He is God! O God!
In the Books of the Prophets, Thou hast given good news and glad-tidings to (the people of) Israel, and you have given the promise that there would come a day when the despair of Israel would be transformed into hope, and that those in captivity and the downtrodden might at last find eternal glory. That wondrous Tribe shall, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts, find security and settlement in the Holy Land and, from the far lands abroad, return unto Zion. Those, who were once lowly shall be cherished, and those who were formerly poor are destined to become powerful.
Those, who were forgotten shall find fame and renown and those once detested shall become the beloved of the peoples of the world. Now, praise be to God, that day of tranquillity has arrived, and the means of happiness and joy are now within reach. Soon will all of Israel become glorious, and this diaspora be transformed into regathering.
The Sun of Truth has arisen, and a ray of divine guidance has alighted upon Israel, so that they will enter the Holy Land from far-away routes in the utmost joy.
O God! Fulfil Thy promise, and bring honour upon the progeny of His Holiness Abraham. Thou art the Powerful, the Able, and Thou art the Seer, the Hearer, the All-Wise.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha Abbas
(unauthorized translation)
Friday, June 22, 2018
"Soon will all of Israel become glorious, and this diaspora be transformed into regathering."
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
"Many Persian Jews in Tehran have become Baha'is and I have attended some of their meetings."
Bernard Temple, (Editor of The
Gazette, Karachi) read a paper before the
Royal Society of Arts, London, "Persia and
the Regeneration," which was published in that
Society's Journal, saying:
"Sometimes the world has had cause to regret its inattention. Europe, at the present time (1910), is not showing itself regardful of the rise of the new religious movement, called 'Bahaism' of Persia.... Shiah and Sunni Mohammedans in large numbers have been converted. In European Turkey, and more notably in Asiatic Turkey, they are increasing yearly. I conversed with some in Baghdad. In Egypt they are becoming numerous; also Morroco, Algeria, Tunis and Tripoli and the Northern Provinces of India. I have met in Bombay, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Delhi and Lucknow. Converts from among the Sikhs of Amritsar, and the Brahmans of Benares; among the Buddists of Ceylon, Burma and Siam; amongst the Taoists of China and Shintoists of Japan."Many Persian Jews in Tehran have become Bahais and I have attended some of their meetings. In Hamadan, one of the oldest Jewish settlements in the world, at least a third of the Jewish community has openly gone over to the Movement. No Christian missionary to the Jews in any part of the world can boast a triumph equal to this.... A more intellectual form of Bahaism has expanded into Europe, in Russia, Germany, France and England. In Baku I found a large number; in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow an appreciable number. The United States of America promises to become a great western stronghold of Bahaism; also Quebec, Montreal and Toronto, in Canada."Before going further perhaps I ought to state that I am not a Bahai." All this world-wide spreading While the founders were behind prison walls!"The followers of Baha'u'llah already include members of the ruling family of Persian Viziers, Deputies, Governors of Provinces and several Mullahs!"
Bernard Temple was himself a Jewish.
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One of the greatest scholar of Jewish background Professor Armin Vambery writes to Abdul Baha...
The venerable Professor Vambery, one of
the greatest scholars of modern times, honored
by Kings and Emperors, just a few weeks before his death (1913) wrote to Abdul-Baha, a long letter of sympathy and love,
from which I give brief excerpts:
"I forward this humble petition to the sanctified and holy presence of Abdul-Baha, who is famous throughout the world and beloved by all mankind. Although I have traveled through many countries and cities of Islam, yet have I never met so lofty a character and so exalted a personage as your Excellency, and I can bear witness that it is not possible to find such another... I am hoping that the ideals and accomplishments of your Excellency may be crowned with success, Considering these results, every person is forced by necessity to enlist himself on the side of your Excellency and accept with joy the prospect of a fundamental basis for a Universal Religion God the Most High, confers long life, I will be able to serve you under all conditions.""(Signed) Vambery"
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Praise be to God, that in this great Dispensation, the glances of divine favour have embraced the people of Israel, that the promises of the Prophets of old might be fulfilled, in the realm of visible existence. - Abdul Baha
Taken From Taj-i-Vahhaj: Memoirs of Jinab-i-Aziz’u’llah AziziIn care of Jinab-i-Amin, Tehran.
To Aqa Mirza Aziz'u'llah Khan, the Tailor.
Upon him be the Glory of God.
He is God!
O Spiritual Friend! Signs of divine assistance, in this blessed year, are radiating from all horizons, even as the rays of dawn. Verses of proof are chanted in village and city alike and whole streams of heavenly blessing flow throughout societies the world over.
From every side an anthem is raised, and from every land a melody and refrain. These are the overall bestowals of God. Give ear to the cry of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha", ascending to the Concourse on High, and to the call of "Ya Ali'u'l-Ala," imparting joy and rapture to the ears of (those in) the Kingdom.
The friends must be at the apex of joy and happiness because, thanks to God, the desires of the pure in heart and the utmost wish of luminous souls, are now visible and manifest through the bounty and grace of His Holiness (Baha'u'llah), the Supreme Goal.
The Beloved One of our desire is present in this gathering in His Most Great Beauty and has manifested Himself to all the friends. Jinab-i-Amin has the utmost praise for the spiritual meetings of the friends of Jewish heritage, who in truth have taken great steps and made every effort toward service in the Cause of God.
At this point, I wish very much to bring each and all to mind and write a word for each of those dear friends who are in my heart. Alas, time does not permit mention of each, one by one, so they will be given recognition together. Know that Jinab-i-Amin has made mention of each individual.
Praise be to God, that in this great Dispensation, the glances of divine favour have embraced the people of Israel, that the promises of the Prophets of old might be fulfilled, in the realm of visible existence.
O Jewish friends! His Holiness Kalim (Moses), from the precincts of the sacred Kingdom, is, at this very moment, voicing praises for your attraction and enkindlement (devotion). The Concourse in the realm above are lauding you and recounting your deeds. At every moment, the denizens of the spiritual realm raise aloud the call: "Blessed are ye!"
It is therefore my earnest wish that the Jewish friends will continue to render evident service to the Lord of the Friend (Abraham), and thereby augment the joy and happiness of His Holiness Abraham, in the lofty retreats of the Kingdom.
Upon you all rest the Glory of the All-Glorious!
-Abdu'l-Baha
(unauthorized translation)
Monday, June 18, 2018
Mulla Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani, surnamed Amin, Apostle of Baha'u'llah, the Trustee of Huququ'lláh was a Baha'i of Jewish background
Hand of the Cause Mulla Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani, surnamed Amin, Apostle of Baha'u'llah, the Trustee of Huququ'lláh
Mulla Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani, who is known as Haji Amin or Amin-i-Ilahi, was born in about the year AH 1232 (AD 21 November 1816 -- 10 November 1817) in Ardikan, a small town near Yazd. At seventeen years of age he married into a family of Bábís of the town. He was persuaded to investigate the new religion and eventually, shortly after the martyrdom of the Báb, he declared his belief. When news of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh came, he accepted immediately and travelled throughout Iran meeting other Bábís and teaching them of the advent of Bahá'u'lláh. After a time he became the assistant of Haji Shah-Muhammad Manshadi, Aminu'l-Bayan, who was the Trustee of the Huququ'lláh.[1] He would travel about the country, earning his living by trading and also by acting as a writer for those who could not write. At the same time he collected the Huququ'lláh and any letters that the believers wished to forward to Bahá'u'lláh, and also distributed Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh when these were received. He came to 'Akká while Bahá'u'lláh was still imprisoned in the citadel and succeeded in establishing contact with the exiles. He was the first Bahá'í from the outside world to be able to meet Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká (in the Public Baths). He returned to 'Akká on several further occasions. When Haji Shah-Muhammad Manshadi was killed in 1880, Haji Abu'l-Hasan was appointed Trustee (Amin) of the Huququ'lláh. In 1891 he was imprisoned with Haji Akhund for three years in Tihran and Qazvin. In the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá he continued his travels, visiting 'Akká and Haifa on several occasions. Towards the end of his life he resided in Tihran and Haji Ghulam-Rida, Amin-i-Amin, was appointed his assistant. He died in 1928 and was posthumously named a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi.
Mulla Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani, who is known as Haji Amin or Amin-i-Ilahi, was born in about the year AH 1232 (AD 21 November 1816 -- 10 November 1817) in Ardikan, a small town near Yazd. At seventeen years of age he married into a family of Bábís of the town. He was persuaded to investigate the new religion and eventually, shortly after the martyrdom of the Báb, he declared his belief. When news of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh came, he accepted immediately and travelled throughout Iran meeting other Bábís and teaching them of the advent of Bahá'u'lláh. After a time he became the assistant of Haji Shah-Muhammad Manshadi, Aminu'l-Bayan, who was the Trustee of the Huququ'lláh.[1] He would travel about the country, earning his living by trading and also by acting as a writer for those who could not write. At the same time he collected the Huququ'lláh and any letters that the believers wished to forward to Bahá'u'lláh, and also distributed Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh when these were received. He came to 'Akká while Bahá'u'lláh was still imprisoned in the citadel and succeeded in establishing contact with the exiles. He was the first Bahá'í from the outside world to be able to meet Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká (in the Public Baths). He returned to 'Akká on several further occasions. When Haji Shah-Muhammad Manshadi was killed in 1880, Haji Abu'l-Hasan was appointed Trustee (Amin) of the Huququ'lláh. In 1891 he was imprisoned with Haji Akhund for three years in Tihran and Qazvin. In the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá he continued his travels, visiting 'Akká and Haifa on several occasions. Towards the end of his life he resided in Tihran and Haji Ghulam-Rida, Amin-i-Amin, was appointed his assistant. He died in 1928 and was posthumously named a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi.
(Balyuzi, ‘Eminent Baha’is in the Time of Baha’u’llah’, p. 263)
[1]. The 'Right of God' -- a payment by believers instituted in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
[1]. The 'Right of God' -- a payment by believers instituted in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
Tablet of Baha'u'llah to Haji Eliahu Cohan, known as Abd Husayn
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| Relics of Baha'u'llah |
In the name of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Mighty.
Today is the day on which God, from His Throne, is calling all the denominations and the inhabitants of the earth, commanding them to exalt and sanctify the Name of God.
Today is the day, on which heavenly angels are at every moment descending with the chalices of utterance and the decanters of the Knowledge of God, spreading the sanctified, pure and divine fragrances.
Say, the Promised God says: " O people of Judaism, you were from Me, I made you to appear and I called you back to Me, what happened that you do not know Me now, even though I have appeared with all possible signs.
You have considered enemies as your friends and abandoned the True Friend.
Today the New Heaven hath appeared and the earth hath been renewed. If you look with pure eyes, you will see the New Jerusalem and if you listen with attentive ears, you will hear the call of God.
Today all things are calling you and inviting you to God, while you are so intoxicated with the wine of pride, that not even for a moment did you heed the call.
The ear is to hear My Call and the eye is to see My Beauty; listen and shun any other but Me. The dome of God hath been raised by the hand of the Bounty of God, and the Cause of God hath appeared. The times of bygones are passed.
A new time of fulfillment hath been reached and by the Will of God, everything hath been renewed. However, only the new eye can see and the new mind can comprehend this condition.
The Beginning and the End alluded to One Sacred Word, which hath appeared and come, which is the Spirit of the Divine Books and Scriptures. This Word hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning until the end that hath no end. This is the key to the greatest Divine Treasure and Hidden Mystery, which had forever been hidden behind the veils of innocence. This is the mystery " A " and " YA " that John prophesied. Verily, it is the Beginning, the End, the Manifest and the Hidden.
