line with this is the thinking that the government encouraged the campaign to distract attention from more serious problems, including acute economic difficulties. Beyond this lay the difficulty that the regime faced in harnessing the nationalist movement that had supported Musaddiq.{{sfn|Akhavi|1980|pp=76–78}}}} An approved and coordinated anti-Baháʼí campaign (to incite public passion against the Baháʼís) started in 1955 and it included the spreading of anti-Baháʼí propaganda on national radio stations and in official newspapers.{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006}} During that campaign, initiated by Mulla Muhammad Taghi Falsafi, the Bahá'í center in Tehran was demolished at the orders of Tehran military governor, General [[Teymur Bakhtiar]].{{sfn|''The New York Times''|1955}} In the late 1970s the Shah's regime consistently lost legitimacy due to criticism that it was pro-Western. As the anti-Shah movement gained ground and support, revolutionary propaganda was spread which alleged that some of the Shah's advisors were Baháʼís.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=432}} Baháʼís were portrayed as economic threats, and as supporters of Israel and the West, and societal hostility against the Baháʼís increased.{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006}}{{sfn|Simpson|Shubart|1995|p=223}}

Since the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]] of 1979, Iranian Baháʼís have regularly had their homes ransacked or have been banned from attending university or from holding government jobs, and several hundred have received prison sentences for their religious beliefs, most recently for participating in study circles.{{sfn|International Federation of Human Rights|2003}} Baháʼí cemeteries have been desecrated and property has been seized and occasionally demolished, including the House of Mírzá Buzurg, Baháʼu'lláh's father.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}} The House of the Báb in [[Shiraz, Iran|Shiraz]], one of three sites to which Baháʼís perform pilgrimage, has been destroyed twice.{{sfn|Affolter|2005}}{{sfn|Netherlands Institute of Human Rights|2006}} In May 2018, the Iranian authorities expelled a young woman student from university of [[Isfahan]] because she was Baháʼí.{{sfn|Center for Human Rights in Iran|2018}} In March 2018, two more Baháʼí students were expelled from universities in the cities of [[Zanjan, Iran|Zanjan]] and [[Gilan Province|Gilan]] because of their religion.

According to a US panel, attacks on Baháʼís in Iran increased under [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]'s presidency.{{sfn|CNN|2008}}{{sfn|Sullivan|2009}} The [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] revealed an October 2005 confidential letter from Command Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Iran ordering its members to identify Baháʼís and to monitor their activities. Due to these actions, the [[Special Rapporteur (UN)|Special Rapporteur]] of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights stated on 20 March 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 Baháʼí 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."{{sfn|Jahangir|2006}}

On 14 May 2008, members of an informal body known as the "Friends" that oversaw the needs of the Baháʼí community in Iran were arrested and taken to [[Evin prison]].{{sfn|CNN|2008}}{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2008b}} The Friends court case has been postponed several times, but was finally underway on 12 January 2010.{{sfn|CNN|2010a}} Other observers were not allowed in the court. Even the defense lawyers, who for two years have had minimal access to the defendants, had difficulty entering the courtroom. The chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said that it seems that the government has already predetermined the outcome of the case and is violating international human rights law.{{sfn|CNN|2010a}} Further sessions were held on 7 February 2010,{{sfn|Washington TV|2010}} 12 April 2010{{sfn|Djavadi|2010}} and 12 June 2010.{{sfn|Radio Free Europe|2010}} On 11 August 2010 it became known that the court sentence was 20 years imprisonment for each of the seven prisoners{{sfn|Siegal|2010}} which was later reduced to ten years.{{sfn|CNN|2010b}} After the sentence, they were transferred to [[Gohardasht prison]].{{sfn|AFP|2011a}} In March 2011 the sentences were reinstated to the original 20 years.{{sfn|AFP|2011b}} On 3 January 2010, Iranian authorities detained ten more members of the Baha'i minority, reportedly including Leva Khanjani, granddaughter of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of seven Baha'i leaders jailed since 2008 and in February, they arrested his son, Niki Khanjani.{{sfn|The Jerusalem Post|2010}}

The Iranian government claims that the Baháʼí Faith is not a religion, but is instead a political organization, and hence refuses to recognize it as a minority religion.{{sfn|Kravetz|1982|p=237}} However, the government has never produced convincing evidence supporting its characterization of the Baháʼí community.{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2008|p=5}} The Iranian government also accuses the Baháʼí Faith of being associated with [[Zionism]].{{efn|A spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Argentina explained that the exclusion was prompted by the fact that the Bahá’ís were a "misguided group… whose affiliation and association with world Zionism is a clear fact" and who could not be "in the same category as minorities like the Christian, Jews and Zoroastrians."{{sfn|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006|p=22, n. 148}}}} These accusations against the Baháʼís appear to lack basis in historical fact,{{efn| The Iranian leader [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar]] banished Baháʼu'lláh from Iran to the Ottoman Empire, from where he was later exiled by the Ottoman Sultan, at the behest of the Iranian Shah to territories further from Iran and finally to [[Akka, Palestine|Akka]], which only a century later was incorporated into the state of [[Israel]].}}{{sfn|Simpson|Shubart|1995|p=223}}{{sfn|Tavakoli-Targhi|2008|p=200}} with some arguing they were invented by the Iranian government in order to use the Baháʼís as [[Scapegoating|scapegoats]].{{sfn|Freedman|2009}}

