September 1994: Liberia's first National Baha'i Youth Conference

Baha'is from Gardnersville, Monrovia, and Paynesville, Liberia, attending the first National Youth Conference held in Liberia during 9-11 September 1994. (The Baha'i World 1994-1995)

1942: First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 1942-1943 (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

1966: Regional Spiritual Assembly of North Eastern Africa

Members of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of North Eastern Africa with Auxiliary Board Member Aziz Yazdi, Ridvan 1966, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Andalib, no. 79)

House of Baha'u'llah in Tehran

Baha’u’llah reveals the Tablet of Maryam (Lawh-i-Maryam) soon after His return from Sulaymániyyih

 --provisional translation available at: Baha’i Tablets – provisional translations

Maryam was a cousin of Baha’u’llah. Her mother, Malik Nisá’ Khánum was a sister of Bahá’u’lláh’s father, Mírzá ‘Abbas, better known as Mírzá Buzurg. Maryam was also Baha’u’llah’s sister-in-law because she had married Mírzá Ridá-Qulí, a half-brother of Bahá’u’lláh, and also because her younger sister Fátimih Khánum had become Bahá’u’lláh’s second wife in 1849 after she had become a widow. Fátimih Khánum who is better known as Mahd-i-’Ulyá, the Most Exalted Cradle, was the mother of Muhammad-‘Alí (1852 c.-1937), the unfaithful half-brother of ‘Abdu’l-Baha who rebelled against Him after the ascension of Baha’u’llah.

Maryam’s husband, Mírzá Ridá-Qulí was the son of Kulthúm Khánum-i-Núrí, the third wife of Baha’u’llah’s father. None of her four surviving children became a supporter of Bahá’u’lláh. Mírzá Ridá-Qulí, was a physician, and therefore he was known as “Hakím.”

When Bahá’u’lláh was released from the Síyáh-Chál in Tihran, Mírzá Ridá-Qulí hosted Him and His family in his house. Mírzá Ridá-Qulí had inherited this house from his father, Mirza Buzurg when in the last years of his life he was obliged to sell his complex of houses in Tihran, where he lived with his whole family, to pay the expenses for the divorce from his last wife, princess Sháh Begum, Díyá’u’s-Saltanih. Mírzá Ridá-Qulí’s mother also lived with him in this house. Baha’u’llah, however, prior to His arrest and imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal, lived in a rented house near the northern gate of Tihran along with a number of the family members.

circa 1969: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran with Hands of the Cause Dr. Varqa and Mr. Ala'i, and Continental Counsellor Hadi Rahmani. (Andalib, vol. 10, no. 39)

Baha’u’llah’s paternal uncles

Bahá'u'lláh had four paternal uncles. Among those to whom He taught the Faith of the Báb in Nur were these uncles. Two of them rejected the Cause of God and actively rose up against it. These were Shaykh Aziz'u'llah and Safi Quli Big. The other two, Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin and Karbila'i Zaman, became ardent believers. The former accompanied Bahá'u'lláh to the fortress of Shaykh Tabarsi, and when Bahá'u'lláh was bastinadoed in Amul, threw himself upon His feet and was beaten so much that he fainted. 

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 2)

January 19, 2000: The Passing of Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum

The Universal House of Justice

Department of the Secretariat

26 January 2000

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Further to its message of 19 January 2000 concerning the passing of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, the Universal House of Justice has asked us to convey the following.

On the afternoon of 23 January, in a light rain, the blessed remains of Rúhíyyih Khánum were laid to rest in Haifa, following a funeral service at the House of the Master and graveside prayers attended by more than 1100 believers. The interment took place in a plot of land which had been converted into a garden by Shoghi Effendi, directly across the street from the Master’s House. The participants came from near and far, and included 24 Continental Counselors, representatives of 76 National Spiritual Assemblies, and pilgrims, as well as members of the institutions and volunteers serving at the Bahá’í World Centre. Among them, too, were senior officials from the Canadian and United States embassies, representatives of the Israeli government, the mayors of ‘Akká and Haifa, and other prominent Israeli citizens. 

The House of Justice is deeply gratified that such a wide representation of believers was able to come to the Holy Land on very short notice to pay final respects on behalf of all the friends throughout the world who could not be present. Moreover, it warmly appreciates the various expressions of sympathy and love received at the World Center through many messages and gifts of flowers. It is also pleased that news of Rúhíyyih Khánum’s passing and funeral has been given coverage by the world press and electronic media.

Enclosed for your interest is a copy of the printed program of the funeral service.

