| Mírzá `Alí-Muḥammad-i-Khurásání | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1850 or 1851 Mashhad |
| Died | 1928 Tehran |
| Title(s) | Hand of the Cause Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh |
| Appointed by | Bahá’u’lláh |
| Religion | Bahá’í Faith |
| Spouse(s) | 'Udhra Khanum |
| Children | Ruha, Laqaieh, Hovieh and Talieh |
Mírzá `Alí-Muḥammad-i-Khurásání (Arabic: مرزا علي محمد خراساني) (d.1928) known as Ibn-i-Aṣdaq , was an eminent follower of Bahá’u’lláh. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.
Ibn-i-Asdaq was addressed by Bahá’u’lláh as Shahíd Ibn-i-Shahíd (Martyr, son of the Martyr). He requested several times to give his life up for the Bahá’í Cause. The response by Bahá’u’lláh was, "Today, the greatest of all deeds is service to the Cause... This martyrdom is not confined to the destruction of life and the shedding of blood. A person enjoying the bounty of life may yet be recorded a martyr..." [1]
Biography[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Ibn-i-Asdaq was born in Mashhad in the year 1267 AH (1850-51 AD).[2] His father was Mulla Sadiq-i-Muqaddas, a prominent Bábi, and one of the survivors of the Battle of Fort Tarbasi.
In 1860 he traveled to Baghdad with his father, where they met with Bahá’u’lláh. When they returned to Mashhad they were arrested and taken to Tehran and imprisoned in the Siyah Chal. He became ill while imprisoned, and a Jewish doctor named Hakím Masíh treated his illness for two months. Hakim Masih was converted to the Bábi religion by Mulla Sadiq during this time, and later became the first Bahá’í of Jewish descent.[3] Ibn-i-Asdaq and his father were released after twenty-eight months of imprisonment.[4]
Serving the Bahá’í Cause[edit]
In 1875 he became the first Baha'i to visit Ashgabat. He was invited there by a Turkoman chief who he converted to the Baha'i Faith along with twelve others.[5]
When he was thirty years old Ibn-i-Asdaq wrote to Bahá’u’lláh, requesting that he be allowed to sacrifice his life for the Cause. Bahá'u'lláh refused this request. He sent the same request again in 1882, and Bahá’u’lláh entitled him Shahid Ibn-i-Shahid (Martyr, Son of the Martyr) in response, and revealed a Tablet for him:
"We, verily, have ordained for him this exalted station, this high designation. Well it is with him that he attained this station prior to its appearance, and We accepted from him that which he intended in the path of God, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed." - Provisional translation by Hand of the Cause Balyuzi, approved at the Baha’i World Center and included in ‘Eminent Baha'is In the time of Baha’u’llah’, p. 173
He began traveling extensively within Iran to teach the Bahá’í Faith. His wife, 'Udhra Khanum, was descended from the Qajar family which allowed him to teach the Faith to many nobles and royals of the country.
After the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged Ibn-i-Asdaq to continue teaching after Bahá’u’lláh passed away. He travelled abroad to India, Burma and Turkmenistan, where he founded a school and a hospice, and began working towards the construction of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
When he was not travelling he lived in Tehran, and he played an important role in establishing teaching classes for women in the city. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá later instructed the Hands of the Cause to teach the importance of the Covenant to the Bahá’í's of Iran and establish a Spiritual Assembly in Tehran, which eventually became the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran.
In 1902 he visited India and met with Professor M.H. Hidayat Hosain of the Royal Asiatic Society Library of Calcutta, a notable Orientalist, who was impressed by his personality and studied the Kitab-i-Iqan with him.[6]
Ibn-i-Asdaq and Ahmad Yazdani were sent to the Hague by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to deliver a tablet to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace in 1919, and in the same year he and the other Hands of the Cause wrote a refutation of Edward G. Browne's criticisms of the Bahá’í Faith. He also personally delivered the Risaliy-i-Siyasiyyih (a tablet by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá) to the Shah of Iran.
He was in Haifa shortly before the Ascension of `Abdu’l-Bahá, and `Abdu’l-Bahá sent him to Shiraz with Mírzá Báqir Khán.[7]
Ibn-i-Asdaq lived a long life of service, dying in 1928. He was one of the few Apostles to live into the time of Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian.
Family[edit]
Ibn-i-Asdaq's wife 'Udhra Khanum was the granddaughter of Zia-ul-saltaneh, the daughter of the Qajar King, Fath-Ali Shah and at one point a wife of Mirza Buzurg, the father of Bahá’u’lláh.
He had four daughters, Laqaieh (Modabber-Moghaddam), Hovieh (Farzar), Ruha (Khodadoost) and Talieh (Monadjem).
Laqaieh and Hoveih both received Tablets from Bahá’u’lláh.[8] Ruha wrote a book about her pilgrimage experiences titled One Life, One Memory.
Dr. Vahid Rafati published a book containing information and historical documents on the service and personal life of Ibn-i-Asdaq titled "Peyk-i-Rastan".
References[edit]
- Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Bahá’ís in the time of Bahá’u’lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. ISBN 0-85398-152-3.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1997) [1971]. Memorials of the Faithful (Softcover ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-242-2.
- Harper, Barron (1997). Lights of Fortitude (Paperback ed.). Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-413-1.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Balyuzi, H.M., Eminent Bahá’ís in the time of Baha'u'llah, p. 172
- ↑ Bahá'ís in the West by Peter Smith
- ↑ http://bahaiheoresheroines.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/mirza-ali-muhammad-ibn-i-asdaq-apostle.html
- ↑ http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/khorasani-molla-sadeq
- ↑ Witnesses to Babi and Baha'i History, Vol. 5, Ahang Rabbani
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 209
- ↑ Reminiscences of Khalil Shahidi, translated by Ahang Rabbani
- ↑ Brookshaw, P.V., Fazel S.B. The Baha'is of Iran: Socio-Historical Studies
