Chronology: Date 1897

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1897, descending — sort earliest first

date	event	tags	firsts
1896-1897 189-	In a gathering in Akka, 'Abdu'l-Bahá informed the friends of the threats of Siyyid Jamalud-Din-i-Afghani, a sometimes collaborator with Sultán 'Abdu'l-Maníd and an inveterate enemy of the Faith. He had vision of a pan-Islamic Ottoman state with the Sultan as the head of all Muslims. A short time after `Abdu'l-Bahá had spoken about him, a small growth appeared on the Siyyid's tongue. The Sultan's special physician was sent to attend him. In a number of operations, his tongue was cut several times until none was left and, soon after, he died. This was the end of a person whose tongue had spoken presumptuously towards the Cause of God and had committed such slander and calumny against the Faith. He has been called the "Protagonist of Pan-Islamism". MBBA158 says his death occurred in 1901 or a short time after. In fact he died in March 1897. Two Azalis who had been associated with him, Shaykh Ahmad and Mírzá Áqá Khan, were caught up in his intrigues to rid Persia of its monarchy and were executed in Tabriz on the 15th of July, 1896 by the then Crown Prince Muhammad-'Alí Mirzá. [EGB23-28]	Jamalud-Din-i-Afghani; Covenant-breaking; Muhammad-`Alí Sháh; Akka, Israel; Tabríz, Iran; Iran
1897 30 May 189-	The Covenant-breakers living at Bahji, realized that Mírzá Àqá Ján would be useful to them in their plot to undermine the authority of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. They sent a letter to him purportedly from the Bahá'ís in Iran requesting that he assume leadership. Mírzá Àqá Ján arranged for a feast to be held at the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh on the fifth anniversary of His passing when he planned to announce his intention to the assembled followers. The Covenant-breakers, anticipating that his announcement would cause a disturbance, bribed a local official to have men on hand to take charge of the scene and to discredit 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the process. They had hope that He would be banished and they would be left in complete control of the Shrine. The disturbance did not happen as planned; the the result was that Mírzá Àqá Ján had openly thrown in his lot with the Covenant-breakers. They arranged for him to live in the Shrine until his death in 1901. During this time 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the faithful followers did not enter the Shrine but rather observed their devotions outside. [CoB184-189; MBBA84-90]	Mírzá Aqa Jan (Khadimu'lláh); Mírzá Muhammad Ali; Covenant-breaking; Bahji, Israel
1897 21 May 189-	Lua Getsinger became a Bahá'í in Chicago. She had been called Khayru'lláh's best pupil. [BFA1:XXVII, AY59]	Lua Getsinger; Ibrahim George Kheiralla; Chicago, IL; United States (USA)
1897 Spring 189-	Finding the situation in `Akka intolerable, `Abdu'l-Bahá had moved to Haifa's Retreat of Elijah on Mount Carmel for two months. [MBBA69]	* `Abdu'l-Bahá (chronology); Covenant-breaking; Cave of Elijah, Haifa; Elijah (Prophet); Akka, Israel; Haifa, Israel; Mount Carmel
1897 26 Mar 189-	From the time of the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá endured significant family opposition to His authority and position as the Centre of the Covenant. For several years He had worked to contain the news of these defections and to prevent any word of them from reaching other Bahá'í communities. By 1896-7 the Bahá'ís of Egypt had heard enough of the details that when Mirza Habibu'llah Afnan was going on a pilgrimage, they asked him to learn as much as he could. To his great shock, the Afnan soon apprised that indeed Abdu'l-Bahá's brothers and the majority of his family had arisen against him in rebellion. They accused Him of claiming to be a manifestation Himself and for the mistreatment of the break-away part of the family. As instructed by 'Abdul-Bahá, he, on his return to Egypt, informed the Bahá'í community of the situation. Mirza Abu'l-Fadl found this hard to accept in view of Bahá'u'lláh instructions regarding the treatment of the Holy Family after His passing. Therefore, he wrote to Abdu'l-Bahá to confirm the truth of this news and received in response a lengthy tablet that has been called The First Thousand-Verse Tablet. ['Abdu'l-Baha's First Thousand-Verse Tablet: History and Provisional Translation by Ahang Rabbani and Khazeh Fananapazir] In the Tablet He described how He had suffered from the activities of both "the waverers and the rebellious" from among the family and associates. They had deployed others to undermine the authority of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Persia (where Jamál-i- Burújirdí was foremost among the Covenant-breakers.) and in other lands and even used the name of steadfast believers to disseminate their messages to undermine His authority. Up until this time 'Abdu'l-Bahá