In 2019, the Iranian government made it impossible for the Baháʼís to legally register with the Iranian state. National identity card applications in Iran no longer include the "other religions" option effectively making the Baháʼí Faith unrecognized by the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/iran-id-card-rule-highlights-plight-of-bahai/a-52149974|title=ID card law in Iran highlights plight of Baha'i – DW – 01/25/2020|website=dw.com}}</ref>

=== Egypt ===
During the 1920s, Egypt's religious Tribunal recognized the Baha'i Faith as a new religion, independent from Islam, due to the nature of the 'laws, principles and beliefs' of the Baha'is.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Baháʼí institutions and community activities have been illegal under Egyptian law since 1960. All Baháʼí community properties, including Baháʼí centers, libraries, and cemeteries, have been confiscated by the government and [[fatwa]]s have been issued charging Baháʼís with [[apostasy]].{{sfn|International Religious Freedom Report|2013|loc=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=222287 Egypt]}}

The [[Egyptian identification card controversy]] began in the 1990s when the government modernized the electronic processing of [[identity documents]], which introduced a de facto requirement that documents must list the person's religion as Muslim, Christian, or Jewish (the only three religions officially recognized by the government). Consequently, Baháʼís were unable to obtain government identification documents (such as national identification cards, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage or divorce certificates, or passports) necessary to exercise their rights in their country unless they lied about their religion, which conflicts with Baháʼí religious principle. Without documents, they could not be employed, educated, treated in hospitals, travel outside of the country, or vote, among other hardships.{{sfn|Bigelow|2005}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} Following a protracted legal process culminating in a court ruling favorable to the Baháʼís, the interior minister of Egypt released a decree on 14 April 2009, amending the law to allow Egyptians who are not Muslim, Christian, or Jewish to obtain identification documents that list a dash in place of one of the three recognized religions.{{sfn|Baháʼí World News Service|2009a}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}} The first identification cards were issued to two Baháʼís under the new decree on 8 August 2009.{{sfn|Baháʼí World News Service|2009b}}{{better source needed|date=July 2022}}

=== Ottoman Empire ===
The Bahá'ís arrived in Acre, Palestine, in the 19th century, fleeing persecution. Ottoman authorities viewed Bahá'u'lláh as politically dangerous, which led to his exile to various locations within the Ottoman Empire, including Constantinople (Istanbul) and Adrianople (Edirne). After several exiles, Bahá'u'lláh finally arrived in Acre, where he lived under house arrest until his passing in 1892. His followers later established the Bahá'í Gardens and shrines in Haifa and Acre, both of which are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.<ref>[https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/official-statements-commentaries/bahaullah/4 Bahá'í Reference]</ref>

== See also ==
{{cols|colwidth=50em}}
* [[Baháʼí administration]]
* [[Baháʼí–Azali split]]
* [[Baháʼí cosmology]]
* [[Baháʼí Faith and gender equality]]
* [[Baháʼí Faith in fiction]]
* [[Baháʼí studies]]
* [[Baháʼí timeline]]
*[[Progressive revelation (Baháʼí)]]
* [[Baháʼí views on science]]
* [[Baháʼí World Centre buildings]]
* [[Criticism of the Baháʼí Faith]]
* [[Huqúqu'lláh]]
* [[List of Baháʼís]]
* [[List of writings of Baháʼu'lláh]]
* [[Outline of the Baháʼí Faith]]
* [[Terraces (Baháʼí)]]
* [[World Religion Day]]{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|24em}}

