BAHĀ'ISMO. – Babism (v.). Its followers believe that the mysterious “he whom God will manifest,” of whom the Bāb spoke repeatedly, is Mirzā Husejn 'Alī Nūrī, known as Bahā' Ullāh. He was born in Teheran on 12 November 1817. He was among the first to embrace the Bābist cause and became one of its principal followers. Arrested in Teheran following the attempt on the life of the shah Nāṣir ad-Dīn (1852), after four months he was exiled to Bagdad with his family and a group of believers. After two years of retreat in the desert of Suleimanijeh (1854–57), when divisions were already beginning to arise in the Bābī community of Bagdad, Bahā' Ullāh was transferred, at the request of the Persian government, to Constantinople. Shortly before his departure, in a garden near Bagdad (the garden of Reyvān), Bahā' Ullāh openly presented himself to some of his followers as the awaited divine manifestation. From Constantinople Bahā' Ullāh was again transferred, this time to Adrianople, where he publicly announced his mission and was accepted by the majority of the Bābists. Between these, who from then on called themselves Bahā'ī, and the minority, which, after its leader Subh-i Azal—more closely attached to the letter of the Bāb’s teachings—was called the Azalis, disturbances arose; as a result, the Turkish government exiled the Azalis and their leader to Cyprus, and Bahā' Ullāh and the Bahā'ī to San Giovanni d'Acri ('Akkā') in 1868. There Bahā' Ullāh died in 1892, leaving as his successor and interpreter of his teachings—collected in numerous works, among which the Aqdas (the “most holy”), the Kitāb al-Iqān (“book of certainty”), the Kalimāt-i Makmūn (“hidden words”), etc., stand out—his son 'Abbās Efendi, called 'Abd ul-Bahā' (1844–1921). 'Abd ul-Bahā' travelled extensively in Europe
and America, founding Bahā'ī communities in these countries as well. Upon his death, his nephew Sawqī Efendi was designated, not without some opposition, “Guardian of the Cause.”
The doctrine of Bahā'ismo is very simple: a Bahā'ī publication, for example, states the following principal points: unity of the human race (we are all leaves of the same tree and fruits of the same branch); independence in the search for truth (accepting nothing blindly from the ancients); the fundamental unity of all religions (particularistic rites are harmful to religion and a cause of enmity and fanaticism); the realization of concord among human beings as the essential task of religion (if religions are to be causes of hatred, atheism is preferable); agreement between religion and science and reason; social equality (all are equal before God, but the existence of rich and poor is admitted); the use of an international auxiliary language; a kind of international tribunal under the protection of God, whose decisions would be valid for all individuals and all nations; equality between the sexes; the abolition of every exclusivist, racial, patriotic, and religious fanaticism; the generalization and diffusion of culture; universal peace. The Bahā'ī have preserved the Bābist calendar of nineteen months of nineteen days each, plus several intercalary days. The year begins on 21 March, and the last month (2–20 March) is a month of fasting from dawn to sunset. Each Bahā'ī community currently elects a spiritual assembly of nine persons (the future so-called bajt al-'adl, “house of justice”). There are about ten religious feasts. Gatherings of the faithful for prayer are recommended: two temples currently exist, one in the U.S.S.R. (in Išqabad), the other in the United States (Wilmette, Ill.).
Bahā'ismo has also spread considerably in the West, especially in America, where 'Abd ul-Bahā' travelled extensively, giving lectures and writing to followers who questioned him his characteristic “tablets” (alwāh). Among the best-known Western Bahā'ī are the American Laura Clifford Barney, who edited the publication of several Bahā'ī writings, and the Frenchman H. Dreyfus.