Baha'i Symbols

 

Baha’i

 

Mirza Husayn ali Nuri founded the Baha’i Faith in Iran in 1863, that is 150 years ago. He is more popularly referred to as Bahaullah or Baha Allah which means “splendor of God” in Arabic. The Baha’i Faith is among the fastest growing religions in the world, with followers from practically every nation on earth, coming from varied cultural backgrounds and ethnic heritage. It is second only to Christianity as the most widespread in geographic reach. Baha’i followers or Baha’is are literally “citizens of the world”.

 

The Five-Pointed Star

 


The Five-Pointed Star, sometimes called the haykal, is the official symbol of the Baha’i Faith. Haykal means “temple” or “body” in Arabic. This symbol represents the human body, with the head on top, two outstretched arms and two legs underneath.

 

 

 

The Ringstone Symbol

 

Rings worn by Baha’is almost exclusively bear this symbol, hence its name. This symbol is used as well on other jewelry pieces like on pendants, on paintings, on book covers and architectural elements on the Shrine of the Bab. This symbol is a reminder of God’s purpose for man, particularly for Baha’is. The top horizontal bar symbolizes the world of God. The middle bar stands for the unadorned world of His Manifestations and the bottom bar is the world of man. The vertical line forms the link between the three worlds. The two 5-pointed stars on the left and on the right of the bars symbolize the twin Messengers of God, Bab and Baha’u’llah.

 


The Greatest Name

 

This symbol is actually the calligraphic rendering of the word Baha in Arabic (meaning “glory”), referring to Baha’u’llah. It is known as the Greatest Name. It is a very distinguished symbol in the Baha’i Faith and is thus most often used in Baha’i art works like paintings, jewelry design, t-shirts and tattoos.

 


Nine-Pointed Star

 


The number nine is very significant in the Baha’i Revelation. The word Baha has a numerical value of nine in the Abjad system (Arabic numerology). As the highest single-digit number, the number nine stands for culmination, completeness and perfection. Baha’i followers believe that the Bahai Faith is the fulfillment of what all other religions are waiting for and the nine-pointed star is a symbol of that fulfillment – the culmination.



Baha’i Star of Nine Religions

 

In Baha’i, apart from symbolizing perfection, the number nine also stands for the nine great world religions: Christianity, Baha'i, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shinto, and Sikhism. This symbol is a modified version of the 9-Pointed Star where at the tip of each point, the symbols for the nine world religions are depicted.

 

 

 

 


Nine Pointed Star
Nine Pointed Star
   

 

Related Categories: Religious Symbolism    Baha'i Symbols    Buddhist Symbols    Circle    Hindu Symbols    Mandalas    Mythology    Ouroboros   

 

The Nine Pointed Star Has Risen
The fulfillment of the Native American prophecies pertaining to the coming of the Bahana/White Buffalo and the Baha'i Faith.
alaska.net/~peace/ninestar.htm

 

Baha'i Symbols
Meaning of the Greatest Name symbol and the nine-pointed star.
bahai.com/Bahaullah/symbol.htm

 

The Baha'i Faith
The Web Site of the Baha'i International Community.
bahai.org/

 

Baha'i symbols - wikipedia.org
Baha'i symbols are symbols that have been used, or are used, to express identification with the Baha'i Faith. While the five-pointed star is the symbol of the religion, being used to represent the human body and Messengers of God, more common symbols include the nine-pointed star, the Greatest Name, and the Ringstone symbol, representing perfection, and the Messengers of God.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1'%C3%AD_symbols