Diá’u’lláh Asgharzádih

Ḍiá’u’lláh Aṣgharzádih
Born	1880 Milan, Iran
Died	April, 1956 Jersey
NSA member	British Isles 1924 - 1928 1930 - 1938
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Diá’u’lláh Asgharzádih (1880 - April, 1956) was a Persian Bahá’í who moved to England and served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles. In later life he pioneered to the Channel Islands and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

Biography

Asgharzádih was born into a Bahá’í family in Milan in 1880. The family emigrated to Ishqabad in 1895 which was in Russia at the time and he served on the Bahá’í committee for schools while living there. He went on pilgrimage for several months in 1903 and spent time with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

In 1920 Asgharzádih made a second pilgrimage and brought a silk carpet which with him which had originally been woven for the Emir of Bokhara and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid it in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. Shoghi Effendi later donated it to the Wilmette Temple with Asgharzádih's permission. After this pilgrimage Asgharzádih settled in England where he established a carpet business.

Shoghi Effendi moved to England in 1920 to study at Oxford and Asgharzádih became close friends with him. He received permission to go on pilgrimage a third time in 1921 however the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took place before he was able to make the journey. When he arrived in Haifa for his pilgrimage Shoghi Effendi gave him the responsibility of producing copies of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for distribution to the Bahá’í communities of the East. After his third pilgrimage Asgharzádih returned to England and established himself in London where he was an active member of the Bahá’í community and he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles after it was established.

In 1953 Asgharzádih pioneered to Jersey in the Channel Islands as it was a goal territory of the Ten Year Crusade and he was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh. He suffered a lengthy illness but remained at his post until passing in April 1956.