had spent considerable effort in trying to contain the news of their activities and had amassed considerable debt in trying to appease their demands. To compound 'Abdu'l-Bahá's woes and difficulties, in addition to opposition from within the Faith, the Azalis were active, particularly in Persia. Opposition also came from the Ottoman government in Istanbul, the local authorities and from the Islam and possibly the Christian communities in Akka. iiiii Sometime later, in 1315 AH (which commenced on 2 June 1897), a similar tablet of the same name was composed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá for Mirza Jalíl Khu'í, a coppersmith who lived in the province of Adhirbayjan. He had been influenced by Jamál-i- Burújirdí and had been appointed as his agent in that country. Khu'í had also received correspondence from Muhammad-'Alí. The tablet was read to Khu'i but a copy not given to him at 'Abdu'l-Bahá's instruction. Scholars have labelled this as the Second Thousand-Verse Tablet. [Tablet of Splendors (Lawh-i-Ishráqát): Tablet study outline; CoBp148-9, 157, 158, 229] See how this Tablet became the source of the undoing of Mírzá Muhammad-Ali and Majdu'd-Dín in their plot to deceive the governor of Syria in Damascus, Názim Páshá, into believing that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was planning an insurrection. [CoB226-230]	Covenant-breaking; * `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of; Thousand-Verse Tablet; Khalil-i-Khui; Jamal-i-Burujirdi; Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani; Mírzá Muhammad Ali; Akka, Israel; Iran; Azerbaijan; Egypt; Cairo, Egypt
1897 1 Mar 189-	The birth of Shoghi Effendi, in the house of `Abdu'lláh Páshá. [BBD208; BKG359; DH60, 214; GBF2] He was descended from both the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh: his mother was the eldest daughter of `Abdu'l-Bahá; his father was an Afnán, a grandson of Hájí Mírzá `Abu'l-Qásim, a cousin of the mother of the Báb and a brother of His wife. [CB280; GBF2] He was the Ghusn-i-Mumtáz, the Chosen Branch. [BBD87] `Shoghi' means `one who longs'. [CB281] `Abdu'l-Bahá commanded everyone, even Shoghi Effendi's father, to add the title `Effendi' after his name. [CB281; GBF2] `Abdu'l-Bahá gave him the surname Rabbání in the early years of his study in Haifa so that he will not be confused with his cousins, who were all called Afnán or Shahíd. The family name "Rabbání" was also used by Shoghi Effendi's brothers and sister. [BBD191–2; DH60–1; PG4] As a young boy the Master sent him with a nurse named Hájar Khátún to live in Haifa where he was registered in the French Jesuit school, Collège des Frères. By the age of nine or ten his mother had gotten rid of this nurse. He was unhappy at school in Haifa so the Master sent him to a Catholic boarding school in Beirut where he was equally unhappy. He even sent an attendant to rent a house and provide care so he could attend as a day student but still he was not happy so arrangements were made for him to enter the preparatory school associated with the Syrian Protestant College. [PG4; PP15-17] See also Rabbani, The Priceless Pearl; Rabbani, The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith; Giachery, Shoghi Effendi: Recollections. In a letter from the Universal House of Justice dated 1 October 1973 to Elias Zohoori, included on page 83 of his book, Names and Numbers: A Bahá'í History Reference Guide it says: ...we write to advise you that it has not been possible to establish with absolute accuracy the date of the beloved Guardian's birth. Shoghi Effendi's passport gives 3rd March 1896…A note in the Guardian's handwriting indicates 1st March 1897…A further and different date has been noted by Shoghi Effendi's father. Unless further research is able to clarify the matter, it is not possible to make a categorical statement of the Guardian's birth date. Shoghi Effendi's registration form for the Syrian Protestant College shows his year of birth as 1899. [PGp14-15] The inscription on the column erected at Shoghi Effendi's resting place shows "4 November 1896".	* Shoghi Effendi (chronology); House of `Abdu'lláh Páshá (Akká); Bahá'u'lláh, Family of; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Family of; Afnan; Aghsan; Hájí Mírzá Abu'l-Qasim; Rabbani (name); Names and titles; - Basic timeline, Condensed; - Basic timeline, Expanded; * Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; Akka, Israel
1897 24 Feb 189-	Birth of Jalal Khazeh (Jalál Khádih), Hand of the Cause of God, in Tihrán.	Jalal Khazeh; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; Tehran, Iran; Iran
1897 Feb 189-	Six Bahá'ís were arrested in Mamaqán, Ádharbáyján. Three were bastinadoed and three were imprisoned in Tabríz. [BW18:384]	Persecution, Adharbayjan; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Mamaqan, Iran; Azerbaijan; Tabríz, Iran; Iran