O 'Abd-Husayn, may God assist you in giving the joyful tidings revealed in the sacred scriptures of the past to the peoples of all denominations. For these glad tidings are as living water to the dead of the world. Well is it with him, who drinks of it and woe unto the deprived.
Say, today the City of God hath appeared and can be witnessed in perfect adornment. This is the City, in which the God of all peoples hath appeared. Ponder these words of John, who announced the great and sacred city and said: " I did not see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. The city hath no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the Glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp. " [1]
In the name of Truth, take hold of the cane of reliance on God and with the utmost detachment, guide the people who have gone astray to the great divine city, so that perchance the people who are lost may attain to the true homeland and the blind may see with perceiving eyes. He hath power over all things. All things are in His power and captive in His hand. He is Powerful and Mighty.
[1] The English translation of this quotation is taken directly from Rev. 21:22,23
Which is preferable, this, or a temple which is built of clay?
The years following Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in Adrianople witnessed His Revelation’s attainment, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, of "its meridian glory" through the proclamation of its Founder’s message to the kings and rulers of the world. During this relatively brief but turbulent period of the Faith’s history, and in the early years of His subsequent exile in 1868 to the fortress town of ‘Akká, He summoned the monarchs of East and West collectively, and some among them individually, to recognize the Day of God and to acknowledge the One promised in the scriptures of the religions professed by the recipients of His summons. "Never since the beginning of the world", Bahá’u’lláh declares, "hath the Message been so openly proclaimed."
The present volume brings together the first full, authorized English translation of these major writings. Among them is the complete Súriy-i-Haykal, the Súrih of the Temple, one of Bahá’u’lláh’s most challenging works. It was originally revealed during His banishment to Adrianople and later recast after His arrival in ‘Akká. In this version He incorporated i His messages addressed to individual potentates—Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III, Czar Alexander II, Queen Victoria, and Násiri’d-Dín Sháh.
It was this composite work which, shortly after its completion, Bahá’u’lláh instructed be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing the human temple. To it He added, as a conclusion, what Shoghi Effendi has described as "words which reveal the importance He attached to those Messages, and indicate their direct association with the prophecies of the Old Testament":
The present volume brings together the first full, authorized English translation of these major writings. Among them is the complete Súriy-i-Haykal, the Súrih of the Temple, one of Bahá’u’lláh’s most challenging works. It was originally revealed during His banishment to Adrianople and later recast after His arrival in ‘Akká. In this version He incorporated i His messages addressed to individual potentates—Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III, Czar Alexander II, Queen Victoria, and Násiri’d-Dín Sháh.
It was this composite work which, shortly after its completion, Bahá’u’lláh instructed be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing the human temple. To it He added, as a conclusion, what Shoghi Effendi has described as "words which reveal the importance He attached to those Messages, and indicate their direct association with the prophecies of the Old Testament":
Thus have We built the Temple with the hands of power and might, could ye but know it. This is the Temple promised unto you in the Book. Draw ye nigh unto it. This is that which profiteth you, could ye but comprehend it. Be fair, O peoples of the earth! Which is preferable, this, or a temple which is built of clay? Set your faces towards it. Thus have ye been commanded by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
During the last years of His ministry Bahá’u’lláh Himself arranged for the publication for the first time of definitive versions of some of His principal works, and the Súriy-i-Haykal was awarded a prominent position among them.
Monday, June 11, 2018
American Baha'i Carl Scheffler was a Baha'i of Jewish Background
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| Carl Scheffler was in the forefront in the movement to build the national temple of the faith in Wilmette |
“Carl Scheffler, 79, of 1821 Lincoln Street, an artist and art educator, died Thursday in the Broad Nursing Home. Mr. Scheffler had been in declining health for some time. Mr. Scheffler, who retired in 1948 after 18 years as an art supervisor in Evanston public schools, did the fairy-tale murals which decorate Haven Junior High School. His work also hangs in other Evanston schools. A native Chicagoan, he received his art education at the old Smith Academy and the Chicago Art Institute and in 1911 and 1912 studied at two academies in Europe. Returning to Chicago, he was a teacher for 14 years at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and then established the Evanston Academy of Fine Arts in the Carlson Building. He operated the academy for 18 years before becoming associated with the public schools. In 1948, he and his son, Harlan C., established an art studio in Chicago, specializing in scratchboard drawings for advertising agencies. As a young man, Mr. Scheffler traveled to the Holy Land, where he met and became friends with Abdu’i-Baha, son of the founder of the Baha’i faith. A member of the Evanston Assembly of that faith, Mr. Scheffler was elected to the national assembly’s board for 10 years and also served for several years as its treasurer. He was in the forefront in the movement to build the national temple of the faith in Wilmette, and a drawing he did for the temple was featured on the cover of the Evanston Review. Surviving are his wife, May Thurn Scheffler, whom he married May 29, 1915, Harlan C. of Elmhurst, a daughter, Mrs. Betty de Araujo of Seattle, Washington, and four grandchildren. Hugh E. Chance, national executive secretary of the Baha’i faith, and Mrs. Eunice Braun, chairman of the Evanston Assembly, officiated at the service Saturday morning in the Hebblethwaite chapel. Burial was in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago.”
From May 24, 1962 obituary, The Evanston Review
From May 24, 1962 obituary, The Evanston Review
Alvin J. Blum was a Baha'i of Jewish Background
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| Blum's main concern was always the Baha'i Faith |
Alvin J. Blum was born in New Jersey in the United States in 1912. He spent ten years in the southern United States as a commercial traveller, and when the Second World War broke out he joined the American Army Corps and served four years in the Pacific, including on Guadalcanal, in a non-combat medical position, rising to the rank of sergeant. After the war he married Gertrude Gewartz of New York and returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, where their daughter Keithie was born. The family then moved to New Zealand, and in 1953 made a tour of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, Pakistan and Israel where they were interested in religions, chiefly the Bahá'í Faith (q.v.). The family arrived in the Solomon Islands in March 1954, where Alvin Blum spent his first three months as acting Manager of the Mendana Hotel. Next he set up a taxi service and began a general store and bakery in Honiara. The couple traded as A. J. and G. Blum and Co. Other ventures followed: a dry-cleaning business, a peanut oil mill, production of ice-blocks and aerated waters, a fish and chips business, and in 1959 a general store, bakery and movie cinema in Auki, Malaita. Not all of these ventures succeeded, but the Blum's Hometel (q.v.) endured. The small resthouse was built in 1964 on the site of the present-day King Solomon Hotel on Hibiscus Avenue, and became Honiara's third hotel. Individual bathrooms were added in 1966 and the accommodation wing was extended in 1968. These rooms are now the shopping arcade of the King Solomon.
The Blums' main concern was always the Bahá'í Faith in which they were pioneers and international figures. Alvin Blum was also an active member of the Town Council from its inception in 1958 until August 1967. He was a leading member of the Chamber of Commerce and its president for several years in the 1960s. The Blums were overseas for several months in late 1967, during which trip they visited Bahá'í centres around the Pacific. In their absence their businesses was run by Owen Battrick, another Bahá'í. Alvin Blum was survived by his wife and his daughter Keithie, who married Bruce Saunders and was living in the Cook Islands at the time of her father's death in 1968. She returned to Honiara to take over her parents' business, and with her husband expanded into tourism and international trade. In 1970, Gertrude Blum left to spread the Bahá'í Faith in New Zealand for two or three years. Blum's Hometel and its Hibiscus Room restaurant were sold in 1976 to Hibiscus Hotels Ltd. Gertrude Blum remained in Honiara until her death in June 1993, and was awarded an M.B.E. for her community services and her dedication to the Bahá'í Faith. (NS 7 Apr. 1966, 21 Sept. 1967, 15 Apr. 1968, 30 Sept. 1968, 30 Sept. 1970, 30 June 1976; Alan Lindley, personal communication, Adelaide, 30 June 2011)
The Blums' main concern was always the Bahá'í Faith in which they were pioneers and international figures. Alvin Blum was also an active member of the Town Council from its inception in 1958 until August 1967. He was a leading member of the Chamber of Commerce and its president for several years in the 1960s. The Blums were overseas for several months in late 1967, during which trip they visited Bahá'í centres around the Pacific. In their absence their businesses was run by Owen Battrick, another Bahá'í. Alvin Blum was survived by his wife and his daughter Keithie, who married Bruce Saunders and was living in the Cook Islands at the time of her father's death in 1968. She returned to Honiara to take over her parents' business, and with her husband expanded into tourism and international trade. In 1970, Gertrude Blum left to spread the Bahá'í Faith in New Zealand for two or three years. Blum's Hometel and its Hibiscus Room restaurant were sold in 1976 to Hibiscus Hotels Ltd. Gertrude Blum remained in Honiara until her death in June 1993, and was awarded an M.B.E. for her community services and her dedication to the Bahá'í Faith. (NS 7 Apr. 1966, 21 Sept. 1967, 15 Apr. 1968, 30 Sept. 1968, 30 Sept. 1970, 30 June 1976; Alan Lindley, personal communication, Adelaide, 30 June 2011)
Erik Blumenthal was a Baha’of German Jewish origin, he was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany
ERIK BLUMENTHAL, (1914-2004). An eminent Adlerian psychologist and Baha’i author of German Jewish origin, he was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany from 1955 to 1963, following which he served as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 1985. In 1964 he became president of the Swiss Society for Individual Psychology, and in 2001 he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Guild of Counsellors of Individual Psychology.
Gertrude Blum was a Knight of Baha’u’Ilah and a Member of the British Empire. She was a Baha'i from Jewish Background
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| GERTRUDE BLUM, (1909-1993). (Knight of Baha’u’Ilah; Member of the British Empire.) |
An early (1927) American believer. She and her husband, Alvin J. Blum (1912-1968), were designated Knights of Baha’u’llah for their pioneer move to the Solomon Islands in 1954. She served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New: Zealand as well as the first Regional Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific Ocean. In 1989, HM Queen Elizabeth II awarded her an M.B.E. for her services to the community and to the Baha’i Faith.
Musa Banani was born into a Jewish family in Baghdad in 1886.
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| Musa Banani was a Baha'i from Jewish Background |
“Músá Banání was born into a Jewish family in Baghdad in 1886. He was four years old when his father died. The years of extreme hardship and physical and emotional privation that followed were only partially relieved by the care and compassion of an elder brother. He left home and migrated to Persia when he was barely twelve. The grim struggle for existence left him no opportunity for schooling. To the end of his life he could only read and write Persian and Arabic in the Hebrew alphabet that he was taught as a small child.
In Persia his elder brother came into contact with the Bahá’ís and accepted the Faith, but Músá Banání had no interest in his brother’s spiritual concerns. In 1911 he was living as a merchant in the Persian city of Kirmánsháh, when an event occurred that was to transform his life. A prominent Bahá’í teacher, Fáḍil Mázandarání, accompanied by Siyyid ‘Abdul-Ḥusayn-Ardistáni, passed through the town on a mission by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At a Bahá’í gathering they were photographed with members of the Kirmánsháh community, including Músá Banání’s older brother. Shortly afterwards the two Bahá’í teachers were arrested and maltreated. The photograph was used by the authorities to round up the Bahá’ís and force them to recant their faith. Músá Banání was mistakenly arrested for his brother due to their physical resemblance. In the prison he witnessed the radiant and heroic refusal of his cell-mate, Mr. Abrár, a frail old man, to recant his Faith despite cruel torture. But Músá Banání was glad to obtain his own release by telling the authorities that he was not a believer and reviling the faith of the Bahá’ís. From that moment Músá Banání was seized by a profound spiritual convulsion, a tumult of the soul. He reproached himself bitterly for having glibly denounced a Faith of which he knew so little. His efforts to dispel his ignorance of the Cause led to him becoming a Bahá’í.
