April 1972: First National Convention of the Baha'is of Afghanistan

Some of the Baha'is attending the first National Convention in Afghanistan, April 1972. This photograph was taken at the Haziratu'l-Quds in Kabul. (Baha'i News, September 1972)

First National Convention of the Baha'is of Rhodesia - April 1970

Delegates and friends at the first National Convention of the Baha'is of Rhodesia held April 25-26, 1970 in Salisbury, Rhodesia. (Baha'i News, November 1970)

First American National Baha'i Education Conference -- Feb. 1970

First National Baha'i Education Conference in America was held in Wilmette, Illinois, between February 20-22, 1970 (Baha'i News April 1970)

The Báb’s First Disciples – The Letters of the Living

• They were seventeen men and one woman.

• The first to believe in the Báb was Mulla Husayn Bushrú’í.

• The second to believe in the Báb was Mulla Ali Bastamí.

• Two of them were brothers, a third a nephew of them.

• Two were cousins.

• Ten of them were Muslim clerics before becoming Bábis.

• One of them was referred to by the Báb, in allegorical language, as the return of the Imam Ali.

• One of them was instrumental in bringing the news of the Advent of the Báb to the attention of Tahirih who was in Karbala, Iraq at the time – before she became a Babi.

• One of them didn’t personally meet the Báb .

• One of them became known as the First Babi martyr.

• One of them was the son of a famous Persian mujtahid (a prominent religious scholar).

• One of them visited Baha’u’llah in Baghdad.

• One of them became the Báb’s secretary -- His amanuensis.

• One of them went to India, another to Iraq, proclaimed the Advent of the Báb, was arrested and tried in Baghdad, and sentenced to work for life in the imperial naval dock in Istanbul.

1923: First Baha'i Feast in New Zealand

The first Baha'i Feast in New Zealand was observed at the home of Miss Margaret Stevenson, 1923 (Star of the West, vol. 14, April 1923)

The largest gathering of Baha’is in the history of the Faith -- as of 1974

More than 10,000 Baha’is attended the First National Baha’i Conference of the Five Year Plan (1974-1979) in St. Louis, Missouri, USA during August 29-September 1, 1974…. The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum attended as the representative of the Universal House of Justice. (Baha’i News, September 1974)

The Hand of the Cause of God Ruhiyyih Khanum being greeted by fellow Hands of the Cause, US National Spiritual Assembly members and the friends upon her arrival at the St. Louis airport.

A view of the arena of Kiel Auditorium during one session of the First US National Baha'i Conference of the Five Year Plan.

More than a thousand members of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the US attended a special afternoon seminar conducted for them by the National Spiritual Assembly.

May 1-3, 1970: First National Convention of the Baha'is of Malawi

The first National Convention of the Baha'is of Malawi, May 1-3, 1970. Hand of the Cause Paul Haney (second row center) represented the Universal House of Justice.

April 1967: First time a woman elected to LSA of Karachi, Pakistan, since its formation in 1929

History was made when for the first time a woman was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Karachi, Pakistan since its formation thirthy-eight years ago. Mrs. Pervin Yazamaidi is shown in center. (Baha'i News, February 1968)

April 1970: First Baha'i National Convention of the Samoan Islands

 

First Baha'i National Convention of the Samoan Islands in front of the Haziratu'l-Quds, Apia, Western Samoa. Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone is in the second row from the back, second to the right of the Greatest Name symbol. (Baha'i News, August 1970)

April 1970: First National Convention of the Baha'is of Ghana

First National Convention of the Baha'is of Ghana in Accra, Ghana, April 25-26, 1970 (Baha'i News, July 1970)

July 13, 1968: Legal Recognition Granted to NSA of Spain

It was with hearts overflowing with joy that the Baha'is of Spain received official notification on July 13, 1968 that the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Spain had been legally recognized and given registry number 2 in the Register of Non-Catholic Religious Associations in the Ministry of Justice. This recognition of the National Assembly carries with it the automatic legal recognition of all Local Spiritual Assemblies duly formed in accordance with the Statutes of the National Spiritual Assembly.

This represents the fulfillment of one of the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade of our beloved Guardian which, in spite of continuous efforts and great expense beginning in 1954 had proved impossible of accomplishment. From 1954 through 1963, legalization proceedings went through various government levels and to the Supreme Court with continuous denials. This goal was then included in the Nine Year Plan.

In December, 1966 a new basic law of the land was approved by national referendum, and one provision of the new law provided for government protection of all religions. To implement this new concept, a Law on Religious Liberty was passed by the national Parliament on June 28, 1967.

