Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1931-0, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1931 27 Jul Swiss Bahá'í Auguste Forel, (b. 1 September, 1848 Morges, Switzerland, d. 27 July, 1931 Yvorne Switzerland) world-renowned psychiatrist, entomologist, anatomist, social reformer and peace worker, passed away. [FGM2]
  • For the Good of Mankind: August Forel and the Bahá'í Faith by John Paul Vader, (published by George Ronald, Oxford, 1984) was originally written as a doctoral dissertation in the field of the history of medicine at the University of Lausanne on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Dr Forel's passing. The book documents Dr Forel's activities as a Bahá'í.
  • "The famous scientist and entomologist, Dr. Auguste Forel, was converted to the Faith through the influence of a Tablet sent him by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, one of the most weighty the Master ever wrote." [GPB307-308, 316, 375; AB448-449]
  • The Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Dr Forel can also be found in The Bahá'í World Vol. XV, pp. 37–43.
  • See The Life and Times of August Forel by Sheila Banani published in Lights of Irfan, Volume 6, pages 1-20 Wilmette, IL: Irfan Colloquia, 2005
  • See as well Auguste Forel; His Life and Enlightenment by A. M. Ghadirian, M.D.
  • August Forel Defends the Persecuted Persian Bahá'ís: 1925-1927 by John Paul Vader published in Bahá'í World, Vol. 18 (1979-1983), pages 970-974 1986 (the pdf)
  • See Shoghi Effendi's mention of Dr Forel in Lights of Divine Guidance Vol 2 page 5, and his letter to his daughter, Mrs. Marta Brauns-Forel, regarding his status as a believer on pages 18-19.
  • See Auguste Forel and the Bahá'í Faith published by George Ronald in 1978. It was translated from Brief An Forel originally published by Bahá'í Verlag GmbH. It contains Forel's letter to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His reply, and a commentary by Peter Mühlschlegel.
  • His autobiography, Rückblick auf mein Leben (1935) has been translated as Out of My Life and Work by Bernard Miall and published by Allen & Unwin Ltd in 1937.
  • See the article The World Vision of a Savant by Dr Auguste H Forel. [BW3p284—287]
  • See Wikipedia article.
  • Find a grave.
    		• Auguste Forel; In Memoriam; Switzerland
    1931 10 Jul The administration in Palestine wrote to Ruth White advising her that they would take no further action with respect to her claim that the will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá was a forgery.
  • "All Mrs White ever achieved was to stir up a temporary and insignificant cloud of dust". [PP119]
  • Mrs White wrote letters to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada as well as to some believers objecting to the directives of Shoghi Effendi and to the administration of the Cause through local and national assemblies. One of her converts was Dr Wilhelm Herrigel, one of the founding members of the German community. Later, Dr Herrigel became conscious of the mistake he had made. [SETPE1p158]
  • Likewise, Ruth White's husband was repentant, was offered a path back into the Faith but failed to take it. [SETPE1p158] iiiii
  • See WOB4 for Shoghi Effendi's thoughts on such an action as taken by Ruth White.
    		• Ruth White; Covenant-breakers
    1931 (Summer) The first German Bahá'í summer school was held, at Esslingen. [BBRSM182; BW5:44]
  • UD98 and BW5p30 put this date as 1932.
    		• Summer schools; First summer and winter schools; Esslingen, Germany; Germany first German Bahá’í summer school
    1931 May The passing of Mrs Claudia Coles in London. (b. 1863 or 1866 in Charleston, South Carolina). She accepted the Faith in Washington DC and moved to London in 1920. She was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles many times and often served as secretary. [BW4264-265]
  • See tribute from Shoghi Effendi.
  • See Portraits of Some Bahá'í Women by O.Z. Whitehead, GR, Oxford, 1996 pages 29-48.
