Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May, 1818 Rajab, Iran |
| Died | 1903 |
| Other names | Mulla Zaynu’l-‘Abidin |
| Children | Mírzá Munir-i-Zayn Mírzá Nuru’d-Din-i-Zayn Mírzá Bushra Zayn |
Mulla Zaynu’l-‘Abidin (May, 1818 - 1903), granted the title Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín by Bahá’u’lláh, was an early Persian Bahá’í who transcribed many of Bahá’u’lláh's Tablets by hand to allow for them to be widely distributed. Copies of Tablets in his handwriting are considered to be accurate due to the meticulous manner in which he produced his transcriptions.[1]
Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet in his honor,[2] he was memorialized by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Memorials of the Faithful, and also named an Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi.
Biography[edit]
Muqarrabín was born in Najafabad, Iran, in May 1818. There were many Islamic clerics in his family and he also studied Islam and became a preacher in Najafabad later becoming a mujtahid.[3] In 1844 he went on pilgrimage to Karbila in Iraq and while in the city he first heard of the Bábí religion.[4]
In 1851 Muqarrabín began studying the Bábí Faith, becoming a Bábí, and a Bábí community was firmly established in Najafabad around this time.[5] He notably taught the religion in the Sidih area, near Isfahan, throughout the 1850's establishing the Bábí Faith in the region which encompassed the villages of Furusha, Varnusfadaran, and Khuzan.[6]
At some point around 1856 he traveled to Baghdad in order to meet with Mírzá Yaḥyá who was regarded as the leader of the Bábís. Yaḥyá was in hiding and refused to meet with anyone visiting the city and Muqarrabín departed, but while traveling he heard news that the Governor of Najafabad had ordered his arrest so he returned to Baghdad. By the time he arrived in Baghdad Bahá’u’lláh had returned to the city from His sojourn in the mountains of Kurdistan allowing Muqarrabín to meet Him.[7] This galvanized his faith and he returned to Iran where he was instrumental to the development of the Bábí communities in Najafabad and Isfahan.[5]
In 1864 the Bábís of Najafabad began to be violently persecuted and Muqarrabín moved to Baghdad where he began transcribing Tablets to serve the religion. Around this time Bahá’u’lláh's Declaration that He was "He whom God shall make manifest", the figure prophesized by the Báb, became known in the community and Muqarrabín accepted His claim becoming a Bahá’í.[5] From 1867 to 1869 he visited Yazd and the province of Khurasan to share Bahá’u’lláh's claims with Bábí communities before returning to Baghdad.[8]
In 1870 the Bahá’ís of Baghdad, including Muqarrabín, were arrested and exiled to Mosul and he came to be regarded as a leader of the Mosul community providing guidance and helping to establish a positive culture.[5] Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh delivered to individuals in Iran were delivered to Mosul first where Muqarrabín transcribed copies to allow for them to be more widely distributed to the Bahá’ís of Iran.[9] At some point he arranged the Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh into a specific order which remains the order that they are published in to the present day,[10] and he also compiled a collection of answers to questions from Bahá’ís in the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh which was translated into English and included as an appendix in the 1992 English publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.[11]
Between September and October of 1885 Bahá’u’lláh granted Muqarrabín permission to live in ‘Akka and he moved to the city where he was able to frequently meet with Bahá’u’lláh. While in ‘Akka he continued to serve by transcribing Tablets. After the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892 Muqarrabín recognized ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who was appointed by Bahá’u’lláh as His successor and supported His leadership of the community. He passed away in 1903.[9] Two of his sons, Mírzá Munir-i-Zayn and Mírzá Nuru’d-Din-i-Zayn, served as Secretaries for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after his passing and his son Mírzá Bushra Zayn served as a translator for Western Pilgrims in the Holy Land.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 1974, p 26
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1977, p 69
- ↑ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 1974, p 25
- ↑ H. M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 274
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 H. M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 275
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Bahá’í Communities of Iran 1851-1921: Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 2021 p 48
- ↑ H. M. Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah: The King of Glory, George Ronald: Oxford, 1980, p 120
- ↑ Moojan Momen, The Bahá’í Communities of Iran 1851-1921: Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 2021 p 60
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 H. M. Balyuzi, Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 1985, p 276
- ↑ https://iranicaonline.org/articles/kalemat-e-maknuna
- ↑ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Baha'i World Centre, 1992, p 9
- ↑ Helen S. Goodall & Ella Goodall Cooper, Daily Lessons Received at Akka, Baha'i Publishing Trust: Wilmette, 1979, p 61
