Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí
| Mírzá Maḥmúd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Died | 1927/28 Dughabad, Khurasan, Iran |
| Title(s) | Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh |
Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí (Arabic: میرزا محمود) (d. 1927/28) also known as Fádil-i-Furúghí, was a Persian Bahá’í. He was a notable travel teacher for the religion who helped develop the Bahá’í communities of Iran, Ishqabad, and Egypt. He was notably the only Bahá’í who had a meeting with the Shah of Iran in order to proclaim the Bahá’í Faith. He was named an Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi.
Biography[edit]
Furúghí was born in the village of Dughabad in the province of Khurasan. His father, Mulla Mirza Muhammad, was a prominent member of the Shi'ih clergy who became a Bábí and participated in and survived the Battle of Shaykh Tabarsi.[1] Furúghí became a Bahá’í in his youth and made a travel teaching trip throughout Khurasan with Bahá’u’lláh revealing a Tablet in his honor when Furúghí presented Him with an account of his travels.[2]
Furúghí's teaching activity resulted in opposition from the clergy in Dughabad who petitioned the Governor of the district and he was arrested and imprisoned in Mashhad.[2] From captivity he sent a letter to Nasiri'd-Din Shah who issued orders for his release as a result, however due to pressure from the clergy in Mashhad the Governor-General of Khurasan had him exiled to Kalat upon his release. Furúghí befriended the Governor of Kalat who requested that he speak on the Faith at a Mosque which resulted in him being exiled to Bajgiran. From Bajrigan he was able to move to Ishqabad where a well established Bahá’í community existed and he was able to make his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land from Ishqabad in the early 1890's and met with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.[2]
During the 1890's Furúghí settled in Cairo where he deepened the Bahá’í community on the importance of the Covenant,[3] before returning to Iran where he settled in Tehran to deepen the community on the Covenant speaking to large gatherings. The Governor of Tehran ordered his arrest however officials were unable to locate him and issued a request that he meet with the Governor.[4] He agreed and upon meeting with the Governor at their residence he convinced them that the Bahá’í community was not a threat and was not detained.[5]
Furúghí later returned to Ishqabad,[5] and made another pilgrimage to the Holy Land during which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá instructed him to undertake a teaching tour throughout Iran.[6] Upon arriving in Abadih in Iran he was attacked by a mob and beaten narrowly escaping being killed. In 1896 Nasiri'd-Din Shah was assassinated and shortly afterwards Furúghí was invited to meet with his successor, Muzaffari'd-Din Shah, and presented him with an overview of the Bahá’í Faith which reportedly resulted in the Shah having a favorable impression of the religion.[7]
After meeting with the Shah Furúghí became seriously ill and was granted permission to return to the Holy Land on another pilgrimage and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá nursed him back to health. He then returned to Iran settling in Tehran then moved to Yazd before returning to Dughabad. In his home visit he was attacked by a mob and forced to leave the village and he returned to Ishqabad for a short period until returning to Iran where he settled in Mashhad where he was shot in an assassination attempt in October, 1910, which he survived. After the shooting he returned to Dughabad briefly, then to Ishqabad, before settling in Egypt in late 1911 or early 1912 while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in the country.[7]
In December 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Furúghí to Haifa to announce His return to the Holy Land after his tours of the West and residence in Egypt.[7] He then returned to Iran where another attempt was made on his life in Mashhad and he ultimately settled in Dughabad where he was frequently persecuted due to his religion. He made a final pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the mid 1920's and shortly after returning to Dughabad he was poisoned and he passed in 1927 or 1928.[8]
See Also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 157
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 160
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 164
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 165
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 167
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 168
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 169
- ↑ H.M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 170
