Historical Introduction
In
the middle of the last century, one of the most notorious dungeons in the Near
East was Tehran's "Black Pit." Once the underground reservoir for a public bath,
its only outlet was a single passage down three steep flights of stone steps.
Prisoners huddled in their own bodily wastes, languishing in the pit's inky gloom,
subterranean cold and stench-ridden
atmosphere.
The Bahá'í Calendar
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Consultation
The
administrative bodies of the Bahá'í Faith at all levels use a distinctive method
of non-adversarial decision-making, known as consultation.
Overview of the Bábí Faith
The early nineteenth century was a period of messianic expectation in the Islamic world as well as in the Christian world.
In Persia, two influential theologians, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá'í and his disciple and successor, Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí, taught a doctrine that departed radically from orthodox Shiah belief. In addition to interpreting the Qur'án in an allegorical rather than a literal manner, the "Shaykhís," as their followers were known, proclaimed that the return of the Imam Mahdi, the appointed deliverer and successor of Muhammad, was imminent.2
Their teachings attracted widespread interest and aroused an air of expectancy reminiscent of contemporary Christian groups like the Millerites in Europe and America, which at the same time were eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus Christ.3
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