Lesson 2: The Life Of Baha'u'llah
This section will walk through the mission of Baha'u'llah as a prophet. It will speak about His 40 years of exile, the several Tablets He wrote during His life, and what His main purpose was.
To deepen your understanding, please pick up your copy of Refresh and Gladden My Spirit, and read the passages dealing with the writings of Baha'u'llah. Please use the topic index for your research.
Baha'u'llah's Station and Journeys
Baha'u'llah was the prophet founder of the Bahai Faith. His title means "Glory of God". He was born in Tehran, Iran in 1817 by the name of Husayn Ali. His father was a government official, which Baha'u'llah rejected the position of later on in his life. Husayn Ali married in 1835 Navvab, who gave him three children.
In 1844, Baha'u'llah became a leading Babi, believing fully in the Bab's message. He was a leading figure at the Conference of Badasht. He also attempted to join the massacre at Fort Tabarsi, but was arrested and bastinadoed. This was a famous way of torture during that time, where the one being persecuted was whipped on their bare feet.
In 1851-52, Baha'u'llah was appointed as the main Babi leader. Soon after, the attempt on the life of the Shah occurred, and Baha'u'llah was thrown into the Siyah Chal. This dungeon never saw daylight, smelled of the mens' filth, and chains were worn around their neck and wrists. These chains were so tight and heavy that they left scars on the men for the rest of their lives. It was in this prison that he received his message from the Angel Gabriel that he was the Promised One that the Bab had spoken of.
After four months of imprisonment, Baha'u'llah was able to leave but was banished from Iran. He left in January of 1853. His family, including his two eldest children and brothers journeyed by foot over the mountains in the coldest part of winter. They reached Baghdad, Iraq in April of 1853. He only stayed in Baghdad for a very short time before he left to the mountains of Kurdistan. He stayed away from all of society and even his family for over two years. When he came back, the Babis were divided and dispirited. He began to work on reuniting them, and became their spiritual leader. He stayed here until 1863, when he was once again asked to leave to Istanbul.
Before his departure, he stayed for twelve days with the believers outside of Baghdad in a garden in which he named Ridvan (meaning Paradise). It is here that he announced to some of the devoted Babi followers that he was the promised one which the Bab was speaking of. He wrote tablets and spoke with guidance towards the disciples on his mission and theirs. He then bade them farewell and departed with his family and over seventy others to Istanbul. As soon as he was received here, he became an exile in the land by orders of the Iranian ambassador, Mirza Husayn Khan. He remained in this exile for four years.
During this time, Mirza Husayn Khan became jealous and afraid of Baha'u'llah's message. He and a former Babi who had become jealous of Baha'u'llah's position began to plot to kill him. This was the same Babi who had led the attack on the Shah, and who had acquired authority over The Babis when Baha'u'llah was in isolation in the mountains. The two leaders first tried to poison him. Baha'u'llah became very sick, and the effects of the poison never wore off. His hair grew white and his hand would constantly shake.
In 1866, Baha'u'llah publicly announced that he was the one The Bab had been speaking of. The people who had believed in him changed from Babis to Bahais, which means "the people of God". He then left the believers for two months, which is now known to Bahais as The Great Separation.
During this time, he told them they had a choice of whether to follow him, or to follow the one who had assumed leadership while Baha'u'llah was in the mountains of Kurdistan. Most all chose Baha'u'llah, thus beginning the Bahai Faith and beginning a new phase for the Bahais. During this time, there were many writings from Baha'u'llah to religious leaders and the Bahais. Because of the growing fame in the Faith, and the realization that Baha'u'llah was proclaiming a new religion, he was exiled once again in July of 1868. Baha'u'llah's property was confiscated in Baghdad and any Bahais or Babis were arrested and exiled.
Baha'u'llah was then exiled to Akka, Israel. (It was then part of Syria.) They were taken by sea to Egypt then up to Akka. Sixty-seven members traveled with Baha'u'llah, including his family, servants, brothers, and Bahais. They were imprisoned in what is known today as the Most Great Prison. Akka itself was a prison city: it's main building overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. He was once again put in chains and in filthy living conditions. Immediately, some members of the Faith became ill and died from the condition. One of the other deaths was Baha'u'llah's son, Mirza Mihdi.
Two years later, the Bahais were allowed to leave the barracks, but not the city. He was confined until 1876. At this time, the Sultan was overthrown and Baha'u'llah was able to leave his prison. He first moved to the mansion of Mazra'ih and then to Bahji in 1879. He stayed here for the rest of his life, but frequently visited Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. He died in Bahji on May 29, 1892 at the age of seventy-four.
