Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí
Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí (c. 1783 - 1849), born Abbas Iravani, was a Persian noble who served as the Grand Vizier of Persia under Muhammad Sháh. He is notable in Bahá’í history for his strong opposition and antagonism towards the Báb. Shoghi Effendi designated him the Anti-Christ of the Bábí religion.[1]
Áqásí was a religious scholar who studied Sufism. Despite his lack of any administrative experience or training he was appointed as the Grand Vizier of Iran by Muhammad Sháh as a result of positioning himself as the Sháh's spiritual advisor while tutoring him in his youth. His governance of Persia lead to widespread corruption, a weakened military, and left the country in an economic crisis.
Áqásí was highly opposed to the Báb, considering Him a threat to his influence over the Sháh, and he used his position to encourage the clergy to persecute Him, prevented Him from meeting with the Sháh, and had Him exiled to Azerbaijan.
After Muhammad Sháh's passing Áqásí was dismissed as Grand Vizier and moved to Iraq where he passed away.
Biography[edit]
Before 1844[edit]
Áqásí was born in approximately 1783 into the Bayat clan.[2] His father, Mirza Muslim, was a prominent Islamic cleric in Iravan however the family relocated to Máh-Kú at some point. In his youth Aqásí moved to Karbila where he studied Sufism until 1802 when the head of his Sufi order was killed by Wahhabis who attacked the city and he moved to the Persian province of Azerbaijan. He went on pilgrimage to Mecca from Azerbaijan and was in poverty by the time he returned to Persia.[3][4]
Áqásí later moved in Tabriz and came to prominence by serving under Mirza Bozorg who was the father of Qá'im-Maqám, Grand Vizier of Persia under Fath-Ali Shah. Áqásí tutored Bozorg's son Musa and Bozorg granted him the title Aqásí. When Bozorg passed in 1821 Aqasi entered the service of the Crown Prince Abbas Mirza and became a tutor to his sons. He established a close relationship with his son Muhammad and claimed that he could see the future prophesizing that Muhammad would become the Shah after Fath-Ali. Muhammad did succeed Fath-Ali as the Shah of Iran in 1834 and he appointed Áqásí as his Grand Vizier.[3] Muhammad Shah reportedly regarded Áqásí as being capable of performing miracles and prophesizing the future.[5]
Shortly after Áqásí became Grand Vizier Muhammad Shah had Qá'im-Maqám executed and Aqásí began purging the court of his supporters and replacing them with his own political allies.[6] While the Shah maintained absolute confidence in Áqásí he was unsuccessful as Grand Vizier with his attempts to restructure the military of Persia resulting in the Shah losing an important military engagement in Herat in 1838. His stewardship of the country also lead to an economic crisis and his solution was to begin confiscating land which Fath-Ali Shah had granted in order to secure greater revenue for the government.[3]
Mírzá Buzurg, the father of Bahá’u’lláh, who had been a friend of Qá'im-Maqám wrote letters in which he speculated that Áqásí was responsible for the execution and when Áqásí became aware of Buzurg's accusations he had him relieved of his governorship of Burujird and Luristan and undertook other hostile actions which caused Buzurg to be both financially ruined and lose his prominence in the aristocratic circles of Persia by 1835.[7]
Although he had sabotaged His father Áqásí treated Bahá’u’lláh respectfully and visited Him occasionally after He inherited Mírzá Buzurg's estate upon Buzurg's passing in 1839.[8] At some point between 1839 and 1844 Áqásí attempted to purchase the village of Quch-Hisar, a property Bahá’u’lláh had inherited, however Bahá’u’lláh advised him that as His siblings also shared an interest in the ownership of the village Áqásí would need to obtain their approval before the purchase could be made. Áqásí then attempted to gain ownership of the village through fraud prompting Bahá’u’lláh to transfer the rights to the village to a sister of Muhammad Shah. Áqásí then attempted to seize the village by force, claimed he had purchased it, and appealed to the Shah for ownership. The Shah ruled in favor of his sister and Áqásí laid charges against Bahá’u’lláh however Bahá’u’lláh successfully defended Himself from Áqásí's accusations.[9]
The Bábí Revelation[edit]
Áqásí was aware of the claims of the Báb as early as 1845. Mullá 'Alíy-i-Bastámí was arrested for heresy in what is now Iraq for proclaiming the Báb's religion and during Bastámí's trial throughout 1845 Áqásí attempted to have him extradited to Iran with the Ottoman authorities denying his request.[10]
