Ibn-i-Abhar
| Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí | |
|---|---|
 Ibn-i-Abhar | |
| Born | 1853/4[1] Abhar |
| Died | 1919 |
| Other names | Ebn Abhar |
| Title(s) | Hand of the Cause Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh |
| Children | ‘Abdu’l-Karim Khan Ayadi |
Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí (1853/4 - 1919), addressed as Ibn-i-Abhar (Arabic: ابن ابهر) by Bahá’u’lláh, was a Persian Bahá’í who was appointed a Hand of the Cause by Bahá’u’lláh and named an Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi.
Biography[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Ibn-i-Abhar was born in the village of Abhar where his father, Mírzá Ibráhím-i-Abharí,[2] was a prominent cleric. His father became a Bábí after studying some Writings of the Báb and the family moved to Qazvin as a result of persecution. In 1868 the family became Bahá’ís,[3] however Abhar was intially confused about the station of Mírzá Yahyá, who had rejected Bahá’u’lláh and advanced his own claims. His father advised him to investigate the claims for himself and after studying the the Bayán Abhar accepted Bahá’u’lláh's claims becoming a Bahá’í.[2]
In 1874 Abhar's father was murdered by poisoning,[3] and Abhar then moved to Zanján to share the claims of Bahá’u’lláh with Bábí's who had accepted Mírzá Yahyá. After four months of teaching all but two of Yahyá's followers in the city had become Bahá’ís.[4] He then visited the village of Abhar where there were a large amount of people interested in the Faith, however no gatherings had been held out of fear of persecution, and he organized a meeting to stimulate community activity.[4]
First Imprisonment[edit]
As a result of Abhar's teaching activities his cousin, Abol Fatoo who was a Muslim cleric, wrote to the Governor accusing him of causing disturbances in Zanján and the letter was distributed to Mullahs in the area. The Governor knew Abhar and rejected Fatoo's accusations resulting in some unrest, which prompted the Governor to order that Bahá’í homes be searched for anything written by Abhar which could be used to proscute him. Letters Abhar had written to Bahá’ís were found and the Governor secured a sentence of execution from the Shah.[5]
A detachment of soldiers came to take Abhar into custody however his brother bribed the soldiers to delay arresting him for one day and he was placed under house arrest in his brothers home. Another cousin, who was a brother of Abool Fatoo, attempted to convince the leader of the soldiers, Mirza Jalil Khan, to torture Abhar. Khan instead asked Abhar why his cousins were so opposed to him and through their discussion Khan became a Bahá’í.[5] The next morning Abol Fatoo met with Mirza Jalil Khan and tried to persuade him to torture Abhar and pressure the Governor to have him executed immediately in Zanján.[6] Khan took Abhar to his home nearby instead of taking him to Zanján however shortly after arriving at his home soldiers sent by the Governor took Abhar into custody. He was taken to Zanján where he was imprisoned in the dungeon of Dashborgh where he was kept in poor conditions for fourteen months during which he experienced severe beatings from the guards.[7]
Hand of the Cause[edit]
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After being released from prison Abhar travelled across Iran and in 1886 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land,[3] where he met Bahá’u’lláh who appointed him a Hand of the Cause of God the same year. He received a Tablet from Bahá’u’lláh directing him to travel across Iran and he established his residence in Tehran from where he engaged in extensive travel teaching trips across the country.[8]
In 1891 Abhar was arrested a second time and imprisoned in Tehran. He was tortured during his imprisonment, and placed under a chain which was reportedly the same chain placed on Bahá’u’lláh when He was imprisoned in the Siyah-Chal.[8] He was able to maintain communication with the Bahá’í community while imprisoned by writing letters on the wrapping paper of food Bahá’ís delivered to him and he also wrote letters answering the queries of people investigating the Faith.[9] The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh took place while he was imprisoned and he wrote a letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá expressing his grief and received a Tablet in reply.[10] He vowed to dedicate his life to serving the Faith after hearing of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh.[11]
Abhar was released from prison in 1895 and traveled to the Holy Land to meet with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who directed him to visit 'Ishqábád to support the Bahá’í community. He made frequent travel teaching trips after his release during which he proclaimed the Faith and met with public officials and he also frequently made pilgrimages to meet with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visiting Him eleven times after 1895.[10] During one of his pilgrimages ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advised him that he should marry Munírih Khánum, the daughter of Hají Ákhúnd. Abhar objected citing his vow to dedicate his life to the Faith but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reassured him that marrying would not break his vow and he did marry Munírih in Tehran after returning to Iran.[11] They had a son, ‘Abdu’l-Karim Khan Ayadi.[12]
In 1897 Abhar and the other Hands of the Cause gathered in Tehran and established the Central Spiritual Assembly of Tehran which gradually evolved into the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. He also assisted in the establishment of the Tarbiyat Bahá’í school in Tehran.[3] In 1903 he made a visit to Yazd at the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to enthuse the community and during his visit the Local Spiritual Assembly of the city was firmly established,[13] and large gatherings were held resulting in increased Bahá’í activity,[14] shortly before a period of extreme persecution where a large amount of Bahá’ís were martyred.[15]
In 1907 Abhar made an extensive teaching trip across India with Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání and American Bahá’ís Hooper Harris and Harlan Ober.[3] In 1909 he and his wife were appointed to a Bahá’í committee for the liberation of women formed that year and in 1910 his wife was elected to a Bahá’í women's assembly formed in Tehran. He supported and encouraged his wife in her efforts to help establish the Tarbiyat School in this period.[16]
In his later years Abhar became blind due to age but he continued to meet with Bahá’ís and people interested in learning about the Faith up until his passing in Tehran in 1919.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/tags/Ibn-i-Abhar_(Mulla_Muhammad_Taqi)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 305
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Hasan Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 268
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Star of the West, Vol. 13, p 331
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star of the West, Vol. 13, p 335
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 13, p 336
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 13, p 338
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 306
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 307
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 310
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 311
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1937). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 6 (1934-1936), Pg(s) 103. View as PDF.
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Bahá’í Communities of Iran, Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 2022, p 364
- ↑ Ahang Rabbani, Ponder Thou upon the Martyrdom of Hájí Muhammad-Ridá Nineteen Historical Accounts, 2007, p 175
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Bahá’í Communities of Iran, Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 2022, p 383
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 4, George Ronald: Oxford, 1987, p 312