Without doubt, the memory of a life so inestimably precious, so extraordinarily dynamic as that of Amatu’l-Bahá will infuse the Bahá’í institutions and individual friends everywhere with renewed resolve and redoubled energy.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

Membership of the Universal House of Justice: 1963-2013

Members of the Universal House of Justice 2003-2013

Members of the Universal House of Justice 1963-2003 

(Prepared by Arjen Bolhuis and Sana Rezai; Baha'i Library Online)

Geographic expansion of the Baha’i Community during the Ten Year Crusade (1953 - 1963)

The number of countries within the pale of the Faith doubled through the opening of:

• 43 in the Asiatic Continent
• 37 in the African Continent
• 21 in the European Continent
• 30 in the American Continent

(Adapted from: ‘The Baha’i Faith 1844-1963, Information Statistical and Comparative’, by Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land)

As of Ridvan 1972 there were 113 National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world

Although the dissolution of the National Spiritual Assembly of 'Iraq has, unhappily, resulted from the persecution of the Faith in that land, the thirteen new National Spiritual Assemblies which will come into being this Ridvan will bring the total number of these pillars of the Universal House of Justice to 113. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated Ridvan 1972; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986) 

circa 1944: National Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of Iran was completed

National Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of Iran, circa 1944 (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

March 1972: The Mother Temple of Latin America is dedicated in Panama

Message from the Universal House of Justice:

19 March 1972

To the Beloved of God gathered in the Conference called on the occasion of the Dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America

Dear Bahá'í friends,

With praise and gratitude to God the whole Bahá'í world acclaims the dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America, an edifice which glorifies the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh at that point where, the beloved Master asserted, "the Occident and the Orient find each other united through the Panama Canal," where "The teachings, once established ..., will unite the East and the West, the North and the South."

This historic project, in a hemisphere of infinite spiritual potentiality, fulfils one of the most important goals of the Nine Year Plan, and brings untold joy to the hearts of the friends in every land. Privileged are they who share in the raising of this glorious Silent Teacher with deeds of loving generosity and sacrifice. A crown to the labours of all those who have striven to establish the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in Latin America, this Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the rallying point for the Bahá'ís of those lands, whether they are of the blessed Indian peoples or represent the other races whose diversity enriches the nations of that hemisphere, will be a fountainhead of spiritual confirmations, and this mighty achievement will endow the Bahá'í Community with new and greater capacities, enabling the friends in Latin America, and particularly in this privileged land of Panama, to win victories that will eclipse all their past achievements.

circa 1941: Baha'i Youth Conference in Hamadan, Iran

Baha'i Youth Conference in Hamadan, Iran, circa 1941 (Andalib 2002)

Baha’u’llah during His youthful prime – explained by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

…from the beginning of the manifestation of the Báb there was in Tihrán (which the Báb called the Holy Land) a Youth of the family of one of the ministers and of noble lineage, gifted in every way, and adorned with purity and nobility. Although He combined lofty lineage with high connection, and although His ancestors were men of note in Persia and universally sought after, yet He was not of a race of doctors or a family of scholars. Now this Youth was from His earliest adolescence celebrated amongst those of the ministerial class, both relatives and strangers, for single-mindedness, and was from childhood pointed out as remarkable for sagacity, and held in regard in the eyes of the wise. He did not, however, after the fashion of His ancestors, desire elevation to lofty ranks nor seek advancement to splendid but transient positions. His extreme aptitude was nevertheless admitted by all, and His excessive acuteness and intelligence were universally avowed. In the eyes of the common folk He enjoyed a wonderful esteem, and in all gatherings and assemblies He had a marvelous speech and delivery. Notwithstanding lack of instruction and education such was the keenness of His penetration and the readiness of His apprehension that when during His youthful prime He appeared in assemblies where questions of divinity and points of metaphysic were being discussed, and, in presence of a great concourse of doctors and scholars loosed His tongue, all those present were amazed, accounting this as a sort of prodigy beyond the discernment natural to the human race. From His early years He was the hope of His kindred and the unique one of His family and race, nay, their refuge and shelter. 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘A traveler’s Narrative’)

1944: First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Bogota, Columbia

First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Bogota, Columbia, 1944, with Dorothy Baker, representing the Inter-America Committee. (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

1924: The Faith is introduced to Reykjavík, Iceland

From a message of the Universal House of Justice to the “Friends assembled in the North Atlantic Conference in Reykjavik”, September 1971:

“The famous island in which you are now gathered, so strategically placed between the two great continents flanking the vast oceanic area which surrounds it, to which the Teachings of Christ were brought a millennium ago, and which, in this Dispensation, was mentioned by the Centre of the Covenant in His Tablets of the Divine Plan, first heard the Name of Bahá'u'lláh in 1924 when the Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins stopped briefly in Reykjavik and made the acquaintance of Holmfridur Arnadottir who subsequently became the first Bahá'í of Iceland. Eleven years later the beloved Martha Root spent a month in this land which she loved so well. On that occasion, with the help of Holmfridur, the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh was widely proclaimed in the press, on the radio and from the lecture platform.” 

