Ten Year Crusade

Divine Plan

Shoghi Effendi

First Epoch (1937-1963)

1st Seven Year Plan (1937-1944) Indian Six Year Plan (1938-1944) British Six Year Plan (1944-1950) 2nd Seven Year Plan (1946-1953) Indian 4½ Year Plan (1946-1950) Persian 45 Month Plan (1946-1950) Persian Women's Four Year Plan (1946-1950) Australian Six Year Plan (1947-1953) Canadian Five Year Plan (1948-1953) Egyptian Five Year Plan (1948-1953) German Five Year Plan (1948-1953) African Campaign (1950-1953) Iraqi Three Year Plan (1950-1953) British Two Year Plan (1951-1953) Indian Nineteen Month Plan (1951-1953) South American Two Year Plan (1951-1953) Central American One Year Plan (1952-1953) Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963) Northeast Asian Six Year Plan (1957-1963)

Universal House of Justice

Second Epoch (1964-2021)

Nine Year Plan (1964-1973) Five Year Plan (1974-1979) Seven Year Plan (1979-1986) Six Year Plan (1986-1992) Three Year Plan (1993-1996) Four Year Plan (1996-2000) Twelve Month Plan (2000-2001) Five Year Plan (2001-2006) Five Year Plan (2006-2011) Five Year Plan (2011-2016) Five Year Plan (2016-2021)

Third Epoch (2021-)

Twelve Month Plan (2021-2022) Nine Year Plan (2022-2031)

The Ten Year Crusade, also known as the Ten Year World Crusade or Ten Year Spiritual Crusade (1953 - 1963) was a plan launched by Shoghi Effendi which aimed to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá’í Faith.

Among the goals of the plan were to begin an enormous effort of teaching and consolidation of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi passed away in 1957 and the Hands of the Cause followed his instructions in order to continue the Ten Year Crusade which culminated with the establishment of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

After its election, the House of Justice wrote:

"The rightness of the time was further confirmed by references in Shoghi Effendi's letters to the Ten Year Crusade's being followed by other plans under the direction of the Universal House of Justice. ..."

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986, p. 50)

Bahá’ís who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the Ten Year Crusade were given the title 'Knight of Bahá’u’lláh'. In 1992, the Roll of Honour containing the names of all the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh was placed beneath the entrance door to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.

Goals

Shoghi Effendi's map of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade.

Shoghi Effendi outlined the following four primary goals of the Ten Year Crusade in a cable dated October 8, 1952.:

• The development of institutions at the World Centre
• Consolidation of the twelve countries where the Faith was well established
• Consolidation of all other territories already open
• The opening of the remaining "chief virgin territories" around the globe

Shoghi Effendi gave twenty-seven specific objectives of the plan in his second message to the All-America Intercontinental Conference on May 4, 1953.

1. Adoption of preliminary measures for the construction of Bahá’u’lláh's Sepulchre in the Holy Land.
2. Doubling the number of countries within the pale of the Faith, involving the opening of 41 countries in Asia, 33 countries in Africa, 30 countries in Europe, 27 countries in the American Continent (in total 131).
3. Over twofold increase in the number of languages into which Bahá’í literature has been translated and printed, or is in the process of translation: forty in Asia, thirty-one in Africa, ten in Europe, and ten in America (in total 91).
4. Doubling the number of Mashriqu'l-Adhkars through the initiation of the construction of one in Asia and one in Europe.
5. Acquisition of a site for the future Mashriqu'l-Adhkar on Mt. Carmel.
6. Erection of the first dependency of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Wilmette.
7. Purchase of land for eleven future Temples: three in the American Continent, three in Africa, two in Asia, two in Europe, and one in the Australian Continent (in total 11).
8. Development of the functions of the institution of the Hands of the Cause
9. Establishment of a Bahá’í Court in the Holy Land, as a preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice.
10. Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Mother Book of the Bahá’í Revelation.
11. Establishment of the six National Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic East: Tehran, Cairo, Baghdad, New Delhi, Karachi, and Kabul.
12. Extension of the International Bahá’í Endowments in the Holy Land, in the plain of ‘Akká, and on the slopes of Mt. Carmel.
13. Construction of the International Bahá’í Archives in the neighborhood of the Báb's Sepulchre.
14. Construction of the tomb of the wife of the Báb in Shiraz.
15. Identification of the resting places of the father of Bahá’u’lláh and the mother and the cousin of the Báb, and their reburial in the Bahá’í cemetery in the vicinity of the Most Great House.
16. Acquisition of the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad, and of the site of the Síyáh-Chál in Tehran, of the Martyrdom of the Báb in Tabriz, and of His incarceration in Chihríq.
17. More than quadruple the number of National Spiritual Assemblies.
18. Multiply sevenfold the number of the National Haziratu'l-Quds and their establishment in the capital cities of the chief sovereign states and in the chief cities of the principal dependencies of the planet: twenty-one in America, fifteen in Europe, nine in Asia, three in Africa, and one in New Zealand (49 in total).
19. Framing of national Bahá’í constitutions and the establishment of national Bahá’í endowments in the same capitals and cities of the same states and dependencies.
20. More than quintuple the number of incorporated National Spiritual Assemblies.
21. Establishment of six national Bahá’í Publishing Trusts.
22. Participation by the women of Persia in the membership of National and Local Assemblies.
23. Establishment of seven Israel branches of National Spiritual Assemblies: two in Europe, two in Asia, one in America, one in Africa, one in Australia (seven in total)
24. Establishment of a national Bahá’í printing press in Tehran
25. Reinforcement of the ties binding the Bahá’í World Community to the United Nations.
26. Inclusion, circumstances permitting, of eleven republics comprised within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and two European Soviet-controlled states within the orbit of the Administrative Order of the Faith.
27. Convocation of a World Bahá’í Congress in the vicinity of the Garden of Ridvan, Baghdad, the third holiest city in the Bahá’í world, on the occasion of the worldwide celebrations of the Most Great Jubilee, commemorating the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh to the throne of His sovereignty.

