Birthday of Baha'ullah celebrated in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Baha'I community joined the six million Baha'is the world over to celebrate the 185th birthday of Baha'ullah on November 12, with prayers and reflection of His personage and Mission.

The founder of the Bah'ai Faith called Baha'ullah - "Glory of God" was born on November 12, 1817 into a wealthy and noble family in Persia and as he grew he realised the importance of social justice and religious reforms.

Baha'is revere the Bhagavad Gita, The Bible, the Quran, as well as the teachings of Buddha and Zoroaster and rather than seeking to abrogate the Divine revelations of the past, Baha'is view their faith as the latest in a long line of revelations linking humanity to the creator. Teachings of their faith the Baha'is see the most effective solution for overcoming the ethnic and religious strife.

The Baha'I faith revolves around three central figures, the first of whom was a youth, a native of Shiraz (Irain) Mirza Ali-Muhammad known as the Bab (Gate), who is May 1844, advanced the claim of being the Herald. According to the Sacred Scriptures of previous Dispensations, it is a must, to announce and prepare the way for the advent of one greater than Himself. Swift and severe persecution launched by the organized forces and the state in His native land, precipitated successively His arrest, exile,Imprisonment and His executions in July 1850.

Mirza Husayn-Ali- surnamed Bahau'llah (the Glory of God) a native of Mazindaran Iran, whose advent the Bab had foretold, was assailed by those same forces of ignorance and fanaticisms. He was imprisoned in Tihran-Iran and was banished in 1852 from His native land to Bagndud, thence to Constantinople, Adranople and finally to the prison city of Akka where He remained Incarcerated for no less than twenty four years and in whose neighbourhood He passed away in 1892.

In the course of His banishment and particularly In Adrianople and Akka He formulated the laws and ordinances of His Dispensation expounded, in over a hundred volumes, The principle of His Faith, proclaimed His Message to the kings and rules of both the East and West in these writings He proclaimed His Revelation summoned those whom He addressed to heed His call and espouse His Faith, warned them of the consequences of their refusal, and denounced in some cases their arrogance and tyranny.

Baha`u'llah passed away on May 29,1892 in the mansion of Bahji and was buried in a nearby house. He was seventy-four years of age and had spent forty of those years as a prisoner and exile.

His eldest son Abbas Effedi, known as Abdu'l 'Baha. (the servant of Baha) appointed by Him as His lawful successor and the authorized. Interpreter of His teachings He expounded before vast audiences the teachings of His Father and predicted the approach of that catastrophe that was soon to befall mankind in 1921 He passed away since then.

The Baha Administrative order established unlike the systems evolved after the death of the founders of the various religious is divine in origin, rests securely on the laws, the precepts, the ordinances and Institutions which the Founder of the Faith has Himself specifically laid down and unequivocally established, and functions in strict accordance with the Interpretations the authorized. Interpreters of its Holy Scriptures.

"The Baha'I faith in just over 100 years, has grown to become the second " most widespread religion on the planet with millions of adherents in more than 100,000 localities scattered in over 230 countries and territories around the globe".