Baha’u’llah, whose name means “Glory of God” in Arabic, was born in Tehran in 1817. Baha’u’llah’s father was a minister in government, which supported Shi’i Islam as the state religion. As a member of nobility, Baha’u’llah was offered a government position. Instead, he joined a new religious movement, started by a young, known as the Bab. The Babi movement called for revolutionary social changes and championed women’s rights. Quite controversially, the Bab claimed that his teachings were a revelation from God and predicted that a new prophetic figure, or manifestation of God, would soon appear.
