Mashaollah Enayati
Mashaollah Enayati (1934 - July 4, 1997) was a Persian Bahá’í who was martyred in Iran.
Background[edit]
Enayati was born in Ardistán in 1934 but later established himself in Tehran,[1] where he became well known for enthusiastically teaching the Faith.[2]
In 1997 Enayati visited Ardistán to attend a commemoration of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and he was arrested and imprisoned in Isfahan. He chanted prayers while imprisoned which prompted the prison authorities to order for him to be tortured and he was beaten severely requiring hospitalization after one week of impirsonment.[1] His daughter was able to visit him while he was hospitalized before he passed away on July 4, 1997. The doctor did not enter a cause of death on his death certificate.[2]
The Universal House of Justice noted his martyrdom in a letter published on August 18, 1997, which included the following:
"The Universal House of Justice was grieved by the news of the sad events which engulfed the two lovers of the Abha Beauty, Shahram Rida'i and Masha'llah Inayati. These two trod the path of truthfulness and fearlessness and never concealed their relationship with the world-embracing Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh; this resulted in fuelling the fire of prejudice amongst heedless individuals, and finally in leading the two to the exalted station of martyrdom and the attainment of the presence of the Desired One."[2]
