Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1904, descending sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1904 1 Dec Sydney Sprague arrived in Bombay, India. [BFA2:XVI]
  • He was the first American Bahá'í travelling teacher in Asia. [BFA2:XVI; 258-270; facing p335]
  • See Reflections on the Bahá'í Writings for the story of Kaykhusraw Isfandyár who sacrificed his life by travelling from his home in Bombay to Lahore to assist Sidney Sprague when he was mortally ill with typhoid fever. He was too ill to be taken back to Bombay as planned so Kaykhusraw prayed that he, a humble shop-keeper, might be accepted as a sacrifice for the life of Sydney, an international travel teacher. His request was accepted and he became the first Eastern Bahá'í to have sacrificed his life for his Western brother. When the news of this sacrifice reached `Abdu'l-Bahá, He immortalised Kaykhusraw by conferring upon him the rank of a martyr and He revealed a Tablet to Kaykhusraw's family.
    This story is also available in Andalib magazine, year 7, no 25 and can be found in YBIB55-60.
  • Sydney Sprague; Travel Teaching; Firsts, other; Mumbai, India; India; Asia First American travelling teacher in Asia; the first eastern Bahá’í to have sacrificed his life for his western brother.
    1904 29 Nov Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl departed from the United States after a four year stay. He spent most of that time in the Washington, DC area. [BFA2:XVI. ASK20] Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani; USA
    1904 28 Oct Ali Kuli Khan married Florence Breed, the first marriage between a Persian and a Western Bahá'í. [BFA2:147]
  • For details of this marriage see SUR223–20.
  • When 'Abdu'l-Bahá heard the new of the marriage He said, 'This is the first sign of union between East and West.' Then He sent for candies to be brought and said, 'The event is so joyous that it must be celebrated!' And He distributed the candy to those present, as is the custom for the parents of the bridegroom to do at a Persian wedding banquet. [AY26]
  • See AY51-53 for the history of the Breed name.
  • See AY53-> for the relationship between Khan and the Hearst family.
  • `Alí Kulí Khán; Florence Breed; Firsts, other; Interracial marriage; Weddings; Hearst family; Phoebe Hearst; USA First marriage between a Persian and a Western Bahá'í
    15 Apr - Jun "Due to conflicting interpretations of the Teachings" a commission was appointed to "formulate a plan for the development of unanimity in work and effort for spreading the Bahá'í teachings." The report gave the "Outlines of the Bahá'í Teachings" and "Basic Concepts of the Bahá'í Revelation." [Highlights of the First 40 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in New York, City of the Covenant, 1892-1932 by Hussein Ahdieh p9] Teaching; New York, USA
    1904 (In the year) Laura Clifford Barney made a number of extended visits to `Akká during this period. She brought with her questions to ask `Abdu'l-Bahá and she compiled His responses. These answers were approved by Him and published in the book Some Answered Questions. [AB81–2; BFA2:238]
  • For more complete history of the making of Some Answered Questions see "Some Answered Questions" and Its Compiler by Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani published in Lights of Irfán vol. 18 p425-452.
  • See AB81–2 for information about Laura Clifford Barney.
  • The translator during this period was Dr Yúnis Afrukhtih (Yúnis Khán), whose memoirs, translated in English as Memories of Nine Years in Akka, make a valuable contribution to the history of the Faith. [BW12:679–81; M9YA341-345]
  • Laura Clifford Barney; Some Answered Questions (book); `Abdu'l-Bahá, Life of (chronology); `Abdu'l-Bahá, Basic timeline; * `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of; - Philosophy; Youness Afroukhteh (Yunis Afrukhtih); - Basic timeline, Expanded; Akka, Israel
    1904 (In the year) Through the year the Covenant-breakers plotted until the friendly governor of `Akká was replaced by one hostile to `Abdu'l-Bahá. Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí stirred up opposition in certain elements of the population. [AB111; CB232]
  • Newspapers in Egypt and in Syria wrote false reports about `Abdu'l-Bahá. [AB111; CB232]
  • Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí drew up an official indictment against `Abdu'l-Bahá full of false accusations. [AB112; CB232; MBBA82-83]
  • These actions resulted in the arrival of the first Commission of Inquiry, sent by Sultán `Abdu'l-Hamíd. [AB112; CB233]
  • The Commission summoned `Abdu'l-Bahá to answer the accusations levelled against Him and upon receiving His replies, the inquiry collapsed. [AB113–14; CB233]
  • Mírzá Muhammad Ali; Covenant-breakers; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Commission of inquiry; Sultán `Abdu'l-Hamid; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Life of (chronology); `Abdu'l-Bahá, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Haifa, Israel; Akka, Israel; Istanbul, Turkey; Turkey
    1904 (In the year) Mahd-i-`Ulyá (Fátimih Khánum), the second wife of Bahá'u'lláh, died. She and all her four surviving children had been declared Covenant-breakers. [CB117] Mahd-i-Ulya (Fatimih Khanum); Covenant-breakers; Haifa, Israel; Akka, Israel
    1904 (In the year) At this point there were separate Spiritual Assemblies for the Jewish and Zoroastrian Bahá'ís in Hamadán and Tihrán. [BBRSM:151; CB371; CT33]
  • See BW2:275–9 for a letter from the `Israelitish' Bahá'í Assembly of Tihrán of November 1904.
  • Local Spiritual Assembly; Hamadán, Iran; Tehran, Iran; Iran
    1904 c. The birth of Zikrullah Khadem, Hand of the Cause of God, in Tihrán. [ZK3] Zikrullah Khadem; Births and deaths; Tehran, Iran; Iran
    1904 (In the year) A compilation of Bahá'í writings in English was published by the Board of Counsel of New York. [BW10:179]
  • The Book of Assurance (The Book of Ighan) translated by Ali Kuli Khan, assisted by Howard MacNutt was published in New York for the Bahá'í Publishing Committee. [Collins1.10]
  • - Compilations; * Publications; New York, USA; USA
    1904 (In the year) The publication of The Book of Ighan (Kitáb-i-Íqán) by George V. Blackburne Co in New York. It had been translated by Ali Kuli Khan with assistance by Howard McNutt. This was the earliest translation into English of this book and was superseded by the publication of the translation by Shoghi Effendi. [Collins1.12]
  • A second edition was published in 1907 in Chicago by the Bahá'í Publishing Society and a third in 1915. [Collins1.13, 1.14]
  • The Book of Ighan.
  • Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); `Alí Kulí Khán; Howard MacNutt; Chicago, IL; USA
    1904 (In the year) The publication of Bahá'í Martyrdoms in Persia in the Year 1903 AD by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-Alí Isfaháni* and translated by Youness Afroukhteh. A second edition was published in 1917. [Collins 7.1147-7.1149]