== References ==

=== Books ===
{{refbegin|24em|indent=yes}}
*{{Cite book |last=Abrahamian |first=Ervand |year=1982 |title=Iran Between Two Revolutions |isbn=0-691-10134-5 |publisher=Princeton Book Company Publishers |url=https://archive.org/details/iranbetweentwore00abra_0 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Adamson |first=Hugh C. |date=2009 |series=The A to Z Guide Series, No. 70 |title=The A to Z of the Baháʼí Faith |publisher=Scarecrow Press |place=Plymouth, UK |isbn=978-0-8108-6853-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/atozofbahaifaith0000adam |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Afnan |first=Elham |date=2022 |chapter=Ch. 39: Devotional Life |pages=479–487 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman |doi=10.4324/9780429027772-45|s2cid=244700641 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Akhavi |first=Shahrough |year=1980 |title=Religion and Politics in Contemporary Iran: Clergy-State Relations in the Pahlavi Period |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany, NY |isbn=0-87395-408-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/religionpolitics0000akha |pages=76–78 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |author=Baháʼí International Community |date=2005 |title=Closed Doors: Iran's Campaign to Deny Higher Education to Baháʼís |chapter=History of Baháʼí Educational Efforts in Iran |chapter-url=http://denial.bahai.org/003.php |access-date=10 May 2008 |archive-date=5 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205194849/http://denial.bahai.org/003.php |url-status=dead }}
*{{Cite book |last=Barrett |first=David V. |author-link=David V. Barrett |date=2001 |title=The New Believers: a survey of sects, cults, and alternative religions |publisher=Cassell & Co |location=London |isbn=1-84403-040-7 |ol=3999281M |url=https://archive.org/details/newbelieverssurv00barr |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |editor-last1=Daume |editor-first1=Daphne |editor-last2=Watson |editor-first2=Louise |year=1988 |title=1988 Britannica Book of the Year |url=https://archive.org/details/1988britannicabo0000daum |chapter=Religion (&) Bahá'í Faith |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |place=Chicago |isbn=0-85229-486-7 }}
*{{Cite book |editor-last1=Daume |editor-first1=Daphne |editor-last2=Watson |editor-first2=Louise |year=1992 |title=Britannica Book of the Year |chapter=The Baháʼí Faith |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |place=Chicago}}
*{{Cite book |last=Effendi |first=Shoghi |author-link=Shoghi Effendi |date=1944 |publication-date=1979 |title=God Passes By |publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust |place=Wilmette, IL |isbn=0-87743-020-9 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-9.html#gr26 }}
*{{Cite book |editor-last1=Gallagher |editor-first1=Eugene V. |editor-last2=Ashcraft |editor-first2=W. Michael |date=2006 |series=Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America |volume=4 |title=Asian Traditions |chapter=The Baháʼís of the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontone0000unse |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]] |location=Westport, Connecticut • London |isbn=978-0-275-98712-1 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Garlington |first=William |date=2008 |title=The Baha'i Faith in America |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |edition=Paperback |isbn=978-0-7425-6234-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/bahaifaithinamer0000garl |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |author-last=Hassall |author-first=Graham |year=2012 |chapter=The Bahá’í House of Worship: Localisation and Universal Form |editor1-last=Cusack |editor1-first=Carol |editor2-last=Norman |editor2-first=Alex |title=Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=4 |doi=10.1163/9789004226487_025 |pages=599–632 |isbn=978-90-04-22187-1 |issn=1874-6691}}
*{{Cite book |last=Hassal |first=Graham |date=2022 |chapter=Ch. 47: North East Asia |pages=581–590 |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-World-of-the-Bahai-Faith/Stockman/p/book/9781138367722# |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman }}
*{{Cite book |last=Hassall |first=Graham |date=2022 |chapter=Ch. 48: Oceania |pages=591–602 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman |doi=10.4324/9780429027772-55|s2cid=244697166 }}
*{{Cite book |last1=Hatcher |first1=W.S. |last2=Martin |first2=J.D. |year=1998 |title=The Baháʼí Faith: The Emerging Global Religion |publisher=Harper & Row |location=New York |isbn=0-06-065441-4 |url=https://bahai-library.com/hatcher_martin_global_religion }}
*{{Cite book |last=Hartz |first=Paula |date=2009 |title=World Religions: Baha'i Faith |edition=3rd |url=https://bahai-library.com/hartz_bahai_faith |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-60413-104-8 }}
*{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Todd M. |last2=Grim |first2=Brian J. |date=26 March 2013 |title=The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography |chapter=Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |pages=59–62 |chapter-url={{Google books|CkFVF8nFiqkC |page=59 |plainurl=yes}} |doi=10.1002/9781118555767.ch1 |isbn=978-1-118-55576-7 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Kravetz |first=Marc |year=1982 |title=Irano nox |publisher=Grasset |isbn=2-246-24851-5 |location=Paris |page=237 |language=fr |url=https://archive.org/details/iranonox0000krav |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=MacEoin |first=Denis |author-link=Denis MacEoin |date=2009 |title=The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-17035-3 |doi=10.1163/ej.9789004170353.i-740}}
