The Baha'i Faith was born in the middle of the nineteenth century in darkest Persia (modern day Iran) and has been assailed by the forces of religious fanaticism since its inception.  

Notwithstanding the martyrdom of its Forerunner, the repeated banishments of its Founder, the almost lifelong imprisonment of its chief Promoter and the cruel death of no less than twenty thousand of its devoted followers, it has succeeded in diffusing quietly and steadily its spirit through both the East and the West.  It is now established in 232 countries of the world and its writings have been translated into 800 languages.  

The Forerunner of the Faith was Siyyid Alí-Muhammad of Shíráz, known as the Báb (The Gate), Who proclaimed on May 23, 1844 His twofold mission as an independent Manifestation of God and Herald of One greater than Himself, Who would inaugurate a new and unprecedented era in the religious history of mankind. His early life, His sufferings, the heroism of His disciples, and the circumstances of His tragic martyrdom are recorded in many books and accounts of history.  Suffice it to say that at the early age of thirty-one the Báb was publicly martyred by a military firing squad at Tabríz.

One of the prominent followers of the Bab was Mirza Husayn Ali, a young nobleman by birth who was to become known as Baha'u'llah (the Glory of God).  In 1863, Baha'u'llah announced that He was the promised One of the Bab, "He whom God will make manifest".  Baha'u'llah would spend the rest of his earthly life in exile and imprisonment, suffering extreme pain and hardship.  In the midst of this ordeal, He revealed all of the tablets and books which constitute the Baha'i sacred writings.

After the death of Baha'u'llah in 1892 in Akka, Israel, His eldest son, Abdu'l-Baha, continued to guide the nascent Faith through its rapid expansion into the western world.  Abdu'l-Baha had been designated by His Father in His will and testament as the "Center of the Covenant" and the official interpreter of His Word. Abdu'l-Baha died in 1921 after a lifetime of service to humanity and 40 years spent as a prisoner and an exile.  He was succeeded by his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the appointed Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.  Today the world community of Baha'is is guided by an elected body called the Universal House of Justice.  This institution, as well as the entire administrative order of the Baha'i Faith was designed by Baha'u'llah and invested with authority in His writings.  In one of His tablets, He described the greatness of this Cause thusly:

"How great is the Cause, how staggering the weight of its Message!"  "In this most mighty Revelation all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation."  "The purpose underlying all creation is the revelation of this most sublime, this most holy Day, the Day known as the Day of God, in His Books and Scriptures -- the Day which all the Prophets, and the Chosen Ones, and the holy ones, have wished to witness."