Talk:Baháʼí Faith

5-8 million or 8 million?

Completely Random Guy, thanks for contributing. I disagree with the change in numbers in the lead. I built most of the page Baháʼí Faith by country and I've been through all the sources. There is a lot of nuance to the numbers, and the 8 million number came from the Baha'i World Centre, based on "information received from Baháʼí communities across the world, and on reputable external sources". As with any religious movement, there is a wide variation in levels of adherence. If you count those that are actively participating in community life, it's probably 3 million (my guess, based off Warburg's 2001 estimate), if you count those that are self-professing Baha'is, it's probably 5 million, and by the loosest standard (used by World Christian Encyclopedia and others), it's probably 8 million.

The lead has to be very concise, so "5-8 million" seems to capture the spirit of it without having to use qualifiers like "active". Cuñado ☼ - Talk 19:16, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

I agree. WP:Verifiability not WP:Truth. If there is a discrepancy in the sources, it can be fleshed out in the main body of the article. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 09:47, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Hey there! So I changed the numbers due to the Baháʼí Faith by country Wikipage, where it states that in 1965 there were over a million practicers, in 1991 5 million, and in 2020 8 million. I understand this to be a solid increase over time of practicers of the faith. I thought we were combining 1991 numbers and 2020 numbers to give a rough estimate. I would be okay with putting 5-8 million, not a problem, I just thought the more specific the better.

Completely Random Guy (talk) 02:35, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

"Haifan Baháʼís" listed at Redirects for discussion

File:Information.svg The redirect Haifan Baháʼís has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Template:Slink until a consensus is reached. Smkolins (talk) 21:46, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

"Haifan Baháʼí Faith" listed at Redirects for discussion

File:Information.svg The redirect Haifan Baháʼí Faith has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Template:Slink until a consensus is reached. Smkolins (talk) 21:47, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

Women and religion

Wikipedia has a page on "Women and religion" which has no mention of the Baha'i Faith despite the strong positive position on the subject. The page "Baháʼí Faith and gender equality" seems to cover the issue. Could someone put a link/reference on the "Women and religion" page? Adm (talk) 14:41, 1 March 2025 (UTC)

Bahá'u'lláh section needs editing

I believe that the section introducing Bahá'u'lláh needs to be changed because it does not provide an overview of Bahá'u'lláh himself. I have made a start at editing it (see below). I still need to get a few more sources and citations, but I think this fits better as an introduction to Baháʼu'lláh. You can see the full text with citations in my sandbox User:TwoEdits99/sandbox but I paste the text below as well. What do other editors think?

"Mírzá Husayn ʻAlí Núrí, who later took the title of Baháʼu'lláh (meaning "the Glory of God") was born in Tehran, Iran in 1817. Baháʼu'lláh is regarded as being the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. As a young adult, Baháʼu'lláh became a follower of the Báb after hearing about the Báb's message from Mullá Husayn Bushrú'í. As a follower of the Báb, Baháʼu'lláh, along with many other Bábí's (as followers of the Báb are called) faced persecution in Iran from the ruling and religious authorities, including a four month imprisonment in the Siyáh Chál (the "Black Pit") in 1852, a notorious underground dungeon in Tehran. This imprisonment came after a failed assassination attempt against the Shah, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, by a few Bábís. Baháʼu'lláh was not involved in the assassination attempt. In the Siyáh Chál, Baháʼu'lláh had a spiritual experience which he designates as being the start of his religious mission.

Baháʼu'lláh was released from the Siyáh Chál after four months on the condition that he leaves Iran. In 1853, Baháʼu'lláh arrived in Baghdad, Iraq, where he spent the next ten years of his life before being banished further to Constantinople (now Istanbul) by the Ottoman Sultan. After a few months, Baháʼu'lláh was further exiled to Adrianople (now Edirne), where he remained for four years, until a royal decree of 1868 banished all Bábís to either Cyprus or ʻAkká, Israel. Baháʼu'lláh was sent to ʻAkká. Before his banishment to Constantinople, Baháʼu'lláh announced his claim of prophethood to his family and followers in a garden on the banks of the river Tigris in 1863. Bahá'ís regard this as being the founding moment of the Bahá'í Faith. This period of time is celebrated annually by Bahá'ís as the Festival of Ridván.

Baháʼu'lláh spent the remainder of his life in, and then near, the penal colony of ʻAkká. After an initially strict and harsh confinement in the citadel of ʻAkká, he was allowed to live in a home near ʻAkká, while still officially a prisoner of that city. He died there in 1892. Baháʼís regard his resting place at Bahjí as the Qiblih to which they turn in prayer each day. Baháʼu'lláh appointed his eldest son, 'Abbás Effendi, as his successor as head of the Bahá'í Faith.

Baháʼu'lláh produced almost 20,000 distinct works in his lifetime totalling over seven million words, in both Arabic and Persian, of which only 8% have been translated into English. Some of his writings include the Hidden Words, the Seven Valleys, the Kitáb-í-Íqán (the Book of Certitude), and the Kitáb-í-Áqdas. During the period while he was in Adrianople, Baháʼu'lláh also wrote letters to the world's religious and secular rulers, including Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III, and Queen Victoria. Most of Baháʼu'lláh's original works, or at least reliable transcriptions, have been preserved and are kept at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel." TwoEdits99 (talk) 19:14, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Thanks @TwoEdits99 for your proposal, I agree with it. I'd suggest expanding it a bit to cover some of the major themes in the writings of Baha'u'llah, e.g. the oneness of humanity and religions, progressive revelation, equality of sexes, non-violence, peace etc. Tarikhejtemai (talk) 18:58, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for your reply @Tarikhejtemai, and that's a good idea regarding the themes. I will update my draft and try to include some of the themes. Do you have references for those? I can otherwise try to find some myself. TwoEdits99 (talk) 20:40, 11 June 2025 (UTC)

@TwoEdits99 I think the World of the Baha'i Faith, Introduction to the Baha'i Faith and this book are good references for those; thanks. Tarikhejtemai (talk) 12:44, 14 June 2025 (UTC)