*{{Cite book |last=McMullen |first=Michael D. |year=2000 |title=The Baha'i: The Religious Construction of a Global Identity |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |location=Atlanta, GA |isbn=0-8135-2836-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/bahaireligiousco0000mcmu |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |first=Mike |last=McMullen |title=The Baháʼís of America: The Growth of a Religious Movement |date=2015 |url=https://archive.org/details/bahaisofamericag0000mcmu |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-1-4798-5152-2 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link=Moojan Momen |editor-last=Partridge |editor-first=Christopher H. |year=2007 |title=New Lion Handbook: The World's Religions |contribution=The Baháʼí Faith |edition=3rd |publisher=Lion Hudson Plc |place=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-7459-5266-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/worldsreligionsn0000unse |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Momen |first=Wendi |date=2022 |chapter=Ch. 31: Marriage and family life |pages=371–383 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman |doi=10.4324/9780429027772-36|s2cid=244697438 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Nash |first=Geoffrey |title=Iran's secret pogrom: The conspiracy to wipe out the Bahaʼis |publisher=Neville Spearman Limited |location=Sudbury, Suffolk |year=1982 |isbn=0-85435-005-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/iranssecretpogro0000nash |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Sanasarian |first=Eliz |title=Religious Minorities in Iran |location=Cambridge, UK |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |pages=52–53 |isbn=0-521-77073-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780521770736 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |editor-last=Park |editor-first=Ken |year=2004 |title=World Almanac and Book of Facts |publisher=World Almanac Books |location=New York |isbn=0-88687-910-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/2004worldalmanacbook00newy |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last1=Simpson |first1=John |last2=Shubart |first2=Tira |title=Lifting the Veil |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton General Division |location=London |year=1995 |isbn=0-340-62814-6 |page=223 |url=https://archive.org/details/liftingveillifei0000simp_g2v6 |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter |year=2008 |title=An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-86251-6 |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7zdDFTzNr0C }}
*{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Smith (historian) |date=2022a |chapter=Ch. 41: The History of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths |pages=501–512 |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-World-of-the-Bahai-Faith/Stockman/p/book/9781138367722# |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |doi=10.4324/9780429027772-48 |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |s2cid=244705793 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman }}
*{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Smith (historian) |date=2022b |chapter=Ch. 50: Southeast Asia |pages=614–621 |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-World-of-the-Bahai-Faith/Stockman/p/book/9781138367722# |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman }}
*{{Cite book |last=Stausberg |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Stausberg |date=2011 |title=Religion and Tourism: Crossroads, Destinations, and Encounters |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-0-415-54931-8}}
*{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Stockman |date=2013 |title=Baháʼí Faith: A Guide For The Perplexed |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-4411-8781-9}}
*{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert H. |author-link=Robert Stockman |date=July 2020 |title=The Bahá'í Faith, Violence, and Non-Violence |publisher=Cambridge University Press |series=Cambridge Elements; Religion and Violence |editor1=James R. Lewis |editor2=Margo Kitts |location=Cambridge, UK |doi=10.1017/9781108613446 |oclc=1173507653 |isbn=978-1-108-61344-6 |s2cid=225389995}}
*{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Stockman |date=2022a |chapter=Ch. 45: Latin America and the Caribbean |pages=557–568 |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-World-of-the-Bahai-Faith/Stockman/p/book/9781138367722# |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman }}
*{{Cite book |last=Stockman |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Stockman |date=2022b |chapter=Ch. 46: North America |pages=569–580 |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-World-of-the-Bahai-Faith/Stockman/p/book/9781138367722# |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman }}
*{{Cite book |last=Taherzadeh |first=Adib |author-link=Adib Taherzadeh |year=1987 |title=The Revelation of Baháʼu'lláh, Volume 4: Mazra'ih & Bahji 1877–92 |publisher=George Ronald |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=0-85398-270-8 |page=125 |url=http://www.peyman.info/cl/Baha%27i/Others/ROB/V4/p118-144Ch08.html#p125 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Tavakoli-Targhi |first=Mohamad |editor-last1=Brookshaw |editor-first1=Dominic P. |author-link=Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi |editor2-last=Fazel |editor2-first=Seena B. |year=2008 |title=The Baha'is of Iran: Socio-historical studies |chapter=Anti-Baha'ism and Islamism in Iran |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-203-00280-3}}
*{{Cite book |last=Van der Vyer |first=J.D. |year=1996 |title=Religious human rights in global perspective: religious perspectives |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=90-411-0176-4 |page=449 |url=https://archive.org/details/religioushumanri0000unse |url-access=registration }}
*{{Cite book |last=Warburg |first=Margit |author-link=Margit Warburg |date=2001 |title=Baha'i |series=Studies in Contemporary Religions |editor-last=Introvigne |publisher=Signature Books |location=US}}
*{{Cite book |last=Warburg |first=Margit |author-link=Margit Warburg |date=2006 |title=Citizens of the world: a history and sociology of the Bahaʹis from a globalisation perspective |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-474-0746-1 |location=Leiden |oclc=234309958}}
*{{Cite book |last=Yazdani |first=Mina |date=2022 |chapter=Ch. 7: The Writings and Utterances of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá |pages=88–104 |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Oxfordshire, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |editor-last=Stockman |editor-first=Robert H. |editor-link=Robert Stockman |doi=10.4324/9780429027772-9|s2cid=244689327 }}
{{refend}}

