- 1850-00-00 —
Birth of Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad-i-Khurásání, (b. 1850-1851 Mashad, d. 2 April 1928 in Tehran) later known as Ibn-i-Asdaq, Hand of the Cause.
- His father, Mullá Sádiq-i-Muqaddas had left his native Khurasan and travelled to the city of Karbila where he saw the Báb. Subsequently he went to Isfahan where he encountered Mullá Husayn Bushrui who led him to the recognition of the Promised One. He and Quddús were later dragged through the streets of Shiraz and expelled from the city. [PG108; Bahá'í Encylopedia Project]
- 1882-00-00 — Ibn-i-Asdaq was given the distinction Shahíd Ibn-i-Shahíd (Martyr, son of the martyr) by Bahá'u'lláh. [EB173]
- 1887-04-13 — The first mention of the concept of `Hand of the Cause' in Bahá'u'lláh's writings is within a Tablet revealed in honour of Ibn-i-Asdaq. [BBD115; EB173]
- 1915-05-00 — A third international peace conference was planned by the Central Organization for a Durable Peace in The Hague and to this end, they put out a request for interested specialists to participate. Two Bahá'ís in Tehran, Ahmad Yazdáni and 'Alí Muhammad 'Ibn-i-Asdaq, drew 'Abdu'l-Bahá's attention to the organization's invitation.
- 1919-12-17 — Due to the difficulty of communication during the war there was a long delay before the invitation was delivered to the Holy Land.`Abdu'l-Bahá immediately responded to the invitation and wrote the Tablet to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace. He asked Ahmad Yazdáni and 'Alí Muhammad 'Ibn-i-Asdaq to come to Haifa to deliver the Tablet on His behalf. In May of 1920, they departed Haifa for Rotterdam. Upon arrival, they took a train to The Hague and delivered the Tablet on the 17th of May.
- 1920-05-17 —
The Tablet to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace was delivered to the Executive Comittee in The Hague.
Ahmad Yazdáni and 'Alí Muhammad 'Ibn-i-Asdaq learned that the Central Organization had been all but dissolved and that the Executive Committee's objective, to hold a third peace conference, had been surpassed by their country's membership in the recently formed League of Nations in Geneva. [AB438; BBD1 15; GPB308; EB176]
- See also The Journey of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet to The Hague. It is a photographic chronology by Jelle and Adib de Vries of the Netherlands.
- See BWNS1378 and BWNS1431.
- It was printed in the Star of the West Vol 11 No 8 1 August 1920.
On the 12th of June, the Executive Committee of the Central Organization for a Durable Peace in The Hague responded to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet. Ahmad Yazdani immediately forwarded it to Haifa.
- 1928-04-02 —
The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad, known as Ibn-i-Asdaq. He was born in Mashhad in 1850/1851. [Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project]
- His father was Mullá Sádiq-i-Muqaddas-i-Khurásání (also known as Ismu'lláhu'l-Asdaq of Khurásán), referred to as a Hand of the Cause of God by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. While still a child he suffered imprisonment with his father in Tehran. [EM19]
- In 1880 he begged Bahá'u'lláh permission to be a martyr. Bahá'u'lláh said that if one lived right he might attain martyrdom. In 1882 Bahá'u'lláh conferred the station of martyr on him calling him "Shahid Ibn-i-Shahid" ("Martyr, son of the Martyr")."
Today, the greatest of all deeds is service to the Cause. Souls that are well-assured should with utmost discretion teach the Faith,lll this martyrdom is no confined to the destruction of life and the shedding of blood. A person enjoying the bounty of life may yet be recorded as a martyr in the Book of the Sovereign Lord. [OLOMP46N12]
- He was the first of the Hands of the Cause of God named by Bahá'u'lláh.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave him a special mission to teach members of the "ruling class" the Faith.
- He was deeply involved in the planning and construction of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in 'Ishqábád.
- Ibn-i-Asdaq, Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad, Hand of the Cause of God, Apostle of Bahá'u'lláh, passed away in Tihrán. He was one of the few Apostles to live into the time of Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian. [BBD115, EM176, LoF9-12, RoB4p286]
- For details of his life see RoB1P92-93; RoB2p 293; RoB3p62-63, 253-260, 265-268; EB2-23; MF5-8; DB100-101, 145-148, 185-187; EB171–6; BW6p103; Bahaipedia; LoF9-12.
- His daughter, Ruha Asdaq wrote a book about her pilgrimage experiences with her father titled One Life One Memory: Memories of Pilgrimage in 1914. The book was translated to English and published by George Ronald in 1999. For a book review by Paul Mantle.
- For more details of his life see EB171-176; RoB4p 301-304, Tablets to him RoB4 254, 275, 277, 2966,315-328, Photos RoB4 277-278, 281-286, 292.
- See also Bahá'í Chronicles.
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