Photographs of Bahá’u’lláh

There are two known photographs of Bahá'u'lláh, both taken in the same photo shoot in 1868 while He was in Adrianople (present day-Edirne). One was taken for passport purposes and is reproduced in William Miller's book on the Bahá'í Faith. Copies of both pictures are at the Bahá'í World Centre, and one is on display in the International Archives building, where the Bahá'ís view it as part of an organized pilgrimage. Outside of this experience Bahá'ís prefer not to view his photos in public, or even to display any of them in their private homes, and Bahá'í institutions strongly suggest using an image of Bahá'u'lláh's shrine instead.

Bahá'u'lláh's image is not in itself offensive to Bahá'ís. However, Bahá'ís are expected to treat the image of any Manifestation of God with extreme reverence. According to this practice, they avoid depictions of Jesus or Muhammad, and refrain from portraying any of them in plays and drama. Copies of the photographs are displayed on highly significant occasions, such as six conferences held in October 1967 commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh's writing of the Suriy-i-Mulúk (Tablet to the Kings), which Shoghi Effendi describes as "the most momentous Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh". After a meeting in Adrianople, the Hands of the Cause traveled to the conferences, "each bearing the precious trust of a photograph of the Blessed Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh), which it will be the privilege of those attending the Conferences to view."

The official Bahá'í position on displaying the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh is:

“ There is no objection that the believers look at the picture of Bahá'u'lláh, but they should do so with the utmost reverence, and should also not allow that it be exposed openly to the public, even in their private homes. ” — Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, 6 December 1939

While the above passage clarifies that it is considered disrespectful to display his photograph to the public, regarding postings on other websites the Bahá'í World Centre has written:

“ For Bahá'ís, the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh is very precious and it should not only be viewed but also handled with due reverence and respect, which is not the case here [on a non-Bahá'í web site]. Thus, it is indeed disturbing to Bahá'ís to have the image of Bahá'u'lláh treated in such a disrespectful way. However, as the creator of the site is not a Bahá'í, there is little, if anything, that can be done to address this matter. We hope these comments have been of assistance." ” — Office for Public Information, 4 September 1999

References

• Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-020-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Hornby, Helen, ed. (1983). Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India. ISBN 81-85091-46-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Universal House of Justice (1996). Marks, Geoffry W (ed.). Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86. Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-239-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)