=== Encyclopedias ===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
*'''Iranica'''
**{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Multiple Authors |title=Bahaism |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |date=15 December 1988 |volume=III |issue=4–5 |pages=438–475 |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahaism-index |access-date=11 January 2021 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Bahaism|1988}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Cole |first=Juan |author-link=Juan Cole |date=15 December 1988 |publication-date=23 August 2011 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |article=BAHAISM i. The Faith |volume=III |issue=4 |pages=438–446 |article-url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahaism-i |access-date=30 December 2012 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-The Faith|1988}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Cole |first=Juan |author-link=Juan Cole |date=15 December 1988 |publication-date=23 August 2011 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |article=BAHĀʾ-ALLĀH |volume=III |issue=4 |pages=422–429 |article-url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/baha-allah |access-date=30 December 2012 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Baha'-Allah|1988}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last=MacEoin |first=Denis |author-link=Denis MacEoin |date=15 December 1988 |publication-date=23 August 2011 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |article=BAHAISM iii. Bahai and Babi Schisms |volume=III |issue=4–5 |article-url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahaism-iii |pages=447–449 |issn=2330-4804 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Bahai and Babi Schisms|1988}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link=Moojan Momen |date=1989 |article=BAYT-AL-ʿADL (House of Justice) |article-url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/bayt-al-adl-house-of-justice-a-bahai-administrative-institution |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |volume=IV |issue=1 |pages=12–14 |issn=2330-4804 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Bayt-al-'adl|1989}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link=Moojan Momen |year=2010 |article=Mašreq al-Aḏkār |article-url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mashreq-adkar |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Mašreq al-Aḏkār|2010}}}}
**{{cite encyclopedia |last=Negahban |first=Ezzatollah |year=2020 |article=BURIAL i. Pre-Historic Burial Sites |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |volume=IV |issue=5 |article-url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/burial-i |access-date=August 24, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Burial|2020}}}}
**{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Rafati |first1=V. |last2=Sahba |first2=F. |author2-link=Fariborz Sahba |year=1988 |article=BAHAISM ix. Bahai temples |article-url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/bahaism-ix |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |volume=III |issue=5 |pages=465–467 |ref={{sfnref|Iranica-Bahai-temples|1988}}}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Barrett |editor-first=David B. |date=1982 |editor-link=David B. Barrett |title=Global Adherents of all religions |encyclopedia=[[World Christian Encyclopedia]]: A comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world |edition=1st |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Nairobi |ref={{sfnref|World Christian Encyclopedia|1982}}}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Barrett |first1=David B. |author-link=David B. Barrett |last2=Kurian |first2=George T. |last3=Johnson |first3=Todd M. |year=2001 |title=World Summary |encyclopedia=[[World Christian Encyclopedia]]: A comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |ref={{sfnref|World Christian Encyclopedia|2001}}}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Clarke |editor-first=Peter B. |date=2006 |title=Baha'i |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements |publisher=Routledge |location=London and New York |isbn=978-0-415-26707-6 |pages=56}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Hutter |first=Manfred |year=2005 |contribution=Bahā'īs |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Lindsay |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Religion |edition=2nd |publisher=Macmillan Reference US |volume=2 |place=Detroit, MI |isbn=0-02-865733-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofre0000unse_v8f2/page/737 737–740] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofre0000unse_v8f2/page/737}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Momen |first=Moojan| author-link=Moojan Momen |date=1994a |title=Turkmenistan |encyclopedia=draft "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith" |url=https://www.momen.org/relstud/turkmnst.htm |access-date=Jul 28, 2022}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link=Moojan Momen |date=1994b |title=Iran: History of the Baháʼí Faith |encyclopedia=draft "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith" |publisher=Baháʼí Library Online |url=http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_iran#9.%20Social%20and%20economic%20development |access-date=16 October 2009}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Momen |first=Moojan |title=Baha'i |author-link=Moojan Momen |date=2011 |chapter=Bahaʼi |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |editor1=Juergensmeyer |editor2=Roof |publisher=Sage Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-2729-7 |doi=10.4135/9781412997898.n61}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Smith |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Smith (historian) |year=2000 |title=A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith |publisher=Oneworld Publications |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=1-85168-184-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yhy9DwAAQBAJ}}

