‘Abdu’l Rahman Zarqani
‘Abdu’l Rahman Zarqani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 16, 1923 |
| Died | September 25, 1994 |
| NSA member | India & Burma 1952 - 1954 Seychelles 1972 - ???? |
‘Abdu’l Rahman Zarqani (October 16, 1923 - September 25, 1994) was an Indian Bahá’í who was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to the Seychelles.
Biography[edit]
Zarqani was born in India in 1923 into a Muslim family. He heard of the Faith after attending a Bahá’í talk and declared in 1948 which resulted in his father threatening him with a knife and forcing him to leave the family home. In 1952 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, Pakistan, and Burma as the youngest ever secretary of the body.[1][2]
Zarqani assisted with the organization of the New Delhi Intercontinental Teaching Conference held to launch the Ten Year Crusade in 1953 and during the Conference he was inspired to pioneer but was concerned about abandoning his position as secretary of the National Assembly. He cabled Shoghi Effendi who granted permission for him to pioneer. He intended to pioneer to the Chagos Archipelago and retired from the National Assembly and moved to the Seychelles in January 1954. His wife Munira, who was pregnant with their second child at the time, remained in India. He was unable to secure a job on Chagos and as such he was denied permission to move to the island so he instead settled in Victoria in the Seychelles and began actively teaching the Faith.[2][3]
In March 1954 Zarqani wrote to Shoghi Effendi asking whether he should return to India as it seemed unlikely he would be able to move to Chagos and was advised to remain in the Seychelles. In June 1954 he secured a position working as a shipping clerk.[3] Several declarations and the arrival of additional pioneers resulted in the Local Spiritual Assembly of Victoria being formed in 1955 and Zarqani was elected to the body.[2] His wife joined him in the Seychelles with their two daughters shortly after the Assembly was formed,[3] and they had four more children.[2]
Zarqani remained an active member of the the Seychelle community throughout the 1950's and 1960's and in 1966 he began negotiating with a radio station to have a Bahá’í programme broadcast which became the first Bahá’í radio programme in the region of the Indian Ocean in 1969.[3] In 1972 the independent National Spiritual Assembly of the Seychelles was established and Zarqani was elected as an inaugural member.[2]
Zarqani remained at his pioneer post for the rest of his life and passed away in the Seychelles in 1994.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 123
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1996). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 23 (1994-1995), Pg(s) 316. View as PDF.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 124
