Masíh Farhangí
Dr. Masíh Farhangí | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June, 1912 Village near Shahsavár, Gilán, Irán |
| Died | 24 June 1981 (aged 69) Iran |
| NSA member | Iraq 1942 - 1943 Iran 1949 - 1954 1964 - 1968 Turkey 1959 - 1960 |
| ABM | Iran ???? - ???? |
| Counsellor | Western Asia 1968 - 1980 Asia 1980 - 1981 |
Dr. Masíh Farhangí (June 1912 - June 24, 1981) was a Persian Bahá’í who pioneered in the East, served on several National Assemblies, and as an Auxiliary Board member and Continental Counselor. He was arrested and martyred following the Revolution in Iran.
Biography[edit]
Masíh was born in a village near Shahsavár in 1912. His father was a clergyman in Langarud and Masíh attended a school established and directed by him. When he was young his father became a Bahá’í through Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí and began teaching the Faith including through classes at his school, and Masíh studied the Faith and became a Bahá’í youth at the age of fifteen. Masíh attended high school in Rasht and Tehran and later studied medicine at the University of Tihran while teaching science and French at the Bahá’í Tarbíyat School. He was able to study the Faith through scholars ‘Azíz’u’lláh Mesbah and Fádil Mazandarání while in Tihran.[1]
In 1937 Masíh graduated from medical school, eventually becoming a cardiologist,[2] and married Qamaru'l-Muluk, a fellow medical graduate who later became a Bahá’í and he established a medical practice in Tehran.[1] In June 1941 he pioneered to Iraq where he taught in Baghdad and Karkuk and he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly, however in 1943 Persian Bahá’ís were forced to return to Iran and on the advice of the National Assembly of Iran he established a medical practice in Rasht. In 1944 he hoped to pioneer to Bahrain but was unable to and moved to Gilan within Iran instead, travel teaching through villages by travelling on foot through mountain routes.[3]
He was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran in 1949. He went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in June, 1954, and was inspired to pioneer again by the Guardian. He did not have the means to pioneer and asked the Guardian to pray for him at the shrines and he soon received a job offer from Indonesia and a visa for Turkey and the National Spiritual Assembly decided he should go to Turkey.[3]
In 1959 he was elected to the inaugural National Spiritual Assembly of Turkey and served on the body for one year, returning to Iran in 1960 where he was later re-elected to the National Spiritual Assembly and appointed an Auxiliary Board member. He was appointed an inaugural Continental Counselor for Western Asia in 1968.[3] After being appointed Counselor he retired from medical practice in order to serve the Faith full-time and traveled across India and Sri Lanka at the request of the Universal House of Justice shortly after his appointment.[2]
On February 6, 1980, he was arrested by the revolutionary government of Iran and held in Evin Prison where he provided medical care to fellow prisoners. He was executed on June 24, 1981. His death was protested by the Medical Association of Rasht.[2]
References[edit]
- Obituary published in Bahá’í World, Volume 18, pp 766-768
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 766. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 768. View as PDF.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 767. View as PDF.