{{refend}}

=== Journals ===
{{refbegin|24em|indent=yes}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Affolter |first=Friedrich W. |date=January 2005 |title=The Specter of Ideological Genocide: The Baháʼís of Iran |journal=War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes Against Humanity |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=75–114 |url=http://www.altoona.psu.edu/journals/war-crimes/articles/V1/v1n1a3.pdf |access-date=31 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722083412/http://www.altoona.psu.edu/journals/war-crimes/articles/V1/v1n1a3.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2012}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Berry |first=Adam |date=2004 |title=THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY, AND JUDAISM: A BRIEF HISTORY |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41887188 |journal=International Social Science Review |volume=79 |issue=3/4 |pages=137–151 |jstor=41887188 |issn=0278-2308}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Cole |first=Juan |author-link=Juan Cole |year=1982 |title=The Concept of Manifestation in the Baháʼí Writings |journal=Journal of Bahá'í Studies |volume=9 |pages=1–38 |url=http://bahai-library.com/cole_concept_manifestation}}
*{{Cite journal |last1=Fozdar |first1=Farida |title=The Baha'i Faith: A Case Study in Globalization, Mobility and the Routinization of Charisma |journal=Journal for the Academic Study of Religion |date=2015 |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=274–292 |doi=10.1558/jasr.v28i3.28431}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Hatcher |first=John S. |year=2005 |title=Unveiling the Hurí of Love |journal=Journal of Bahá'í Studies |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=1–38|doi=10.31581/jbs-15.1-4.1(2005) |doi-access=free }}
*{{Cite journal |last=Kingdon |first=Geeta Gandhi |year=1997 |title=Education of women and socio-economic development |journal=Baháʼí Studies Review |volume=7 |issue=1 |url=http://bahai-library.com/kingdon_education_women_development}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Schaefer |first=Udo |title=An Introduction to Bahā'ī Law: Doctrinal Foundations, Principles and Structures |journal=Journal of Law and Religion |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=307–72 |date=2002 |jstor=1602268 |doi=10.2307/1602268 |s2cid=154511808}}
*{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter Smith (historian) |year=2016 |title=Babi–Baha'i Expansion and "Geo-Cultural Breakthroughs" |volume=40 |issue=2 |journal=Journal of Religious History |pages=225–236 |doi=10.1111/1467-9809.12280}}
*{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |author1-link=Peter Smith (historian) |last2=Momen |first2=Moojan |author2-link=Moojan Momen |year=1989 |title=The Baha'i Faith 1957–1988: A Survey of Contemporary Developments |url=http://bahai-library.com/momen_smith_developments_1957-1988 |volume=19 |issue=1 |journal=Religion |pages=63–91 |doi=10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8}}
*{{Cite journal |author=Universal House of Justice |date=September 2002 |access-date=20 March 2007 |title=Numbers and Classifications of Sacred Writings & Texts |journal=Lights of Irfan |volume=10 |pages=349–350 |location=Wilmette, IL |publisher=Irfan Colloquia |url=http://bahai-library.com/uhj_numbers_sacred_writings}}

{{refend}}

=== News media ===
{{refbegin|24em|indent=yes}}
*{{Cite news |author=A.V. |date=20 April 2017 |title=The Economist explains: The Bahai faith |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/04/economist-explains-7 |access-date=23 April 2017 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501161938/https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/04/economist-explains-7 |archive-date=2017-05-01 |url-status=live}}
*{{Cite news |agency=AFP |date=16 February 2011 |title=Families fear for Bahais jailed in Iran |ref={{sfnRef|AFP|2011a}}}}
*{{Cite news |agency=AFP |date=31 March 2011 |title=US 'troubled' by Bahai reports from Iran |ref={{sfnRef|AFP|2011b}}}}
*{{Cite news |author=Baháʼí World News Service |title=How many Baháʼís are there? |publisher=Baháʼí International Community |date=1992 |magazine=The Baháʼís |page=14 |url=http://www.bahai.com/thebahais/pg14.htm |archive-date=17 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717184758/https://bahai.com/thebahais/pg14.htm}}
*{{Cite news |author=Baháʼí World News Service |date=8 September 2000 |title=Baha'i United Nations Representative addresses world leaders at Millennium Summit |url=https://news.bahai.org/story/62/ |access-date=21 October 2021}}
*{{Cite news |author=Baháʼí World News Service |date=17 April 2009 |title=Egypt officially changes rules for ID cards |publisher=Baháʼí International Community |url=http://news.bahai.org/story/707 |access-date=16 June 2009 |ref={{sfnRef|Baháʼí World News Service|2009a}}}}
*{{Cite news |author=Baháʼí World News Service |date=14 August 2009 |title=First identification cards issued to Egyptian Baháʼís using a "dash" instead of religion |url=http://news.bahai.org/story/726 |access-date=16 August 2009 |ref={{sfnRef|Baháʼí World News Service|2009b}}}}
*{{Cite news |author=Baháʼí World News Service |url=http://news.bahai.org/story/1163 |title=Ominous wave of Yemen arrests raises alarm |date=21 April 2017}}
*{{Cite news |agency=CNN |date=16 May 2008 |title=Iran's arrest of Baha'is condemned |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/16/iran.bahais/ |access-date=4 February 2018 |ref={{sfnRef|CNN|2008}}}}
*{{Cite news |agency=CNN |date=12 January 2010a |title=Trial underway for Baha'i leaders in Iran |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/12/Iran.bahai.trial/ |access-date=4 February 2018 |ref={{sfnRef|CNN|2010a}}}}
*{{Cite news |agency=CNN |date=16 September 2010b |title=Sentences for Iran's Baha'i leaders reportedly reduced |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/16/iran.bahai.sentences/index.html |access-date=25 September 2013 |ref={{sfnRef|CNN|2010b}}}}
*{{Cite news |last=Djavadi |first=Abbas |date=8 April 2010 |title=A Trial in Tehran: Their Only 'Crime' – Their Faith |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/A_Trial_In_Tehran_Their_Only_Crime__Their_Faith/2006448.html}}
*{{Cite news |last=Freedman |first=Samuel G. |author-link=Samuel G. Freedman |date=26 June 2009 |title=For Bahais, a Crackdown Is Old News |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/27religion.html}}
*{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/05/24/83358481.html?zoom=14.63 |title=Iran Razing Dome of Bahai Temple |date=24 May 1955 |newspaper=The New York Times |ref={{sfnRef|''The New York Times''|1955}}}}
*{{Cite news |last=Siegal |first=Daniel |date=11 August 2010 |title=Court sentences leaders of Bahai faith to 20 years in prison |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/08/iran-court-sentences-leaders-of-bahai-faith-to-20-years-in-prison.html}}
*{{Cite news |author=<!-- Staff writer --> |date=14 February 2010 |title=Iran detains 5 more Baha'i |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Iran-detains-5-more-Bahai |access-date=25 September 2013 |ref={{sfnRef|The Jerusalem Post|2010}}}}
*{{Cite news |author=<!-- Staff writer --> |date=3 June 2010 |title=Iran Baha'i Leaders Scheduled in Court on Election Anniversary |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Bahai_Leaders_Scheduled_In_Court_On_Election_Anniversary/2061066.html |ref={{sfnRef|Radio Free Europe|2010}}}}
*{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Amy |date=8 December 2009 |title=Banning the Baha'i |newspaper=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944604_1944622,00.html |access-date=23 February 2012}}
*{{Cite news |author=Washington TV |date=20 January 2010 |title=Date set for second court session for seven Baha'is in Iran |url=http://news.kodoom.com/en/iran-politics/date-set-for-second-court-session/story/699231/ |access-date=21 January 2010}}

