1948: Workers constructing the retaining wall behind the Shrine of the Báb

('Coronation on Carmel', by Michael Day)

1973: The Universal House of Justice establishes the International Teaching Center

5 June 1973:

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

ANNOUNCE ESTABLISHMENT HOLY LAND LONG ANTICIPATED INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE DESTINED EVOLVE INTO ONE THOSE WORLD-SHAKING WORLD-EMBRACING WORLD-DIRECTING ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS ORDAINED BY BAHA'U'LLAH ANTICIPATED BY 'ABDU'L-BAHA ELUCIDATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI. MEMBERSHIP THIS NASCENT INSTITUTION COMPRISES ALL HANDS CAUSE GOD AND INITIALLY THREE COUNSELLORS WHO WITH HANDS PRESENT HOLY LAND WILL CONSTITUTE NUCLEUS ITS VITAL OPERATIONS. CALLING UPON HOOPER DUNBAR FLORENCE MAYBERRY 'AZIZ YAZDI PROCEED HOLY LAND ASSUME THIS HIGHLY MERITORIOUS SERVICE. OFFERING PRAYERS HEARTFELT GRATITUDE SACRED THRESHOLD THIS FURTHER EVIDENCE ORGANIC EVOLUTION ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER BAHA'U'LLAH.

With loving Baha'i greetings,

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, ‘1963-1986’)

1973: Mansion of Mazra’ih was finally purchased after many years of lease

Aerial view of the Mansion of Mazra'ih
and surrounding gardens-April 1979
(Baha'i Media Bank)

15 March 1973

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

OCCASION NAW-RUZ 130 JOYOUSLY ANNOUNCE BAHA'I WORLD ACQUISITION BY PURCHASE MANSION MAZRA'IH RESULT SEVERAL YEARS PATIENT PERSISTENT DETERMINED NEGOTIATIONS THEREBY ADDING TO BAHA'I ENDOWMENTS HOLY LAND FIRST RESIDENCE BAHA'U'LLAH AFTER NINE YEARS SPENT WALLED PRISON CITY 'AKKA. CONTROL THIS HOLY SITE REACQUIRED BY BELOVED GUARDIAN AFTER LAPSE MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS WHEN HE SECURED LEASE MANSION 1950 EXTENDED TO PRESENT TIME. PURCHASE INCLUDES LAND AREA APPROXIMATING TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND SQUARE METRES HIGHLY SUITABLE EXTENSION GARDENS CULTIVATION. OFFERING PRAYER THANKSGIVING SACRED THRESHOLD THIS GREATLY CHERISHED BOUNTY.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, ‘1963-1986’)

1973: The Universal House of Justice completed the Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas initiated by the Guardian

19 January 1973:

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

JOYFULLY ANNOUNCE COMPLETION SYNOPSIS CODIFICATION KITAB-I-AQDAS FOR PUBLICATION RIDVAN SYNCHRONIZING CELEBRATION HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY REVELATION MOST HOLY BOOK FULFILLING WORLD CENTRE GOAL NINE YEAR PLAN. CONFIDENT RELEASE THIS PUBLICATION ENVISAGED BY BELOVED GUARDIAN AND WHOSE MAIN FEATURES HE OUTLINED WILL CONSTITUTE ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STEP PATH LEADING BAHA'I COMMUNITY FULL MATURITY ESTABLISHMENT WORLD ORDER BAHA'U'LLAH.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)

1972: Constitution of the Universal House of Justice was adopted – a document referred to by the Guardian as the “Most Great Law of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh”

26 November 1972

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Baha'i friends,

The following cable has just been sent to the United States Baha'i News for publication.

WITH GRATEFUL JOYOUS HEARTS ANNOUNCE ENTIRE BAHA'I WORLD ADOPTION PROFOUNDLY SIGNIFICANT STEP IN UNFOLDMENT MISSION SUPREME ORGAN BAHA'I WORLD COMMONWEALTH THROUGH FORMULATION CONSTITUTION UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE. AFTER OFFERING HUMBLE PRAYERS GRATITUDE ON DAY COVENANT AT THREE SACRED THRESHOLDS BAHJI HAIFA MEMBERS GATHERED COUNCIL CHAMBER PRECINCTS HOUSE BLESSED MASTER APPENDED THEIR SIGNATURES FIXED SEAL ON INSTRUMENT ENVISAGED WRITINGS BELOVED GUARDIAN HAILED BY HIM AS MOST GREAT LAW FAITH BAHA'U'LLAH. FULLY ASSURED MEASURE JUST TAKEN WILL FURTHER REINFORCE TIES BINDING WORLD CENTRE TO NATIONAL LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT WORLD RELEASE FRESH ENERGIES INCREASE ENTHUSIASM CONFIDENCE VALIANT WORKERS HIS DIVINE VINEYARD LABOURING ASSIDUOUSLY BRING MANKIND UNDER SHELTER HIS ALL-GLORIOUS COVENANT.

Please share this joyous news with the friends. It is anticipated that the Constitution will be published at Ridvan.

