March 1909: Baha’i Temple Unity is formed in Chicago, Illinois

In March 1909, a convention representative of various Bahá'í centers was called, in pursuance of instructions received from 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The thirty-nine delegates, representing thirty-six cities, who had assembled in Chicago, on the very day the remains of the Báb were laid to rest by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the specially erected mausoleum on Mt. Carmel, established a permanent national organization, known as the Bahá'í Temple Unity, which was incorporated as a religious corporation, functioning under the laws of the State of Illinois, and invested with full authority to hold title to the property of the Temple and to provide ways and means for its construction. At this same convention a constitution was framed, the Executive Board of the Bahá'í Temple Unity was elected, and was authorized by the delegates to complete the purchase of the land recommended by the previous Convention. Contributions for this historic enterprise, from India, Persia, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Russia, Egypt, Germany, France, England, Canada, Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, and even Mauritius, and from no less than sixty American cities, amounted by 1910, two years previous to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's arrival in America, to no less than twenty thousand dollars, a remarkable testimony alike to the solidarity of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh in both the East and the West, and to the self-sacrificing efforts exerted by the American believers who, as the work progressed, assumed a preponderating share in providing the sum of over a million dollars required for the erection of the structure of the Temple and its external ornamentation. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 261)

March-April 1916: The first eight Tablets of the Divine Plan were revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

The first eight Tablets were revealed between 26 March and 22 April 1916, and the final six between 2 February and 8 March 1917. Of the first group, five Tablets reached America and were published in the 8 September 1916 issue of Star of the West. After that, communication with the Holy Land was cut off and the rest of the Tablets remained in the vault under the Shrine of the Báb until the end of the war. They were dispatched to America and unveiled in a ceremony during the 'Convention of the Covenant' held at the Hotel McAlpin in New York in April 1919. (Wendi Momen, A Basic Baha’i Dictionary)

February 1923: Keys to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah were returned to Shoghi Effendi by the British High Commissioner in Palestine

Shortly after 'Abdu'l-Bahá's ascension, this disgruntled and perfidious half-brother [Muhammad-Ali] had filed a claim, based on Islamic law (he who pretended he had still a right to be the successor of Bahá'u'lláh!), for a portion of the estate of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which he now claimed a right to as His brother. He had sent for his son, who had been living in America and agitating his father's claims there, to join him in this new and direct attack on the Master and His family. Not content with this exhibition of his true nature he applied to the civil authorities to turn over the custodianship of Bahá'u'lláh's Shrine to him on the grounds that he was 'Abdu'l-Bahá's lawful successor. The British authorities refused on the grounds that it appeared to be a religious issue; he then appealed to the Muslim religious head and asked the Mufti of 'Akká to take formal charge of Bahá'u'lláh's Shrine; this dignitary, however, said he did not see how he could do this as the Bahá'í teachings were not in conformity with Shariah law. All other avenues having failed he sent his younger brother, Badiullah, with some of their supporters, to visit the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh where, on Tuesday, 30 January, they forcibly seized the keys of the Holy Tomb from the Bahá'í caretaker, thus asserting Muhammad-Ali's right to be the lawful custodian of his Father's resting-place. This unprincipled act created such a commotion in the Bahá'í Community that the Governor of 'Akká ordered the keys to be handed over to the authorities, posted guards at the Shrine, but went no further, refusing to return the keys to either party.

February 1862: The birth of the Orientalist Edward Granville Browne

Edward Granville Browne was born on 7 February 1862 in Uley, Gloucestershire, Britain. Although he initially studied engineering and later medicine, it was his love of the Orient and oriental languages that determined his choice of profession and was to bring him fame as one of Europe's most renowned orientalists. His interest in Turkey was aroused very early through the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78. He learned Turkish while still studying medicine and later learned Persian and Arabic as well. A two-month sojourn in Istanbul in 1882 intensified his interest in the Orient still further.

Around the year 1884, as he later reported, he became acquainted with the religion of the Báb through reading Gobineau' s Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l 'Asie Centrale. Gobineau's book, or rather those parts that dealt with the Bábi Faith, impressed Browne so much that he later described it as a 'masterpiece of historical composition'. He continued: 'I had long ardently desired to visit Persia and above all Shiraz, and this desire was now greatly intensified. But whereas I had previously wished to see Shiraz because it was the home of Hafiz and Sa’di, I now wished to see it because it was the birthplace of Mirza 'Ali Muhammad the Báb.' (Udo Schaefer, ‘Making the Crooked Straight’)

January 1971: Baha’i continental conference is held in Liberia – The Universal House of Justice explains the role of the emerging Baha’i community in alleviating the various ills afflicting the people of Africa

January 1971

To the Friends of God assembled in the Conference in Monrovia, Liberia

Dearly loved friends,

The emergence on the African Continent of a widely spread, numerous, diversified and united Baha'i community, so swiftly after the initiation of organized teaching plans there, is of the utmost significance and a signal evidence of the bounties which God has destined for its peoples in this day.

