1871

 Birth of Hadj Nematollah, Ostad Elahi’s father, in the village of Jeyhunabad in Western Iran

1894

 Marriage of Ostad Elahi’s parents

1895

 Birth of Ostad Elahi on September 11 in Jeyhunabad

1900

 Inception of Hadj Nematollah’s mystical lifestyle following a spiritual transformation

1901

 Introduction to the tanbur, an ancient lute devoted to sacred music

1905

 Beginning of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats at the age of nine

1905

 Mastery of the tanbur

1906

 Spiritual transformation at the age of 11

1906

 Birth of Malak Jan, Ostad Elahi’s sister, who would later continue his teachings

1916

 Completion of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats

1917

 Marriage of Ostad Elahi

1920

 Passing of Hadj Nematollah

1922

 First trip to Tehran, where he remains for one year

1929

 Second trip to Tehran for a yearlong sojourn

1930

 Beginning of government employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Kermanshah

1932

 Employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish

1932

 Enrollment in the National School of Jurisprudence; ongoing employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish

1934

 First assignment as Justice of the Peace in Larestan

1937

 Appointment as Surrogate Judge and Examining Magistrate in Shiraz

1939

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Khorramabad

1941

 Appointment as Chief Judge of the Misdemeanor Court and Member of the Land Restitution Commission in the province of Kermanshah

1944

 Appointment as Chief Judge of the District Court in Kerman and its Commercial Part with jurisdiction over price-fixing claims

1944

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah

1945

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Qom

1947

 Leave of absence

1948

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah

1949

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Azerbaijan

1949

 Appointment as Director of the Ministry of Justice and as Chief Judge of the Commercial Court in Jahrom

1952

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Tehran

1955

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor and then Chief Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeals for the province of Mazandaran

1957

 Early retirement at the age of 62 after 27 years of government service; settles in Tehran

1963

 Publication of “Borhan ol-Haqq” (Demonstration of the Truth)

1967

 Publication of “Hashieh bar Haqq ol-Haqayeq” (Commentary on The Book of the Kings of Truth)

1969

 Publication of “Marefat ol-Ruh” (Knowing the Spirit)

1974

 Passes away at the age of 79 in Tehran

1978

 Publication of the first volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth), a collection of his oral teachings

1982

 Destruction of his tomb in Hashtgerd

1984

 Reconstruction of his memorial in Hashtgerd

1985

 Creation of the Nour Foundation in the United States, a public charitable and nongovernmental organization inspired by the life and work of Ostad Elahi

1992

 Publication of the second volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth)

1993

 Passing of Malak Jan, also known by the honorific Sheykh Jani

1995

 Commemoration of the centenary of Ostad Elahi’s birth

2000

 Creation of The Ostad Elahi Foundation: Ethics and Human Solidarity in Paris, France

2014

 Opening of The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi, a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

2018

 Inauguration of prized tanbur in permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with short video on his life and music

2019

 Display of four additional instruments in the musical galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

1871

 Birth of Hadj Nematollah, Ostad Elahi’s father, in the village of Jeyhunabad in Western Iran

1894

 Marriage of Ostad Elahi’s parents

1895

 Birth of Ostad Elahi on September 11 in Jeyhunabad

1900

 Inception of Hadj Nematollah’s mystical lifestyle following a spiritual transformation

1901

 Introduction to the tanbur, an ancient lute devoted to sacred music

1905

 Beginning of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats at the age of nine

1905

 Mastery of the tanbur

1906

 Spiritual transformation at the age of 11

1906

 Birth of Malak Jan, Ostad Elahi’s sister, who would later continue his teachings

1916

 Completion of 12-year cycle of ascetic retreats

1917

 Marriage of Ostad Elahi

1920

 Passing of Hadj Nematollah

1922

 First trip to Tehran, where he remains for one year

1929

 Second trip to Tehran for a yearlong sojourn

1930

 Beginning of government employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Kermanshah

1932

 Employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish

1932

 Enrollment in the National School of Jurisprudence; ongoing employment at the Bureau of Land Registration and Public Acts of Tajrish

1934

 First assignment as Justice of the Peace in Larestan

1937

 Appointment as Surrogate Judge and Examining Magistrate in Shiraz

1939

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Khorramabad

1941

 Appointment as Chief Judge of the Misdemeanor Court and Member of the Land Restitution Commission in the province of Kermanshah

1944

 Appointment as Chief Judge of the District Court in Kerman and its Commercial Part with jurisdiction over price-fixing claims

1944

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah

1945

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Qom

1947

 Leave of absence

1948

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Kermanshah

1949

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Azerbaijan

1949

 Appointment as Director of the Ministry of Justice and as Chief Judge of the Commercial Court in Jahrom

1952

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor of Tehran

1955

 Appointment as Public Prosecutor and then Chief Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeals for the province of Mazandaran

1957

 Early retirement at the age of 62 after 27 years of government service; settles in Tehran

1963

 Publication of “Borhan ol-Haqq” (Demonstration of the Truth)

1967

 Publication of “Hashieh bar Haqq ol-Haqayeq” (Commentary on The Book of the Kings of Truth)

1969

 Publication of “Marefat ol-Ruh” (Knowing the Spirit)

1974

 Passes away at the age of 79 in Tehran

1978

 Publication of the first volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth), a collection of his oral teachings

1982

 Destruction of his tomb in Hashtgerd

1984

 Reconstruction of his memorial in Hashtgerd

1985

 Creation of the Nour Foundation in the United States, a public charitable and nongovernmental organization inspired by the life and work of Ostad Elahi

1992

 Publication of the second volume of “Asar ol-Haqq” (Traces of Truth)

1993

 Passing of Malak Jan, also known by the honorific Sheykh Jani

1995

 Commemoration of the centenary of Ostad Elahi’s birth

2000

 Creation of The Ostad Elahi Foundation: Ethics and Human Solidarity in Paris, France

2014

 Opening of The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi, a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

2018

 Inauguration of prized tanbur in permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with short video on his life and music

2019

 Display of four additional instruments in the musical galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Note: In Iran’s nascent judicial system modeled after the French inquisitorial or nonadversarial system, the court was actively involved in investigating and examining the facts of a criminal case. As such, judges essentially played a dual role by serving as either standing or seated judges: standing judges would act as public prosecutors by examining and presenting the government’s case to the seated judge(s) presiding over the matter. A natural progression in the judiciary therefore entailed beginning in the lower courts as a standing judge and eventually becoming a seated judge in the district and appellate courts. As reflected in this chronology and for reasons more fully explained under the Judiciary section of this site, Ostad Elahi’s career did not always follow this natural progression.