Áqá ‘Azízu’lláh-i-Jadhdháb

Áqá ‘Azízu’lláh-i-Jadhdháb

Áqá ‘Azízu’lláh-i-Jadhdháb (c. 1841 - 1935) was an early Persian Bahá’í of Mashhad who undertook tasks for Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá including proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith to Count Leo Tolstoy.

Biography

Jadhdháb was born in Mashhad into a family of Jewish descent with his father, Mullá Hizqíl, teaching lessons on the Torah although he converted to Islam before Jadhdháb was born and his mother was forced to convert under duress in 1838.

When Jadhdháb was two years old his father died and he was raised as a Muslim. When he was eight years old a fellow student stole his writing implements and another student told the thief not to return them due to Jadhdháb being Jewish. Jadhdháb was not aware of Judaism and after discussing the experience with his mother he decided to observe Judaism leaving the school and instead beginning to work as a merchant and studying the Torah in secrecy. He gradually established a successful business trading predominantly in silks with Turkish traders.

In 1869 Jadhdháb's half-brother, Áqá Sháhvirdí, who had become a Bahá’í but not disclosed his conversion spoke about the Martyrdom of Badí‘. Jadhdháb was aware of the Bahá’í Faith but Sháhvirdí did not teach him about the religion as he was not public about his beliefs due to prejudice against Bahá’ís in Mashhad. In approximately 1874 Jadhdháb married and around the same time he accompanied his half-brother Sháhvirdí on a trading trip to the Caucasus undertaken to assist Sháhvirdí in selling goods which had dropped in value within Iran. During their journey Sháhvirdí met with several Bahá’ís but advised them Jadhdháb was not interested in learning about the Faith.

The brothers were ultimately unsuccessful in selling their goods in the Caucasus and traveled to Istanbul where they established themselves for fourteen months during which they were able to sell their goods. Jadhdháb used the time in the city to improve his education, having left school at a young age and he began studying Bahá’í Writings his brother had in his possession. He eventually met with the father of Badí‘ in Istanbul and became a Bahá’í and asked a Bahá’í who was going on pilgrimage from Istanbul to mention him to Bahá’u’lláh. When the pilgrim returned he advised Jadhdháb and his brother that Bahá’u’lláh had invited them to go on pilgrimage and they traveled to Akka.

Upon arriving in Akka Jadhdháb began studying Arabic receiving lessons from a fellow Bahá’í. During his pilgrimage he was present during sessions in which Bahá’u’lláh revealed Tablets. After pilgrimage he returned to Mashhad where he was open about his beliefs and became well known as a Bahá’í hosting many Bahá’ís visiting the city in his home. Persecution broke out in Mashhad when a Tablet addressed to a Bahá’í was delivered to a non-Bahá’í and Jadhdháb was imprisoned and pressured to recant his Faith which he refused to do.

Jadhdháb was eventually released and began traveling to advance his trading business spending time living in Ishqabad, Bukhara, Tashkent, and Marv. In 1890 he undertook another pilgrimage during which Bahá’u’lláh instructed him to go to Istanbul to assume responsibility for the commercial pursuits of the Afnán family in the city from Siyyid Ahmad Afnán, who had recently cleared his name in court of false corruption charges. Afnán delayed his departure and in March, 1891, was accused of having a servant rob another merchant and Jadhdháb advised him to depart Istanbul immediately and leave him to handle the legal case. Jadhdháb successfully cleared Ahmad Afnán's name in court in his absence.

In 1892 Jadhdháb engaged in correspondence with Edward Granville Browne on the Bahá’í Faith and in 1902 he traveled to Odessa from another pilgrimage to the Holy Land to meet with Leopold Tolstoy at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He was able to proclaim the Faith to Tolstoy and answer several questions he had about the religion and Tolstoy had a favorable opinion of the religion as a result.

In his later years Jadhdháb served as a travel teacher for the Faith, hosted travel teachers in his home, and continued his business pursuits living in Mumbai, India, for a time. He established himself in Marv in what is now Turkmenistan for a period but was exiled back to Iran as persecution of the Faith escalated in the Soviet Union and retired to Mashhad where he passed away in the summer of 1935.