The Lagos Baha’i community will today mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of its founder Baha’u’llah.
The event which will take place at No. 19, Ganiyu Shogunle Street, Off Oludegun Street, Ire-Akari, Isolo, at 1:00 pm will celebrate Baha’u’llah’s life and mission.
Recall that the Baha’i faith is an independent religion and one of the youngest of the world’ major religions which was founded by Baha’u’llah in Iran in the 19th century.
Born in 1817 in Tehran, the capital city of Persia (Iran), Baha’u’llah devoted himself to the upliftment and education of the people. He proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity and taught that all were created and nourished by the one loving and merciful God.
The kings of the East and the priesthood of Persia arose against Baha’u’llah, for they did not find their personal interest advanced by His Teachings. He was persecuted, mocked, and put in chains. His properties and possessions were taken away. First, He was banished from Persia to Bagdad, then to Constatinople, then to Adrianople, and finally to the prison-fortress of Akka.
Throughout all these ordeals, He was cheerful. His enemies made every effort to lessen his greatness, but his fame grew day by day. Surrounded by enemies, he did nothing to protect himself- on the contrary, in his spiritual might and power; he was at all times visible before the faces of men.
During his lifetime, he was intensely active. His energy was unlimited. Scarcely did he pass a night in restful sleep. He suffered that selflessness and service might be made manifest in the world of humanity, that the most great peace should be established, that human faith should be strengthened, that the human mind might be developed to its fullest capacity, and that man might become the reflection and likeness of God.
Baha’u’llah was truly a manifestation of God and a universal educator of humanity.
Among his teachings is the independent investigation of reality. If people are allowed to investigate truth, they will come to see the oneness of humanity. Prejudices of all kinds- race, class, color, creed, nation, gender and degree of material civilization- are causes of strife. If we accept to investigate reality rather than blindly imitate the beliefs of the past, we will arise to abolish every form of prejudice.
Baha’u’llah’s teachings on religion make a clear distinction between true religion and superstition. True religion must be in harmony with science and reason. Religion must be the cause of fellowship and love. If it becomes the cause of discord and hatred, then it is better to be without it.
Also among Baha’u’llah’s teachings is the equality of men and women. We may think of the world of humanity as a bird- one wing is women and the other men, both wings have to be equally developed for the bird to fly.
Other Teachings of Baha’u’llah shed light on the importance of universal education, the benefits of adopting a universal language, the necessity of seeking spiritual solutions to economic problems and the absolute necessity for justice in the governance of human affairs. Humanity, created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization, must be freed from the captivity of the world of materialism, because true civilization needs a balance of the spiritual and the material; this balance is a prerequisite of human happiness.
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