The transformation of his Iife and values was so complete as to amaze many of his associates. One of his earliest resolves after accepting the Faith was to marry only a Bahá’í girl so that his children would be brought up firmly in the Faith. Ironically, several years later when he married, he recognized his father-in-law to be Siyyid ‘Abdul-Ḥusayn-Ardistáni, the same Bahá’í teacher whose visit to Kirmánsháh in 1911 had set off the chain of events that led to his acceptance of the Bahá’í Teachings. In 1934 Músá Banání made his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Twenty-six days were spent in the presence of the beloved Guardian, an experience which created an intense flame of love and loyalty that melted and fused the essence of Músá Banání’s being. His devotion to Shoghi Effendi remained the hallmark of his character to the end of his life. The Guardian, in turn, perceived the simplicity, directness, unbounded energy, and spiritual potential of Músá Banání and nurtured these qualities by showering a joyful love upon him. Even at that stage the Guardian told a group of pilgrims that Músá Banání “is one equal to a thousand”. Some could not understand why the Guardian spoke so glowingly of an unlettered man.
In Persia he was able to channel his active and decisive temperament in service to the Faith. His work as a member of the national committee charged with the responsibility of identifying and acquiring historic sites associated with the Cause culminated in the purchase and subsequent restoration of the House where Bahá’u’lláh was born in Ṭihrán.
In 1950, soon after Shoghi Effendi raised the call for the opening of Africa to the Faith, Músá Banání made the most decisive move of his life. Although his enterprise and activity had made him a man of considerable means, he put an abrupt end to all his business concerns and left Persia. Together with his wife, Samíḥíh, his daughter, Violette, his son-in-law ‘Ali Nakhjavání, and his grand-daughter Bahíyyih, he pioneered to Africa in 1951 and settled in Kampala, Uganda, a county hitherto unopened to the Bahá’í Faith.
If the nature of Músá Banání’s services in Africa could be summed up it would be best expressed as “instant, exact and complete obedience” to the wishes of Shoghi Effendi and caused him to speak so lovingly of Músá Banání to those around him. In 1952, when he made his second pilgrimage, the teaching effort in Africa was already bearing fruit. It was an exciting period in the development of the Cause and a joyous reunion occurred. Daily the beloved Guardian would give him specific and detailed instructions for the successive stages of expansion and consolidation of the Faith in Africa. But not until the Banánís took leave of the Guardian on the final day of their pilgrimage did he tell them that he had already announced to the Bahá’í world the appointment of Músá Banání as a Hand of the Cause of God. True to his unassuming nature and with characteristic directness, Músá Banání protested: “I am not worthy. I cannot read or write. My tongue is not eloquent. Give this mantle to ‘Ali Nakhjavání who is doing the lion’s share of teaching in Africa.” But the Guardian replied: “It is your arising that has conquered the continent. ‘Ali’s turn will come.”
The years of intense activity that followed witnessed the true spiritual conquest of Africa, the building of the Mother Temple of that continent and the establishment of an expanding number of Regional and National Spiritual Assemblies. At all times Músá Banání was able to communicate to others his sense of urgency and totality of effort. In the spring of 1954 the Guardian instructed him by cable to purchase a site for the Mother Temple of Africa. Although he has just undergone eye surgery of a serious nature requiring intensive post-operative care and rest, Músá Banání interrupted his period of recuperation, launched and personally led a search, and within the week was able to cable Shoghi Effendi that the site had been selected and purchased, news which the Guardian was able to share with the Bahá’í world in his message of May 4, 1954.
The passing of the Guardian in 1957 was an irremediable personal blow for him, but it made him doubly resolute in fulfilling Shoghi Effendi’s plans. Bahá’ís who came into contact with him were deeply impressed with his simple and elemental spiritual strength. During the last ten years of his life when he was increasingly cut down by physical suffering – sustaining paralysis of one side of his body, amputation of a leg, and the loss of site in one eye – the radiant quality of his faith overwhelmed and conquered all. When he could no longer move about, his daily prayers were offered for those Bahá’í communities which were experiencing distress.
He was, at the end of his earthly life, a truly inspiring example of the triumph of the spirit over every earthly limitation. He had made a fortune and raised a Bahá’í family earlier; now he had spent most of his material substance in the crowning nineteen years of his life opening a continent to the Faith and adding thousands to the Bahá’í family of the world. He was able to look back upon his life with a profound sense of humility and gratitude. He felt that God had been extremely generous to him. Bahá’u’lláh had given him everything in this life that he had ever wished for, and he was given the opportunity to give it back to Him. His death in Kampala on September 4, 1971, and his interment in his favourite spot in the soil of Africa, within the shadow of the Mother Temple of that continent, was the generous fulfillment of his last wish.” – The Bahá’í World, Volume XV, pages 421 – 423
In Persia his elder brother came into contact with the Bahá’ís and accepted the Faith, but Músá Banání had no interest in his brother’s spiritual concerns. In 1911 he was living as a merchant in the Persian city of Kirmánsháh, when an event occurred that was to transform his life. A prominent Bahá’í teacher, Fáḍil Mázandarání, accompanied by Siyyid ‘Abdul-Ḥusayn-Ardistáni, passed through the town on a mission by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At a Bahá’í gathering they were photographed with members of the Kirmánsháh community, including Músá Banání’s older brother. Shortly afterwards the two Bahá’í teachers were arrested and maltreated. The photograph was used by the authorities to round up the Bahá’ís and force them to recant their faith. Músá Banání was mistakenly arrested for his brother due to their physical resemblance. In the prison he witnessed the radiant and heroic refusal of his cell-mate, Mr. Abrár, a frail old man, to recant his Faith despite cruel torture. But Músá Banání was glad to obtain his own release by telling the authorities that he was not a believer and reviling the faith of the Bahá’ís. From that moment Músá Banání was seized by a profound spiritual convulsion, a tumult of the soul. He reproached himself bitterly for having glibly denounced a Faith of which he knew so little. His efforts to dispel his ignorance of the Cause led to him becoming a Bahá’í.
The transformation of his Iife and values was so complete as to amaze many of his associates. One of his earliest resolves after accepting the Faith was to marry only a Bahá’í girl so that his children would be brought up firmly in the Faith. Ironically, several years later when he married, he recognized his father-in-law to be Siyyid ‘Abdul-Ḥusayn-Ardistáni, the same Bahá’í teacher whose visit to Kirmánsháh in 1911 had set off the chain of events that led to his acceptance of the Bahá’í Teachings. In 1934 Músá Banání made his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Twenty-six days were spent in the presence of the beloved Guardian, an experience which created an intense flame of love and loyalty that melted and fused the essence of Músá Banání’s being. His devotion to Shoghi Effendi remained the hallmark of his character to the end of his life. The Guardian, in turn, perceived the simplicity, directness, unbounded energy, and spiritual potential of Músá Banání and nurtured these qualities by showering a joyful love upon him. Even at that stage the Guardian told a group of pilgrims that Músá Banání “is one equal to a thousand”. Some could not understand why the Guardian spoke so glowingly of an unlettered man.
In Persia he was able to channel his active and decisive temperament in service to the Faith. His work as a member of the national committee charged with the responsibility of identifying and acquiring historic sites associated with the Cause culminated in the purchase and subsequent restoration of the House where Bahá’u’lláh was born in Ṭihrán.
In 1950, soon after Shoghi Effendi raised the call for the opening of Africa to the Faith, Músá Banání made the most decisive move of his life. Although his enterprise and activity had made him a man of considerable means, he put an abrupt end to all his business concerns and left Persia. Together with his wife, Samíḥíh, his daughter, Violette, his son-in-law ‘Ali Nakhjavání, and his grand-daughter Bahíyyih, he pioneered to Africa in 1951 and settled in Kampala, Uganda, a county hitherto unopened to the Bahá’í Faith.
If the nature of Músá Banání’s services in Africa could be summed up it would be best expressed as “instant, exact and complete obedience” to the wishes of Shoghi Effendi and caused him to speak so lovingly of Músá Banání to those around him. In 1952, when he made his second pilgrimage, the teaching effort in Africa was already bearing fruit. It was an exciting period in the development of the Cause and a joyous reunion occurred. Daily the beloved Guardian would give him specific and detailed instructions for the successive stages of expansion and consolidation of the Faith in Africa. But not until the Banánís took leave of the Guardian on the final day of their pilgrimage did he tell them that he had already announced to the Bahá’í world the appointment of Músá Banání as a Hand of the Cause of God. True to his unassuming nature and with characteristic directness, Músá Banání protested: “I am not worthy. I cannot read or write. My tongue is not eloquent. Give this mantle to ‘Ali Nakhjavání who is doing the lion’s share of teaching in Africa.” But the Guardian replied: “It is your arising that has conquered the continent. ‘Ali’s turn will come.”
The years of intense activity that followed witnessed the true spiritual conquest of Africa, the building of the Mother Temple of that continent and the establishment of an expanding number of Regional and National Spiritual Assemblies. At all times Músá Banání was able to communicate to others his sense of urgency and totality of effort. In the spring of 1954 the Guardian instructed him by cable to purchase a site for the Mother Temple of Africa. Although he has just undergone eye surgery of a serious nature requiring intensive post-operative care and rest, Músá Banání interrupted his period of recuperation, launched and personally led a search, and within the week was able to cable Shoghi Effendi that the site had been selected and purchased, news which the Guardian was able to share with the Bahá’í world in his message of May 4, 1954.
The passing of the Guardian in 1957 was an irremediable personal blow for him, but it made him doubly resolute in fulfilling Shoghi Effendi’s plans. Bahá’ís who came into contact with him were deeply impressed with his simple and elemental spiritual strength. During the last ten years of his life when he was increasingly cut down by physical suffering – sustaining paralysis of one side of his body, amputation of a leg, and the loss of site in one eye – the radiant quality of his faith overwhelmed and conquered all. When he could no longer move about, his daily prayers were offered for those Bahá’í communities which were experiencing distress.
He was, at the end of his earthly life, a truly inspiring example of the triumph of the spirit over every earthly limitation. He had made a fortune and raised a Bahá’í family earlier; now he had spent most of his material substance in the crowning nineteen years of his life opening a continent to the Faith and adding thousands to the Bahá’í family of the world. He was able to look back upon his life with a profound sense of humility and gratitude. He felt that God had been extremely generous to him. Bahá’u’lláh had given him everything in this life that he had ever wished for, and he was given the opportunity to give it back to Him. His death in Kampala on September 4, 1971, and his interment in his favourite spot in the soil of Africa, within the shadow of the Mother Temple of that continent, was the generous fulfillment of his last wish.” – The Bahá’í World, Volume XV, pages 421 – 423
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| Musa Banani with Ali Nakhjavani and Enoch Olinga |
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Doctor Arastu Khan a Jewish Baha'i, he ably defended the Cause from Azali activities.
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| Dr. Arastu Khan |
Dr. Arastu Khan was the grandson of Hakim Masih, court physician to Muhammad Shah (the shah of Iran) and the first Jewish Bahá’í. Hakim Masih had learned something of the new faith through Tahirih herself, during the early days of the Bib’s manifestation, when he was in Baghdad, and from that time on he had searched for the source of her power. Later in Tihran he offered to visit the prison and treat a Bahá’í child, when the Moslem doctors had refused; the child’s father was the famous Ismu’llahu’l-Asdaq, and in the course of these visits Hakim Masih became a Bahá’í. He later achieved fame in the Cause, and among other Tablets, Bahá’u’lláh revealed the following for him: “In the name of God, the Wise, the All-knowing:
Ere long shall your days to come pass by as your days that are gone. Fear your merciful Lord: by the one true God He hath desired only that which will draw you close unto Him and cause you to enter the realms of eternity, and He is the Giver, the Kind. Eat ye of the fruit of the eternal tree which is ever at hand, for those bereft of it are back of heavy veils … Then know We are imprisoned where eyes can never penetrate, where ears cannot distinguish the words that God the Wise, the Able, and the Knowing doth reveal. By such means have they sought to withhold God’s slaves from hearing the words of their Lord, that His light might go out in the midst of His creatures; but God in His might hath revealed what He willed unto those who were turning toward Him with radiant faces. Then guard what We have entrusted to thee: thou hast in the sight of God a high station; praise Him, be of those who acclaim Him. Grieve not over that which hail come upon Us, be content with what God hath desired for Us, for We are in radiant gladness, and all praise is meet for the Lord of the heavens and earth.”