March 12, 1923: The Guardian calls for the establishment of local and national Baha’i Funds

And as the progress and execution of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means, it is of absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of local as well as national Spiritual Assemblies, a Bahá’í Fund be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the Spiritual Assembly. All donations and contributions should be offered to the Treasurer of the Assembly, for the express purpose of promoting the interests of the Cause, throughout that locality or country. It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Bahá’u’lláh who desires to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously for the increase of that Fund. The members of the Spiritual Assembly will at their own discretion expend it to promote the Teaching Campaign, to help the needy, to establish educational Bahá’í institutions, to extend in every way possible their sphere of service. I cherish the hope that all the friends, realizing the necessity of this measure, will bestir themselves and contribute, however modestly at first, towards the speedy establishment and the increase of that Fund. 
(Excerpt from a letter written by Shoghi Effendi, dated March 12, 1923, to the Baha’is throughout America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and Australasia; ‘Baha’i Administration’ pp. 34-43) 
(To read the entire letter please visit Messages to the Baha’i World)

April 30 - May 2, 1967: First Baha'i National Convention in Sikkim

The historic first Baha'i National Convention in Gangtok, Sikkim, April 30 - May 2, 1967. 'Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, special representative of the Universal House of Justice, is shown in second row, center. Of the 58 delegates 33 were present and fifty-four votes were cast. This tiny state situated in the Himalayan mountains had approximately 3000 believers in 1967 and 48 local spiritual assemblies. (adapted from Baha'i News January 1968 and March 1968) 

Facsimile of Letters of Recommendation issued in 1852 by the Turkish Legation in Tihran and delivered to Baha'u'llah prior to His departure for Baghdad

Facsimile of Letters of Recommendation issued in 1852 by the Turkish Legation in Tihran and delivered to Baha'u'llah prior to His departure for Baghdad (The Baha'i World 1930-1932)

First National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of 'Iraq 1931-1932

The First National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of 'Iraq, 1931-1932 (The Baha'i World 1930-1932)

April 22, 1898:The Baha'is of Mandalay, Burma, with the marble casket offered by them for the remains of the Bab

The Baha'is of Mandalay, Burma, with the marble casket offered by them for the remains of the Bab, April 22, 1898.



On the morning of March 21st 1909, the day of Naw-Ruz, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had the marble sarcophagus -- gift of the Bahá'ís of Rangoon -- carried up the mountain and placed in the vault. That evening He laid in the sarcophagus the wooden casket which contained the inseparable remains of the Báb and the disciple who had died with Him. A solitary lamp lit the scene, so poignant and yet so exultant. The Báb had been cruelly maligned, cruelly wronged, cruelly put to death. His torn and smashed body had had no home for many long years. Now the heart of Carmel was receiving it forevermore. Of this event Zechariah had written: 'Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord'. How mysteriously and indubitably had his prophecy come true. 'The Branch' had built 'the temple of the Lord', had raised His 'tabernacle' on His Mountain -- on Carmel -- the Mountain of God. 
(Balyuzi, ‘Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant’)

New York City, December 10, 1883: Probably the first newspaper reference to the Baha'i Faith in the United States

A page from the Sun, published in New York City, December 10, 1883, is probably the first newspaper reference to the Baha'i Faith in the United States. Note the column headed "The Babs and Their Prophet".(highlighted for ease of recognition) (The Baha'i World 1930-1932)

April 21, 1922: Shrines of Baha'u'llah and the Bab were electrically illuminated for the first time

On the first day of Ridvan [1922], although Shoghi Effendi himself had left Haifa, the Shrines of both Baha'u'llah and the Bab were electrically illuminated for the first time, pursuant to arrangements made before the Master's ascension, but, again, supervised by Shoghi Effendi himself. 

(Ruhiyyih Khanum, 'The Priceless Pearl')

First National Baha'i Convention of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands, April 23-24, 1967

First National Baha'i Convention of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands, April 23-24, 1967, with Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery (Baha'i News, June 1967)

Approximate Number of Localities where Bahá'ís Resided as of 1950 -- in Leading Bahá'í Communities throughout the World

Germany and Austria:  ---- Over forty localities.
British Isles: ----- Over fifty localities.
Australia and New Zealand: ----- Over sixty localities.
Dominion of Canada: ----- Over eighty localities.
India, Pakistan and Burma: ----- Over eighty localities.
Latin America: ----- Over one hundred localities.
Persia: ----- Over seven hundred localities.
United States of America: ----- Over eleven hundred localities
(The Bahá'í Faith, 1844-1950: Information Statistical and Comparative, Compiled by Shoghi Effendi. Wilmette, IL Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1950, p.19)

The Apostles of Baha'u'llah -- "Pillars of the Faith" -- identified by Shoghi Effendi

1. Mirza Musa: the only true brother of Baha’u’llah, surnamed “Kalim.”

2. Mirza Buzurg: youthful martyr, bearer of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet to Nasiri’d-Din Shah, surnamed “Badi.” [Wonderful]

