Isfandíyár Bakhtíyárí

Isfandíyár Bakhtíyárí
Born	1895 Nisri-abad, Yazd, Iran
Died	June 24, 1975 Pakistan
NSA member	India & Burma 1923 - 1957 Pakistan 1957 - ????
ABM	Asia ???? - 1975

Isfandíyár Bakhtíyárí (1895 - June 24, 1975) was a Persian Bahá’í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of India & Burma and the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan.

Biography

Bakhtíyárí was born Isfandíyár Khudádád in a Zoroastrian family in Nisri-abad, Iran, in 1895. He attended elementary school but began working on his families farm rather than continuing his education. He had a hostile outlook on other religions as a youth and harassed the prominent Bahá’í teacher Isfandiyar Ardishir with other youths.

In 1914 Bakhtíyárí married Sarvar Khánum and in 1915 he befriended Burzu Isfandíyár who was a Bahá’í and he was impressed by the fact he did not drink alcohol and some quotations of Bahá’u’lláh he shared. This softened his outlook on the Faith and he began investigating the religion learning from Isfandiyar Ardishir who he had previously opposed. He declared and attempted to teach his friends and family but found himself ostracized and no longer able to support and manage his farm.

At some point in 1917 or 1918 Bakhtíyárí sold his land in Iran and moved to Mumbai, India, with his wife and became an active member of the Bahá’í community. He established himself professionally by becoming a partner in a hotel. Shortly after moving to India he wrote a letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and received a Tablet in reply in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to him as Bakhtíyárí, meaning befriended by good fortune, and he adopted the word as his surname. He went on pilgrimage in 1920 and met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in person.

In 1921 Bakhtíyárí pioneered to Karachi in what is now Pakistan and in 1923 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of India & Burma when it was established. He served on the body for an extended period, often as Treasurer or Chairman and as an Assembly member he was instrumental to establishing good relations between the Bahá’í community and civic leaders in government roles and leaders in the business community.

In addition to his administrative work in the Faith he also engaged in travel teaching accompanying Martha Root on her 1938 teaching tour of the subcontinent and visiting Burma, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh himself. He later accompanied Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir and Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí on tours of the region. He went on pilgrimage twice at some point between 1921 and 1957 meeting with Shoghi Effendi.

In approximately 1955 Bakhtíyárí pioneered to northern Pakistan settling in Sargodha and later Murree which was a hill station, and in 1957 when an independent National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan was formed and Bakhtíyárí was elected as its inaugural chairman. He served on the Assembly until at least 1963 when he attended the First International Convention as an Assembly member and cast a vote in the first election of the Universal House of Justice. He later retired from the Assembly when he was appointed as an Auxiliary Board member and he served on the Auxiliary Board from at least 1959 up until his passing in 1975. He had been conducting a teaching tour in the area surrounding Rawalpindi at the time of his passing.

The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following cable after his passing:

DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING VALIANT SELFLESS STEADFAST PROMOTER FAITH ISFANDIYAR BAKHTIYARI STOP HIS LIFELONG SERVICES SHED LUSTRE ANNALS FAITH ENTIRE SUBCONTINENT STOP ADVISE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL MEETINGS STOP SUPPLICATING DIVINE THRESHOLD RICH REWAR HIS LONG DEVOTED SERVIES CAUSE GOD.