Bahá'í Faith and Zoroastrianism
Encyclopedia
Zoroastrianism is recognized in the Bahá'í Faith as one of nine known religions and its scriptures are regarded as predicting the coming of Bahá'u'lláh
. Zoroaster
is included in the succession of Manifestations of God. The authenticity of the Zend Avesta (Zoroastrian scriptures) is seen as uncertain.
, a nobleman from the Persian province of Mázindarán
(formerly called Tabaristán). Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
wrote a treatise regarding Bahá'u'lláh's ancestry.
[Soshyant] for 30 days" is interpreted as referring to Muhammad
, the Báb
and Bahá'u'lláh respectively.
is a collection of letters, containing Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet
written in pure Persian
to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib
, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, the secretary to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib at that time. These, together with three shorter inspirational Tablets, offer a glimpse of Bahá'u'lláh’s relationship with the followers of Zoroastrianism
.
In the tablet
to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Bahá'u'lláh answered questions about Zoroastrianism
and Hinduism
by Mánikchí Ṣáḥib. The subjects include comparative religion, and constitute, while much remains implicit, a dialogue of Bahá'u'lláh with Zoroastrianism and the other religions discussed, giving an understanding of what Baha'u'llah meant with the unity of the world religions
.
contains several elements of the Zoroastrian calendar
. The months and the days of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar are dedicated to, and named after, a divinity or divine concept. In the Bahá'í calendar the names of the months, days and years are referring to divine attributes as well.
Naw-Rúz
, traditionally spelled as Nowruz, is the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar
, was originally a Zoroastrian festival
, and the holiest of them all. It is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster
himself, although there is no clear date of origin. The Báb and later [Bahá'u'lláh adopted the day as a holy day in the Bahá'í calendar and associated it with the Most Great Name of God.
and Kirman in the south of Persia, and in India
, where they are known as Parsees
, the majority of Zoroastrians lived in Bombay. Since the 1880s a significant number of Zoroastrians from Yazd converted to the Bahá'í Faith. This was also the case in Bombay, where they contributed a lot in the growth of the Indian Bahá'í community. The first Zoroastrian Bahá'í is believed to be Kay-Khusraw-i-Khudádád from Yazd.
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. Zoroaster
Zoroaster
Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
is included in the succession of Manifestations of God. The authenticity of the Zend Avesta (Zoroastrian scriptures) is seen as uncertain.
Ancestry of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh, born as Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí, is a descendant of Zoroaster and the last Zoroastrian king Yazdegerd III. (d. 651). His father was Mírzá BuzurgMírzá `Abbás Núrí
Mírzá `Abbás-i-Núrí more commonly known as Mírzá Buzurg was the father of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Mírzá Buzurg was a nobleman from the Persian province of Núr, and worked for a time in the service of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh....
, a nobleman from the Persian province of Mázindarán
Mazandaran Province
Mazandaran Province is a Caspian province in the north of Iran. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces....
(formerly called Tabaristán). Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...
wrote a treatise regarding Bahá'u'lláh's ancestry.
Prophecies
Zoroastrian prophecies from late Pahlavi texts foretell the coming the world saver 'Sháh Bahrám. Bahá'ís regard these prophecies as having been fulfilled in the person of Bahá'u'lláh. The prophecy from the Jamasp Nama "It is said that the sun will stand in the midst of the sky in the time of Oshedar Bami [Hushedar Mah] for 10 days and in the time of Oshedar Mah [Hushedar Mah] for 20 days and in the time of SoshyoshSaoshyant
Saoshyant is a figure of Zoroastrian eschatology who brings about the final renovation of the world, the Frashokereti. The Avestan language name literally means "one who brings benefit," and is also used as common noun.-In scripture:...
[Soshyant] for 30 days" is interpreted as referring to Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
and Bahá'u'lláh respectively.