The great victories in Africa, which brought such joy to the Guardian's heart in the last years of his life, resulted from the self-sacrificing devotion of a handful of pioneers, gradually assisted by the first few native believers, all labouring under the loving shadow of the Hand of the Cause Musa Banani. From their efforts there has been raised up an increasing army of African, teachers, administrators, pioneers and valiant promoters of the Divine Cause, whose main task is to bring to all Africa the bounties conferred by the Word of God, bounties of enlightenment, zeal, devotion and eventually the true civilization of Baha'u'llah's World Order.

January 1922: The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha is publically read at His home in Haifa

Forty days after the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha, on 7 January 1922, His Will and Testament was publicly read at His home in Haifa. Emogene Hoagg related to Mrs. De Mille that at least a hundred Baha'i men from various countries attended this unforgettable event. Five or six American and English women, including Emogene, sat among them in the central hall. The oriental women, she recalls, sat in a side room 'out of sight, but near enough to hear'. (De Mille, 'Emogene Hoagg', Baha'i News, October 1973) As 'Abdu'lBaha's secretary read the Will, many people wept. Its impact was tremendous. The Master had placed emphasis on the untold suffering caused by the Covenant-breakers.

'All present accepted the terms of the Will appointing Shoghi Effendi Guardian. There seemed to be no dissenting voice.' (De Mille, 'Emogene Hoagg', Baha'i News, October 1973) (O.Z. Whitehead, ‘Portraits of some Baha’i Women’)

December 1848: Baha’u’llah sets out to visit the Bábis at Shaykh Tabarsi

In December 1848, to fulfill His promise to visit Shaykh Tabarsi for a second time, Baha'u'llah set out with a number of the Bábis intending to visit the besieged fortress. Those who went with Him included

·        Haji Mirza Janiy-i-Kashani,[The merchant who had acted as host to the Báb in Kashan, and the first chronicler of His Faith, who was martyred in August 1852.]

·        Mulla Baqir-i-Tabrizi (one of the Bab's Letters of the Living),

·        Shaykh Abu-Turab-i-Ishtahardi,

·        Aqa Siyyid Hasan-i-Khu'i,

·        Aqa Siyyid Husayn-i-Turshizi (one of the Seven Martyrs of Tihran),

·        'Abdu'l-Vahhab Big,

·        Muhammad-Taqi Khan-i-Nuri and

·        Mirza Yahya, Subh-i-Azal.

But Baha'u'llah did not succeed in fulfilling His intention, for He and His companions were arrested and detained when they reached a village some nine miles from Shaykh Tabarsi. (Balyuzi, Baha’u’llah King of Glory, p.56)

November 1901: The first commemoration of a Baha’i Holy Day in North America

On 26 November 1901 the House and the Women's Assembly of Teaching [of Chicago] sponsored a celebration of 'the Master's Day'. Today this is known as the Day of the Covenant. It was the first definite commemoration in the United States of a Baha’i Holy Day. 'Abdu'l-Baha had asked the Baha'is to hold a commemoration of the Baha'i covenant rather than a celebration of His birthday because He had been born on the same day that the Báb had declared His mission and that day should be devoted to the Báb's anniversary. On 26 November the Chicago House of Justice sent telegrams of greeting to other Baha'i communities but since it had not informed them of the Holy Day ahead of time, no observances are known to have occurred elsewhere. Chicago's festivities represented a harmonious blend of Baha'i and Protestant practices. In the Minutes of the Chicago House of Justice, dated 1 December 1901 we read:

November 1817: The Birth of Baha'u'llah

Mirza Husayn Ali, Who afterwards assumed the title of Bahá'u'lláh (i.e. Glory of God), was the eldest son of Mirza Abbas of Nur, a Vazir or Minister of State. His family was wealthy and distinguished, many of its members having occupied important positions in the Government and in the Civil and Military Services of Persia. He was born in Tihran (Teheran), the capital city of Persia, between dawn and sunrise on the 12th of November, 1817 (2nd of Muharram, 1233 A.H.) He never attended school or college, and what little teaching He received was given at home. Nevertheless, even as a child He showed wonderful wisdom and knowledge. While He was still a youth His father died, leaving Him responsible for the care of His younger brothers and sisters, and for the management of the extensive family estates.