Dr. Arastu’s father Hakim Su1ayman was likewise a Bahá’í and Dr. Arastu himself gradually increased his services in the Cause as he grew to manhood. Meanwhile he was carrying on the family tradition, as are his Sons today, of practicing medicine. About 1897 he had graduated from the American School in Tihran and was working in the American Hospital, where he already showed signs of that healing personality which later made him one of the foremost doctors in the capital. At this period he spent many hours in out of the way houses in the back streets of Tihran, studying this faith, in those days when knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh’s cause often ended in death. Soon he began to teach on his own account; his brother Aflatun was also an ardent Bahá’í, much loved by the Master, who wrote him many tablets. In 1900 Aflatun died.
Shortly after his brother’s death Arastu Khan went to Akka, where it was his privilege to stay in the Master’s presence one year. During the first days of his Visit the Master continually addressed him as “Aflatun,” which puzzled him considerably; until one night when he and Dr. Yunis Khan Afrikhtih were following the Master through the narrow crooked streets of the prison city, the Master again addressed him as Aflatun and said, “Do you know why I call you Aflatun? It is because I desire his truth and spirituality to reappear in you.” Arastu developed rapidly in Akka studying the Master’s way, and he worked with Dr. Yunis Khan translating letters from the Western Bahá’í. The Master had hoped to send him to America, but family concerns necessitated his return home. Here he worked devotedly for the Cause, founding a weekly teaching meeting which continued to his death, and which according to his will is to be perpetuated. He received his medical diploma, became known throughout the capital for his generosity to the poor and for his gentleness. In 1911 he was in London with a patient and ably defended the Cause from Azali activities, and he was with the Master in Switzerland. In 1925 he again went abroad, this time visiting the Guardian in Haifa.
During his last years his health failed, but although he was ill himself he continued to visit the sick. His frequent meetings with Keith Ransom-Keller were an important event of his last year; it was she who arranged a match between his son, Dr. Qulam-Husayn Khan and the sister-in-law of Rahmat Ala’i, officiating herself at the wedding which will long be remembered in Tihran.
Dr. Arastu’s death made a deep impression on Bahá’ís and non-Baha’is alike. Several hundred persons attended his funeral, following his coffin up one of the main thoroughfares of the capital. In commemoration of his passing, The Guardian sent to his family the following cablegram: “Beloved Arastu joined Immortals (of) Supreme Concourse. Fully share your grief earthly separation. Praying fervently. Awaiting account life with photograph for Bahá’í World.”
O Hakim, be staunch in the faith of thy Lord, that the blasts of oppressors may not cause thee to shake; be enduring in the Cause of thy Lord, by thy trust in the Lord and His might; and say, O men, how long will ye sin and stray, how long will ye place passion over salvation? Do ye not see that those who left your midst have not returned, that those who were scattered have not again been gathered?
Ere long shall your days to come pass by as your days that are gone. Fear your merciful Lord: by the one true God He hath desired only that which will draw you close unto Him and cause you to enter the realms of eternity, and He is the Giver, the Kind. Eat ye of the fruit of the eternal tree which is ever at hand, for those bereft of it are back of heavy veils … Then know We are imprisoned where eyes can never penetrate, where ears cannot distinguish the words that God the Wise, the Able, and the Knowing doth reveal. By such means have they sought to withhold God’s slaves from hearing the words of their Lord, that His light might go out in the midst of His creatures; but God in His might hath revealed what He willed unto those who were turning toward Him with radiant faces. Then guard what We have entrusted to thee: thou hast in the sight of God a high station; praise Him, be of those who acclaim Him. Grieve not over that which hail come upon Us, be content with what God hath desired for Us, for We are in radiant gladness, and all praise is meet for the Lord of the heavens and earth.”
Dr. Arastu’s father Hakim Su1ayman was likewise a Bahá’í and Dr. Arastu himself gradually increased his services in the Cause as he grew to manhood. Meanwhile he was carrying on the family tradition, as are his Sons today, of practicing medicine. About 1897 he had graduated from the American School in Tihran and was working in the American Hospital, where he already showed signs of that healing personality which later made him one of the foremost doctors in the capital. At this period he spent many hours in out of the way houses in the back streets of Tihran, studying this faith, in those days when knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh’s cause often ended in death. Soon he began to teach on his own account; his brother Aflatun was also an ardent Bahá’í, much loved by the Master, who wrote him many tablets. In 1900 Aflatun died.
Shortly after his brother’s death Arastu Khan went to Akka, where it was his privilege to stay in the Master’s presence one year. During the first days of his Visit the Master continually addressed him as “Aflatun,” which puzzled him considerably; until one night when he and Dr. Yunis Khan Afrikhtih were following the Master through the narrow crooked streets of the prison city, the Master again addressed him as Aflatun and said, “Do you know why I call you Aflatun? It is because I desire his truth and spirituality to reappear in you.” Arastu developed rapidly in Akka studying the Master’s way, and he worked with Dr. Yunis Khan translating letters from the Western Bahá’í. The Master had hoped to send him to America, but family concerns necessitated his return home. Here he worked devotedly for the Cause, founding a weekly teaching meeting which continued to his death, and which according to his will is to be perpetuated. He received his medical diploma, became known throughout the capital for his generosity to the poor and for his gentleness. In 1911 he was in London with a patient and ably defended the Cause from Azali activities, and he was with the Master in Switzerland. In 1925 he again went abroad, this time visiting the Guardian in Haifa.
During his last years his health failed, but although he was ill himself he continued to visit the sick. His frequent meetings with Keith Ransom-Keller were an important event of his last year; it was she who arranged a match between his son, Dr. Qulam-Husayn Khan and the sister-in-law of Rahmat Ala’i, officiating herself at the wedding which will long be remembered in Tihran.
Dr. Arastu’s death made a deep impression on Bahá’ís and non-Baha’is alike. Several hundred persons attended his funeral, following his coffin up one of the main thoroughfares of the capital. In commemoration of his passing, The Guardian sent to his family the following cablegram: “Beloved Arastu joined Immortals (of) Supreme Concourse. Fully share your grief earthly separation. Praying fervently. Awaiting account life with photograph for Bahá’í World.”
(Signed) Shoghi.
The Qur’anic verse chosen for Dr. Arastu Khan’s gravestone symbolizes what his life was: “O well-assured spirit, willing and blessed go thou back to thy Lord.”
(BW – Baha’i World Volumes, Volume 5, p. 414-416)
How a Persian Jewish Zealot accepted Baha'u'llah?
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| MÍRZÁ 'AZÍZU'LLÁH-I-JADHDHÁB |
Aqa 'Azizu'llah-i-Jadhdhab, the merchant, whose honesty so surprised Mirza 'Ali-Asghar Khan, the Aminu's-Sultan, as to declare him to be an angel, came from the Jewish fold.
Mashhad is a holy city and it had had a sizeable Jewish population. They suffered considerably at the hands of unruly fanatics. As happened in Europe in medieval times, when Jews were forced to renounce their faith although many of them whilst ostensibly professing Christianity kept to their old allegiance, so it happened in Mashhad in recent times. Let Lord Curzon tell us what occurred in Mashhad, during the reign of Muhammad Shah:
It must also be added that the poor Jewess could not bring herself to slaughter the stray dog they had cornered. A Muslim was asked to do it for her, and it was this man, perhaps out of fear, who dashed about shouting that the Jews were guilty of insolence and deliberate affront, offering for sacrifice a dog on the day when sheep or camels are sacrificed in memory of the act of Abraham. Whatever the case, the Jews of Mashhad, dwelling in the quarter of the city called the 'Idgah, paid heavily in human lives on that tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. Some fifty of them suffered death, their synagogue was demolished, their Torahs consigned to the fire. It is reported that only one Torah remained; it had been secreted in a safe place. Then, as that forcible conversion took shape, the holy city came to have a Jadid-Khanih (New House): the quarter of the Jadidu'l-Islam (newly converted to Islam).
Of course it is impossible to say how many of those repressed Jews genuinely became Muslims and how many remained attached to their old faith. But there was one Jew in Mashhad of whose true allegiance we have ample evidence; he was Mulla Hizqil (Ezekiel), known as Namdar, the father of Aqa 'Azizu'llah. Mulla Hizqil was a merchant, but he was also very learned, and held classes to teach his pupils the Torah, the Talmud and other religious works. Even more, he had a copy of the Mathnavi of Jalali'd-Din-i-Rumi, written in Hebrew characters, from which he taught his favourite pupils. Some twelve years prior to that episode of forcible conversion, Mulla Hizqil invited Mirza 'Askari, an eminent Muslim divine of Mashhad whom he knew personally, to give him the word of testifying to utter. He told Mirza 'Askari that studying Torah and other holy scriptures had convinced him of the truth of Islam. So, years before the tumult of 1838, Mulla Hizqil had, of his own accord, become a Muslim, but no one in his family other than his wife, and certainly none of his pupils, knew of it. Then one day, when engaged in reading from Rumi's Mathnavi, he turned to his eldest son and said: 'Shamuyil [Samuel]! Holy scriptures indicate that today is the day of the Advent of that greatest Manifestation of Yahweh [Jehovah], Who is the Redeemer of all. I shall be leaving this world, but beware lest you all remain heedless.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah was two years old when his father died, and under his mother's care he grew up mindful of his religious duties. However, when he was eight years of age, and attending a Muslim school in their quarter, one day a boy tried to cheat him, not giving back to him some of his writing materials which he had purloined. Another boy intervened and ordered the cheat: 'Give it back to him; these people are still Jewish.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah, not being cognizant of his own origins, was terribly hurt; he told his mother, 'I will never go again to that place for my lessons; today, a boy insulted me and called me "Yahudi" [Jewish].' His mother explained their situation to him, of which the boy had been totally ignorant, and it revolted him. At that early age, he decided to revert to the Faith of his forefathers. His mother had said to him: 'Being Yahudi meant that we are descendants of Yahuda, the son of Jacob. We have been forcibly converted to Islam; but your own father had, years before that forced conversion, by his own free will come into the Islamic fold. During that awful night of massacre and murder, at the instance of Mirza 'Askari, who himself had given your father the word of Shahadat [testifying] to utter, we were all taken to the house of Aqa Rajab, who was called Rajab Bahadur. We ourselves remained safe, but all that we possessed was pillaged.' Horrified, Aqa 'Azizu'llah ceased going to that Muslim school for his lessons, and at a tender age started trading. And he became a master in his work.
Now, the divines of Mashhad had appointed one among themselves to keep a close watch over the Jadid-Khanih. All the Jadids, even old ones over seventy, were expected to attend congregational prayers, and no kosher meat was allowed. Despite all these pressures Aqa 'Azizu'llah was determined to take up the Jewish Faith. He asked a cousin to teach him the Torah in secrecy, and he never left his home on a Saturday to avoid setting his eyes on the face of a Muslim on the Sabbath.
