About the Bahá’í Faith

Baha'is

The Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions.

Its central message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in a global society, characterized by both spiritual and material prosperity.

It was founded in Iran in 1844. Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, taught that God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of society.

These Messengers have included Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh. All of the world religions come from the same divine source and represent successive stages in the spiritual education of humanity.

Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the latest in the line of these divine educators and that He brought new spiritual and social teachings for our time.

All over the world, Bahá’ís are striving to put into practice Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of a peaceful, prosperous and united global society.

They come from over 2100 ethnic, racial, and tribal groups and number some five million worldwide.

Fasting

Fasting has been a significant practice of religion throughout human history. Many of the Manifestations of God Themselves went through a period of meditation and fasting at some point in Their lives during which, in intense communion with God, They contemplated the mysteries of the universe and the nature of Their mission.

Fasting, said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man’s thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow”.

However, it is important to note that fasting should not be viewed as a practice of asceticism, nor is it to be used as a means of penance: “This material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.”

Bahá’u’lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year during which adult Bahá’ís fast from sunrise tosunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá’í month of Alá—meaning Loftiness—from 1 to 19 March, which immediately precedes the Bahá’í new year. It is a time of prayer, meditation, and spiritual rejuvenation.