Núri'd-Dín
Áqá Mírzá Áqá (1842 - November 15, 1903), better known by the title Núri'd-Dín, was a member of the Afnán family, a nephew of the Báb, an early member of the Bábí and Bahá’í communities of Iran, and served as the Caretaker of the House of the Báb in Shiraz.
Biography[edit]
Núri'd-Dín was born in 1842. His mother was Zahrá Bagum the sister-in-law of the Báb and his father was Áqá Mírzá Zaynu'l-'Abidín who was a paternal cousin of the Báb. His name was Siyyid Muhammad but out of respect for the Prophet Muhammad he was referred to as Áqá Mírzá Áqá. He was the only child of his parents to survive infancy making him the only member of the Afnán family to be related to the Báb's father as well as His mother.[1]
Núri'd-Dín became a Bábí in approximately 1855 through his aunt Khadíjih Bagum who was the wife of the Báb and despite only being a teenager he converted both of his parents to the new religion. In the late 1850's he encouraged Khál Akbar, the Uncle of the Báb, to recommit himself to the Bábí Faith which prompted him to visit Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad in 1861 which resulted in the Kitáb-i-Íqán being revealed. In 1867 Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam visited Shiraz proclaiming Bahá’u’lláh's claim to be the one foretold by the Báb and Núri'd-Dín accepted the claim becoming a Bahá’í and at some point Bahá’u’lláh granted him the title Núri'd-Dín.[1]
At some point Núri'd-Dín married Maryam-Sultán Bagum (d. February 1939) who was a daughter of his uncle Hájí Mírzá Abú'l-Qásim and their children were Áqá Siyyid Áqá, Mírzá Jalál, Mírzá Buzurg, Hájíyyih Túbá, Habíbu’lláh, and Díyá'u'lláh.[1]
In his career Núri'd-Dín was a merchant trading in partnership with other members of the Afnán family and he was also in business with the Bahá’í brothers known as the Núrayn-i-Nayyirayn. When the brothers were martyred in March 1879 members of the Bahá’í community advised Núri'd-Dín to depart Iran for his safety and he moved to Bombay, India, in 1880. He remained in India until 1889 when he moved to Port Said in Egypt and established the Rúhaniyyih Company under the name Núri'd-Dín Hasan. In July 1891 Bahá’u’lláh invited Núri'd-Dín on pilgrimage and he visited the Holy Land with his family staying for nine months during which Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Tablet of the World in his honor.[1]
In 1901 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked Núri'd-Dín to return to Shiraz from Egypt and restore the House of the Báb. He undertook the restoration of the building serving as its caretaker up until his passing in November 1903 by which time the restoration was almost complete. His son Mírzá Habíbu'lláh succeeded him as caretaker of the House.[1]