Thus the matter stood with Aqa 'Azizu'llah until the martyrdom of Badi', who was a youth of Khurasan. Aqa 'Azizu'llah had a half-brother named Aqa Shahvirdi, who had already, unbeknown to all, embraced the Faith of Baha'u'llah. One day Aqa Shahvirdi came to speak of the courage of that youth and of his glorious martyrdom. It was the first time that Aqa 'Azizu'llah had heard the name 'Baha'i' and wanted to know more, but his brother, well aware of fanaticism all around him, was very circumspect and kept silent. Two other brothers of Aqa 'Azizu'llah, named Aqa Asadu'llah and Aqa Rahmatu'llah, resided and traded in the town of Turbat-i-Haydari, whilst he and Aqa Shahvirdi lived in Mashhad. Aqa 'Azizu'llah's merchandise consisted mainly of goods in silk and most of his customers were Turkamans who frequented Mashhad in search of trade.
One day in the year AH 1291 (18 February 1874 -- 6 February 1875), when Aqa 'Azizullah was newly married, Aqa Shahvirdi came to him with a proposal: 'I have a very large quantity of damask, the price has fallen by two-thirds in Mashhad, and more than that there is no ready cash; if I sell it will have to be against future payment. But I am told that the market for this fabric is very good at Badkubih. Should I go there alone and die on the way all will be lost. Would you accompany me for a month to put this deal through?' Ties of kinship were too strong and Aqa 'Azizu'llah could not refuse his brother's request. He gave the charge of his own trading-house to Aqa Yusuf, one of the Jadids of Mashhad, and the two brothers set out for the Caucasus. When they reached Nishapur, Baha'is, such as Shaykh Muhammad-i-Ma'muri (uncle of the martyr, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Khurasani) and Shaykh Mustafa, came to visit Aqa Shahvirdi. By then, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was certain that his brother had become a follower of the new Faith, but, although much disturbed, he kept his peace. In every town and city they passed through, there were Baha'is whom Aqa Shahvirdi wished to meet and so he did: in Sabzivar there was Haji Muhammad-Rida (martyred some years later in 'Ishqabad); in Kushkbagh lived Mulla Muhammad-i-Kushkbaghi; in Shahrud, Mulla Ghulam-Riday-i-Hirati; in Badkubih itself (their destination), Mirza 'Abdu'l-Mu'min and Mulla Abu-Talib; in Shirvan, Karbila'i Isma'il and the family of Samadov. But everywhere Aqa Shahvirdi would ask the Baha'is not to speak to his brother of their Faith. 'He is a zealot for our old Faith,' Aqa Shahvirdi would tell them, 'and he will not listen to you.' For his part Aqa 'Azizu'llah kept silent, and in the homes of his brother's co-religionists would not touch their cooked food, taking only cups of tea and boiled eggs offered to him. Thus the two brothers went about in Caucasia. Badkubih did not provide, after all, a good and profitable market for damask, and Aqa Shahvirdi thought that he should try their luck in Tiflis (Tbilisi). He went there by himself, leaving Aqa 'Azizu'llah behind in the town of Shaki, with most of their merchandise. The peregrinations of the two brothers in the Caucasus had taken several months and nowhere had they been able to dispose of their goods profitably.
Aqa 'Azizu'llah then decided to go on alone to the renowned and historic city of Gandzha (now Kirovabad) where there were better prospects. Taking his seat in a four-horse carriage (with his goods) at Shaki, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was put on the alert by the looks of his fellow-passengers. Had it not been for his sagacity, he would not have lived to see another day. Although he had learned some Turkish, he pretended to have no knowledge at all of that language, and thus, listening to the cartman and the other passengers talking in Turkish, he realized that they were plotting to murder him and steal his goods. Reaching Gandzha, he sought out Mashhadi Muhammad-Ja'far, the rentier of a well-known caravanserai of that city, to whom he had a letter of introduction from Haji 'Ali-Akbar, a Persian merchant of Shaki. Through his host he was rescued from the clutches of the villainous cartman and his passengers. But being on his own in Gandzha, he apparently did not take full advantage of the favourable market. Later, it was seen that a temporary situation created by a Christian festival had limited his sales.
From Caucasia, the two brothers made their way to Istanbul. It took them fourteen months in the Ottoman capital to sell all their silken goods. Aqa 'Azizu'llah, who had abandoned his schooling at an early age, was most anxious to improve his knowledge. During those months of travelling he brought his mind to it, and being well endowed with a high intellect, he made rapid progress. His brother, Aqa Shahvirdi, had a case with him which contained books and papers. These he would take out, from time to time, and peruse. This had not escaped Aqa 'Azizu'llah's notice. One day, when Aqa Shahvirdi had gone to the bazar, Aqa 'Azizu'llah opened that case and came upon writings which he realized appertained to the Baha'i Faith, and they appealed to him, although he could not fully understand them. Then he had a dream. Let him recount it in his own words:
Mashhad is a holy city and it had had a sizeable Jewish population. They suffered considerably at the hands of unruly fanatics. As happened in Europe in medieval times, when Jews were forced to renounce their faith although many of them whilst ostensibly professing Christianity kept to their old allegiance, so it happened in Mashhad in recent times. Let Lord Curzon tell us what occurred in Mashhad, during the reign of Muhammad Shah:
The occasion was as follows: A poor woman had a sore hand. A Mussulman [Muslim] physician advised her to kill a dog and put her hand in the blood of it. She did so; when suddenly the whole population rose and said that they had done it in derision of their prophet. Thirty-five Jews were killed in a few minutes; the rest, struck with terror, became Mohammedans. They are now more zealous Jews in secret than ever, but call themselves Anusim, the Compelled Ones. [Narrative of Mission to Bokhara in 1843-1845, vol i p. 239, and vol. ii p. 72]Wolff does not add--what is necessary to explain the sudden outburst--that the incidents of the Jewess and the slaughtered dog unfortunately occurred on the very day when the Mohammedans were celebrating the annual Feast of Sacrifice.[3] Superstition and malice very easily aggravated an innocent act into a deliberate insult to the national faith; and hence the outbreak that ensued. There is much less fanaticism now than in those days; but it still behoves a Yehudi [Yahudi], or Jew, to conduct himself circumspectly and to walk with a modest air in Meshed. (Persia and the Persian Question, vol. 1, pp. 165-6) [3. The tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah: 'Id al-Adha or 'Id-i-Qurban. (HMB)]
It must also be added that the poor Jewess could not bring herself to slaughter the stray dog they had cornered. A Muslim was asked to do it for her, and it was this man, perhaps out of fear, who dashed about shouting that the Jews were guilty of insolence and deliberate affront, offering for sacrifice a dog on the day when sheep or camels are sacrificed in memory of the act of Abraham. Whatever the case, the Jews of Mashhad, dwelling in the quarter of the city called the 'Idgah, paid heavily in human lives on that tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. Some fifty of them suffered death, their synagogue was demolished, their Torahs consigned to the fire. It is reported that only one Torah remained; it had been secreted in a safe place. Then, as that forcible conversion took shape, the holy city came to have a Jadid-Khanih (New House): the quarter of the Jadidu'l-Islam (newly converted to Islam).
Of course it is impossible to say how many of those repressed Jews genuinely became Muslims and how many remained attached to their old faith. But there was one Jew in Mashhad of whose true allegiance we have ample evidence; he was Mulla Hizqil (Ezekiel), known as Namdar, the father of Aqa 'Azizu'llah. Mulla Hizqil was a merchant, but he was also very learned, and held classes to teach his pupils the Torah, the Talmud and other religious works. Even more, he had a copy of the Mathnavi of Jalali'd-Din-i-Rumi, written in Hebrew characters, from which he taught his favourite pupils. Some twelve years prior to that episode of forcible conversion, Mulla Hizqil invited Mirza 'Askari, an eminent Muslim divine of Mashhad whom he knew personally, to give him the word of testifying to utter. He told Mirza 'Askari that studying Torah and other holy scriptures had convinced him of the truth of Islam. So, years before the tumult of 1838, Mulla Hizqil had, of his own accord, become a Muslim, but no one in his family other than his wife, and certainly none of his pupils, knew of it. Then one day, when engaged in reading from Rumi's Mathnavi, he turned to his eldest son and said: 'Shamuyil [Samuel]! Holy scriptures indicate that today is the day of the Advent of that greatest Manifestation of Yahweh [Jehovah], Who is the Redeemer of all. I shall be leaving this world, but beware lest you all remain heedless.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah was two years old when his father died, and under his mother's care he grew up mindful of his religious duties. However, when he was eight years of age, and attending a Muslim school in their quarter, one day a boy tried to cheat him, not giving back to him some of his writing materials which he had purloined. Another boy intervened and ordered the cheat: 'Give it back to him; these people are still Jewish.' Aqa 'Azizu'llah, not being cognizant of his own origins, was terribly hurt; he told his mother, 'I will never go again to that place for my lessons; today, a boy insulted me and called me "Yahudi" [Jewish].' His mother explained their situation to him, of which the boy had been totally ignorant, and it revolted him. At that early age, he decided to revert to the Faith of his forefathers. His mother had said to him: 'Being Yahudi meant that we are descendants of Yahuda, the son of Jacob. We have been forcibly converted to Islam; but your own father had, years before that forced conversion, by his own free will come into the Islamic fold. During that awful night of massacre and murder, at the instance of Mirza 'Askari, who himself had given your father the word of Shahadat [testifying] to utter, we were all taken to the house of Aqa Rajab, who was called Rajab Bahadur. We ourselves remained safe, but all that we possessed was pillaged.' Horrified, Aqa 'Azizu'llah ceased going to that Muslim school for his lessons, and at a tender age started trading. And he became a master in his work.
Now, the divines of Mashhad had appointed one among themselves to keep a close watch over the Jadid-Khanih. All the Jadids, even old ones over seventy, were expected to attend congregational prayers, and no kosher meat was allowed. Despite all these pressures Aqa 'Azizu'llah was determined to take up the Jewish Faith. He asked a cousin to teach him the Torah in secrecy, and he never left his home on a Saturday to avoid setting his eyes on the face of a Muslim on the Sabbath.
Thus the matter stood with Aqa 'Azizu'llah until the martyrdom of Badi', who was a youth of Khurasan. Aqa 'Azizu'llah had a half-brother named Aqa Shahvirdi, who had already, unbeknown to all, embraced the Faith of Baha'u'llah. One day Aqa Shahvirdi came to speak of the courage of that youth and of his glorious martyrdom. It was the first time that Aqa 'Azizu'llah had heard the name 'Baha'i' and wanted to know more, but his brother, well aware of fanaticism all around him, was very circumspect and kept silent. Two other brothers of Aqa 'Azizu'llah, named Aqa Asadu'llah and Aqa Rahmatu'llah, resided and traded in the town of Turbat-i-Haydari, whilst he and Aqa Shahvirdi lived in Mashhad. Aqa 'Azizu'llah's merchandise consisted mainly of goods in silk and most of his customers were Turkamans who frequented Mashhad in search of trade.
