Bahá'í timeline

Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAH : Bahá'í timeline

This page is dedicated to providing a basic timeline of the Bábí movement and Bahá'í Faith. Whole volumes have been dedicated to this so for a more comprehensive chronology see the references at the bottom.

1795

(1210 AH),Shaykhi sect started by Shaykh Ahmad Zainuddin [Maulana, 1933]

1817

November 12, Birth of Bahá'u'lláh

1819

October 20, Birth of the Báb

1820

Ásiyih later known as Navváb, and Bahá'u'lláh's first wife is born

1826

Shaykh Ahmad Zainuddin dies and Siyyid Kázim becomes leader of the Shaykhi sect. According to some accounts [Maulana, 1933] he died in 1212 AH which works out to be approximate 1797. This is unlikely as Siyyid Kázim was one of his most promising students and would have been only four at the time.

1828

Fatimih later known as Mahd-i-'Ulya, and Bahá'u'lláh's second wife is born

1834

Shah of Persia, Fath Ali Shah dies. Prime minister executed and Mirza Buzurg dismissed as Visier by Mohammad Shah

1835

Between September 24 and October 22, Bahá'u'lláh marries his first wife Ásiyih, later to be known as Navváb

1843

Siyyid Kázim dies

1844

May 23, Declaration of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran.
May 23, `Abdu'l-Bahá is born. Browne claimed in his book "Materials for the study of the Babi religion", (p320) he was born some time in 1841 [link]. It is likely this was simply a mistake.

1845

September, Restrictions on the Báb's movement within Shiraz after he declares himself to be the Mahdi (Promised One of Islam) publicly.

1846

Bahíyyih--later known as The Greatest Holy Leaf--Bahá'u'lláh's daughter from his first wife, Ásiyih, is born. Browne has claimed in his book "Materials for the study of the Babi religion", (p321) she was born some time in 1844 [link]

March, The Báb escapes from Shiraz

1847

March, The Báb is imprisoned at Maku.

1848

Bahá'u'lláh's son from his first wife Mirzá Mihdí
May 20, Mullá Husayn visits the Báb in Maku
April 10, The Báb is moved to Chihriq, due to his growing influence in Maku. He was largely kept there until a couple of days before his execution at Tabriz
June 26 - July 17, Conference of Badasht
July, during public interogation at Tabriz the Báb make a dramatic public declaration of his station. He is returned to Chihriq.
July 21, Mullá Husayn hoists the Black Standard and marches with 202 disciples to Mashhad
September 4, Shah of Persia Mohammad Shah dies
October 10, Mullá Husayn and his group start an uprising and the Battle of fort Shaykh Tabarsi begins
October 20, Quddús arrives at fort Shaykh Tabarsi

1849

Bahá'u'lláh marries his second wife Fatimih also known as Mahd-i-'Ulya in Tehran
February 2, Mullá Husayn dies in the battle at the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi
May 10, Battle of fort Shaykh Tabarsi ends after a negotiated surrender in which the victors promise to let the Babis go. Immediately afterward, the victors break their oath and kill many of the Bábí defenders.[link]
May 16, Quddús tortured and executed

1850

July 9, Execution of the Báb in Tabriz, Iran

1852

May 17, Failed attempt made on the life of Nasser-al-Din Shah who retaliates by imprisoning of Bahá'u'lláh within the Síyáh-Chál (Black-pit), Tehran and by executing the Letters of the Living Táhirih and Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi
October 15, While imprisoned for four months in the Síyáh-Chál in Tehran, Bahá'u'lláh claims that he receives the first intimations that he is the One foretold by the Báb. Some sources [Maulana, 1933] claim that Bahá'u'lláh left for Baghdad in this month.
Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Mírzá Muhammad `Alí is born in Baghdad

1853

January 12, Exile of Bahá'u'lláh from Tehran to Baghdad.

1854

April 10, Bahá'u'lláh retreats to the Sulaymaniyah mountains within Kurdistan due to a disagreement with his half-brother Mirza Yahya in order to avoid controversy in the Bábí community. (An Azali source, Hasht Bahisht, claims that it was because Bahá'u'lláh was repremanded for implying he was to claim to be "Him Whom God shall make manifest" predicted by the Báb [Maulana, 1933 - quoting from "Browne's Intr. to Nuqtatul Qaf, pp, lt, m"]. Bahá'ís, of course, discard this accusation as partisan because they believe that Bahá'u'lláh was indeed so charged by God Himself.)

1856

After being discovered in the Sulaymaniyah mountains within Kurdistan, Bahá'u'lláh returns to Baghdad after being asked to return by `Abdu'l-Bahá. An Azali source, Hasht Bahisht, claims that it was because Mirza Yahya who asked him to return [Maulana, 1933 - quoting from "Browne's Intr. to Nuqtatul Qaf, pp, lt, m"]

1862

May 10, Persian government request the Ottomans remove the Bábí headquarters to a more distant location from Persia [Maulana, 1933 - quoting from Prof. Browne in his "Materials for the study of the Bábí religion"]

1863

April 21, Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh in Garden of Ridván in Baghdad on the eve of his exile to Constantinople. Some sources say he left on April 20 [Maulana, 1933]
December 12, Exiled again, Bahá'u'lláh arrives at Edirne, also known as Adrianople, after four months in Constantinople [Maulana, 1933]

1864

August 15, Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Díyá'u'lláh is born

1867

Approximate date of when Bahá'u'lláh sends out his Tablets to the Kings [Maulana, 1933]

1868

Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Badi'u'llah is born
August 5, Bahá'u'lláh leaves Edirne for Prison city of Acre [Maulana, 1933]
August 31, Arrival of Bahá'u'lláh into the Prison-city of Acre in the Holy Land.

