Central Figures and Institutions of the Bahá'í Faith in order of rank (though Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb are equal in station, the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is greater than that of the Báb):[edit]
Guiding (and inspired) Figures/Institutions of the Bahá'í Faith in order of time appearance:[edit]
- Shaykh Ahmad (inspired)
- Siyyid Kázim (inspired)
- The Báb
- Bahá'u'lláh
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá
- Shoghi Effendi (brief period at beginning of Bahíyyih Khánum's temporarily accepting responsibilities)
- Hands of the Cause of God (temporary custodians/stewards)
- The Universal House of Justice
Universal Manifestations of God and Lesser Prophets[edit]
(in approximate reverse chronological order; please help improve sequence per scriptural and potential historical evidence)
| Figure | Universal Manifestation, Locale-specific Manifestation, or Dependent prophet |
|---|---|
| Next Manifestation-Founder of a Universal Cycle (remote future) | Universal |
| Future Manifestations of God (future) | Universal |
| Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me (future) | Universal |
| Bahá'u'lláh | Universal |
| The Báb | Universal |
| Muhammad (see also the Imámate) | Universal |
| Christ (on the issue of successorship, see Peter) | Universal |
| John the Baptist | Dependent |
| Buddha | Universal |
| Zoroaster | Universal |
| Elisha | Dependent? |
| Elijah (Elias) | Locale-specific |
| Dhu'l Kifl | Dependent? |
| Jonah (Jonas) | Dependent? |
| Jethro | Dependent? |
| Isaiah | Dependent? |
| Ezekiel | Dependent? |
| Jeremiah | Dependent? |
| Solomon | Dependent |
| King David (see also the discussion at David) | Dependent |
| Dhu'l-Qarnayn | Locale-specific? |
| Daniel | Dependent? |
| Nahum | Dependent? |
| Habakkuk | Dependent? |
| Zechariah | Dependent? |
| Zephaniah (prophet) | Dependent? |
| Haggai | Dependent? |
| Malachi (prophet) | Dependent? |
| Micah (prophet) | Dependent? |
| Amos | Dependent? |
| Hosea | Dependent? |
| Joel | Dependent? |
| Obadiah | Dependent? |
| Job | Locale-specific? |
| Zakariya | Dependent? |
| Samuel | Dependent? |
| Gideon | Dependent? |
| Deborah | Dependent? |
| Joshua | Dependent? |
| Aaron | Dependent? |
| Moses | Universal |
| David (not King David) (list earlier?)? | Locale-specific? |
| Krishna | Universal |
| Joseph | Dependent? |
| Lot (Lut) | Dependent? |
| Jacob | Dependent? |
| Isaac | Dependent? |
| Ishmael (Ismael) | Dependent? |
| Abraham (Ibráhím) | Universal |
| Melchizedek | Universal? |
| Sálih | Locale-specific |
| Húd | Locale-specific |
| Noah | Universal? |
| Idrís (or Hermes; same as Enoch?) | Universal? |
| Enoch | Universal? |
| Seth | Universal? |
| Founder of Sabaeanism (unknown if older or more recent than Hinduism; same as Seth and/or Idrís?) | Universal |
| Abel | Dependent? |
| Adam | Universal |
| Pre-Adamic Prophets | Universal, Locale-specific, Dependent |
Other individuals of high stations[edit]
Other Lesser Prophets[edit]
"Regarding your questions: We cannot possibly add names of people we (or anyone else) think might be Lesser Prophets to those found in the Qur'án, the Bible and our own Scriptures. For only these can we consider authentic Books."
- (March 13, 1950, to an individual believer, from a compilation of extracts from letters written on behalf of the Guardian on these and related subjects, enclosed with a letter to an individual believer on November 30, 1980 from the Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, no. 1696)
Independent Manifestations of God may be for a particular locality only[edit]
"There are three kinds of divine Prophets. One kind are the universal Manifestations,which are even as the sun. ...These Souls...have been sent forth to the entire world and the generality of mankind.
"Another kind of Prophets are followers and promulgators, not leaders and law-givers, but they are nonetheless the recipients of the hidden inspirations of God. Yet another kind are Prophets Whose prophethood has been limited to a particular locality."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká, at https://bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_table_talks_bwc )
Figures who are described in our Writings in unequivocally positive terms but who are not considered to be Manifestations of God (or Lesser Prophets?)[edit]
Figures who may possibly be inspired to some degree (our Writings do not say or they find some common teachings but reject others) but are not Manifestations of God or Lesser Prophets[edit]
Figures whose status is unknown[edit]
(The Qur'án also open to more Prophets than those listed explicitly in the Qur'án)[edit]
"some apostles have we sent, whom we have formerly mentioned unto thee; and other apostles have we sent, whom we have not mentioned unto thee"
Succession of Prophets from days of Christ was Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh (so others between these times would not be Manifestations of God)[edit]
"...as the Bahá’í Teachings quite clearly outline the succession of Prophets from the days of Christ as being Muhammad, the Báb, and finally Bahá’u’lláh, it is obvious that Joseph Smith is not a Manifestation of God."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, August 18, 1941: Bahá’í News, No. 416, November 1965, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1727)
No more information about Prophets mentioned in the Íqán[edit]
"We know no more about the prophets mentioned in the Íqán than what Bahá’u’lláh states in that Book."