One day in the year AH 1291 (18 February 1874 -- 6 February 1875), when Aqa 'Azizullah was newly married, Aqa Shahvirdi came to him with a proposal: 'I have a very large quantity of damask, the price has fallen by two-thirds in Mashhad, and more than that there is no ready cash; if I sell it will have to be against future payment. But I am told that the market for this fabric is very good at Badkubih. Should I go there alone and die on the way all will be lost. Would you accompany me for a month to put this deal through?' Ties of kinship were too strong and Aqa 'Azizu'llah could not refuse his brother's request. He gave the charge of his own trading-house to Aqa Yusuf, one of the Jadids of Mashhad, and the two brothers set out for the Caucasus. When they reached Nishapur, Baha'is, such as Shaykh Muhammad-i-Ma'muri (uncle of the martyr, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Khurasani) and Shaykh Mustafa, came to visit Aqa Shahvirdi. By then, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was certain that his brother had become a follower of the new Faith, but, although much disturbed, he kept his peace. In every town and city they passed through, there were Baha'is whom Aqa Shahvirdi wished to meet and so he did: in Sabzivar there was Haji Muhammad-Rida (martyred some years later in 'Ishqabad); in Kushkbagh lived Mulla Muhammad-i-Kushkbaghi; in Shahrud, Mulla Ghulam-Riday-i-Hirati; in Badkubih itself (their destination), Mirza 'Abdu'l-Mu'min and Mulla Abu-Talib; in Shirvan, Karbila'i Isma'il and the family of Samadov. But everywhere Aqa Shahvirdi would ask the Baha'is not to speak to his brother of their Faith. 'He is a zealot for our old Faith,' Aqa Shahvirdi would tell them, 'and he will not listen to you.' For his part Aqa 'Azizu'llah kept silent, and in the homes of his brother's co-religionists would not touch their cooked food, taking only cups of tea and boiled eggs offered to him. Thus the two brothers went about in Caucasia. Badkubih did not provide, after all, a good and profitable market for damask, and Aqa Shahvirdi thought that he should try their luck in Tiflis (Tbilisi). He went there by himself, leaving Aqa 'Azizu'llah behind in the town of Shaki, with most of their merchandise. The peregrinations of the two brothers in the Caucasus had taken several months and nowhere had they been able to dispose of their goods profitably.
Aqa 'Azizu'llah then decided to go on alone to the renowned and historic city of Gandzha (now Kirovabad) where there were better prospects. Taking his seat in a four-horse carriage (with his goods) at Shaki, Aqa 'Azizu'llah was put on the alert by the looks of his fellow-passengers. Had it not been for his sagacity, he would not have lived to see another day. Although he had learned some Turkish, he pretended to have no knowledge at all of that language, and thus, listening to the cartman and the other passengers talking in Turkish, he realized that they were plotting to murder him and steal his goods. Reaching Gandzha, he sought out Mashhadi Muhammad-Ja'far, the rentier of a well-known caravanserai of that city, to whom he had a letter of introduction from Haji 'Ali-Akbar, a Persian merchant of Shaki. Through his host he was rescued from the clutches of the villainous cartman and his passengers. But being on his own in Gandzha, he apparently did not take full advantage of the favourable market. Later, it was seen that a temporary situation created by a Christian festival had limited his sales.
From Caucasia, the two brothers made their way to Istanbul. It took them fourteen months in the Ottoman capital to sell all their silken goods. Aqa 'Azizu'llah, who had abandoned his schooling at an early age, was most anxious to improve his knowledge. During those months of travelling he brought his mind to it, and being well endowed with a high intellect, he made rapid progress. His brother, Aqa Shahvirdi, had a case with him which contained books and papers. These he would take out, from time to time, and peruse. This had not escaped Aqa 'Azizu'llah's notice. One day, when Aqa Shahvirdi had gone to the bazar, Aqa 'Azizu'llah opened that case and came upon writings which he realized appertained to the Baha'i Faith, and they appealed to him, although he could not fully understand them. Then he had a dream. Let him recount it in his own words:
In my dream I saw it announced that it was the day of the Advent of Yahveh of the Torah, the Promise of all the Scriptures: God watching the march past of all the Prophets and their adherents, examining their deeds and achievements. I went immediately to the direction indicated, and I saw a vast plain. As far as the eye could see people were ranged, rank upon rank. Every Prophet with His followers was seated facing the Qiblih. I marvelled how my eyes were empowered to see them all. Facing all these ranks and ranges of people, a Blessed Being was seated on a two-tiered chair, speaking. I was standing at the end of these ranks and ranges. That Blessed Being was more than fifty years of age, and had a long, black beard and a green taj on His head, made of green silk. He beckoned to me with His hand to go to His presence. With both hands I pointed to the people, meaning to say, how could I get through? He beckoned with His blessed hands to all those ranks of people, and they, one and all, prostrated themselves. Then, once again, He beckoned to me to come. I was hesitant, lest He was summoning someone else. Then, when He beckoned a third time, I started to move, walking over the people who were prostrated, one foot on a back, another on a head, until I reached Him, threw myself at His feet and kissed them. He raised me with His blessed hand and said: 'Praise be to God, the best of all creators'.This dream had a profound effect on Aqa 'Azizu'llah, but he still remained rooted in his previous beliefs, until he and his brother reached Istanbul and lodged in Khan-i-Yusufiyan. Whilst there Haji 'Abdu'l-Majid-i-Nishapuri, the father of the glorious Badi', and a sister of Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi also arrived at the Turkish metropolis and took lodgings in the same inn. One day, when his brother was absent, Aqa 'Azizu'llah sat down with Aba-Badi' (the Father of Badi') to talk of the Baha'i Faith and he opened his heart to him. And soon whatever doubts he had were dispelled. There and then he gave his total, unhedged allegiance to Baha'u'llah, Whose Cause he served with distinction to the end of his days. Aqa 'Azizu'llah said that he thanked God for the long delay in selling their merchandise. That delay had kept them in Istanbul and had made possible the encounter leading him to Truth.
Ben Guterson is a Baha'i from Jewish Background
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| Ben meets Matt Larson |
Many thanks to Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson who is also a Jewish, for a great conversation today and his ongoing commitment to the Baha'i community.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Hand of the Cause and “the Chief Temple-Builder” Siegfried Schopflocher was a Baha'i of Jewish Background
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| “the Chief Temple-Builder” |
Siegfried (Fred) Schopflocher was born in Germany in 1877. He was brought up in an orthodox Jewish family but, after leaving school, became attracted to agnosticism and searched for a more universal expression of religion. Years later, after having permanently established himself in business in Canada, Mr. Schopflocher heard of the Baha’i Faith and, shortly thereafter, became a Baha’i.
In 1922, Mr. Schopflocher visited Haifa, the first of many journeys to the World Centre of the Baha’i Faith. His devotion to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, was immediate and lasting. Shoghi Effendi entrusted him with specific assignments to carry out during several of his international tours.
His travels, usually undertaken in conjunction with his business, took him to every corner of the globe, where he was able to visit Baha’i communities and experience first-hand the extraordinary bond linking the believers throughout the world in their love for a common cause. Normally, as Mr. Schopflocher said, it would have been impossible for a Westerner to make contact with such a wide variety of people in the East and West, especially on such short and relatively infrequent visits to so many places; but the worldwide community of Baha’is eliminated all barriers.
For 15 years between 1924 and 1947, Mr. Schopflocher served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada. When the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada was formed as an independent administrative body in 1948, Mr. Schopflocher was elected a member and served continuously on that body until 1953. It was chiefly through his efforts, with the able assistance of Horace Holley, that the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada secured a unique form of incorporation via an Act of the Parliament of Canada.
Of the many international services Mr. Schopflocher rendered to the Baha’i Faith over the last 30 years of his life, perhaps none is more noteworthy than his contribution to the completion of the Baha’i House of Worship for North America in Wilmette, Illinois. Mr. Schopflocher immediately understood the significance of the temple and, through numerous conversations with Shoghi Effendi, realized its importance to the growth of the Baha’i Faith. It was after one of his visits to Haifa that Mr. Schopflocher arrived at a National Baha’i Convention in Wilmette and renewed the National Spiritual Assembly’s enthusiasm for resuming construction of the exterior ornamentation of the temple. It was for this service that Shoghi Effendi called him “the Chief Temple-Builder.”
In 1952, Mr. Schopflocher was designated a Hand of the Cause of God, the highest office to which a Baha’i individual could be appointed, which coincided with Shoghi Effendi’s request that he assist the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada to establish a national centre.
Mr. Schopflocher had a deep affection for the people of India. He had been eagerly looking forward to attending a Baha’i conference in New Delhi in 1953, but it was not to be. He passed away in Montréal on July 27th of that year after a short illness. He was buried, at Shoghi Effendi’s request, close to the grave of William Sutherland Maxwell, the first Canadian Hand of the Cause.
In 1922, Mr. Schopflocher visited Haifa, the first of many journeys to the World Centre of the Baha’i Faith. His devotion to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, was immediate and lasting. Shoghi Effendi entrusted him with specific assignments to carry out during several of his international tours.
His travels, usually undertaken in conjunction with his business, took him to every corner of the globe, where he was able to visit Baha’i communities and experience first-hand the extraordinary bond linking the believers throughout the world in their love for a common cause. Normally, as Mr. Schopflocher said, it would have been impossible for a Westerner to make contact with such a wide variety of people in the East and West, especially on such short and relatively infrequent visits to so many places; but the worldwide community of Baha’is eliminated all barriers.
For 15 years between 1924 and 1947, Mr. Schopflocher served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada. When the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada was formed as an independent administrative body in 1948, Mr. Schopflocher was elected a member and served continuously on that body until 1953. It was chiefly through his efforts, with the able assistance of Horace Holley, that the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada secured a unique form of incorporation via an Act of the Parliament of Canada.
Of the many international services Mr. Schopflocher rendered to the Baha’i Faith over the last 30 years of his life, perhaps none is more noteworthy than his contribution to the completion of the Baha’i House of Worship for North America in Wilmette, Illinois. Mr. Schopflocher immediately understood the significance of the temple and, through numerous conversations with Shoghi Effendi, realized its importance to the growth of the Baha’i Faith. It was after one of his visits to Haifa that Mr. Schopflocher arrived at a National Baha’i Convention in Wilmette and renewed the National Spiritual Assembly’s enthusiasm for resuming construction of the exterior ornamentation of the temple. It was for this service that Shoghi Effendi called him “the Chief Temple-Builder.”
In 1952, Mr. Schopflocher was designated a Hand of the Cause of God, the highest office to which a Baha’i individual could be appointed, which coincided with Shoghi Effendi’s request that he assist the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada to establish a national centre.
Mr. Schopflocher had a deep affection for the people of India. He had been eagerly looking forward to attending a Baha’i conference in New Delhi in 1953, but it was not to be. He passed away in Montréal on July 27th of that year after a short illness. He was buried, at Shoghi Effendi’s request, close to the grave of William Sutherland Maxwell, the first Canadian Hand of the Cause.
Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi with Baha'is of Jewish Background in Haifa, Israel
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| Some American Pilgrims with Baha'i residents in Haifa, November 1919. Shoghi Effendi (second from the right) had guided the group to holy places in aka and Haifa. Immediately behind Shoghi Effendi is George Latimer. Harry Randall is fourth from the right, behind Fujita., and Albert Vail is second from the left. Others include Dr. Lutf'u'llah Hakim, later a member of the universal house of justice (third from the right) and Saichiro Fujita (on his right). |
UHJ Member Dr. Lutfu'llah Hakim was born into a family of distinguished Jewish medical doctors in Iran.
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| 1888 - 1968 |
Lutfu'llah Hakim was born into a family of distinguished Jewish medical doctors, his great-grandfather and his grandfather having served as physicians at the court of the Shahs of Persia.
Hakim Masih, the grandfather of Lutfu'llah Hakim, accompanied Muhammad Shah as court physician on his pilgrimage to Karbila, 'Iraq. While stopping in Baghdad, Hakim Masih heard about the illustrious Tahirih and hastened to meet her discourse he was overwhelmed with admiration and wonder and openly exclaimed: "Not amongst women nor even amongst men have I ever seen such an erudite person; she is unique in knowledge, wisdom and eloquence." He could not ignore the interest she had awakened and day and night he searched and investigated, desiring to discover and understand the source of power and inspiration on which this unusual and noble woman drew.
