A Brief History of the Bahá'í Faith

First Epoch of the Formative Age: 1921 - 1947

29 Dec 1921 Shoghi Effendi arrives in Haifa, accompanied by Lady Blomfeld and his sister Rouhangeze. He was delayed by passport difficulties.
3 Jan 1922 Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá formally read. The Guardianship is inaugurated and Shoghi Effendi is appointed the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith: the sole authoritative interpreter of the Bahá'í Writings. As interpreter, the Guardian analyzed world events in the light of Bahá'í Scriptures and sent lengthy letters to Bahá'í communities throughout the world with his results. He was asked numerous questions on a broad range of topics. His answers comprise a significant portion of the interpretation of the Bahá'í Writings. Shunning any personal acknowledgement or praise, the Guardian forbid any commemoration of events associated with his life and fulfilled his role largely outside of public view; a stark contrast to the charismatic style of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Generally speaking, the Guardian concentrated on: the development of the Bahá'í World Center, the translation and interpretation of Bahá'í Teachings, the expansion of the administrative order, and the implementation of the divine plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
7 Jan 1922 The Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá is read to a gathering of Bahá'ís from many countries. On Jan. 16, the Greatest Holy Leaf cabled news of the Guardianship to the Bahá'ís of the United States.
March-April 1922 Shoghi Effendi directs the formation of National Spiritual Assemblies and established conditions for forming Local Spiritual Assemblies. He then entrusted the worldwide affairs of the Faith to the Greatest Holy Leaf and withdrew to Europe to prepare for his duties as Guardian.
15 Dec 1922 Shoghi Effendi returns to Holy Land to resume duties as Guardian.

Shoghi Effendi was appointed Guardian of the Bahá'i Faith by 'Abdú'l-Bahá in
His "Will and Testament" and was named "the expounder of the words of God."
He served as Guardian from 1922 to his death in 1957.
Upon his passing, he left no will or testament appointing anyone else to the
station of Guardianship, as no faithful members of the Holy Family could be found.

16 Feb 1923 Declaration of the first native Hawaiian Bahá'í on (Mae Tilton Fantom, Maui).
12 Mar 1923 Shoghi Effendi calls for the establishment of Local and National Bahá'í Funds.
1923 National Spiritual Assemblies are formed in British Isles, Germany and India.
1924 National Spiritual Assembly is formed in Egypt. Martha Root visits South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
1925 National Spiritual Assembly is formed in the United States and Canada (one mutual assembly at this time).
1926 Queen Marie of Rumania, first monarch to become Bahá'í (taught by Martha Root) sends open letters to newspapers extolling the Bahá'í Faith (May 4, Sept 28 in the Toronto Daily Star, Sept 27 in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin). Several more of her tributes to the Faith are published until her death in 1938.
1 Aug 1927 Bahá'í Summer School opened at Geyserville, California on a property donated by John Bosch. The school was later transferred to the Santa Cruz area..
26 Oct - 13 Nov 1928 League of Nations upholds the Bahá'í claim to the house of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad. The government of Iraq refuses to transfer the property to the Bahá'ís.
28 Nov 1928 Construction begins on the first Bahá'í House of Worship ('Ishqábád, Russia).
14 Feb 1929 Work begins on three additional chambers of the Shrine of the Báb.
3 Mar 1929 League of Nations Council resolution upholds the Bahá'í Community's claim to Bahá'u'lláh's house in Baghdád.
27 Nov 1929 Restoration of the Mansion at Bahjí begins.
July 1930 Shoghi Effendi completes his translation of the Kitab-i-Iqan, the first of his major translations of Bahá'u'lláh's writings into English.
15 Jul 1932 Passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf (Bahíyyih Khánum), Bahá'u'lláh's daughter, in Haifa. She was the loyal stalwart supporter of the Faith and provided Shoghi Effendi with invaluable support after his appointment as Guardian. She was also the chief steward of the Faith until Shoghi Effendi assumed the duties of Guardianship.

Tomb of the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahíyyih Khánum.
She was the daughter of Bahá'u'lláh and sister of 'Abdú'l-Bahá.
She accompanied Bahá'u'lláh on every stage of His exiles
and remained steadfast to His cause.

1934 National Spiritual Assembly is formed in Persia and Australia.
10 May 1934 Tax exemption for Bahá'í properties on Mt. Carmel announced.
Oct 1935 The Guardian wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada affirming that the Bahá'í laws of fasting, obligatory prayers, consent of parents before marriage, monogamy and avoidance of alcoholic drinks were binding on the believers.
21 Apr 1937 First Seven-Year Plan launched. Goals: to establish at least one local spiritual assembly in every state of the United States and every province of Canada; to make certain that at least one Bahá'í teacher was residing in each Latin American republic; to complete the exterior design of the first Bahá'í house of worship in North America. The plan was successfully completed in 1944, the centenary of the Báb's declaration. Martha Root visits Hawaii and Japan.
Feb 1938 Bahá'í House of Worship in 'Ishqábád, Russia was confiscated during a wave of crackdowns on Bahá'ís. It was turned into an art gallery, heavily damaged in a 1948 earthquake, and demolished in 1963.
1938 Martha Root visits India, Burma and Ceylon.
28 Sept 1939 Hand of the Cause of God, Martha Root, "herald of the kingdom", "harbinger of the Covenant", passes away in Hawaii following visits to Australia and New Zealand. During her life, she had met numerous royalty, heads of state, leaders of thought and was instrumental in translating Bahá'í literature into numerous languages.
25 Dec 1939 Remains of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Mother (Navváb - The Most Exalted Leaf) and Brother (The Purest Branch) interred together on Mt. Carmel.

The resting place of Navváb (The Most Exalted Leaf) and
Brother (Mírzá Mihdí, The Purest Branch) in the
Monument Gardens on Mt. Carmel.

4 Sept 1943 First Local Spiritual Assembly is formed in Alaska at Anchorage.
Nov 1944 God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi is published. This book chronicles the first century of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths and is the only full-size book written by Shoghi Effendi.
21 Apr 1946 Second Seven-Year Plan launched. This plan focused on Europe, which only had national spiritual assemblies in Great Britain and Germany. It also called for the formation of local spiritual assemblies in Latin America and a vast increase in assemblies in North America. The plan was successfully completed in 1953, the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's Intimation.
15 Dec 1946 Completion of plans for erection of arcade of the Shrine of the Báb.

Entrance to the Shrine of the Báb.
The door to the outer shrine of
'Abdú'l-Bahá is at the front left.

A Brief History of the Bahá'í Faith
The Heroic Age: The first epoch: the Báb The second epoch: Bahá'u'lláh The third epoch: 'Abdu'l-Bahá
The Formative Age: The first epoch: 1921 to 1947 The second epoch: 1947 to 1963 The third epoch: 1963 to 1986 The fourth epoch: 1986 to 2001 The fifth epoch: 2001 to present