Alí Nakhjavání has noted that ten of these goals were to be accomplished at the World Centre of the Faith, and the remaining seventeen were to be accomplished by the twelve participating National Spiritual Assemblies. He also notes that these twenty-seven goals were of international significance, and that there were additional supplementary goals of more local significance which were not included in the message.

Outcomes

Shoghi Effendi's map of the progress of the Ten Year Crusade from 1953 to 1958.

Alí Nakhjavání has reviewed the extent to which the twenty-seven specific objectives were achieved:

1. The Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh came fully under the control of Shoghi Effendi and a garden was established in the surrounding land.
2. 131 countries were opened to the Faith.
3. The number of languages into which Bahá’í literature had been translated and published was trebled.
4. The construction of a Temple in Iran was not possible, and Shoghi Effendi replaced the goal of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Asia with the goal establishing one in both Kampala, Uganda, and Sydney, Australia. Both of these were erected before the close of the Crusade, and one was erected in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1964 shortly after its close.
5. The site where Bahá’u’lláh had revealed the Tablet of Carmel was purchased as a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar site.
6. A Home for the Aged close to the Wilmette Temple was erected and opened.
7. 46 Temple sites were obtained.
8. In 1957 Shoghi Effendi named the Hands of the Cause the Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth. Following his passing that year the Hands elected Custodians from among their number to oversee the rest of the Crusade.
9. Following the passing of Shoghi Effendi it was ultimately decided that as a Bahá’í court established would have limited power relative to other religious courts due to restrictions in place in the Holy Land one would not be established. The Universal House of Justice was established at the close of the Crusade.
10. Shoghi Effendi had completed the majority of the synopsis and begun the codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas by the time of his passing. Rúḥíyyih Khánum gave the material to the Universal House of Justice upon its establishment and the Synopsis and Codification was published in 1973.
11. The authorities in these countries did not allow the establishment of Bahá’í courts.
12. 133,000 additional square meters of land were purchased.
13. Construction of the International Archives building was begun in 1955 and completed after the passing of Shoghi Effendi but before the close of the Crusade.
14. Due to the situation in Iran this was not achieved.
15. The remains of Bahá’u’lláh's father were transferred, however the remains of the mother and cousin of the Báb could not be.
16. The site of the Síyáh-Chál and Chihríq were acquired, however the Garden of Ridvan and the site of the Martyrdom of the Báb could not be.
17. 56 National Spiritual Assemblies were established.
18. 49 National Haziratu'l-Quds were acquired.
19. 47 national endowments were acquired.
20. 34 national Bahá’í constitutions were officially registered
21. 7 Bahá’í Publishing Trusts were established
22. Women were granted the right to membership on National and Local Assemblies in Iran. They were also granted the same right in Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.
23. 9 Israel branches of National Spiritual Assemblies were established.
24. Some facilities for producing Bahá’í literature were obtained, but a national printing press was not established.
25. The Bahá’í International Community forged ties with UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO, and WFO.
26. It was found that there were Bahá’ís residing in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The nine other republics could not be opened until the 1990's.
27. Due to government restrictions it was not possible for the Most Great Jubilee to be celebrated in Baghdad, but a World Bahá’í Congress was held in London, which was chosen as Shoghi Effendi had passed away there.

Intranational goals

In addition to the international ramifications of the Ten Year Crusade there were substantial developments inside countries that existed before the pioneer effort. See for example the intranational growth of Local Spiritual Assemblies during the Ten Year Crusade in the continental United States.