Sháyistih Rafí‘í | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907 Rafendjan, Kirman, Iran |
| Died | 1992 Las Palmas, Canary Islands |
| Spouse(s) | ‘Alí Akbar Rafí‘í Rafsanjání |
| Children | ‘Abbás Nusrat Batoul Taheri Ahmad |
Sháyistih Rafí‘í (1907 - 1992) was a Persian Bahá’í who was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to Morocco.
Biography[edit]
Sháyistih was born in 1907. At some point she married ‘Alí Akbar Rafí‘í Rafsanjání and in the 1930's they had two daughters, Batoul Taheri and Nusrat, and two sons, Ahmad and Abbas.[1]
In 1953 the Rafí‘í's attended all four Intercontinental Conferences held to launch the Ten Year Crusade which were held in the Uganda, the United States, Sweden, and India. At the Stockholm, Sweden, conference Sháyistih suggested to her husband that they pioneer and while he was initially reluctant they consulted Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery who advised them to pioneer to Tangier, Morocco.[1]
They departed Iran with Abbas and journeyed to Morocco through India, Beirut, Egypt, Italy, and then Spain before arriving in Tangier on November 5, 1953. They were initially denied a visa after arriving and announcing they had come to teach the Bahá’í Faith. After negotiating they were granted permission to remain in the country for forty-eight hours.[2] The National Spiritual Assembly of Iran consulted with the French Ambassador in Tehran on their behalf and after two months of negotiations they were granted long-term visas.[3]
Through the teaching efforts of several pioneers including Rafí‘í a Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Tangier in 1954. The Rafí‘í's later moved to Meknes where ‘Alí Akbar passed in 1965. Sháyistih remained in Morocco until she passed away in 1992.[3]