(The Universal House of Justice, ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986) (To read the entire message please visit: Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by the Universal House of Justice)

November 1957: Hands of the Cause of God

Hands of the Cause of God shortly after the passing of Shoghi Effendi

November 28, 1921: The Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha

April 1942: First Spiritual Assembly in the Province of Manitoba, Canada

Members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1942 (Baha'i News, August, 1942)

1943: First Spiritual Assembly in Alaska

First Alaskan Spiritual Assembly was formed in Anchorage, 1943 (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

Baha'u'llah's Passport

Baha'u'llah's Passport

At the time of His exile from Persia, in 1269 A.H., this passport, made out in the name of Mirza Husayn 'Aliy-i-Nuri, was issued to Bahau'llah and His Family. (The Baha'i World 1940-1944)

Badi (Wonderful): Pride of Martyrs, Apostle of Baha’u’llah

Born Aqa Buzurg-i-Nishapuri, the son of a devoted Babi, he was later given the title Badi' (unique, wonderful) by Baha’u’llah. Reputed to be a wild, unruly youth, he had no interest in his father's affairs until, during the visit to his home of a traveling teacher, Mulla Muhammadi-Zarandi (Nabil-i-A'zam), he listened to some verses from a long poem by Baha’u’llah and was so entranced that he devoted the balance of his life to serving Him. After his conversion he set out to visit Him, traveling on foot from Mosul to 'Akka. It was during this visit that he was chosen to deliver a letter (Tablet) from Baha’u’llah to Nasiri'd-Din Shah . (The A to Z of the Baha’i Faith by Hugh Adamson)

Shoghi Effendi describes these events in the following passage:

Aqa Buzurg of Khurasan, the illustrious "Badi" (Wonderful); converted to the Faith by Nabil; surnamed the "Pride of Martyrs"; the seventeen year old bearer of the Tablet addressed to Nisiri'd-Din Shah; in whom, as affirmed by Baha’u’llah, "the spirit of might and power was breathed," was arrested, branded for three successive days, his head beaten to a pulp with the butt of a rifle, after which his body was thrown into a pit and earth and stones heaped upon it. After visiting Baha’u’llah in the barracks, during the second year of His confinement, he had arisen with amazing alacrity to carry that Tablet, alone and on foot, to Tihran and deliver it into the hands of the sovereign. A four months' journey had taken him to that city, and, after passing three days in fasting and vigilance, he had met the Shah proceeding on a hunting expedition to Shimiran. He had calmly and respectfully approached His Majesty, calling out, "O King! I have come to thee from Sheba with a weighty message"; whereupon at the Sovereign's order, the Tablet was taken from him and delivered to the mujtahids of Tihran who were commanded to reply to that Epistle - a command which they evaded, recommending instead that the messenger should be put to death. That Tablet was subsequently forwarded by the Shah to the Persian Ambassador in Constantinople, in the hope that its perusal by the Sultan's ministers might serve to further inflame their animosity. For a space of three years Baha'u'llah continued to extol in His writings the heroism of that youth, characterizing the references made by Him to that sublime sacrifice as the "salt of My Tablets." 

(Shoghi Effendi, 'God Passes By')

Baha'u'llah's prison cell in 'Akka

Baha'u'llah's incarceration in the prison of 'Akka, Nabil attests, extended from 31 August 1863 to 13 October 1870, a period of two years, two months and five days. After nine years He was permitted to move beyond the walls of the city. (The Baha'i World 1976-1979)

On the left is entrance to Baha'u'llah's room in the prison

A view of the interior of Baha'u'llah's room in the prison.

1954: Baha’i women in Iran “became eligible for service as members of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies.”

The progressive clarification of the details of the laws concerning membership of the Houses of Justice has been accompanied by a gradual implementation of their provisions. For example, based on the texts available to the believers at the time, membership of local Houses of Justice was initially confined to men. When the Master began to elaborate on the difference between the levels of this Institution, He clarified that the exclusion of women applied only to the Universal House of Justice. Thereafter, women became eligible for service as members of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. Women in the West, who already enjoyed the benefits of education and opportunities for social involvement, participated in this form of service much sooner than, for instance, their Bahá'í sisters in Iran who were accorded this right only in 1954, "removing thereby the last remaining obstacle to the enjoyment of complete equality of rights in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Persian Bahá'í Community". It is important to note that the timing of the introduction of the provisions called for by the interpretations of 'Abdu'l Baha and the Guardian in relation to the Local and National Spiritual Assemblies, rather than constituting a response to some external condition or pressure, was dictated by the principle of progressive implementation of the laws, as enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh Himself. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 31 May 1988)