The opportunity to further his understanding arose when he was summoned to a prison in Tihran to attend the sick child of one of the believers who had been imprisoned for his faith. Even after the child's complete recovery he would visit the prison to meet the father and son, chained and living under the most cruel conditions. Often he preferred to spend hours in the presence of Ismu'llah, the imprisoned believer, and neglected his clinic. The explanations that were given in answer to his sincere questions were accepted with the utmost love and reverence, and he became the first Jew in the world to embrace the Cause. When news of his acceptance reached Baha'u'llah, a Tablet was revealed by the Exalted Pen in honour of Hakim Masih. This was followed by other Tablets which are unfortunately now lost to us, the paper having deteriorated through being hidden underground by the wife of Hakim Masih to avoid the persecution that would have resulted from their being found in the family's possession.
Hakim Masih had only one son, Hakim Sulayman, whose youngest child was Lutfu'llah Hakim. When his father and mother passed away, his elder brother, Dr. Arastu Khan, took him under his care and protection. Lutfu'llah grew to be a very sincere and staunch Baha'i.
In 1920, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked Lutfu'lláh Hakím to accompany Shoghi Effendi to England. Dr. Hakim was in Haifa when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in November 1921. In 1924 he returned to Persia and in 1950 he moved again to England. Later the Guardian summoned him to the World Centre and he was appointed to the first International Bahá’í Council in 1951. He was later elected to the first Universal House of Justice in 1963.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Former UHJ member Howard Borrah Kavelin was a Baha'i of Jewish Background
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| Howard Borrah Kavelin |
KAVELIN, HOWARD BORRAH (1906-1988). (Member, Universal House of Justice.) A real estate developer by profession, Kavelin was born in Russia to a distinguished Jewish family on 16 March 1906, the sixth of seven children. The family emigrated to the United States when he was three years old and remained in Denver, Colorado. His father was a greatly beloved rabbi in Denver, a pillar of the Jewish community, and well known as a healer; he lost his life caring for others during an influenza epidemic. His mother was founder of the Beth Israel Hospital and Old Folks’ Home in Denver. As a young boy, Borrah had obtained a job as an usher at an opera house. His love for music drew him to New York City, and his debut as an operatic tenor occurred on the stage of Carnegie Hall. Through music, he met Martha Hamilton, a pianist studying at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. They were married in 1936. Those years of the Great Depression were difficult financial times for everyone, and a singer’s income could not support a family. So he turned from his musical career to become a secretary to the director of a real estate firm. His diligence and ability were soon recognized, and he became a partner in that original firm. He had an untarnished reputation for trustworthiness and honesty, considered by some to be rather unusual qualities in the New York City realty world of that time. He was introduced to the Baha’i Faith in the late 1930s, and he and his wife accepted it, after some years of study, in 1940. From 1941 to 1950 he served on the local Spiritual Assembly of New York City. In 1950, he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, where he served for 13 years, with a number of years as treasurer, and from 1958 to 1963 as chair. In 1957, on their behalf, he chaired the first National Convention for the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Benelux Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and represented them at the International Teaching Conference held the following year in Kampala, Uganda. Shoghi Effendi, to whom Borrah Kavelin was deeply and personally devoted, invited him to come on pilgrimage directly after the conference. He had never had the bounty of meeting Shoghi Effendi personally, and he was deeply touched by the opportunity to pay homage to him. However, this meeting was never to occur. The greatest blow of his life came when he learned of Shoghi Effcndi’s untimely death in London, shortly before they were to meet. He grieved openly, as did so many others. After this, he dedicated increasing time to service to the Cause for which Shoghi Effendi had given his life. He was elected to the International Baha’i Council and served the Council as member at large rather than in residence in Haifa; he was also given permission to continue serving on the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly. He was elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1963 and served on that bodv for a full quarter of a century , until 1988. He represented the Universal House of Justice on four significant missions to Iran to consult with the Baha’is in that country about the financial needs of the Faith.
After the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, he again represented the Universal House of Justice at a time when the Baha’i world was reeling from loss of income from the Iranian Baha’i community (which the then new Islamic government had forbidden to function). During a 10-week mission, he traveled throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States meeting with thousands of Baha’is who thronged to hear him. His mission was to explain the state of the Persian friends and the financial impact on the Baha’i world community of their open persecution. In 1987, after nearly 25 years of service, at 81 years of age, he asked to be released from service as a member of the Universal House of Justice. Within two weeks from the time his release was announced he was hospitalized for cancer surgery. He recovered and felt ready to begin a life of retirement in the United States. The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States asked him to serve as a keynote speaker at six regional Vision to Victory conferences throughout the United States. This became the driving force of his day-to-day life. When the cancer recurred, and his health began rapidly to fail, he was driven even more to fulfill his commitment to these conferences. He was able to address the first conference in Boston, Massachusetts: His frail voice did not diminish the ardor with which he spoke to the friends of the imperative necessity to raise the Arc on Mount Carmel. However, by the time his plane arrived at the second conference site, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he was so ill that he had to be rushed to the hospital in acute distress. His undeviating concern about making his promised presentation was creatively solved by a doctor who asked if the Baha’is could videotape his talk there, in the hospital room. Mr. Kavelin agreed, and arrangements were swiftly made to tape his talk. Shortly after the talk, Mr. Kavelin lapsed into a coma. However, he recovered to the extent that two minor “miracles” were to occur. One was to give a Thanksgiving dinner to thank the doctor and all the many Baha’i friends in Chattanooga who had been so kind to him. The other was to return home to Albuquerque. He lived another three weeks in his home in Albuquerque; then on 18 December 1988, he passed away. “You wander all your life in search of meaning and then you find at the end, at the core, there is only the Covenant.” These were among the last words of Borrah Kavelin, a man who lived to his last breath the commitment he had made to Baha’u’llah. One of his favorite passages, read at his funeral, attended by hundreds of friends, was “As ye have faith, so shall your powers and blessings be.”
After the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, he again represented the Universal House of Justice at a time when the Baha’i world was reeling from loss of income from the Iranian Baha’i community (which the then new Islamic government had forbidden to function). During a 10-week mission, he traveled throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States meeting with thousands of Baha’is who thronged to hear him. His mission was to explain the state of the Persian friends and the financial impact on the Baha’i world community of their open persecution. In 1987, after nearly 25 years of service, at 81 years of age, he asked to be released from service as a member of the Universal House of Justice. Within two weeks from the time his release was announced he was hospitalized for cancer surgery. He recovered and felt ready to begin a life of retirement in the United States. The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States asked him to serve as a keynote speaker at six regional Vision to Victory conferences throughout the United States. This became the driving force of his day-to-day life. When the cancer recurred, and his health began rapidly to fail, he was driven even more to fulfill his commitment to these conferences. He was able to address the first conference in Boston, Massachusetts: His frail voice did not diminish the ardor with which he spoke to the friends of the imperative necessity to raise the Arc on Mount Carmel. However, by the time his plane arrived at the second conference site, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he was so ill that he had to be rushed to the hospital in acute distress. His undeviating concern about making his promised presentation was creatively solved by a doctor who asked if the Baha’is could videotape his talk there, in the hospital room. Mr. Kavelin agreed, and arrangements were swiftly made to tape his talk. Shortly after the talk, Mr. Kavelin lapsed into a coma. However, he recovered to the extent that two minor “miracles” were to occur. One was to give a Thanksgiving dinner to thank the doctor and all the many Baha’i friends in Chattanooga who had been so kind to him. The other was to return home to Albuquerque. He lived another three weeks in his home in Albuquerque; then on 18 December 1988, he passed away. “You wander all your life in search of meaning and then you find at the end, at the core, there is only the Covenant.” These were among the last words of Borrah Kavelin, a man who lived to his last breath the commitment he had made to Baha’u’llah. One of his favorite passages, read at his funeral, attended by hundreds of friends, was “As ye have faith, so shall your powers and blessings be.”
He was laid to rest in the Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His epitaph reads simply, “Howard Borrah Kavelin, 1906-1988, Charter Member of the Universal House of Justice” (from an unpublished memorial by Linda Kavelin Popov).
Hand of the Cause of God JOHN FERRABY was a Baha'i of Jewish background.
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| Abu’l-Qasim Afnan (L) with Dorothy and John Ferraby at 27 Rutland Gate (London), around 1954 |
FERRABY, JOHN (1914-1973). (Hand of the Cause of God.) Born in Southsea, England, on 9 January 1914 of Jewish background. He had a classical education—King's College, Cambridge—and heard of the Faith from a friend when living in London. He found a book in the local library and finally located the Baha’is who, because of the intense bombing raids on London, were able to visit the Baha’i Center only for called meetings. After a few such meetings he accepted the Faith and became very active in its affairs; in less than a year he was a member of both the London Local Spiritual Assembly and the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles.
In 1943 he married a fellow member of the National Spiritual Assemblv, Dorothy Cansdale Ferrabv, and in 1946 was elected its secretary. In 1950 he became its first full-time secretary and the first resident secretary of the National Haziratul-Quds (27 Rutland Gate, London) when it was purchased in the fall of 1954. For many years he was also manager of the British Baha’i Publishing Trust and was most active in the teaching field and on several national committees.
From 1951 to 1956 he was involved deeply in the work of the Africa campaign, which included much contact with government bodies. He wrote one of the two booklets that became the basic literature for translation into more than 100 African languages.
He attended the Intercontinental Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, 1958, the convention that elected the National Spiritual Assembly of Austria, 1959, and the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of Norway, 1962. He was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land in January 1955, which inspired him on his return to write his major work All Things Made New.
He was appointed a Hand in the last contingent. October 1957, and in that capacity was involved in the arrangements associated with the funeral of Shoghi Effendi in November 1957. He attended the first gathering of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land following the funeral and remained there for over three months. In December 1959 he went to reside in Haifa, where he remained until the election of the Universal House of Justice in April 1963, He then returned to England and took up residence in Cambridge, where for a few years he served as a Hand dealing with secretarial matters and traveling a great deal. For the remainder of his life, his health prevented his active service, but right up to his death in September 1973, the Faith was his first concern, as it had been throughout his 42 years as a Baha’i. The Universal House of Justice cabled,
In 1943 he married a fellow member of the National Spiritual Assemblv, Dorothy Cansdale Ferrabv, and in 1946 was elected its secretary. In 1950 he became its first full-time secretary and the first resident secretary of the National Haziratul-Quds (27 Rutland Gate, London) when it was purchased in the fall of 1954. For many years he was also manager of the British Baha’i Publishing Trust and was most active in the teaching field and on several national committees.
From 1951 to 1956 he was involved deeply in the work of the Africa campaign, which included much contact with government bodies. He wrote one of the two booklets that became the basic literature for translation into more than 100 African languages.
He attended the Intercontinental Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, 1958, the convention that elected the National Spiritual Assembly of Austria, 1959, and the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of Norway, 1962. He was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land in January 1955, which inspired him on his return to write his major work All Things Made New.
He was appointed a Hand in the last contingent. October 1957, and in that capacity was involved in the arrangements associated with the funeral of Shoghi Effendi in November 1957. He attended the first gathering of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land following the funeral and remained there for over three months. In December 1959 he went to reside in Haifa, where he remained until the election of the Universal House of Justice in April 1963, He then returned to England and took up residence in Cambridge, where for a few years he served as a Hand dealing with secretarial matters and traveling a great deal. For the remainder of his life, his health prevented his active service, but right up to his death in September 1973, the Faith was his first concern, as it had been throughout his 42 years as a Baha’i. The Universal House of Justice cabled,
“Regret sudden passing Hand Cause John Ferraby. Recall long services Faith British Isles crowned elevation rank Hand Cause valuable contribution Baha’i literature through his book ‘All Things Made New.’ Requesting befitting gatherings Mashriqu’l-Adhkars memorial meetings all communities Baha’i world.”