On one occasion 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, related to the writer the following particulars about His Father's early days:  --

November 1957: The passing of Shoghi Effendi

Before the time came to return to Haifa in November Shoghi Effendi went to London to purchase a few more things for the furnishing of the now completed Archives building and in anticipation of transferring after his arrival all the precious historical materials he had exhibited and stored in the six rooms in which they had previously been housed. While we were there the great epidemic of Asiatic influenza was sweeping Europe and we both fell ill with it. We had an excellent physician, whom the Guardian liked and trusted, and the attack was not a particularly severe one, though he did have quite a high fever for a few days. The doctor insisted that Shoghi Effendi should not arrange to leave London until he had been without any abnormal temperature for a week and to this he consented. In spite of his fever he read a great deal in bed and attended to his mail and cables. His illness at no time incapacitated him in any way, though it left him weak and with almost no appetite.

November 1866: An extraordinary event took place in the sky

The spectacular shower of meteors in the early hours of the morning of 14 November 1866 was observed all over Europe. It was an extraordinary event exciting comment from professional astronomers and laymen alike. The following sample account is from The Times Saturday, 17 November 1866:

The Rev. Robert Main, the Radcliffe Observer at Oxford, gives the following account of the meteorological phenomenon of Tuesday night last:  --

'...This great display began about 13h. (or 1 o'clock in the morning), and reached its maximum at about 13h.24m., after which time it gradually began to slacken. The watch, however, was kept up till 18h., though after 15h., there were not many meteors seen. In all there were observed not fewer than 3,000 during the night, of which about 2,000 fell between 13h. and 14h., or between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. As to the general appearance of the meteors, it was noticed that the majority of them were of a whitish or yellowish colour. Some, however, were reddish or orange-coloured, and one meteor was noticed to be bluish. The brightest left generally a train behind them, which was to be seen for a few seconds after the meteor disappeared.' (Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah', by Adib Taherzadeh, vol. 2, p. 422)

October 1912: Observing the Feast with the Master

The evening of 16 October will never be forgotten, because of the memorable feast, held at the home of Mrs. Goodall, in Oakland. The beautiful rooms were filled with tables, adorned with yellow chrysanthemums and pyramids of fruit. The friends gathered quietly and talked in low but joyous tones. All seemed to feel the evening to be one set apart from all other evenings, for at this feast it was our great privilege to have 'Abdu'l-Bahá with us. There were one hundred and ten present, friends from the Bay Cities and also from Portland and Seattle.

When all were seated at table, 'Abdu'l-Bahá requested that we partake of the food so bountifully provided, while he walked about speaking words of wisdom and love, giving us the spiritual food, for which we hungered. Then, from the stairs, he pronounced a benediction upon all assembled, and soon the friends quietly withdrew. It was the most spiritual meeting. Gathered under one roof were people of different nations and various nationalities, the young and old, all meeting in love and fellowship, and in devotion to the Servant of God in this day. (Star of the West, Vol. III, No. 13, November 4, 1912)

October 680: The martyrdom of Imam Husayn

Imam Husayn's martyrdom took place on the 10th day of Muharram, 61 A.H. (October, A.D. 680) The first ten days of Muharram are observed by Shi'ih Muslims as a period of mourning for the Imams, ending on the tenth day with the Ashura, the commemoration of the martyrdom of the Imam Husayn. A grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husayn was born to 'Ali and Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter) in January 626. (Adapted from ‘The Prince of Martyrs’, by Abu'l-Qasim Faizi; ‘A Basic Baha’i  Dictionary’, by Wendi Momen; and ‘Muhammad and the Course of Islam’, by Balyuzi)

October 1957: The Guardian appoints third Contingent of the Hands of the Cause of God

Third Contingent of the Hands of the Cause of God were appointed by Shoghi Effendi: -- cables were sent on 2, October 1957

Hasan Balyuzi 7 Sept. 1908 12 Feb. 1980
Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, 1906 19 Nov. 1980
H. Collis Featherstone 13 May 1913 29 Sept. 1990
John Ferraby 9 Jan. 1914 5 Sept. 1973
Rahmatu'llah Muhajir, 1923 29 Dec. 1979
Enoch Olinga, 24 June 1926 16 Sept. 1979
John Robarts, 2 Nov. 1901 18 June 1991
William Sears 28 Mar. 1911 25 Mar. 1992
(The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963, p. xxiii)

