History

The Bahá'í faith began to take its present form in 1844 in Iran. It grew out of the Shi'ite branch of the Muslim faith.

The faith was proclaimed by a young Iranian, who called himself The Báb. He said that a messenger would soon arrive from God, who would be the latest in a line of prophets including Moses, Muhammad and Jesus Christ.

This idea of progressive revelation is of central significance for the Bahá'í faith.

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Origins of Bahá'í history

The history of Bahá'í explained in its historical, geographic and religious context.

The Báb

The Báb was a precursor to a prophet who foretold the coming of Bahá'u'lláh. He was also a scholar and teacher in his own right.

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh, a 19th-century Persian nobleman, became the Bahá'í prophet after the Báb predicted his coming.

Abdu'l-Bahá

Abdu'l-Bahá was the son of Bahá'u'lláh. He became his father's closest companion, greatest student and eventually his successor.

Bahá'í history in the UK

The first English Bahá'ís are recorded around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

Bahá'ís have been persecuted by Muslims because their teachings contradict one of the most fundamental Muslim beliefs.