3. Siyyid Hasan: one of the martyred brothers of Isfahan, surnamed “Sultanu’sh-Shuhada.” [King of the Martyrs]

4. Mulla Abu’l-Hasan: faithful steward of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, surnamed “Amin.”

5. Mirza Abu’l-Fadl-i-Gulpaygani: Foremost and authoritative expounder of the Baha’i Revelation.

6. Mirza ‘Ali Muhammad: poet, teacher, and martyr of te Faith, surnamed “Varqa.”

7. Mirza Mahmud: an indomitable spirit and jealous defender of the Faith.

8. Mulla ‘Ali Akbar: a flame of zeal and devotion.

9. Mulla Muhammad: learned and steadfast exponent of the Baha’i Revelation, surnamed “Nabil-Akbar.”

10. Haji Mirza Muhammad Taqi: cousin of the Bab and chief builder of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of Ishqabad, surnamed “Kabir-i-Afnan.”

11. Haji Mirza Muhammad Taqi: prominent teacher.

12. Mulla Muhammad: poet, historian, and teacher of the Faith, surnamed “Nabil-i-A’zam.”

13. Shaykh Kazim: a flame of the love of God, favored of Baha’u’llah, surnamed “Samandar.”

14. Muhammad Mustafa: brave and vigilant custodian and bearer of the remains of the Bab.

First Local Assembly formed in Iceland, April 1965

The historic, first local spiritual assembly was established last Ridvan in the capital city of Reykjavik, Iceland, the first of three assemblies required for the Nine Year Plan. The signatories of the original document were: Asgeir Einarsson, Kirsten Bonnevie, Florence Grindlay, Jessie Echevarria, Carl John Spencer, Charles Grindlay, Liesel Becker, Barbel Thinat and Nicholas Echevarria. One of the earliest traveling teachers in Iceland was Eskil Ljunberg and the first pioneer, Marguerite Allman, arrived in 1956, during the Ten Year Crusade.

Mrs. Amelia Collins, late Hand of the Cause was the first to visit Iceland, in L924. During these few hours spent in Reykjavik she was able to make friends with an Icelandic lady with whom she corresponded about the Faith for many years. This same lady was then able to open many doors for Martha Root, the renowned traveling teacher, who came in July of 1935 to make the Faith known in that land.

Signs in Heavens during the Appearance of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh

It is said in Scripture and Tradition that at the time of the birth or announcement of every Messenger of God, a star or a sign appears in the heavens. Nimrod was warned of the star that told of the coming of Abraham. The soothsayers warned Pharaoh of the star in the heavens that foretold the coming of Moses. The Magi informed Herod of the new star that guided them to the throne of the "spiritual king," Jesus. The same legend is told of Buddha, Zoroaster, Muhammad and Krishna.

What were the signs in the heavens during the appearance of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh? The holy Scriptures of all faiths had spoken of Twin-Revelations that would appear at the "time of the end." Now that the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh had appeared, fulfilling these prophecies, what were the signs in the heavens? Signs, not for one, but for two Messengers of God, Who would appear almost simultaneously?

Some of us know the story of the great comet of 1843which foreshadowed the coming of the Báb. Sir James Jeans, late British astronomer and mathematician, stated in his book Through Space and Time, "oddly enough, many of the most conspicuous appearances of comets seem to have coincided with, or perhaps just anticipated, important events in history." [Sir James Jeans, Through Space and Time, pp. 102, 154]

Mother of the Guardian announces his marriage

Cablegrams:

"Announce Assemblies celebration marriage beloved Guardian stop Inestimable honor conferred upon handmaid of Baha’u’llah Ruhiyyih Khanum Miss Mary Maxwell stop Union of East and West proclaimed by Baha'i Faith cemented. (Signed) Ziaiyyih, mother of the Guardian." (Baha’i News, April 1937)

25 March 1937
ANNOUNCE ASSEMBLIES CELEBRATION MARRIAGE BELOVED GUARDIAN IMPERISHABLE HONOUR BESTOWED UPON HANDMAID OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH RUHIYYIH KHANUM MISS MARY MAXWELL. (Sgd. ZIAIYYIH, MOTHER OF THE GUARDIAN) (Unfolding Destiny, p. 115)


Ruhiyyih Khanum explains in the Priceless Pearl (p. 151) that her marriage with the Guardian took place on 25 March, 1937

Baha’u’llah’s Tablet presented to President Roosevelt

During 1936 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada “caused to be delivered to President Roosevelt a beautifully engrossed copy of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet to the Presidents and Rulers of the American Republics, together with two Prayers revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha for America.” 
(Baha’i News, August 1936)