orig. Mrz oseyn Ali Nr born Nov. 12, 1817, Tehrn, Iran died May 29, 1872, Acre, Palestine Iranian religious leader, founder of the Bah faith. A Shite Muslim who allied himself with the Bb, he joined his half brother Mrz Yay (known as ob-e Azal) in leading the Bb movement after the Bb's execution. Sunnite Muslims exiled him to Baghdad, Kurdistan, and finally Constantinople, where in 1867 he declared himself the imam-mahdi foretold by the Bb and sent by God. This pronouncement split Bbism into two factions, with a small group (the Azal) adhering to its original beliefs and a larger group following him into what became the Bah faith. The Ottoman government banished him to Acre where, as Bah Ullh, he developed Bah into a teaching that advocated the unity of all religions and universal human brotherhood
Religion founded in Iran in the mid-19th century by Bah Ullh. It emerged from Bbism when in 1863 Bah Ullh asserted that he was the messenger of God predicted by the Bb. Before his death in 1892, he appointed his son Abd ol-Bah to lead the community. The writings of the Bb, Bah Ullh, and Abd ol-Bah form the sacred literature. Worship consists of readings from scriptures of all religions. Bah' faith proclaims the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity. It is concerned with social ethics and has no priesthood or sacraments. Because of its 19 initial disciples, it considers the number 19 sacred, and the calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days (with four additional days). Adherents are expected to pray daily, fast 19 days a year, and keep to a strict ethical code. Bah' has experienced major growth since the 1960s but has been persecuted in Iran since the fundamentalist revolution of 1979
a religion based on the belief that people should be peaceful and kind, and should accept the fact that other people belong to different races or religions