7 Proofs of Baha’u’llah’s Mission

Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, declared that he was God’s messenger for this era in human history.

Moreover, he declared that he was the Promised One of all religions, come to unite the human race and establish the kingdom of God on Earth.  

How do we determine if these claims are true or false? 

Christ gave the standard. Regarding the coming of false prophets, he said, “… by their fruits you will know them.” – Matthew 7:16.

So here, for your consideration, are seven fruits or proofs of Baha’u’llah’s prophethood:

1. The beauty, insight and power of his writings. (The words “My,” “Me,” and “I” refer to God.)

O Son of Man! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty. – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, p. 4.

O Son of Being! Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee. – Ibid., p. 6.

O Son of Spirit! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting. – Ibid., pp. 6-7. 

2. His teachings

The Baha’i teachings uplift the human race. Baha’u’llah’s teachings revolve around three basic principles: the oneness of God, the oneness of humanity, and the oneness of religion.

It has been proven time and again that unity and harmony are beneficial. Baha’u’llah emphasized the need for world unity. Only world unity can uplift the human race and bring it to its next stage of development: a spiritual global civilization. 

3. His life

Baha’u’llah voluntarily chose to undergo intense persecution because of his principles and teachings. He never ran away. He never wavered.

Tigris River Baghdad

Baha’u’llah was condemned, tortured and imprisoned. His possessions were taken from him, he was spat upon, ridiculed, stoned and poisoned. He was thrown into a pitch black underground dungeon, icy cold, damp, and infested with vermin. A heavy chain was placed on his neck; his feet were put in stocks. He was exiled four times from Tehran in Persia to Baghdad in Iraq, to Constantinople and Adrianople in Turkey, to Akka in Palestine. He spent most of his life as a prisoner. 

It’s not that he did anything wrong. Rather, the Muslim clergy collaborated with the Persian and Turkish governments to do everything in their power to try to destroy what they felt was a dangerous, fast-growing heresy, and to suppress and destroy the progressive Baha’i teachings.

In spite of intense persecution, Baha’u’llah wrote over one hundred volumes revealing God’s plan for the achievement of a universal lasting peace.

4. The effect of his life and teachings on his followers

During Baha’u’llah’s lifetime, thousands upon thousands underwent a spiritual transformation that dramatically changed their lives. Like Baha’u’llah, they too were condemned as heretics, and were severely tortured and then executed. Now millions of people follow Baha’u’llah’s teachings.

5. The prophecies he made

Some have come true; some are coming true today. Here’s one from the past. Baha’u’llah wrote letters to the rulers and ecclesiastical leaders of his time. Among them was Napoleon III. 

Baha’u’llah condemned Napoleon’s desire for military glory and the launching of the Crimean War. Here’s an excerpt from his tablet to Napoleon III, revealed in 1868:

For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought. – Baha’u’llah, The Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, p. 20.

Two years later, in the Battle of Sedan, Napoleon suffered the greatest defeat in military history up to that time. He was taken prisoner, his Empire collapsed and the French Republic was established.

6. The prophecies he fulfilled

Baha’u’llah fulfilled countless prophecies contained in all the holy books. Here’s one:

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” – Revelation 3:12.

From this prophecy, it is evident that Christ will not return with the same name. He will be a different person, just as Christ was different from Moses. Baha’is believe that Baha’u’llah fulfilled these prophecies, and many others from diverse Faiths.

7. The global spread of the Baha’i Faith

The Baha’i Faith is established in virtually every country and in many dependent territories and overseas departments of countries. Baha’is reside in well over 100,000 localities. About 2100 indigenous tribes, races and ethnic groups are represented in the Baha’i community. … Baha’i literature has been translated into more than 800 languages. – The Baha’i World News Service.

These are just a few of the fruits of Baha’u’llah’s revelation. In less than two centuries, it has spread around the entire world and captured the hearts and the imaginations of millions. Its forward-looking, progressive teachings; its welcoming embrace of all people; and its deeply spiritual outlook on reality all contribute to the fact that the Baha’i Faith works. It’s one thing for a religion to have many wonderful universal teachings and principles—but for it to actually work in practice is powerful, profound and greatly amplifies the proofs of Baha’u’llah’s prophethood.

So if you’re interested, investigate Baha’u’llah’s life and teachings, read his writings and decide for yourself whether his startling claims are true.