People from all of the major religious backgrounds have found that the promises and expectations of their own beliefs are fulfilled in the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís from Native American, African and other indigenous backgrounds, similarly, find in the Bahá'í teachings fulfillment of prophetic visions.
For Bahá'ís of Jewish background, Bahá'u'lláh is
the appearance of the promised "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten
thousands of saints." A descendent of Abraham and a "scion from the root
of Jesse," Bahá'u'lláh has come to lead the way for nations to "beat
their swords into plowshares." Many features of Bahá'u'lláh's involuntary
exile to the Land of Israel, along with other historical events during
Bahá'u'lláh's life and since are seen as fulfilling numerous prophecies
in the Bible.
For Bahá'ís of Buddhist background,
Baha'u'llfih fulfils the prophecies for the coming of "a Buddha named
Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship" who will, according to
Buddhist traditions, bring peace and enligmenment for all humanity. They
see the fulfillment of numerous prophecies, such as the fact that the
Buddha Maitreye is to come from "the West", noting the fact that Iran is
West of India.
For Bahá'ís of Hindu background,
Bahá'u'lláh comes as the new incarnation of Krishna, the "Tenth Avatar"
and the "Most Great Spirit." He is "the birthless, the deathless" the One
who, "when goodness grows weak," returns "in every age" to "establish
righteousness" as promised in the Bhagavad-Gita.
For Bahá'ís of Christian background,
Bahá'u'lláh fulffls the paradoxical promises of Christ's return "in the
Glory of the Father" and as a "thief in the night." That the Faith was
founded in 1844 relates to numerous Christian prophecies. Bahá'ís note,
for example, that central Africa was finally opened to Christianity in
the 1840s, and that event was widely seen as fulfilling the promise that
Christ would return after "the Gospel had been preached "to all nations."
In Bahá'u'lláh's teachings Bahá'ís see fulfillment of Christ's promise to
bring all people together so that "there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd."
For Bahá'ís of Muslim background,
Bahá'u'lláh fulfils the promise of the Qur'an for the "Day of God" and
the "Great Announcement," when "God" will come down "overshadowed with
clouds." They see in the dramatic events of the Bábi and Bahá'í movements
the fulfillment of many traditional statements of Muhammad, which have
long been a puzzle.
"Excerpted from The Bahá'ís, a publication of the Bahá'í International Community."
Pg. 37