Scriptural sources
The volume Tabernacle of UnityTabernacle of Unity
The Tabernacle of Unity is a small book, first published in July 2006, containing Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet, from the early `Akká period, to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, the secretary to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib at that time.These, together with...
is a collection of letters, containing Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet
Tablet (religious)
A tablet, in the religious context, is a term traditionally used for religious texts.Jews and Christians believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. According to the Book of Exodus, God delivered the tablets twice, the first set having been...
written in pure Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib
Mánikchí Limjí Hataria
Maneckji Limji Hataria , was a Parsi-Zoroastrian scholar and civil rights activist.In 1854 Hataria was appointed emissary by the "Persian Zoroastrian Amelioration Fund", an organization founded in Bombay by Dinshaw Maneckji Petit with the aim of improving the conditions for the less fortunate...
, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, the secretary to Mánikchí Ṣáḥib at that time. These, together with three shorter inspirational Tablets, offer a glimpse of Bahá'u'lláh’s relationship with the followers of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
.
In the tablet
Tablet (religious)
A tablet, in the religious context, is a term traditionally used for religious texts.Jews and Christians believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. According to the Book of Exodus, God delivered the tablets twice, the first set having been...
to Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Bahá'u'lláh answered questions about Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
and Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
by Mánikchí Ṣáḥib. The subjects include comparative religion, and constitute, while much remains implicit, a dialogue of Bahá'u'lláh with Zoroastrianism and the other religions discussed, giving an understanding of what Baha'u'llah meant with the unity of the world religions
Bahá'í Faith and the unity of religion
The Unity of Religion is a core teaching in the Bahá'í Faith that states that there is a fundamental unity of many of the world's religions. The principle states that the teachings of the major religions are part of a single plan directed from the same God...
.
Calendar
The Bahá'í calendarBahá'í calendar
The Bahá'í calendar, also called the Badí‘ calendar , used by the Bahá'í Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years of 365 days, and leap years of 366 days. Years are composed of 19 months of 19 days each, plus an extra period of "Intercalary Days"...
contains several elements of the Zoroastrian calendar
Zoroastrian calendar
This article treats of the reckoning of days, months and years in the calendar used by adherents of the Zoroastrian faith. Zoroastrian religious festivals are discussed elsewhere, but have a fixed relationship to Nawruz, the New Year festival, whose timing is discussed below...
. The months and the days of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar are dedicated to, and named after, a divinity or divine concept. In the Bahá'í calendar the names of the months, days and years are referring to divine attributes as well.
Naw-Rúz
Bahá'í Naw-Rúz
Naw-Rúz in the Bahá'í Faith is one of nine holy days for adherents of the Bahá'í Faith worldwide and the first day of the Bahá'í calendar occurring on the vernal equinox, around March 21...
, traditionally spelled as Nowruz, is the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar
Iranian calendar
The Iranian calendars or sometimes called Persian calendars are a succession of calendars invented or used for over two millennia in Greater Iran...
, was originally a Zoroastrian festival
Zoroastrian festivals
Zoroastrianism has numerous festivals and holy days, all of which are bound to the Zoroastrian calendar. The Shahenshahi and Kadmi variants of the calendar do not intercalcate leap years and hence the day of the Gregorian calendar year on which these days are celebrated shifts ahead with time...
, and the holiest of them all. It is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster
Zoroaster
Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
himself, although there is no clear date of origin. The Báb and later [Bahá'u'lláh adopted the day as a holy day in the Bahá'í calendar and associated it with the Most Great Name of God.
Early conversions
In the end of the 19th century the Zorastrian community was largely concentrated in YazdYazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
and Kirman in the south of Persia, and in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where they are known as Parsees
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
, the majority of Zoroastrians lived in Bombay. Since the 1880s a significant number of Zoroastrians from Yazd converted to the Bahá'í Faith. This was also the case in Bombay, where they contributed a lot in the growth of the Indian Bahá'í community. The first Zoroastrian Bahá'í is believed to be Kay-Khusraw-i-Khudádád from Yazd.
External links
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi EffendiShoghi EffendiShoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
. Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. - Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. Majmu’a-yi alvah bi iftikhar-i yaran-i Parsi (Collection of Tablets in Honour of Zoroastrian Baha'is) (Germany: Baha'i Verlag, 1999) - Prophecy Fulfilled: Zoroastrianism Prophecies