Shah-Sultan Khanum
Shah-Sultan Khanum, also known as ‘Izziyyih, (c. 1810/11 - c.1905/06)[1] was a half-sister of Bahá’u’lláh. She became a Bábí and in the 1860's she became a firm supporter of Mírzá Yaḥyá rejecting Bahá’u’lláh's claims.
Biography[edit]
Shah-Sultan was born in Tehran.[2] She was the eldest daughter of Mírzá Buzurg and Kulthum Khanum,[3] and of all Mírzá Buzurg's children she was the oldest daughter.[2] In her youth she was involved with raising her younger half-brother Mírzá Yaḥyá establishing a close relationship with him.[4] She never married and had no children.[5]
At some point Shah-Sultan undertook the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca earning the title of Haj which was rare for women at the time. She became a Bábí at some point and when her brother Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed Himself to be the Manifestation of God foretold by the Báb in the 1860's and Mírzá Yaḥyá opposed Him she supported Yaḥyá. A polemic book aiming to refute Bahá’u’lláh's claims and support Yaḥyá's claims was attributed to her although she did not actually write it.[5]
Shah-Sultan's half-brother Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan arranged for his daughter Shahr-Bánú to marry ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at some point, however after Muḥammad-Ḥasan's passing Shah-Sultan intervened and arranged a marriage between Shahr-Bánú and a relative of the Prime Minister of Iran who was hostile to Bahá’u’lláh.[6] Despite her hostility Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet honoring her and expressing that He hoped she would become a Bahá’í at some point.[7]
After the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a Tablet for Shah-Sultan inviting her to become a Bahá’í.[8] She rejected His invitation and a response, which came to be known as the Aunt's Treatise, was composed possibly by another supporter of Yaḥyá reaffirming her support for Mírzá Yaḥyá and arguing for his legitimacy.[9]
Shah-Sultan passed away at the age of ninety-five in either 1905 or 1906 and was buried in the Imamzadih Ma‘sum.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 292
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 282
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 259
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 261
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 283
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 286
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 285
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 289
- ↑ Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, George Ronald: Oxford, 2008, p 291
