Khál Akbar
Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad (1798 - 1876), better known by the title Khál Akbar meaning Great Uncle, was a member of the Afnán family and the eldest maternal uncle of the Báb. Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Kitáb-i-Íqán in answer to some of his questions about his nephews religion.
Biography[edit]
Muhammad was born in 1798, his father was Mírzá Muhammad-Husayn.[1] In his youth he studied at a school in the Masjid-i Naw receiving a rudimentary education in the basics of Islam.[2]
Muhammad established a successful career as a merchant running an office in Búshihr working with his brothers importing and exporting between Persia and India. He married Hájíyyih Bíbí Fátimih-Sáhib who was the daughter of another prominent merchant who worked in Shiraz and Bushihr and their children were Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí, Hájí Mírzá Buzurg, Bíbí-Ján-Ján Bagum who married Afnán-i-Kabír, and Khadíjih-Sultán-Bagum.[1]
In 1834 the Báb began working with Muhammad in Bushihr,[3] and Muhammad became concerned with His preoccupation with religion. As of 1841 the Báb was managing his business interests in Bushihr alone and that year He decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf and Muhammad was concerned that this would leave the Bushihr business in jeopardy however when he arrived in Bushihr after the Báb had departed he found that all of the businesses accounts were in order and had not been negatively affected or left in disarray.[4]
At some point after the Declaration of the Báb in 1844 Mullá 'Alíy-i-Bastámí met with Muhammad which softened his stance on his nephews religious pursuits and in May 1845 the Báb stayed with him in Bushihr for ten days after returning from His pilgrimage to Mecca and he came to deeply respect his nephews spiritual station during this time although he was not fully aware of His claims.[5] Although his faith in the Báb wavered he came under suspicion after moving to Shiraz at some point due to his relation to Him.[1]
In the late 1850's, after the Báb had been martyred, Núri'd-Dín who was also an Afnán met with Muhammad and encouraged him to become a committed Bábí. Muhammad debated Núri'd-Dín and maintained a negative attitude towards his nephews claims,[6] but agreed to meet with Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. In January 1861 he visited Baghdad while on a journey to visit his sister, the mother of the Báb, in Karbalá and during his visit he submitted several questions he had about why the Báb did not seem to fulfil the prophecies about the Qá'im which were preventing him from accepting his nephew. Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Kitáb-i-Íqán for him over two days and two nights and he became a committed Bábí after reading it.[1]
In 1867 Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam visited Shiraz and announced that Bahá’u’lláh was proclaiming Himself to be "Him Whom God will make manifest" who had been foretold by the Báb and Muhammad accepted the claim and became a Bahá’í. He passed away in Shiraz in 1876 and Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet of Visitation in his honor.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ahang Rabbani, The Afnán Family: Some Biographical Notes, 2007
- ↑ World Order Series 2, Vol 30, No 3, p 26
- ↑ Ahang Rabbani, The Genesis of the Babi-Baha'i Faiths in Shiraz and Fars, Brill: Leiden/Boston, 2008, p 11
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, The Bab: The Herald of the Day of Days, George Ronald: Oxford, 1973, p 41
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1974, p 154
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1974, p 155
