| Ḥájí Ákhúnd | |
|---|---|
 Hají Ákhúnd | |
| Born | 1842 Shahmírzád, Iran |
| Died | March 4, 1910 Tihran, Iran |
| Other names | Ali Qabl-i-Akbar |
| Title(s) | Hand of the Cause Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh |
| Appointed by | Bahá’u’lláh |
| Religion | Bahá’í Faith |
Ḥájí Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Shahmírzádí (Arabic: حاج ملا على أكبر شهميرزادي) (1842 - March 4, 1910), known by the title Ḥájí Ákhúnd, was an early Persian Bahá’í who was appointed a Hand of the Cause and named one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.
Biography[edit]
‘Alí-Akbar was born in the village of Shahmírzád, Iran in 1842.[1] His father, Mulla ‘Abbas, became a Bábí in the 1840’s but lost interest in the religion after hearing news of the battle of Shaykh Tabarsi in 1849. ‘Alí-Akbar studied religion in his youth and moved to Mashhad where he undertook further studies at a Madrasih and investigated Sufism and Shaykhism. In 1861 he read the Kitab-i-Iqan revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and became a Bábí and he became a Bahá’í at some point after 1863 after hearing of Bahá’u’lláh’s claim to be the Manifestation of God prophesied by the Báb.[2]
After converting ‘Alí-Akbar was expelled from his Madrasih and he returned to Shahmírzád in 1863 where he actively taught the Faith. His parents, his brothers, and three of his sisters accepted the new religion. Due to opposition to his teaching work in the village he moved to Tehran in 1868 where he attended two Madrasih’s and continued to actively teach the Faith becoming one of the most prominent members of the city's Bahá’í community, being briefly imprisoned on account of his religious beliefs the year he arrived in Tehran.[2]
In 1870 ‘Alí-Akbar went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and he began facilitating communication between Bahá’u’lláh in the Holy Land and Bahá’í’s across the whole of Persia.[2] At some point he was given the responsibility of overseeing the safety of the remains of the Báb while they were being secretly housed in Iran before they were transported to the Holy Land.[1]
Throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s ‘Alí-Akbar was imprisoned several times as he was well-known as a Bahá’í and he began dressing in a cloak in preparation for being arrested whenever he heard of opposition to the Faith stirring up in the city. Despite this he remained an active member of the community and visited the Holy Land intermittently. In 1872 he married Fatimih and they had two daughters, Munirih who married Ibn-i-Abhar and Furughiyyih, who married Diyau’d-Din Munadi.[3][2] He was imprisoned for seven months that year being arrested three days after his wedding and during his imprisonment he was tortured in order to pressure him to identify other Bahá’ís in the city. Despite the torture he refused to cooperate and did not give any information to his interregators.[4]
‘Alí-Akbar made a second pilgrimage in 1874. He was imprisoned for two years in 1882, made a third pilgrimage in 1887 and was imprisoned for a brief period the same year, and was imprisoned for two years from 1891 to 1893.[2] In the 1880’s Bahá’u’lláh appointed him as a Hand of the Cause of God and he began overseeing much of the teaching and administration of the Persian Bahá’í community.[5]
In 1894 ‘Alí-Akbar made a final pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh had taken place in 1892 and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had succeeded Him as head of the Bahá’í community having been appointed in His Will and Testament, however ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s brother Mírzá Muhammad ‘Alí was attempting to usurp leadership. During his pilgrimage ‘Alí-Akbar met with Muhammad ‘Alí with the permission of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and tried to persuade him to abandon his campaign of opposition however he was unsuccessful.[2] In 1897 ‘Alí-Akbar and the other three Hands of the Cause appointed by Bahá’u’lláh established the Central Spiritual Assembly of Tehran which eventually evolved into the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran.[2]
‘Alí-Akbar remained an active member of the Bahá’í community until his passing in Tehran on March 4, 1910.[5] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá memorialized him in Memorials of the Faithful.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hasan Balyuzi, Eminent Bahá’ís in the time of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 265
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Moojan Momen, The Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851-1921, Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 254
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851-1921, Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 33
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851-1921, Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 20
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hasan Balyuzi, Eminent Bahá’ís in the time of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 266
- ↑ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1997) [1971]. Memorials of the Faithful (Softcover ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877432422.
