Mírzá Aḥmad-i-Azghandí

Mírzá Aḥmad-i-Azghandí

Mírzá Aḥmad-i-Azghandí was the first person to become a Bábí in the Persian Province of Khurásán.

Biography

Azghandí was from the village of Azghand in the province of Khurásán. He became a mujtahid and was a member of the Shaykhí school of Islam.

Azghandí came to be a prominent and respected ‘ulamá in Khurásán and he became a Bábí when Mullá Ḥusayn visited the province shortly after 1844. As of 1845 he was not actively involved in teaching the Bábí religion unlike the other early Bábís instead secluding himself to prepare a compilation of Islamic traditions and prophecies that Bábís could refer to. At some point he moved to Yazd at the request of his uncle Husayn-i-Azghandí, a prominent mujtahid, who asked him to permanently relocate Yazd to assist him in reducing the influence of Hájí Mírzá Karím Khán on the community.

Azghandí originally intended to move to Shíráz from Yazd but stayed in Yazd for an extended period sharing his compilation with members of the ‘ulamá in the city. A mujtahid, Mírzá Taqí, asked to borrow his work and destroyed it and his uncle, Husayn, intended to retaliate however Azghandí convinced him not to. Mulla Sádiq met with him in Yazd, and spoke on the claims of the Báb at a masjid which incited the congregation to accuse him of blasphemy with Azghandí's uncle Husayn convincing them not to attack him.

In 1848 Azghandí received a Tablet from the Báb which predicted upheaval for the Bábí's in Mazandaran. He returned to Khurásán fom Yazd at some point and he was arrested in Azghand following the Martyrdom of the Báb in 1850 and imprisoned in Mashhad for a period of time.

When Mírzá Yaḥyá and Bahá’u’lláh split in 1866 Azghandí wrote literature supporting Bahá’u’lláh's claims. When Bahá’u’lláh was exiled from Adrianople to the Holy Land in 1868 reports reached Khurásán that He may be executed which prompted Azghandí to reassure the believers by saying "The Revelation of the Báb must, if this be true, be regarded as utterly devoid of foundation." This resulted in increased confidence in him amongst the community when news of Bahá’u’lláh's safe arrival in ‘Akká was received.

The date of Azghandí's passing is not known but his grave is in Mashhad.