The ManicaPost
Flora Teckie
October 19 was the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’ís of Zimbabwe joined the Bahá’í communities all over the world to celebrate this event.
Baha’is recognise Baha’u’llah as the divine educator who has come to inaugurate a new age of peace and justice for humanity. Bahá’u’lláh — meaning the “Glory of God” — was born in 1817.
From an early age, he showed extraordinary qualities and became renowned for his knowledge and insight, although he had not attended any school.
It was not his knowledge alone which attracted the people to him. His loving nature and modesty won the hearts of all who knew him. As he grew up, he became known as the defender of the oppressed and the refuge of the poor.
Though he was brought up in riches and comfort, he showed no attachment to the material things around him and gave of his wealth freely to the needy.
In 1863, Bahá’u’lláh announced that he was the bearer of a new revelation from God that would bring unity to the people of the world. During His Ministry, thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. These form the Sacred Scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith.
In His writings, Bahá’u’lláh outlined a framework for the reconstruction of human society at all levels. His writings cover a vast range of subjects such as the oneness of humanity, racial integration, the equality of men and women, harmony of science and religion — to those questions that affect the innermost life of the human soul.
The central theme of Baha’u’llah’s writings is the principle of the oneness of humanity, as one finds in his writings statements such as these: “The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.”
Bahá’u’lláh endured forty years of exile, imprisonment, and persecution in order to regenerate the world. He transmuted His tribulations into instruments of redemption and summoned all peoples to the banner of unity.
Today, His life and mission are becoming increasingly well-known across the planet and a growing number of people have found in His teachings a vision of a better world.
Bahá’ís are urged to have a high sense of moral rectitude in their activities, purity, chastity and integrity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings.
An important concept in teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that refinement of one’s inner character and service to humanity should go hand in hand. The Bahá’í community is one of learning and action, free from any sense of superiority or claim to exclusive understanding of truth.
It is a community that strives to cultivate hope for the future of humanity, to foster purposeful effort, and to celebrate the endeavours of all those in the world who work to promote unity and alleviate human suffering.
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Website: www.bahai.org