1897 (In the year) 189-	Fifteen Bahá'ís were arrested in Saysán, Ádharbáyján. They were taken to Tabríz, imprisoned and fined. [BW18:384] Three Bahá'ís were arrested in Nayríz on the orders of Áqá Najafí, the `Son of the Wolf'. [BW18:384] The homes of several Bahá'ís in Hamadán were looted and ransacked after complaints by Jews of the town against Bahá'ís of Jewish background. [BW18:384]	Aqa Najafi (Son of the Wolf); * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Saysan, Iran; Azerbaijan; Tabríz, Iran; Nayriz, Iran; Hamadán, Iran; Iran
1897 (In the year) 189-	The Hands of the Cause appointed by Bahá'u'lláh were instructed by `Abdu'l-Bahá to gather to begin the consultations regarding the future organization of the Bahá'í community in Tihrán. This gathering led to the formation of the Central Spiritual Assembly of Tihrán in 1899. [BBD98, 114, 115; EB268; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]	Hands appointed by Bahá'u'lláh; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Spiritual Assemblies; LSA; Administrative Order; Tehran, Iran; Iran; Central Assembly of Tehran
1897 (In the year) 189-	Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí, the first Bahá'í to have settled China, died in Bombay on his way back to Shíráz. [PH24] He lived in China from 1962 until 1868. He moved to Hong Kong in 1970 and was joined by his brother Haji Mirza Muhammad Husayn (Haji Mirza Buzurg) where they established a trading company. The brothers stayed in Hong Kong until 1897. [Video Early history of the Bahá'í Faith in China 2min56sec]	Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí Afnán; Afnan; - In Memoriam; - Births and deaths; China; Mumbai, India; India	First Bahá'í to have settled in China
1897 (In the year) 189-	The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Shaykh Muhammad-Ridáy-i-Yazdí (Mullá Ridá) while incarcerated in the Síyáh-Cháh. [RoB2p84-91; Bahaipedia; Wikipedia] He was born in Muhammad-Ábád in the province of Yazd into a well-known family in about 1814. He was provided a good education and he became a divine known for his piety, eloquence and courage. Mullá Ridá became a follower of the Báb in the early days of the Revelation. He recognized Bahá'u'lláh as the Promised One of the Bayan some time after 1855 upon reading Qasídiy-i-Varqá'íyyih, "Ode of the Dove". (Bahá'u'lláh had composed this ode while still in Sulaymáníyyih.) He was a fearless teacher who was outspoken and often suffered imprisonment and torture. "Other than seventeen-year-old Badí, no one has surpassed Mullá Ridá's unusual power of endurance. The rare combination of endurance, eloquence, courage and humour made him that unique hero who illuminated the pages of the history of the Bahá'í Faith." [Extract from a Persian book called Masabih-i-Hidayat, Volume I by Azizu'llah-i-Sulaymani] In one story of his courage in teaching and his endurance in withstanding abuse, he was found to be picking his teeth while being bastinadoed and, in another, while a elderly man he withstood a brutal flogging on his bare back in the prison yard. A witness to this flogging, Ghulám-Ridá Khán, a notable of Tehran who happened to be imprisoned at the same time, became a believer upon seeing his steadfastness under the lashing. [RoB1p84-91, EB89-111, LoF21-27] 'Abdu'l-Bahá referred to a few of the believers posthumously as being Hands of the Cause (see MF5 and BW14p446) Adib Taherzadeh points out that "since there are one or two others by the same name (Shaykh-Ridáy-i-Yazdí) it is not possible to identify him. However, some believe strongly that he is Mullá Muhammad-i-Ridáy-i-Muhammmad-Ábádí. [RoB4p186n]	Mulla Rida (Shaykh Muhammad-Riday-i-Yazdi); - In Memoriam; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Síyáh-Chál (Black Pit, Tehran); * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; Hands of the Cause, referred to as such by `Abdu'l-Bahá; Shaykh Muhammad-Riday-i-Yazdi; Mulla Muhammad-i-Riday-i-Muhammmad-Ábadi; Hands of the Cause, referred to as such by `Abdu'l-Bahá; Hands of the Cause, Appointments; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; * Persecution, Iran; Azizullah Sulaymani; Muhammad-Ábád, Iran; Yazd, Iran; Tehran, Iran; Iran
1897 or 1900 189-	Tablets, Communes and Holy Utterances, a collection of writings by Bahá'u'lláh, was published in Chicago. 23p. [BFA2:26] It was the first prayer book and first compilation of Bahá'í writings published in the West. Most of the selections are from Bahá'u'lláh except for pages 18 to 21 which are from 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [BFA2:26] It was probably translated by Anton Haddad and published by the Behais Supply and Publishing Board. [BFA2:26] Collins gives the date as 1897. [BEL4.277]	- Compilations; * Prayer texts; Anton Haddad; * Publications; - Publishing Trusts; - First publications; Chicago, IL; United States (USA)	First prayer book and first compilation of Bahá'í writings published in West


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