{{refend}}

=== Other ===
{{refbegin|24em|indent=yes}}
*{{Cite web |author=Association of Religion Data Archives |year=2010 |title=Most Baha'i Nations (2010) |url=http://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427001103/https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |access-date=14 August 2022}}
*{{Cite web |author=Baháʼí Office of Social and Economic Development |date=2018 |access-date=3 May 2018 |title=For the Betterment of the World: The Worldwide Baháʼí Community's Approach to Social and Economic Development |url=http://www.bahai.org/documents/osed/betterment-world.pdf?a28125bc }}
*{{Cite press release |publisher=Baháʼí International Community |date=6 June 2000 |title=History of Active Cooperation with the United Nations |url=http://www.bic.org/statements/bahai-international-community-history-active-cooperation-united-nations |access-date=25 September 2013 |ref={{sfnRef|Baháʼí International Community|2000}}}}
*{{Cite speech |last=Bigelow |first=Kit |date=16 November 2005 |access-date=29 December 2006 |title=Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States |event=Congressional Human Rights Caucus, House of Representatives |url=http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human+Rights+Caucus/Briefing+Testimonies/11-17-05+Testimony+of+Kit+Bigelow+Egypt+Briefing.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227195313/http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human%2BRights%2BCaucus/Briefing%2BTestimonies/11-17-05%2BTestimony%2Bof%2BKit%2BBigelow%2BEgypt%2BBriefing.htm |archive-date=27 December 2006 |url-status=dead }}
*{{Cite web |title=Woman Expelled From Iranian University Just Before Obtaining Degree Because She's Baha'i |url=https://iranhumanrights.org/2018/07/woman-expelled-from-iranian-university-just-before-obtaining-degree-because-shes-bahai/ |website=Center for Human Rights in Iran |access-date=23 August 2018 |date=29 July 2018 |ref={{sfnRef|Center for Human Rights in Iran|2018}}}}
*{{Cite book |year=2017 |contribution=Baha'i |title=Dictionary.com Unabridged |edition=4th |publisher=Random House, Inc. |url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bahai |ref={{sfnRef|Dictionary.com|2017}}}}
*{{Cite web |author=International Federation of Human Rights |date=August 2003 |title=Discrimination against religious minorities in Iran |publisher=FIDH |location=Paris |access-date=20 October 2006 |url=http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ir0108a.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031221624/http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ir0108a.pdf|archive-date=31 October 2006 |url-status=live}}
*{{Cite web |author=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |date=2013 |title=International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 |access-date=24 April 2015|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |ref={{sfnRef|International Religious Freedom Report|2013}}}}
*{{Cite report| editor-last = Hackett| editor-first = Conrad| editor-last2 = Grim| editor-first2 =Brian J. | title = The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010| pages = 53–56 <!-- many other pages report various specific examples across many religions -->| publisher = Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life |via=Boston College| date = Dec 2012| url = https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/jesinst/pdf/Grim-globalReligion-full.pdf| access-date =Aug 16, 2022|ref={{sfnRef|Pew Global Religious Landscape|2012}}}}
*{{Cite report |publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center |date=December 2006 |title=A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Baha'is of Iran |access-date=1 May 2007 |url=http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/A-Faith-Denied_Dec06.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618202441/http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/A-Faith-Denied_Dec06.pdf |archive-date=2009-06-18 |ref={{sfnRef|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2006}}}}
*{{Cite press release |publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center |date=15 May 2008b |title=IHRDC Condemns the Arrest of Leading Bahá'ís |url=http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/PressReleases/2008/Press-05-15-08.pdf |access-date=17 May 2008 |ref={{sfnRef|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2008b}} |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902191009/http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/PressReleases/2008/Press-05-15-08.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2010}}
*{{Cite report |publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center |date=November 2008 |title=Crimes Against Humanity: The Islamic Republic's Attacks on the Baháʼís |location=New Haven, CN |ref={{sfnRef|Iran Human Rights Documentation Center|2008}} |url=http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/Crimes-against-Humanity_Nov08.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902192809/http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/Crimes-against-Humanity_Nov08.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2010}}
*{{Cite web |last=Jahangir |first=Asma |publisher=United Nations |title=Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion or belief concerned about treatment of followers of Baháʼí Faith in Iran |date=20 March 2006 |access-date=1 June 2006 |url=http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/5E72D6B7B624AABBC125713700572D09?opendocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426122357/http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/5E72D6B7B624AABBC125713700572D09?opendocument |archive-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=live}}
*{{Cite thesis |last=Lundberg |first=Zaid |date=2005 |type=Master of Arts thesis |title=Baha'i Apocalypticism: The Concept of Progressive Revelation |chapter=The Concept of Progressive Revelation |chapter-url=http://bahai-library.com/lundberg_bahai_apocalypticism |access-date=1 May 2007 |publisher=Department of History of Religion at the Faculty of Theology, Lund University, Sweden}}
*{{Cite web |author=Netherlands Institute of Human Rights |date=8 March 2006 |access-date=31 May 2006 |title=Iran, Islamic Republic of |url=http://sim.law.uu.nl/SIM/CaseLaw/uncom.nsf/0/e7b8824bdd987268c1256fa8004a8753?OpenDocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502110349/http://sim.law.uu.nl/SIM/CaseLaw/uncom.nsf/0/e7b8824bdd987268c1256fa8004a8753?OpenDocument |archive-date=2 May 2006 |url-status=dead }}

