Muhammad Mustafa
Muhammad Mustafa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1898 El Dhahriya, Egypt |
| Died | August 14, 1981 Cairo, Egypt |
| NSA member | Egypt & Sudan 1924 - 1953 North West Africa 1957 - 1958 |
| ABM | Africa 1954 - 1975 |
| Counsellor | Northern Africa 1975 - 1980 Africa 1980 - 1981 |
Muhammad Mustafá Sulaymán (1898 - August 14, 1981) was an Egyptian Bahá’í who served as a National Spiritual Assembly member, Auxiliary Board member, and Counselor, and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to Spanish Sahara.
Biography[edit]
Mustafa was born into a Muslim family in El Dhahriya, a remote village on the Nile Delta. His father was a staunch Muslim and he attended a Quranic school in his childhood. He received only a rudimentary education outside of the Quran and began working as a telegraph operator in 1913.[1]
In 1914 Mustafa was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith when he visited his friend, ‘Abdu’r-Rahmán Rushdí, shortly after he had become a Bahá’í. Rushdí had a copy of the book Ten Days in the Light of Acca in his office and another person briefly read the book and commented negatively on it while Mustafa was visiting prompting Mustafa to become a Bahá’í in response.[1] He married fellow Bahá’í Farida Naimi at some point and their wedding was the first Bahá’í marriage to take place in Egypt with their children becoming the first in the country to be officially registered as Bahá’ís upon being born.[2]
Mustafa was elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan in 1924 and he served on the body for many years,[3] often as secretary or chairman.[4] He made several pilgrimages while serving on the Assembly, visiting the Holy Land almost annually until 1933,[1] meeting with Shoghi Effendi and translating several important documents for him.[2]
When the Ten Year Crusade was launched in 1953 Mustafa stepped down from the Assembly, volunteered to pioneer to Spanish Sahara, and used his savings to travel to Benghazi where his son, Rowshan, was living.[2] His son and a pioneer living in Benghazi raised money to assist Mustafa in continuing to his post. By chance he met two other pioneers traveling to Morocco while on a ship to Tangier during his journey to Spanish Sahara and he arrived in Cabo Juby on October 4, 1953.[5] He was able to teach the Faith for three weeks in Cabo Juby and El Aaiun before being deported to Morocco and he then moved to Benghazi on the advice of Shoghi Effendi remaining there until July 1954.[6]
In 1954 Mustafa briefly pioneered to Tunisia before returning to Egypt, but he returned to Tunisia before the end of the year after being appointed an Auxiliary Board member and assisted the Tunisian community in preparing for the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa. In 1958 Mustafa returned to Egypt and in 1960 the Egyptian government issued a decree banning all organized Bahá’í activity. Mustafa and fellow Board member ‘Abdu’l-Raḥím Yazdí became responsible for seeing to the needs of the Egyptian Bahá’ís.[3]
In 1965 several Bahá’ís were arrested across Egypt including Mustafa and he attempted to secure the release of the others by claiming full responsibility for all charges. He was unsuccessful however the group was released on bail after a short time. In 1967 a second wave of arrests took place and Mustafa was placed in a concentration camp where he was imprisoned with other Bahá’ís for six months. His fellow Board member Yazdí was deported in 1967 leaving him the only Bahá’í in the country responsible for assisting the community.[3] He was arrested along with other Bahá’ís a third time in 1972 but released after forty days.[6]
In 1975 Mustafa was appointed as a Continental Counselor for Northern Africa by the Universal House of Justice and he served in the position until 1980 when the Continental Boards in Africa were merged into one body.[7] He was appointed to the new Continental Board for Africa for a five year term in 1980 but passed away in Cairo in 1981 just one year into his term. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING EMINENT DISTINGUISHED SERVANT BLESSED BEAUTY MEMBER BOARD COUNESLLORS AFRICA KNIGHT BAHAULLAH DEARLY LOVED MUHAMMAD MUSTAFA. HIS LONG RECORD DEDICATED SERVICES IN ADMINISTRATIVE TEACHING FIELDS HIS SELFSACRIFICING AUDACIOUS EFFORTS IN PROMOTION DEFENCE BELOVED FAITH UNFORGETTABLE. CONVEY BEREAVED FAMILY FRIENDS LOVING SYMPATHY. PRAYING HOLY SHRINES FURTHER UNFOLDMENT PROGRESS HIS NOBLE SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.[8]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 769. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 40
- ↑ 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) 770. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News Letter (1929). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 35, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
- ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 41
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 42
- ↑ 6 January 1975 Letter from the Universal House of Justice
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 768. View as PDF.
