In the Bahá’í view, the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the race is born into the world as a trust of the whole.
A vision of human prosperity
People everywhere yearn for an end to the conflict, poverty and suffering so prevalent throughout the planet.
The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh offer a vision of peace and human prosperity in the fullest sense of the term – an awakening to the possibilities of the spiritual and material well-being now within reach.
Unity: the basis of a new civilisation
Bahá’u’lláh compares humankind to the fruits of one single tree and the diverse and beautiful flowers of a single garden.
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The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.
— BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
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There is no possibility of achieving world peace until the fundamental principle of unity has been accepted and given practical effect in the organization of society:
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The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.
“Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship… So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.
— BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
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Unity in diversity
The unity that must underpin a peaceful and just social order embraces diversity. Oneness and diversity are complementary and inseparable.
Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity implies the development of a sense of world citizenship and a love for all of humanity.
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The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.
— ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
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Each person is a trust
of the whole of humankind
Humanity’s crying need will not be met by a struggle among competing ambitions or by protest against one or another of the countless wrongs afflicting a desperate age. It calls, rather, for a fundamental change of consciousness, for a wholehearted embrace of Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching that the time has come when each human being on earth must learn to accept responsibility for the welfare of the entire human family.
In the Bahá’í view, the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the race is born into the world as a trust of the whole. This trusteeship constitutes the moral foundation of most of the other rights, principally economic and social. The security of the family and the home, the ownership of property, and the right to privacy are all implied in such a trusteeship. The obligations on the part of the community extend to the provision of employment, mental and physical health care, social security, fair wages, rest and recreation, and a host of other reasonable expectations on the part of the individual members of society.
What can we do?
The world civilisation envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh will take centuries to build. And building it will take the commitment of the whole of humankind, starting in neighbourhoods and villages.
The Bahá’ís are committed to creating this spiritual community, in which principles such as the oneness of humankind, the oneness of religion , the equality of the sexes, and the elimination of the extremes of poverty and wealth become reality.
To do this, Baha’is are striving to apply the teachings of Baha’u’llah to their own lives and their communities. These teachings promote a new way of thinking, studying, and acting. The goal is for participants to feel spiritually empowered to live a life of service to others.
Find out more
This site will help you learn more about the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh as well as about the activities and history of the Bahá’í community. It will also help you to find out how you can find Bahá’ís near you and join with Bahá’ís and others to build community in your own neighbourhood.
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The Bahá’í Faith in the UK
The UK Bahá’í community is made up of thousands of men, women and children from many diverse backgrounds, cultures and walks of life.
There are several hundred local Bahá’í communities throughout the UK, from Cornwall to the Shetland Islands, from Kent to Northern Ireland. Their activities bring friends, families, neighbours and colleagues together in a spirit of service to their local communities.
Two American Bahá’ís, Mary Virginia Thornburgh-Cropper and her mother, Harriet Thornburgh, were the UK’s first Bahá’ís. They settled in London after they had taken part in the first pilgrimage by Western Bahá’ís to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1898.
Together with Ethel Rosenberg, the first person to become a Bahá’í in England, they became the founders of the British Bahá’í community.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh and Head of the Bahá’í community from 1892 to 1921, visited Britain in 1911 and again in 1912-13. He met many of the leading thinkers of the time and spoke to a wide range of organisations about Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of a truly united and peaceful humanity.
The community’s national governing council, the National Spiritual Assembly, was elected for the first time in 1923.