    		•  Claudia Coles; In Memoriam; Washington, DC, USA; USA; London, England; United Kingdom
    1931 1 May The superstructure of the Wilmette House of Worship was completed and turned over by the Fuller Company at the opening of the National Convention, nineteen years after the day on which the Master had blessed the undertaking. It was then dedicated. [BW10:180; DP:156–7; SBBH1:145] Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Wilmette; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Wilmette, IL; USA
    1931 May Lilian Barron McNeill, an English Bahá'í, and her husband, a retired British army officer, rented the house at Mazra'ih. [DH92]
  • They restored the house, which had deteriorated, preserving those parts unchanged from the time of Bahá'u'lláh. [DH92–3, BW19P779-782]
    		•  Lilian Barron McNeill; House of Bahá'u'lláh (Mazraih); Restoration; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; Mazraih, Iran; Akka, Israel
    1931 May A permanent summer school is established at Louhelen Ranch near Davison, Michigan. [BW10:181; GPB340] Summer schools; Davison, MI; Michigan, USA; USA
    1931 28 Apr Mr Refo Capari (Chapary), the first Albanian Bahá'í, arrived in Tirana, Albania from New York where his family had immigrated.
  • He became a Bahá'í in America some time before 1931.
  • In 1983 account were found in the International Archives of the pioneering work done by Mr. Capari. He had stayed in Albania and died alone and of starvation. [BW20p198]
    		•  First Bahá'ís by country or area; Refo Capari; Tirana; Albania first Albanian Bahá’í
    1931 Ridván The formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iraq. [GPB333; BBRSM:121; BW4p169] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Iraq
    1931 Apr Marion Jack arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, to begin her pioneering service. Marion Jack; Sofia, Bulgaria; Bulgaria
    1931 There were still only 30 Bahá'ís in Canada by this date. [BBRSM186] Statistics; Canada
    1931 Mar Marion Jack painted a view from the Mansion at Bahjí. The painting was eventually hung in the Mansion. [CT174] Marion Jack; House of Bahá'u'lláh (Bahji); Bahji, Israel
    1931 15 Jan Flames swept through the dome of Bahá'í House of Worship which was nearing completion. Damage was estimated at $50,000. The loss due to the fire was covered by insurance and as a "blessing in disguise" because the Faith receive a great deal of publicity as a result of the incident. [Tribune Archive Photo / Chicago Tribune, Sept. 18, 2014]
  • See the report in BN No 48 February 1931 p5.
    		• Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Wilmette; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Wilmette, IL; USA
    1931 13 Jan Consul Albert Schwarz, (b. December 14, 1871, Stuttgart, Germany), Disciple of Abdu'l-Bahá, 'Germany's outstanding Bahá'í pioneer worker' passed away. He was buried in Pragfriedhof – Stuttgart. [BW4:118–19, 264; Find a grave]
  • For his obituary see BW4:264–6.
  • See as well Bahá'í Chronicles.
    		•  - Consuls; Albert Schwarz; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Stuttgart, Germany; Germany
    1931 (In the year) The publication of the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude) as translated into English by Shoghi Effendi. It was published by the Bahá'í Publishing Committee in New York and republished in 1931 and 1937. [Collins1.77]
  • It has seen numerous publications since then by the American Bahá'í Publishing Trust and by Bahá'í Publishing Trust in London. [Collins1.78-85]
    		•  Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); * Publications; Translation; * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of
    1931 (In the year) The first Chinese translation of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era was published. [PH36]
  • The translation was made by Dr Tsao Yun-siang, President of the Xinhua University in Beijing. [PH36]
    		•  Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (book); Esslemont; First translations; Translation; * Publications; Beijing, China; China first Chinese translation of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era
    1931 (In the year) The publication of Bahá'ism: Its Origins, History and Teachings by Reverend William McElwee Miller, a Presbyterian missionary working in Mashhad, Iran. He wrote the "All impartial observers of Bahá'ism in Persia are agreed that here in the land of its birth this religion...is now steadily losing ground...It is only a matter of time until this strange movement...shall be known only to students of history." [MCSp766]
  • In 1923 he visited Shoghi Effendi in Haifa. [SETPE1p62]
  • See 1974 when he published the updated version of his polemic entitledThe Bahá'í Faith: Its History and Teachings.
    		• Criticism and apologetics; William McElwee Miller; Mashhad, Iran; Iran

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