Abu’l-Qásim Afnán
Abu’l-Qásim Afnán | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 19, 1919 Shiraz, Iran |
| Died | October 2, 2004 Swindon, England |
| ABM | Asia 1972 - 1979 |
Abu’l-Qásim Afnán (March 19, 1919 - October 2, 2004) was a Persian Bahá’í who served as Custodian of the House of the Báb and an Auxiliary Board member in Iran and later moved to England.
Biography[edit]
Abu’l-Qasim was born into the Afnán family meaning he was related to the Báb. He was born in Shiraz where his father, Mírzá Habíbu'lláh Afnán, served as the custodian of the House of the Báb. He collected many Tablets and historical materials related to the Báb and other Bahá’í topics while living in Iran, notably organizing and classifying the Afnán family papers in the 1950's and 60's.[1] He was able to assist the Bahá’í World Centre and Ḥasan Balyúzí in their research as he was among the few people able to read the commercial notation used by the Afnán family.[2]
In 1951 Afnán inherited the position of Custodian of the House of the Báb upon the passing of his father. In 1955 he became aware that the authorities intended to construct a school on the gravesite of Ahmad, the only child of the Báb, and he informed Shoghi Effendi who gave instructions for the remains to be exhumed and buried elsewhere and he praised Afnán by name in a message to the Bahá’ís of the East.[3]
He served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Shiraz, often as Secretary, before being appointed as an Auxiliary Board member in 1972.[2] In 1979 he moved to Oxford, England, after the Iranian Revolution and he continued to write and conduct research on the Faith and he often spoke at conferences in Europe and North America later in life. After his passing the Universal House of Justice praised his “valued contributions in the field of Baha’i scholarship through the articles and treatises he authored on the early history of the Faith.”[2]
Family[edit]
Afnán married Mimi Bazyar and they had two daughters, Maryam and Laleh.[2] One of his daughters married Ahang Rabbani.[4]
Publications[edit]
- 1988 - Black Pearls: Servants in the Households of the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh[5]
- 1999 - Ahd-i A'la: Zindiganiy-i Hazrat-i Bab[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ World Order, Vol. 30, No. 3, p 32
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 284. View as PDF.
- ↑ Ahang Rabbani, The Afnán Family: Some Biographical Notes, 2007
- ↑ World Order, Vol. 30, No. 3, p 19
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/lee_black_pearls_notes
- ↑ https://oneworld-publications.com/the-babi-dispensation-the-life-of-the-bab-in-persian-ahd-i-a-la-zindiganiy-i-hazrat-i-bab-hb.html