During 1845 reports of the claims of the Báb reached the Shah and he was intrigued and confidentially sent one of his close advisors Vahíd to Shiraz to assess their legitimacy. Áqásí also considered Vahíd an important ally due to his influence with the clergy of Persia.[11] In 1846 Vahíd became a Bábí after meeting with the Báb,[12] and Áqásí became concerned that the Shah may also accept the Báb's claims and in late 1846 he wrote several letters to the clergy of Isfahan, where the Báb had moved, to encourage them to oppose Him accusing Him of working against the interests of the government and people of Persia.[13]
In early 1847 Muhammad Shah gave orders for the Báb to be taken into custody and brought to Tehran so he could personally meet with Him however Áqásí delivered his own orders to the company escorting the Báb which delayed them from arriving at the capital.[14] Áqásí was ultimately able to convince the Shah to have the Báb kept at Máh-Kú rather than meeting with Him.[15] The Báb had reportedly offered to cure an illness the Shah was suffering from and Áqásí feared if this were to take place the Báb would assume the position he held as the man the Shah relied on for spiritual power.[16]
Áqásí had hoped that the remoteness of Máh-Kú would result in the Báb's confinement there destroying enthusiasm for His claims in Persia however the Warden of the fortress came to defer to the Báb and He became popular in the surrounding region which prompted Áqásí to give orders for Him to be transferred to Chihríq in April 1848.[17] The Báb again quickly became extremely respected and popular in the region surrounding Chihríq and in response in July, 1848, Áqásí organized for Him to be formally interrogated by representatives of the clergy in Persia in Tabriz hoping that this would pressure Him to recant His claims. The Báb openly proclaimed Himself to be the Qa'im during the interrogation, giving more publicity for His claims, and was sentenced to being bastinadoed before being returned to Chihríq.[18]
Fall from Prominence[edit]
In September 1848 Muhammad Shah passed away and was succeeded by his son Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. Áqásí's actions as Grand Vizier had made him unpopular in the royal court and with the government of Persia and without the support of Muhammad Shah he was dismissed from office shortly after Násiri'd-Dín assumed the throne. Under his stewardship Persia had accumulated a budget deficit of one million tumans as of 1848 and administration of the country had become rife with corruption causing further financial issues.[3]
After being dismissed from office Áqásí was rumored to have become involved in a plot to overthrow Násiri'd-Dín Sháh and install Prince Abbas Mirza Molkara, another son of Muhammad Shah, on the throne. He fled Tehran after a short time and through Russian and British channels he secured safe passage out of Persia moving to Iraq where he passed away in 1849.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1944, p 164
- ↑ Ahmadalizadeh, Ali. "Journal of American Science" (PDF). Journal of American Science. 2011, 7(5): 837.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Abbas Amanat, "ĀQĀSĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 2., 1986, pp. 183–188.
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 231, footnote 13
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 229, footnote 10
- ↑ Abbas Amanat, "ĀQĀSĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 2., 1986, pp. 183–188.
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah: The King of Glory, George Ronald: Oxford, 1980, p 15
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, p 121
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 121-22
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Trial of Mullá 'Alí Bastámí: A Combined Sunní-Shí'í Fatwá against The Báb, Iran: Journal of the British Institute for Persian Studies, 20, pages 113-143, 1982
- ↑ Ahang Rabbani, The Babis of Nayriz: History and Documents, self-published, 1999, p 20
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 175-76
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 205
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 226
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 231-32
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 231, footnote 14
- ↑ Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, US Publishing Trust, 1932, pp 259
- ↑ Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1944, p 20