1869

Bahá'u'lláh sends a letter to the Shah of Persia Nasser-al-Din Shah and the messenger, Badí' is put to death [Maulana, 1933]. 17 year old Badi is labelled the "Pride of Martyrs"

1870

June 23 Bahá'u'lláh's son from his first wife Mirzá Mihdí dies after falling through a skylight.

1873

Approximate date of Kitáb-i-Aqdas being written by Bahá'u'lláh

1886

Bahá'u'lláh's first wife Ásiyih, also known as Navváb, dies

1892

May 29, Death of Bahá'u'lláh (celebrated as Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh).

1893

First newspaper mention of the Bahá'í Faith in United States.

1897

March 1, Shoghi Effendi, great-grandson of Bahá'u'lláh is born

1898

First pilgrimage by Western believers, including Phoebe Hearst and the first African-American believer, Robert Turner, to the Holy Land where they visited with `Abdu'l-Bahá in prison.
October 30, Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Díyá'u'lláh dies

1904

Bahá'u'lláh's second wife Fatimih also known as Mahd-i-'Ulya dies
Bahá'u'lláh's daughter to his second wife Samadiyyih dies (due to calendar differences could be 1905)

1907

Badi'u'llah's Epistle[link]

1908

September, `Abdu'l-Bahá is released from a lifetime of exile and imprisonment at 64 years of age.

1910

Mary Maxwell later to be known as Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum is born in New York City

1911

August–December, `Abdu'l-Bahá travels across Europe visiting cities such as London, Bristol, and Paris

1912

April 11, `Abdu'l-Bahá arrives in New York City for his visit to North America.
April 29, Mirza Yahya, Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother and one-time leader of the Bábís, and then leader of the Azalis, dies alone and unmourned, and is buried as a Muslim.
`Abdu'l-Bahá lays the cornerstone of the planned North American Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, IL.
December 5, `Abdu'l-Bahá sets sail away from North America, heading back to Europe.

1913

June 12, Arrives in Egypt after leaving Europe. Returns to Haifa six months later

1916

`Abdu'l-Bahá writes the first eight Tablets of the Divine Plan.

1917

`Abdu'l-Bahá writes six more Tablets of the Divine Plan.

1920

April 27, `Abdu'l-Bahá is knighted by the British Empire in recognition of his humanitarian work during WWI.

1921

November 28, Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa
(This date marks the close of the "Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Faith" and the opening of its "Formative Age" according to Shoghi Effendi's description.)

1932

July 15, Bahá'u'lláh's daughter Fatimih later known as Bahiyyih and The Greatest Holy Leaf dies

1937

Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Mírzá Muhammad `Alí, labeled the arch-covenant breaker by `Abdu'l-Bahá dies
Shoghi Effendi launches the "Divine Plan" for the diffusion the Bahá'í Faith across the globe.
Shoghi Effendi marries Mary Maxwell later known as Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum, daughter of a prominent Canadian Bahá'í

1939

December, The bodies of Ásiyih, Bahá'u'lláh's first wife and Mírzá Mihdí, their youngest son together, are moved to the Monument Gardens by Shoghi Effendi

1944

Publication of "God Passes By" by Shoghi Effendi.

1950

Bahá'u'lláh's son from his second wife Badi'u'llah dies

1951

Eleven functioning National Spiritual Assemblies.
–1957, appointment of 32 additional "Hands of the Cause of God" by Shoghi Effendi.
Creation of the International Bahá'í Council, first multi-national Bahá'í body, precursor to the Universal House of Justice.

1953

Shoghi Effendi launches the Ten Year Crusade.
Dedication of the North American Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, IL.
Superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb completed.

1955

Majdu'd-Din, widower of Bahá'u'lláh's daughter to his second wife Samadiyyih and arch-enemy of `Abdu'l-Bahá dies at over one-hundred years of age

1957

November 4, Death of Shoghi Effendi.

1958

–April 1963, Bahá'í Faith is guided by 27 remaining Hands of the Cause of God. All the Hands publish a document stating that Shoghi Effendi left no will and that there is no way to appoint a new Guardian and no one eligible to be so appointed.

1960

Mason Remey, a Hand of the Cause of God proclaims to the Bahá'ís that Shoghi Effendi had appointed him Second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Mr. Remey is denounced as a covenant-breaker by the majority of the Hands of the Cause. A small group of believers accept Mr. Remey's claim and later become known as the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith.

1963

April 21, The first Bahá'í World Congress takes place in London. Election of first Universal House of Justice by representatives of 56 National Spiritual Assemblies gathered in Haifa, in synchronization with the end of the Ten Year Crusade and the Centenary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh in the Garden of Ridván. [link]

1969

November 12, Joel Bray Marangella announces that the Guardian of the Cause of God Charles Mason Remey had appointed him to be the third guardian.

1975

January 14, Purchase of the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá in Akká is completed.

1983

January 31, The Universal House of Justice takes up its permenant seat.

1986

December 24, Dedication of the Indian Bahá'í House of Worship (aka the "lotus temple").

1990

April 21, Two Knights of Bahá'u'lláh settle on the island of Sakhalin, the last remaining territory named by Shoghi Effendi in his Ten Year Crusade.

1992

April 21, Holy year begins marking the centenary of the Assention of Bahá'u'lláh
November 22, Second Bahá'í World Congress takes place in New York, the City of the Covenant

1993

March 21, The Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is released in English with commentary

2000

January 19, 'Hand of the Cause' and wife of Shoghi Effendi, Rúhíyyih Khanum dies. She was the last of the Bahá'í Holy family.

2001

Dedication of the monumental terraces on Mount Carmel surrounding the Shrine of the Báb, the Centre for The Study of the Texts Building and The International Teaching Centre Building at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel

Other Chronology References

References

External links

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