With loving Baha'i greetings,

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)

1956: First Regional National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of North West Africa

 

(Baha'i News, August 1956)

1948: First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Oslo, Norway

 

(Baha'i News, May 1948)

1951: Local Spiritual Assembly of Cairo, Egypt - First time women were elected to serve in Muslim counties

 

(Baha'i News, December 1951)

1982: Baha’i representatives made a presentation to the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives concerning the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran

 

(World Order magazine, Spring 1982)

1949: First Regional Teaching Conference in Brazil

 

(Baha'i News, December 1949)

1942: Study Class conducted by Miss Adelaide Sharp, Tihran, Iran

(Baha'i News, Feb. 1943)

1942- December: Transfer of the remains of Lua Getsinger to the new Baha'i Cemetery in Cairo Egypt

 

(Baha'i News, July 1943)

1947: First Spiritual Assembly of Medellin, Colombia

 

(Baha'i News, September 1947)

February 1949: First Baha'i Youth Symposium in Switzerland

 

(Baha'i News, April 1949)

1944: National Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of Iran, Tihran

(Baha'i News, July 1944)

circa 1948: The "Most Great Prison" in Akka - Baha'u'llah suffered cruelty and deprivation as a prisoner for 24 years

(World Order magazine, December 1948)

circa 1954: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran

Seated, left to right: Ali Akbar Furutan, Adelaide Sharp, Shoallah Alai. Standing, left to right: Jalal Khazeh, General Sohrab, Monir Darakhshan, Zikrullah Khadem, and Kazem Kazemzadeh 

(World Order magazine, 2006, vol. 37, no. 3)

circa 1926: A view of the Garden of Ridvan near Akka

(Star of the West [The Baha'i Magazine], vol. 17, no. 8, November 1926)

circa 1926: Pilgrim house at Bahji

(Star of the West [The Baha'i Magazine], vol. 17, no. 8, November 1926)

circa 1925: The Girls' School in Ishqabad Russia - One branch of the Baha'i activities

Former students of this school provided active service in 
the Baha'i community and some went to London to continue their studies. 
(Star of the West, [The Baha'i Magazine], vol. 16, no. 12, March 1926)

1985: “The time has come for the Baha'i community to become more involved in the life of the society around it…”

The time has come for the Baha'i community to become more involved in the life of the society around it, without in the least supporting any of the world's moribund and divisive concepts, or slackening its direct teaching efforts, but rather, by association, exerting its influence towards unity, demonstrating its ability to settle differences by consultation rather than by confrontation, violence or schism, and declaring its faith in the divine purpose of human existence. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 1985; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

1979-1985: The “emergence of the Faith from obscurity”

As we enter the final year of the Seven Year Plan, [1979-1986] confidence of victory and a growing sense of the opening of a new stage in the onward march of the Faith must arouse in every Baha'i heart feelings of gratitude and eager expectation. Victory in the Plan is now within sight, and at its completion the summation of its achievements may well astonish us all. But the great, the historic feature of this period is the emergence of the Faith from obscurity, promoted by the steadfast heroism of the renowned, the indefatigable, dearly loved Baha'i community of Baha'u'llah's and the Bab's native land. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 1985; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

1984-1985: New believers in India

In India alone, over 150,000 new believers have joined the Baha'i community… 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 3 January 1985, to the followers of Baha'u'llah in every land; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

circa 1844: – A new believer in Mashhad, Persia, placed his home at the disposal of Mullá Husayn to teach the Faith – his home became known as Bábíyyih – First Bábí-Baháí Center

circa 1935: views of Bábíyyih

Mírzá Muhammad Báqir-i-Qá’iní, who, for the remaining years of his life, had established his residence in Mashhad, was the next to embrace the Message. The love of the Báb inflamed his soul with such a consuming passion, that no one could resist its force or could belittle its influence. His fearlessness, his unsparing energy, his unswerving loyalty, and the integrity of his life, all combined to make him the terror of his enemies and a source of inspiration to his friends. He placed his home at the disposal of Mullá Husayn, arranged for separate interviews between him and the ‘ulamás of Mashhad, and continued to endeavour, to the utmost of his power, to remove every obstacle that might impede the progress of the Faith. He was untiring in his efforts, undeviating in his purpose, and inexhaustible in his energy. He continued to labour indefatigably for his beloved Cause until the last hour of his life, when he fell a martyr at the fort of Shaykh Tabarsí. In his last days he was bidden by Quddús, after the tragic death of Mullá Husayn, to assume the leadership of the heroic defenders of that fort. He acquitted himself gloriously of his task. His home, situated in Bálá-Khiyabán, in the city of Mashhad, is up to the present time known by the name of Bábíyyih. Whoever enters it can never escape the accusation of being a Bábí. May his soul rest in peace! 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers’; translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

1846 – While a guest of the Imám-Jum‘ih of Isfahán, the Báb revealed a commentary on a surih of the Qur’an – “verses that equalled in number a third of the Qur’án”

It was at the request of this same prelate [the Imám-Jum‘ih of Isfahán] that the Báb, one night, after supper, revealed His well-known commentary on the súrih of Va’l-‘Asr. Writing with astonishing rapidity, He, in a few hours, had devoted to the exposition of the significance of only the first letter of that súrih—a letter which Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá’í had stressed, and which Bahá’u’lláh refers to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas—verses that equalled in number a third of the Qur’án, a feat that called forth such an outburst of reverent astonishment from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of His robe. 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)