| |
[ 15 Articles ] |
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 10 April A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Shoghi Effendi writes to the
American National Spiritual Assembly indicating that the word ‘assembly'
is to apply only to the elected body of nine believers in each locality
or to the national assembly, not to the believers as a whole. [BA83;
SBBH258] |
 |
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• Spring A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
The International Bahá'í Bureau is established in Geneva by Jean Stannard under the direction of Shoghi Effendi. [BW4:257]
- For the history and work of the Bureau see BW4:257–61, BW6:130–5, BW7:108–13, BW11:507–8.
- Its function is to act as intermediary between Haifa and other Bahá'í centres. [BBD118; BW4:261]
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 10 May A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Background Information
"It was in the village of Kawmu's-Sa`áyidih, in the district of Beba, of
the province of Beni Suef in Upper Egypt, that, as a result of the
religious fanaticism which the formation of a Bahá'í assembly had
kindled in the breast of the headman of that village, and of the grave
accusations made by him to both the District Police Officer and the
Governor of the province--accusations which aroused the Muḥammadans to
such a pitch of excitement as to cause them to perpetrate shameful acts
against their victims--that action was initiated by the notary of the
village, in his capacity as a religious plaintiff authorized by the
Ministry of Justice, against three Bahá'í residents of that village,
demanding that their Muslim wives be divorced from them on the grounds
that their husbands had abandoned Islám after their legal marriage as
Muslims." [GPB364-365]
A Muslim Court in Egypt pronounces the Faith to be an independent religion. [BBRSM173; BW2:31;BW3:49]
- For text of the judgement see BW3:48–50.
- This
was ‘the first charter of liberty emancipating the Bahá'í Faith from
the fetters of orthodox Islam'. [BA100-1, 120-123; BW3:110–11; GPBXII,
302, 365; CB306; PP319–20; UD65 WOB99, LoF57, SETPE1p102-104]
"an attack which, viewed in the perspective of history, will be
acclaimed by future generations as a landmark not only in the Formative
Period of the Faith but in the history of the first Bahá'í century.
Indeed, the sequel to this assault may be said to have opened a new
chapter in the evolution of the Faith itself, an evolution which,
carrying it through the successive stages of repression, of
emancipation, of recognition as an independent Revelation, and as a
state religion, must lead to the establishment of the Bahá'í state and
culminate in the emergence of the Bahá'í World Commonwealth. [GPB364]
- Subsequent to the court's decision...
"the presentation of a petition addressed by the national elected
representatives of that community to the Egyptian Prime Minister, the
Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Justice (supported by a
similar communication addressed by the American National Spiritual
Assembly to the Egyptian Government, see BW4p166), enclosing a copy of
the judgment of the Court, and of their national Bahá'í constitution and
by-laws, requesting them to recognize their Assembly as a body
qualified to exercise the functions of an independent court and
empowered to apply, in all matters affecting their personal status, the
laws and ordinances revealed by the Author of their Faith--these stand
out as the initial consequences of a historic pronouncement that must
eventually lead to the establishment of that Faith on a basis of
absolute equality with its sister religions in that land." [GPB367]
" it became a lever which the Egyptian Bahá'í community, followed later
by its sister-communities, readily utilized for the purpose of asserting
the independence of its Faith and of seeking for it the recognition of
its government. Translated into several languages, circulated among
Bahá'í communities in East and West, it gradually paved the way for the
initiation of negotiations between the elected representatives of these
communities and the civil authorities in Egypt, in the Holy Land, in
Persia and even in the United States of America, for the purpose of
securing the official recognition by these authorities of the Faith as
an independent religion. " [GPB366]
- See message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of Egypt dated 21 December 2006.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 4 / 9 July A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
The Seventeenth Annual Convention of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada is held at Green Acre. [GAP117; SBR94]
- National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada is elected for the first time. [GPB333, SETPE1p107]
- Like the previous attempts at electing a National Assembly in
1922, 1923 and 1924, the delegates didn't fully understand the Bahá'í
election procedure. Nine members were elected as well as nine
alternates whose purpose was to replace absent members. [SETPE1p108]
- The members were: Alfred Lunt, William Randall, May Maxwell,
George Latimer, Louis Gregory, Elizabeth Greenleaf, Mariam Haney and
Keith Ransom-Kehler with Horace Holley becomes its first full-time
secretary. [BW13:852; SBR233, SETPE1p108]
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• September A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Bertram Dewing begins publication of the Bahá'í magazine Herald of the South in Auckland. [BEL174; SBR163] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• October A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Faced with the possibility of
Jewish developments on land near the Shrine of the Báb, Shoghi Effendi
appeals to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and
Canada to purchase the land in question. They respond quickly to the
request. [BA92-3, SETPE1p108, PP97] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 31 October A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Ahmad Sháh is deposed and the Qájár
dynasty (1785-1925) was formerly terminated by declaration of the
National Consultative Assembly. [BBD190; BBR482; BBRSM87, PDC66-69] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 21 November A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
On his way from Iran to study at
the American University of Beirut (then called the Syrian Protestant
College) the 17-year-old Husan Balyuzi spent two days in Haifa.
