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USBN #252 February 1952 p2
Regarding your question about the Centenary, the Guardian wishes you to share the following information with the Persian and other National Assemblies; the "Year Nine" is an abbreviation of 1269 A.H. This term has been used by the Bab in His Writings, foreshadowing the Birth of the Revelation of Baha'u 'llah. The friends should refer, in "God Passes By", to the passages mentioning the year Nine in order to appreciate its significance as well as the great importance attached to it by the Bab. In that same book the Guardian has explained that the Revelation of Baha'u'llah was progressive: It commenced with the first intimation He received, of His Prophetic Mission while in the Siyah-Chal of Tihran. The beginning of the year Nine occurred about two months after His imprisonment in that dungeon. We do not know the exact time He received this first intimation, nor have either the Bab, or Baha'u'llah, made mention of any specific date in this connection. We therefore regard the entire year Nine as a Holy Year, and the emphasis should be placed, in accordance with the Bab's Writings, on the entire Year which started in October, 1852. This means our Centenary Year of Celebration will be from October, 1952 to October, 1953. All celebrations must be held within these two dates. As the Ridvan period is associated with Baha'u'llah's Revelation it should be regarded as the most important time of that year and therefore the most suitable period for the celebrations.
The second stage in that progressive Revelation was when Baha'u'llah declared His Mission to His companions in Bagdad; this is considered the most momentous stage in His Revelation, hence it is called the "Most Great Festival", the One Hundredth Anniversary of which will be celebrated in Ridvan 1963 and will constitute the Most Great Jubilee, the third of its kind, the first Jubilee having been the Centenary of the Bab's Declaration ; and the second the one we will be celebrating all over the world in 1952-1953.
The third and last stage in Baha'u'llah's Revelation was when He proclaimed His Mission to the rulers and religious leaders of the world in Adrianople. The first was an intimation, the second a declaration and the third a proclamation-the intimation was from God to Him, which He kept a secret within His own spirit, the declaration was to His faithful companions, and the proclamation was to the entire body of the religious and political leaders of mankind .
November 23, 1951
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