Mírzá Asadu’llah Isfahani

Mirza Asadu'llah Isfahani

Mírzá Asadu’llah Isfahani (d. 1924) was a Persian Bahá’í who helped establish Bahá’í administrative institutions across Iran and served in the Holy Land. He was ultimately named a Covenant-breaker for taking actions opposed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Biography

Asadu’llah was born into the Núrí family of nobility making him a distant relative of Bahá’u’lláh. Rather than pursuing a career in government he studied religion in Isfahan and became an Islamic cleric before becoming a Bábí in 1861. He was an active travel teacher promoting the Bábí Faith across Iran and he became a Bahá’í at some point after Bahá’u’lláh declared in 1863 and continued travel teaching to propagate the Bahá’í Faith up until 1877 when he established himself in Tehran.

In 1880 Asadu’llah began traveling again to encourage Bahá’í communities across Iran to establish administrative institutions structured around the guidance of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, promoting the formation of consultative bodies, community dawn prayer meetings, and funds. In 1882 Asadu’llah married Gawhar, daughter of Mírzá Muhammad `Alíy-i-Nahrí, making him a brother-in-law to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's wife Munírih Khánum. Around the same time he moved to ‘Akka in the Holy Land. He and Gawhar had a son, Aminu’llah, and a daughter, Farahangiz, who married American Bahá’í Sydney Sprague.

In 1885, 1888, and 1895 Asadu’llah returned to Iran to undertake travel teaching tours and in 1898 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entrusted him with the responsibility of transporting the remains of the Báb from Iran to the Holy Land. He visited Tehran in 1898 and gave talks at public meetings as a diversion from his mission before securing the remains. He then brought the remains to Beirut where he had a photograph taken of himself, his son, and six other Bahá’ís with the remains reportedly in an attempt to fulfil what he had interpreted as a prophecy in the Bahá’í Writings.

In 1900 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Asadu’llah to the United States of America with instructions to deepen the community on the importance of the Covenant due to Ibrahim George Kheiralla, an early Bahá’í teacher, attempting to establish himself as a Bahá’í authority independent of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. While in America Asadu’llah worked to counter Kheiralla's influence over the community and encouraged the American Bahá’ís to form administrative institutions.

Asadu’llah based himself in Chicago and in 1901 Ali Kuli Khan joined him in the United States, having been sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and began serving as his translator. With Khan's assistance he began delivering a course of lessons under the title The School of the Prophets, however Khan became concerned that the course was centered around promoting Asadu’llah as an independent source of spiritual authority. He also began interpreting dreams and visions which the Bahá’ís shared with him.

Later in 1901 Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl arrived in the United States having also been sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Khan began translating for both Fadl and Asadu’llah. Khan became concerned that the American Bahá’í's viewed Asadu’llah's talks as spiritual and Fadl's as only being intellectual, that Asadu’llah was promoting occultism unrelated to the Faith, and felt that the situation may lead to a division in the Chicago Bahá’í community. At Khan's request ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Asadu’llah's son, Aminu'llah, to America to serve as his translator, instructing them to depart Chicago. Asadu’llah and his son toured other American cities briefly before being summoned back to the Holy Land later in 1902. While Asadu’llah returned his son remained in America to study at the University of Chicago with the financial support of Bahá’ís as Asadu’llah mislead them into believing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had directed Aminu’llah to remain in America.

From 1911 to 1913 Asadu’llah and his son Aminu'llah accompanied ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on his tour of Europe and North America. During the tour Aminu'llah covertly solicited money from the western Bahá’ís against the orders of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and he embarked on his own tour of Europe and North America in 1914 against the instructions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Asadu’llah also left the Holy Land to join his son in London, England, and they were both named Covenant-breakers as a result. He passed away in 1924.