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
In the Baha'i Faith I discovered the universality, beauty and humanity. - Roni Schneider
Juliana and Marcus are very active in the Baha'i community of St. Lucia. She is a native of the island, a kindergarten teacher, about thirty years old. He is of American origin, an ex-teacher and at present an established trader, white, about forty five years old. Juliana, a witty woman, full of energy and love for life, told us that she became a believer in the Baha'i Faith at the age of twelve. "The different churches invited us, the children, to Sunday religion classes and the Baha'i Faith classes charmed me more than all the others. It contained love and softness. We were not threatened with punishments as in the Catholic Church". Both visited Israel during the last Baha'i World Convention; they say they are in love with Israel and want to come back again.
In St. Lucia I also met Roni Schneider, a retired Californian lawyer who has been living in the Caribbean Islands for several years. Roni is a Jew who, at the beginning of the sixties, following his Christian wife, became a Baha'i. "In the Baha'i Faith I discovered the universality, beauty and humanity. This is a faith that integrates all the other faiths together, and it seemed to me as the most logical faith". His parents objected to his choice, but 15 years later they too were convinced. His children are active in the Baha'i community in California.
Roni answered my questions with great enthusiasm. He explained to me the principles of the Baha'i Faith, which sounded as a song of glory for western humanism. Justice, equality, peace, search for truth and beauty, equality between human beings, and equality for women. Suspiciously I tried to ask undermining questions to find out if there is a gap between theory and practice: "How many women are there in your elected institutes? How do you educate towards equality for women? What is the practical significance of your beliefs? What projects do you operate? How much money is invested in the wonderful shrines and how much in human beings?" The answers were diplomatic and covered with a peel. The Baha'is, too, navigate in a world of complex reality. They adjusted themselves to it, and fully utilize the capitalistic economics, while implementing their principles without clashing with the authorities.
http://bahai.uga.edu/News/000095.html
In St. Lucia I also met Roni Schneider, a retired Californian lawyer who has been living in the Caribbean Islands for several years. Roni is a Jew who, at the beginning of the sixties, following his Christian wife, became a Baha'i. "In the Baha'i Faith I discovered the universality, beauty and humanity. This is a faith that integrates all the other faiths together, and it seemed to me as the most logical faith". His parents objected to his choice, but 15 years later they too were convinced. His children are active in the Baha'i community in California.
Roni answered my questions with great enthusiasm. He explained to me the principles of the Baha'i Faith, which sounded as a song of glory for western humanism. Justice, equality, peace, search for truth and beauty, equality between human beings, and equality for women. Suspiciously I tried to ask undermining questions to find out if there is a gap between theory and practice: "How many women are there in your elected institutes? How do you educate towards equality for women? What is the practical significance of your beliefs? What projects do you operate? How much money is invested in the wonderful shrines and how much in human beings?" The answers were diplomatic and covered with a peel. The Baha'is, too, navigate in a world of complex reality. They adjusted themselves to it, and fully utilize the capitalistic economics, while implementing their principles without clashing with the authorities.
http://bahai.uga.edu/News/000095.html
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Taj-i-Vahhaj : Memoirs of Jinab-i-Aziz’u’llah Azizi
The National Spiritual Assembly of Iran at the recommendation of its Board of Review, gave its approval for the publication of this book, on the condition that certain sections of the narrative (around one-third of the text) be edited out due to the sensitive nature of the material, considering the prevailing state of affairs between the government of Iran and the Faith.
Publication of the text in its entirety was left for a more favourable time in the future. Meanwhile, the passages in question were kept in archives. One may wonder about the state of these archives considering the excesses of the Revolution in Iran. Since the personal effects of the present writer and his brothers were ransacked during the Revolution, we expect nothing less of the fate of the archives of any Baha'i Assembly.
When this book was approved for publication, certain esteemed members of both the National Spiritual Assembly and its Board of Review personally sent letters of endorsement and encouragement to me, including Jinab-i-Dr. Barafrukhtih.
Dr. Barafrukhtih's letter concerned a particular statement Abdu'l-Baha had made to Jinab-i-Azizi in Paris, in regard to the importance of recording the events to which he was an immediate eyewitness. We therefore quote the kind doctor's letter as follows: "I came across the following statement by 'Abdu'l-Baha to Jinab-i-Azizi, as found in the memoirs of Mon. Dreyfus in Paris, in which he wrote":
Publication of the text in its entirety was left for a more favourable time in the future. Meanwhile, the passages in question were kept in archives. One may wonder about the state of these archives considering the excesses of the Revolution in Iran. Since the personal effects of the present writer and his brothers were ransacked during the Revolution, we expect nothing less of the fate of the archives of any Baha'i Assembly.
When this book was approved for publication, certain esteemed members of both the National Spiritual Assembly and its Board of Review personally sent letters of endorsement and encouragement to me, including Jinab-i-Dr. Barafrukhtih.
Dr. Barafrukhtih's letter concerned a particular statement Abdu'l-Baha had made to Jinab-i-Azizi in Paris, in regard to the importance of recording the events to which he was an immediate eyewitness. We therefore quote the kind doctor's letter as follows: "I came across the following statement by 'Abdu'l-Baha to Jinab-i-Azizi, as found in the memoirs of Mon. Dreyfus in Paris, in which he wrote":
"Ecrivez dans le coin de votre canot tous les partis politique seront aneantis, attendez quelques annees vous verrez que la lumiere de la Foi de Baha'u'llah enveloppera le Monde entier."
Preface to the Second Revised Edition
The writing of Taj-i-Vahhaj: Memoirs of Jinab-i-Aziz’u’llah Azizi was originally intended for the benefit of his children and for posterity, so that his descendants might follow in the spiritual footsteps of their beloved forebear.
The sale of this volume experienced such a level of interest outside the family, quite unexpected by the writer, that all copies of the volume in its first edition sold out within a relatively short period of time.
Following the Revolution in Iran (1979) and the upheaval in Tehran, the resulting dispersal of the Persian Baha'i friends abroad created an even greater need for more literature on the Faith. There was also more opportunity to reflect and deepen on the Faith under these new circumstances.
Within the Azizi family itself, the martyrdom of three of its most distinguished members Iskandar Azizi, Jalal Azizi and Habib'u'llah Azizi intensified interest in preserving the spiritual legacy of the family to such extent that I received an increasing number of requests to reprint my father's memoirs, Taj-i-Vahaj. Interest in these memoirs was by no means confined to the family itself. Letters from as far away as Malta and the Philippines, the United States and Canada--and other places-requested copies of the memoirs.
Unfortunately, due to the adverse circumstances of the Revolution, there was no copy of the publication at hand with which to oblige these requests. However, it happened that one or two copies of the work had inadvertently been brought to the United States prior to the Revolution. Evidently, the photocopies of the book were being passed along to interested individuals, and in this manner the book was being circulated beyond the finite limited edition itself. I had heard that a few copies were made by hand, in order both to save money and ensure accuracy.
This being the case, I decided to reprint the volume in a new edition. I was convinced that I should do so when Moslem Persian expatriates reported to me that a number of the Moslem friends who came from Iran to the States were circulating the book among themselves (unaware that I was its author!) and there was a definite demand among them for more copies!
Having made the decision to reprint this book, it was necessary that the text should undergo re-editing in order to restore it to its full original length, and, at the same time, correct errors in the previous edition.
The present writer makes full admission to his limited knowledge of the Torah and the sacred traditions of Judaism. Efforts have been made to keep editorial notes referencing allusions to Jewish traditions in the text to a minimum, lest the edition become a target for critics. I only refer to what my father has explicitly mentioned with respect to Jewish traditions, as my own study of the tradition permits.
Dr. Zabih'u'llah Azizi
The sale of this volume experienced such a level of interest outside the family, quite unexpected by the writer, that all copies of the volume in its first edition sold out within a relatively short period of time.
Following the Revolution in Iran (1979) and the upheaval in Tehran, the resulting dispersal of the Persian Baha'i friends abroad created an even greater need for more literature on the Faith. There was also more opportunity to reflect and deepen on the Faith under these new circumstances.
Within the Azizi family itself, the martyrdom of three of its most distinguished members Iskandar Azizi, Jalal Azizi and Habib'u'llah Azizi intensified interest in preserving the spiritual legacy of the family to such extent that I received an increasing number of requests to reprint my father's memoirs, Taj-i-Vahaj. Interest in these memoirs was by no means confined to the family itself. Letters from as far away as Malta and the Philippines, the United States and Canada--and other places-requested copies of the memoirs.
Unfortunately, due to the adverse circumstances of the Revolution, there was no copy of the publication at hand with which to oblige these requests. However, it happened that one or two copies of the work had inadvertently been brought to the United States prior to the Revolution. Evidently, the photocopies of the book were being passed along to interested individuals, and in this manner the book was being circulated beyond the finite limited edition itself. I had heard that a few copies were made by hand, in order both to save money and ensure accuracy.
This being the case, I decided to reprint the volume in a new edition. I was convinced that I should do so when Moslem Persian expatriates reported to me that a number of the Moslem friends who came from Iran to the States were circulating the book among themselves (unaware that I was its author!) and there was a definite demand among them for more copies!
Having made the decision to reprint this book, it was necessary that the text should undergo re-editing in order to restore it to its full original length, and, at the same time, correct errors in the previous edition.
The present writer makes full admission to his limited knowledge of the Torah and the sacred traditions of Judaism. Efforts have been made to keep editorial notes referencing allusions to Jewish traditions in the text to a minimum, lest the edition become a target for critics. I only refer to what my father has explicitly mentioned with respect to Jewish traditions, as my own study of the tradition permits.
Dr. Zabih'u'llah Azizi
New York,
18 December, 1986.
Because the book, The Memoirs of Jinab-i-Azizi, got lost in the turmoil of the revolution in Iran, members of the family found it necessary to arrange for a new publication and a translation into English so that their children would know how their grandfather had become a believer. For this purpose, one of the grandchildren, Hamid Azizi, with the help of his wife Sandra--who are both knowledgeable in English and Persian--took the initiative and with the help of Christopher and Nahzy Buck translated the book, taking care to safeguard the original meaning.
Therefore it is my duty to thank Christopher and Nahzy Buck for the first translation and Hamid and Sandra Azizi for the editing of the text. Thanks go also to many others who in one way or another have contributed to the production of this volume.
It is my hope that this story will inspire future generations to follow in the footsteps of their grandfather, Jinab-i-Azizi.
Dr. Zabih'u'llah Azizi
The English edition is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, Jinab-i-Aziz’u’llah Azizi, who brought the blessings of our Beloved Faith to the family.
Hamid Azizi
Vancouver, B. C.
Naw-Ruz 149 B. E. (1992)
Preface to the English Edition
Because the book, The Memoirs of Jinab-i-Azizi, got lost in the turmoil of the revolution in Iran, members of the family found it necessary to arrange for a new publication and a translation into English so that their children would know how their grandfather had become a believer. For this purpose, one of the grandchildren, Hamid Azizi, with the help of his wife Sandra--who are both knowledgeable in English and Persian--took the initiative and with the help of Christopher and Nahzy Buck translated the book, taking care to safeguard the original meaning.
Therefore it is my duty to thank Christopher and Nahzy Buck for the first translation and Hamid and Sandra Azizi for the editing of the text. Thanks go also to many others who in one way or another have contributed to the production of this volume.
It is my hope that this story will inspire future generations to follow in the footsteps of their grandfather, Jinab-i-Azizi.
Dr. Zabih'u'llah Azizi
The English edition is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, Jinab-i-Aziz’u’llah Azizi, who brought the blessings of our Beloved Faith to the family.
Hamid Azizi
Vancouver, B. C.
Naw-Ruz 149 B. E. (1992)
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