Vakílu’d-Dawlih
Afnán-i-Yazdí (Arabic: أفنان اليازدي), also known as Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí, surnamed Vakílu’d-Dawlih (1830 - August, 1911)[1] was an eminent follower of Bahá’u’lláh. He is identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh and was entitled Vakílu'l-Haqq (Representative of the True One) by Him.
He was an Afnán, a cousin of the Báb and the chief builder of the first House of Worship in 'Ishqábád, present day Turkmenistan, which had been initiated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in or about 1902.
Early Years in Iran[edit]
Taqi was born in Shiraz in 1830. His father was Haji Siyyid Muhammad, the Uncle of the Báb, and he met the Báb in Shiraz and Bushihr as a youth. He later wrote about meeting the Báb at the age of fifteen:
"I remember that every Sunday I used to go to the house of my illustrious aunt, the mother of the Báb, where I had the great privilege of attaining His presence...I remember especially on one occasion He permitted me to sit in His presence, and graciously cut a slice of melon which He gave to me. He was busy writing some prayers and verses. He then handed me one of the prayers He had revealed during the week and asked me to chant it in His presence...The Báb left Shíráz for Mecca via Búshihr that same week or the week after...Two or three months later I went to Búshihr to join my father...On His return from Mecca the Báb came to our house in Búshihr where I spent several days in His presence. During those days every moment of His time was spent in revealing the verses of God and writing prayers...One evening with tearful eyes I begged Him in all sincerity to pray for me so that I might spend my days in the service of God and in the end attain to His good pleasure. He assured me that it would be so."[2]
He moved to Yazd in 1854 and established himself as a merchant. He also worked as a Consular Agent for the Russian Government, and became known as Vakílu’d-Dawlih (Representative of the Government).
Service to the Cause[edit]
He accepted the Báb as an independent Manifestation of God in 1857 after meeting Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. He also accepted Bahá’u’lláh as 'He whom God shall make manifest' after reading the Kitáb-i-Íqán, and visited Baghdad to attain His presence again. He was so overjoyed during this second visit that the Baha'is of Baghdad called him the 'delightful Afnán'. When he returned to Yazd his prominence in the city allowed him to openly teach the Faith without fear of persecution.
Taqi bought some land in `Ishqábád, a city then governed by Russia, and Bahá'u'lláh instructed him to set aside some of it for the construction of a House of Worship. In 1900 he was asked to oversee the construction of this first House of Worship and he settled his business affairs in Yazd and moved to `Ishqábád around 1902 to serve as chief builder. He purchased most of the building materials required with his own money, and eventually spent his entire fortune on the construction of the House of Worship.
He left `Ishqábád in 1906, when the House of Worship was nearing completion because he was summoned to Haifa by 'Abdu'l-Bahá who instructed him to establish the Universal House of Justice in the event that He was killed by the Covenant-breakers. He lived in Haifa for the rest of his life, and was laid to rest in the Bahá’i cemetery at the foot of Mount Carmel in Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated that a tomb must be built to honor him.[3]
References[edit]
- Balyuzi, H.M. (1985). Eminent Bahá’ís in the time of Bahá’u’lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. ISBN 0853981523.
External links[edit]
- Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí - section from Memorials of the Faithful, p. 126.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/chronology/1911
- ↑ Revelation of Baha'u'llah, Vol. 1, p.200 A. Taherzadeh
- ↑ Revelation of Baha'u'llah, Vol. 1, pp.200-201 A. Taherzadeh