    When the persecutions throughout Iran were at their peak, in midsummer of 1903, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote a proclamatory treatise outlining events leading to these pogroms, the motives and actions of the principle persecutors, and the intense sufferings of the Bahá'í community.

    In retrospect, it appears that 'Abdu'l-Bahá intended this treatise to be published in the West, galvanizing the support of prominent individuals, Bahá'í communities of the United States and Europe in general, and, the public at large. Towards this end, he instructed one of his secretaries, Dr. Younis Khan Afroukhtih, to translate this treatise, which presumably was done in collaboration with some English-speaking Bahá'ís visiting 'Akká at the time. This work was further assisted by an English-speaking pilgrim of Jewish-descent from Hamadan, Dr. Arastoo Hakim, and was completed on 19 September 1903.

    *The translated treatise was then sent to the United States It was received in Chicago on 29 October 1903 and its publication took place through the work of Bahá'í Publishing Society in 1904. However, for reasons not clear, it was published as a document prepared by Hájí Mírzá Haydar-'Alí, a prominent Bahá'í residing in Haifa at that time. In this reference can be found a 2007 translation by Ahang Rabbani [Bahá'í Studies Review Vol 14 2007 p53-67]

    Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Hájí Mírzá Haydar-`Alí; * `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of; * Publications; Yazd upheaval; Yazd, Iran; Isfahan, Iran; Rasht, Iran; Ardakan, Iran; Taft, Iran; Manshad, Iran; Dih-Bala, Iran; Iran

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    try also the Chronology Canada — 1904 or 190

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