Ustad Isma’il-i-Kashi

Ustad Isma’il-i-Kashi was an early Persian Bahá’í.

Background

Ustad was a master builder who worked on several government projects in Persia including notably working under Farrukh Khan-i-Ghaffari who was the Aminu'd-Dawlih of Kashan.

He became a Bábí at some point which resulted in him being fired from his position and he moved to Baghdád in the late 1850's where he served Bahá’u’lláh by working on renovations of the Bayt-i-Aʻzam. His brother-in-law, Aqa Muhammad-Javad-i-Kashani, also moved to Baghdád and when he passed away Ustad assumed responsibility for raising his son Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi for a time until Husayn was adopted into the household of Bahá’u’lláh and accompanied Him to Constantinople in 1863.

In approximately 1867 the Bábí's of Baghdád including Ustad were exiled to Mosul. Shortly after the Mosul exile Bahá’u’lláh was exiled to Akka and in 1868 Ustad traveled to Akka from Mosul to meet Him however he was unable to do so as Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned in the Citadel at the time and unable to receive visitors. Pilgrims generally were only able to see Bahá’u’lláh waving from the window of the prison however as Ustad was elderly and his eyesight had deteriorated he was unable to see Him waving. He settled in Haifa where he lived with another Bahá’í, and was later able to meet with Bahá’u’lláh when the conditions of His imprisonment were relaxed.

While living in Haifa he came to be in poverty working as a peddler selling needles and thimbles and living in a cave on Mount Carmel and Bahá’u’lláh praised his detachment from material things and honored him in a Tablet.