{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Various authors (2025). ''[https://bahai-library.com/bahaiworld_elements_spiritual_endeavor Elements of a Global Spiritual Endeavor (1996 - 2021)]'', in Bahá'í World, Volume 35 (2006-2021).
* {{Cite book |last=Hartz |first=Paula |date=2009 |title=World Religions: Baha'i Faith |edition=3rd |url=https://bahai-library.com/hartz_bahai_faith |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-60413-104-8 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=McMullen |first=Mike |title=The Bahá’ís of America: The Growth of a Religious Movement |year=2015 |isbn=9781479828685 |url=https://opensquare.nyupress.org/books/9781479809714/ |publisher=New York University Press |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |editor1-last=Stockman |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-link=Robert Stockman |title=The World of the Bahá'í Faith |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, UK |isbn=978-1-138-36772-2 |doi=10.4324/9780429027772 |s2cid=244692979 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Warburg |first=Margit |author-link=Margit Warburg |date=2006 |title=Citizens of the world: a history and sociology of the Bahaʹis from a globalisation perspective |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-474-0746-1 |location=Leiden |oclc=234309958 |ref=none}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|d=Q22679|species=no|voy=no|wikt=Bahá'í Faith|n=Category:Baha'i|s=Portal:Bahá'í Faith|m=no|mw=no}}
*[https://www.bahai.org/ bahai.org] – The website of the worldwide Bahá’í community
**[https://media.bahai.org/ Bahá’í Media Bank] – Photographs for download
**[https://www.bahai.org/library/ Bahá’í Reference Library] – Online source of Authoritative Bahá’í writings in English, Farsi, and Arabic
*[https://www.bahai-library.com/ Bahá’í Library Online]
*[https://opb.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/awr09.socst.world.glob.bahai/bahai/ Baha'i] – Video at PBS Learning Media

*[https://curlie.org/en/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Baha'ism/Bah%C3%A1'%C3%AD_Faith_-_Universal_House_of_Justice%252C_Haifa/ Bahá'í links] at the [[Curlie]] directory.
{{Baháʼí|state=expanded}}
{{Religion topics|state=collapsed}}
{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baha'i Faith}}
[[Category:Bahá'í Faith| ]] 	
[[Category:Abrahamic religions]]
[[Category:Iranian religions]]
[[Category:Monotheistic religions]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 19th century]]