Mashhadi Husayn Qazvini

Mashhadi Husayn ‘Attar Qazvini (c. 1843 - 1906) was an early Persian Bahá’í of Qazvin. He lived in Istanbul for the purpose of assisting pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land in the 1890's at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Biography

In his career Qazvini was a pharmacist. He was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith in Qazvin and joined the religion through Darvish Qalandar and Shaykh Káẓim-i-Samandar at some point before the 1880's and began actively teaching the Faith with his brothers and several other relatives joining the religion through him. He went on pilgrimage and met with Bahá’u’lláh. After his pilgrimage he experienced persecution in Qazvin and he moved to Abhar where he worked as a trader but was again persecuted due to his religion.

He had moved from Abhar to Tehran by the early 1880's where he established a perfumery and drug store. He was imprisoned in 1883 along with many other Bahá’ís of Tehran and interrogated, and his release was secured by his young son Youness Afrukhtih and the child of another imprisoned Bahá’í who were able to intercept the carriage of the Shah of Iran and present a petition for their fathers release. The Shah was amused by the children and issued orders for their fathers release.

In 1890 Qazvini was imprisoned again. After his release he went on pilgrimage again shortly after the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh had taken place and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá directed him to settle in Istanbul so that he could assist pilgrims travelling from Iran to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. He lived in Istanbul assising pilgrims for a time eventually returning to Tehran where he passed in 1906.