Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography

The other day I just finished Moojan Momen's Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography. I bought this book on the strength of a personal recommendation and a few reviews. One of the reviews I read (I cannot recall where) used the word "hagiography", a word that was new to me at the time. (It means the biography of the life of a saint, usually in gushingly praising terms.) The review was spelling out that this work is decidedly not a hagiography. I am compelled to agree. The book is undeniably Baha'i in its angle - it is written by a Baha'i, about the founder of the Baha'i Faith, and supports the Baha'i line on many aspects of the history of the early years of the religion. However, it is neither apologetic nor preachy, being decidedly academic in tone and objective in its treatment of sources.

After a short introduction, chapter one deals with the childhood and early life (1817-1844) of Baha'u'llah, born Mírzá Ḥusayn 'Alí. Chapter two covers 1844-1853, as Baha'u'llah becomes involved in the Cause of the Bab. His exile to Baghdad, and the next 10 years (1853-163), often called the "Baghdad period" for obvious reasons, is the subject of chapter three. The next chapter covers Baha'u'llah's time in Europe, namely Istanbul and Edirne (1863-1868). As is common in historical treatments of Baha'u'llah's life, the time from 1868 to his death (1892) is split into two - "The Early 'Akká Period" (1868-1877) and "The Later 'Akká Period" (1877-1892), detailing the time Baha'u'llah spent in the prison-city of 'Akká under the control of the Ottoman Empire. These form chapters five and six respectively. The book continues with three more chapters on more general themes: chapter seven is on Baha'u'llah's writings; chapter eight on his claims as to who he was and what he represented; and chapter nine on his teachings as a religious leader.

The history of the Baha'i Faith is something I'll readily admit to an incomplete knowledge of. As such, I found this book really helpful in both contextualising and understanding many of the events of Baha'i history, and also many of the writings of Baha'u'llah. It gave me a real sense of Baha'u'llah's humanity - he was a real person, with feelings and tragedies - and also a greater appreciation of his majesty and grace with which he endured his relentless sufferings.

The book is well-researched, and, as I'm coming to expect of Momen, referenced throughout, with helpful suggestions of further reading. While towards the end it gets a little heavy on quotations, it is excellent reading throughout. I'd recommend it to both Baha'is seeking a greater understanding of the founder of their faith, and to those who aren't Baha'is who simply want to know more about the origins of the religion, and the story of the personage behind it.

Momen, Moojan. Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography. Oxford: Oneworld, 2007.