* 1863 – Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, declares his mission as " He whom God shall make manifest ".

‘ Abdu ’ l-Bahá (‎; 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921 ), born ‘ Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith.

In 1863 Bahá ' u ' lláh was again exiled to Constantinople.

` Abdu ' l-Bahá was born in Tehran, Iran on 23 May 1844 ( 5th of Jamadiyu ' l-Avval, 1260 AH ), the eldest son of Bahá ' u ' lláh and Navváb.

` Abdu ' l-Bahá accompanied his mother to visit Bahá ' u ' lláh who was then imprisoned in the infamous subterranean dungeon the Síyáh-Chál.

Bahá ' u ' lláh was eventually released from prison but ordered into exile, and ` Abdu ' l-Bahá then eight joined his father on the journey to Baghdad in the winter ( January to April ) of 1853.

After a year of difficulties Bahá ' u ' lláh absented himself rather than continue to face the conflict with Mirza Yahya and secretly secluded himself in the mountains of Sulaymaniyah in April 1854 a month before ` Abdu ' l-Bahá's tenth birthday.

In 1856, news of an ascetic carrying on discourses with local Súfí leaders that seemed to possibly be Bahá ' u ' lláh reached the family and friends.

Immediately, family members and friends went to search for the illusive dervish – and in March brought Bahá ' u ' lláh back to Baghdad.

In 1863 in what became known as the Garden of Ridván Bahá ' u ' lláh announced to a few that he was the manifestation of God and He whom God shall make manifest whose coming had been foretold by the Báb.

In 1863 Bahá ' u ' lláh was summoned to Constantinople ( Istanbul ), and thus his whole family including ` Abdu ' l-Bahá, then nineteen, accompanied him on his 110-day journey.

This was further solidified by Bahá ’ u ’ lláh ’ s tablet of the Branch in which he constantly exalts his son's virtues and station.

It was in Adrianople that Bahá ’ u ’ lláh referred to his son as " the Mystery of God ".

Bahá ' u ' lláh gave his son many other titles such as " the Most Mighty Branch " the " Branch of Holiness ", " the Center of the Covenant " and the apple of his eye.

` Abdu ' l-Bahá (" the Master ") was devastated when hearing the news that him and his family were to be exiled separately from Bahá ' u ' lláh.

Bahá ’ u ’ lláh and his family were – in 1868 – exiled to the penal colony of Acre, Palestine where it was expected that the family would perish.

Fátimih was brought from Persia to Acre, Israel after both Bahá ’ u ’ lláh and his wife Navváb expressed an interest in her to marry ` Abdu ’ l-Bahá.

` Abdu ' l-Bahá himself had showed little inkling to marriage until meeting Fátimih ; who was entitled Munírih by Bahá ’ u ’ lláh.

Bahá ' u ' lláh wished that the Bahá ' ís follow the example of ` Abdu ' l-Bahá and gradually move away from polygamy.

After Bahá ' u ' lláh died on 29 May 1892, the Will and Testament of Bahá ' u ' lláh named ` Abdu ' l-Bahá as Centre of the Covenant, successor and interpreter of Bahá ' u ' lláh's writings.

The Tablet of Wisdom written by Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, names " Balinus " ( Apollonius ) as a great philosopher, who " surpassed everyone else in the diffusion of arts and sciences and soared unto the loftiest heights of humility and supplication.

Bahá ' u ' lláh, founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, in a Tablet identifies Idris with Hermes.

* Tablet of Visitation, ( or Ziyarat ) the specific prayers used in Islam and the Bahá ' í Faith while visiting the shrines of its founders, saints or martyrs

Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, writing in the Tablet of Carmel, designated the area around the shrine as the location for the administrative headquarters of the religion ; the Bahá ' í administrative buildings were constructed adjacent to the decorative terraces, and are referred to as the Arc, on account of their physical arrangement.

Bahá ' u ' lláh, in the Tablet of Carmel, also states that the new Jerusalem had appeared upon the new Mount Zion, Mount Carmel.

In 1857-58, Bahá ' u ' lláh, founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, wrote his Commentary on the Isolated Letters ( Tafsír-i-Hurúfát-i-Muqatta ' ih, also known as Lawh-i-Áyiy-i-Núr, Tablet of the Light Verse ).

Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, in his Tablet of Carmel, wrote that God would " sail His Ark " on Mount Carmel and saying, the mountain will be " the seat of His throne.

A special prayer used by Bahá ' ís when visiting the Shrine, known as the Tablet of Visitation, is hung on the wall in both the original Arabic and an English translation.

The Will and Testament, along with the Tablets of the Divine Plan and the Tablet of Carmel, were described by Shoghi Effendi as the charters of the Bahá ' í administration.

These collective letters, along with Bahá ' u ' lláh ’ s Tablet of Carmel and ` Abdu ' l-Bahá's Will and Testament were described by Shoghi Effendi as three of the " Charters " of the Bahá ' í Faith.

In Bahá ' u ' lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal ( Tablet of the Temple ), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Bahá ' u ' lláh himself.

Bahá ' u ' lláh, the founder of the Bahá ' í Faith, writing in the Tablet of Ishráqát and Tablet of Maqsúd, taught that the lack of a common language is a major barrier to world unity since the lack of communication between peoples of different languages undermines efforts toward world peace due to misunderstandings of language ; he urged that humanity should choose an auxiliary language that would be taught in schools in addition to one's own native language, so that people could understand one another.

The Súriy-i-Haykal or Tablet of the Temple, is a composite work which consists of a tablet followed by five messages addressed to world leaders ; shortly after its completion, Bahá ' u ' lláh instructed the tablet be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing the human temple and added to it the conclusion:

: Document primarily intended for a Bahá ' í audience, in which it identifies as a major challenge for the Bahá ' í community the inculcation of the principle of the oneness of religion and the overcoming of religious prejudices

: The Bahá ' í Faith identifies itself as the fulfillment of the Bábí Faith.

In Bahá ' í belief, souls in the afterlife will continue to retain their individuality and consciousness and will be able to recognize and communicate spiritually with other souls whom they have made deep profound friendships with, such as their spouses.

Many of his writings, prayers and letters are extant, and his discourses with the Western Bahá ' ís emphasize the growth of the faith by the late 1890s.

It was through his interaction with the people of Acre that, according to the Bahá ' ís, they recognized the innocence of the Bahá ' ís, and thus the conditions of imprisonment were eased.

He began correspondence with Bahá ' ís in Iran, initially in secret, casting doubts in others ' minds about ` Abdu ' l-Bahá.

During the next decade ` Abdu ' l-Bahá would be in constant communication with Bahá ' ís around the world, helping them to teach the religion ; the group included May Ellis Bolles in Paris, Englishman Thomas Breakwell, American Herbert Hopper, French Hippolyte Dreyfus, Susan Moody, Lua Getsinger, and American Laura Clifford Barney.

Bahá ' ís, however, assert that their religion is a distinct tradition with its own scriptures, teachings, laws, and history.

All Bahá ' í community properties, including Bahá ' í centers, libraries, and cemeteries, have been confiscated by the government and fatwas have been issued charging Bahá ' ís with apostasy.

Consequently, Bahá ' ís were unable to obtain government identification documents ( such as national identification cards, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage or divorce certificates, or passports ) necessary to exercise their rights in their country unless they lied about their religion, which conflicts with Bahá ' í religious principle.

Since it would be impossible for the Bahá ' í Faith to unite the world if it were itself disunited, the role of the covenant as the guarantor of the unity of the Bahá ' í community becomes inextricably linked with the goal of world unity: " It is evident that the axis of oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else.

Bahá ' ís avoid association with them, even if the Covenant-breaker is a family member.

The authority to declare a Bahá ' í a Covenant-breaker resides solely with the head of the Bahá ' í Faith.

* Members of other religions or no religion -- with or without any particular relationship to the Bahá ' í Faith.

Followers of Subh-i-Azal, Bahá ' u ' lláh's half-brother who tried to poison him, engaged in active opposition to Bahá ' ís, and Shoghi Effendi did inform Bahá ' ís that they should avoid contact with his descendants, writing that " No intelligent and loyal Baha ' i would associate with a descendant of Azal, if he traced the slightest breath of criticism of our Faith, in any aspect, from that person.