October 13 to 16, 1912: The Master is a guest of Phoebe Hearst

October 13 to 16, 1912, were the dates when the Master and His suite spent a weekend as Mrs. Phoebe Hearst's guests at the Hacienda. She rode up to San Francisco and escorted Him to her home, invited prominent guests to meet Him, then escorted Him back to San Francisco. All this in spite of her estrangement from the Faith, which originated, Hasan Balyuzi writes, in her having been victimized by one or two individuals. On the way back 'Abdu'l-Bahá 'warned her not to consider anyone a true Bahá'í who was covetous of the goods of others and who tried to extort money from them'. Like the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh before Him, the Master always exemplified complete detachment from possessions, harking back like the Báb in His farewell to the Letters of the Living, to the words of Christ that when a disciple left a city he should carry away nothing, not even its dust on his feet. (Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 94)

October 1844: Millerites expect the coming of the Lord

William Miller of New England was a man of ordinary education who had been an army captain and a justice of the peace. Prolonged study of dates in the Bible had convinced him that all prophetic time except the Millennium would inevitably run out by 1844, perhaps as late in that year as October 22. A shy, unassuming man, he felt no urge to spread this belief until one day a voice within him said: 'Go and tell it to the world.' He struggled against the voice but was defeated; by the end of 1843 he had delivered 3,200 lectures on the coming of the Lord. Tens of thousands of Millerites were, in that year, proclaiming that the Lord would come in a cloud, that every eye would see Him, and that He would come as a thief in the night; the fact that these prophecies were contradictory bothered no one. (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 159)

October 1848: Mulla Husayn along with hundreds of his fellow believers march to Mazindaran to rescue Quddus

Mulla Husayn began his long march to Mazindaran to rescue Quddus, accompanied by many of the Bábís who had scattered after the incident in Niyala, and some of the newly-converted who ranged themselves behind the Black Standard. Their numbers, on that journey, swelled into hundreds. On their way they raised the call of the New Day, finding eager supporters, but also such venomous hostility that they could not take residence in any town or village. Yet they did not intend to engage in combat with anyone, let alone the forces of the State. They were only demonstrating their belief and their vision.

As they approached Barfurush, its leading divine, Sa'idu'l-'Ulama, was so vituperative in denouncing Mulla Husayn that the whole town rose up to oppose the Bábís. Clashes and casualties were inevitable. It was during this battle that Mulla Husayn cut through the trunk of a tree and the barrel of a gun in one stroke of his sword. [1] The people of Barfurush were worsted and asked for a truce, and because of their unrest, their leaders begged Mulla Husayn to leave on the morrow for Amul. 'Abbas-Quli Khan-i-Larijani, whom historian Nicolas names as 'the chief military personage of the province,' gave Mulla Husayn a solemn promise, fortified by an oath on the Qur'án, that Khusraw-i-Qadi-Kala'i and his horsemen would escort the Bábís to safety through the forests. This military chief impressed on Khusraw the need to do his duty by Mulla Husayn, and to show him respect and consideration. (Adapted from ‘The Báb - The Herald of the Day of Days’, by Balyuzi)

[1] The fame of this feat spread far and wide. Later, when the Grand Vizier reprimanded Prince Mihdi-Quli Mirza, commander of an army sent against the defenders of Shaykh Tabarsi, because he had fled before them, the Prince sent him pieces of the musket-barrel smashed by the sword of Mulla Husayn, with this message: 'Such is the contemptible strength of an adversary who, with a single stroke of his sword, has shattered into six pieces the tree, the musket, and its holder.'

October 1910: ‘Abdu’l-Baha attended a meeting in Egypt commemorating the Martyrdom of Imam Husayn which took place on October 10, 680 AD

'Abdu'l-Bahá's sojourn in Alexandria, Egypt, coincided with the Muslim lunar month of Muharram. This is the month that witnessed the martyrdom of Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third apostolic Imam of His Faith, together with many others of the House of the Prophet. That tragedy occurred on the tenth day of Muharram, 61 A.H., which corresponded to October 10th A.D. 680. The Shí'ah world has mourned his martyrdom ever since. Throughout the month of Muharram and the succeeding month of Safar, wherever Shí'ahs are, their grief is given some form of expression. They arrange gatherings at which the sufferings and the heroism of the Family of Muhammad, the treachery and the brutality of the foe are recited. Persians of Alexandria invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their meeting. He went and was received with every mark of respect. He gave a robe to the reciter of the heart-rending story of Karbila, rewarding him richly for his talent and devotion. He also left money with the hosts to hold a commemorative meeting on His behalf and to feed the poor. (H.M. Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant)

October 1912: 'Abdu'l-Bahá arrives in San Francisco

'Abdu'l-Bahá arrives in San Francisco on 1 October 1912. (Juiete Thompson, ‘Diary of Juliete Thompson’)