Although from a prominent Bahá'í family he was neither knowledgeable nor
confirmed in his faith. After having spent more than one hour with
Shoghi Effendi his faith was confirmed and the course of his life was
set. [SETPE1p110-111, BW18p637-651] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 22 November A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
John Esslemont, Hand of the Cause of God, Disciple of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, passes away in Haifa. [BW3p84-85, BBD81, SETPE1p108-110]
- For letters of Shoghi Effendi announcing his death and giving details of his life and funeral see BA97–8 and UD40–3.
- For an obituary see BW1:133–6 and BW8:929–35.
- He is buried next to the grave of Vakílu'd-Dawlih, the chief builder of the House of Worship at ‘Ishqábád. [DJEE37]
- Shoghi
Effendi elevates him to the station of Hand of the Cause of God on his
death. The announcement is made on November 30th. [BA7-98; BWT3:333;
DJEE40; PP92; UD403, MoCxxii
- See also Moojan Momen, Dr John E. Esslemont (BPT UK 1975) and BW8p929-935 for "John Ebenezer Esslemont: His Life and Service" by Jesse E. Revell.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• November A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
With the passing of Dr Esslemont
Shoghi Effendi is left without qualified secretarial help. This
situation remained in place until the formation of the International
Bahá'í Council in 1951. [PP92-95, SETPE1p112]
- On November 30th Shoghi Effendi appoints him a Hand of the Cause of God.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• December A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
"A Plan of Unified Action to Spread
the Baha'i Cause Throughout the United States and Canada January 1,
1926-December 31, 1928" was formulated by The National Spiritual
Assembly of the United States and Canada in response to Shoghi Effendi's
message to the annual National Convention. [BA86-89]
-
It can be found at [Plan]
The goals were (1) to unify the American Bahá'í community's efforts,
(2) to increase the number of Bahá'ís, (3) to "penetrate the
consciousness of the public with the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh", and (4) to
raise $400,000 so that the construction of the first unit of the
Temple's superstructure could begin. [SBBR14p160, BFA1p110]
- This was the first of two Plans developed by the North American
National Assembly in the years from 1926 to 1934 the second being "A New
Plan of Unified Action To complete the Bahá'í Temple and promote the
Cause in America (1931-1934)". [SBBR14p155-197]
-
During the years of these two plans the National Assembly of
the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada developed practices commonly
used in subsequent plans, organized propagation, a central budget and
the modern form of the Nineteen Day Feast. [SBBR14p160]
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• December A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
The Guardian express his "heartfelt
and abiding gratitude" to Milly Collins and seven others who had
donated the necessary funds to complete the Western Pilgrim House
construction project. It had been started in 1919 with a donation from
Ruth and Harry Randal but had come to a halt when the funds ran out. [Millyp7] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 13 December A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
Ridá (or Reza) Sháh accedes to the throne of Iran. The Pahlaví dynasty commences. [BBR482] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 13 December A.D. 1925
• A.M. |
The keys to Bahá'u'lláh's house in Baghdád are given to the Shí'ís. [UD45] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Opposition to the Faith begins in Russia. [BW3:35; BBR473]
- For details see BW3:34–43.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Martha Roots visits Budapest and
teaches the Faith to one of the grandsons of Arminius Vámbéry, Mr.
György Vámbéry. He was 21 at the time and passed away some two years
later. [www.bahai.hu] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Green Acre comes under the direct supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada. [GAP118] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
For most of the year severe
restrictions are placed on the Bahá'ís of Marághih in Ádharbáyján, the
governor of the district effectively suspending all constitutional and
civil rights of the Bahá'í community. [BBR472; BW18:388]
- For a list of deprivations see BBR473.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• c. A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Shoghi Effendi visits Finland. |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
The Bahá'í World is first published. [BW1:4; GT77; PP209; SBR232]
- The first edition, April 1925 to April 1926, is called The Bahá'í Yearbook.
- For Shoghi Effendi's impression of it see UD82–4.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• January A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Orcella Rexford and her husband Dr
Gayne Gregory (the first to accept the Faith in Alaska) come to Haifa on
pilgrimage and are technically the first from Alaska to do so. They
are in the process of moving from Alaska to the Continental USA.
[SETPE1p112-112]
- See BW11p495-498 for for details of the life of Orella Rexford
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 28 January A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Martha Root sends a note and a copy of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era to Queen Marie of Romania. [GBF42; GPB390; MR242] |
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 30 January A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Martha Root meets with Queen Marie of Romania for the first time. [BBR59; GBF42; GPB390; PP107, HEC49]
- For the details of the meeting and the acceptance of the Faith by Queen Marie see GBP389–96 and MR240–6.
- This was the first of eight meetings between Martha Root and Queen Marie.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• First week in February A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Martha Root arrives in Bulgaria, the earliest documented visit to that country by a Bahá'í. [MR247]
- She stays 12 days. [MR247]
- Bahá'ís had passed through Bulgaria on their way to Turkey, but Martha Root's visit is the first one documented.
|
|
|
• 82 B.E.
• A.H.
• 14 February A.D. 1926
• A.M. |
Dust from the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh
brought back by pilgrims (including Margaret Stevenson) from the Holy
land, was placed in a ceremony into the soil of New Zealand at the
Stevenson's home. [Arohanui pg94] |
| |
|