- (November 25, 1950, to an individual believer, from a compilation of extracts from letters written on behalf of the Guardian on these and related subjects, enclosed with a letter to an individual believer on November 30, 1980 from the Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, no. 1696)
Reason for sending of Prophets to a people not to honor them; God does not have to justify choice of race or nationality[edit]
"The reason for the appearance of a Manifestation of God in a given place is not to honor a particular people or nation. Shoghi Effendi indicates a quite different reason in The Advent of Divine Justice and, more concisely, in a letter to an individual written on his behalf on 23 January 1944:
- The ever-recurring miracle in the establishment of every religion is that such poor instruments accomplish the work of God. It is to demonstrate the fact that God is the power that overcomes every obstacle, and that Revelations are divine in origin, that leads Him to always choose the worst people among whom to manifest His Messenger and the most obscure and helpless of the population―relatively speaking―to establish the foundations of His Faith. The Bahá’í Dispensation is no exception to this rule, as you yourself have observed.
"Beyond these points is the fact that God, the Almighty Creator, does not have to justify His choice of a race or nationality from which to raise up a Manifestation."
- (On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001, sec. 7.5)
Past Prophets lost to history[edit]
In General[edit]
There have been many Manifestations even a million years ago[edit]
"...there have been many holy Manifestations of God. One thousand years ago, two hundred thousand years ago, one million years ago, the bounty of God was flowing, the radiance of God was shining, the dominion of God was existing."
A perfect Manifestation has always existed[edit]
"...from the beginning that has no beginning to the end that has no end, a perfect Manifestation has always existed. This Man of whom we speak here is not just any man: that which we intend is the Perfect Man. For the noblest part of the tree, and the fundamental purpose of its existence, is the fruit. A tree without fruit is of no use. Therefore, it cannot be imagined that the world of existence, whether in the realms above or below, was once populated by cows and donkeys, cats and mice, and yet was deprived of the presence of man. What a false and vacuous notion!"
Asian or Far Eastern Prophets[edit]
"Regarding your questions: The only reason there is not more mention of the Asiatic prophets is because their names seem to be lost in the mists of ancient history. Buddha is mentioned and Zoroaster in our scriptures—both non-Jewish prophets or non-semitic prophets. We are taught there always have been Manifestations of God, but we do not have any record of their names."
- (October 4, 1950, to an individual believer, from a compilation of extracts from letters written on behalf of the Guardian on these and related subjects, enclosed with a letter to an individual believer on November 30, 1980 from the Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, no. 1696)
"The teachings bear no reference to any genealogical tie between the Prophets of the Near and Far East."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 31, 1941, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1695)
Possibly Indians of America were Influenced by Prophets in Asia[edit]
"It is possible the Indians of the Americas were influenced in the remote past by Prophets in Asia. But again, as there is nothing in our teachings about it, we cannot do more than speculate."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 25, 1950, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1576)
See also[edit]
See also[edit]
Future Manifestations of God[edit]
- Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me (To come no sooner than 2852 C.E. or 1008 B.E. (i.e., 1000 years since the beginning of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh))
- Next Manifestation-Founder of a Universal Cycle (to come no sooner than 500,000 years)
Manifestations elsewhere in the universe[edit]
In the past[edit]
The globe did not always exist but a Perfect Manifestation must always exist (somewhere)[edit]
"If man did not exist, the universe would be without result, for the object of existence is the appearance of the perfections of God.
"Therefore, it cannot be said there was a time when man was not. All that we can say is that this terrestrial globe at one time did not exist, and at its beginning man did not appear upon it. But from the beginning which has no beginning, to the end which has no end, a Perfect Manifestation always exists."
"...the earth has not always existed, but the world of existence has always been, for the universe is not limited to this terrestrial globe."
In the future[edit]
In the present?[edit]
Todos for this section[edit]
- Quotes on not being possible to have multiple Manifestations for humanity at the exact same time in same place (oneness of God)?
Validity of prophets[edit]
If a prophet brings a nation from lowest depths of ignorance to highest station of knowledge, this is proof he is a real prophet[edit]
"If we wish to discover whether any one of these great souls or messengers was in reality a prophet of God we must investigate the facts surrounding His life and history; and the first point of our investigation will be the education He bestowed upon mankind. If He has been an educator, if He has really trained a nation or people, causing it to rise from the lowest depths of ignorance to the highest station of knowledge, then we are sure that He was a prophet. This is a plain and clear method of procedure, proof that is irrefutable. We do not need to seek after other proofs."
Significance of material body of the Manifestations[edit]
Significance of Remains of the Prophets[edit]
"… There is no special physical significance in the remains of the Prophets or relics of Their Persons. But there is a profound spiritual significance in the sense that Their dust was the physical mirror of the greatness of God. In other words we know God through His Prophets, Who have bodies, these bodies—Their very dust—are precious through association. It is natural for people to be touched by a lock of hair or some token of one they loved; how much more should we treasure and feel moved by a relic of the Beloved of God."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 13, 1944: Bahá’í News, No. 210, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1711)
The Atoms of the Prophets are Just Atoms[edit]
"The reflection of the qualities of holy souls can take place at any time; it is not confined to the period when the Manifestation is on this Earth.
"The atoms of the Prophets are just atoms, like all others, but the association of this great spiritual power with them leaves in the place They are laid to rest, a spiritual atmosphere, if one can use this expression. They are, no doubt, endowed with a tremendous spiritual influence and far-reaching power. But the physical character of Their atoms are not different from other peoples, any more than Their bodies and physical functions are different."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 28, 1949, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1712)
