• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Memories of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá By Mírzá Habíbu’lláh Afnán Translated and Annotated by Ahang Rabbani An Electronic-Publication of Kalimat Press January 2005 All Rights Reserved O God, my God! Graciously look upon Thy Afnán with the glances of the eye of Thy mercy and favor. Ordain for them that which will enable them to attain unto Thy praise and to the praise of Thy people. O Lord! Thou seest them striving to attain unto Thee and clinging to the cord of Thy grace and benevolence. I beseech Thee, by the ocean of Thy signs and the effulgence of Thy knowledge, to protect them from the tyranny of the oppressor, and from those who cause separation from Thy horizon and commit that which prompts the denizens of the Supreme Concourse and the dwellers of the Exalted Paradise to shed tears of anguish. Send down upon them Thy blessings, O Lord, for they have not refused to attain unto Thy Book and have remained oriented towards the radiance of Thy Countenance. Verily, Thou art omnipotent over all things. There is no God save Thee, the Sovereign of the earth and heavens. Praise be unto Thee, the Desire of the world and the Beloved of the near-ones. Bahá’u’lláh 1 1 Khándan-i-Afnán , p. 11. 2 Contents Preface ……………………………………………………….. 4 Acknowledgments …………………………………………… 11 Dedication …………………………………………………… 12 Memoirs Prologue by the Author ……………………………….……. 14 1. Childhood and Early Life in Shiraz ……………………… 15 2. First Pilgrimage: In the Presence of Bahá’u’lláh ………… 26 3. Education and Commerce in Egypt …………………….… 50 4. Second Pilgrimage: In the Presence of `Abdu’l-Bahá ……. 67 5. Back in Egypt …………………………………………….. 94 6. Siyyid `Alíy-i-Afnán ……………………………………… 102 7. Third Pilgrimage: 1898 …………………………………… 123 8. Fourth Pilgrimage: 1898 ………………………………….. 135 9. Final Years in Egypt ……………………………………… 144 10. Fifth Pilgrimage: 1901 …………………………………… 154 11. Restoration of the House of the Báb …………………..… 161 Appendices 1. Bahá’í Historical Places in Shiraz ……………………….. 186 2. Afnán Family Genealogy …………………………………. 197 3. Pages From Houshmand Fatheazam’s Diary …………….. 203 Bibliography ………………………………………………… 223 3 Preface “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” Gaius Traianus Marcius Flavianus Background to the Memoirs In the latter part of 1924, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, began the process of recording the recollection of the believers who had witnessed the early years of the Bábí and Bahá’í Dispensations. Knowing that these memoirs would have a profound effect on the understanding of future believers about the genesis of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi called for a systematic campaign to assemble such narratives. In the Holy Land, companions of Bahá’u’lláh such as Áqá Husayn-i-Áshchí were interviewed for what they remembered of the days of Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá. Sometimes, as in the case of Áshchí, this happened literally on the person’s deathbed. In addition, during the next two decades, the Guardian wrote to the Bahá’ís of Iran urging them to prepare detailed histories of each local community. He further called upon believers who had witnessed the unfolding of the Heroic Age to commit their experiences to writing. Obeying his Guardian’s wishes, Mírzá Habíb Afnán was one such believer who wrote what he had witnessed – and what a remarkable story he had to tell! Mírzá Habíb Afnán (1875-1951) was born in the House of the Báb and raised by none other than Khadíjih Bagum, the widow of the Primal Point. He heard from her the bittersweet stories of the love-intoxicated heroes who circled around the Báb in Shiraz and, 4 at His bidding, proclaimed to every town and hamlet the glad- tidings of the nearness of God. Khadíjih Bagum had a particular affinity for the young boy’s father, Áqá Mírzá Áqáy-i-Núri’d-Dín. At a time when tribulations had most fiercely beset Khadíjih Bagum, the Báb had promised her that it would be Núri’d-Dín the family member who would protect and support her. Khadíjih Bagum’s particular affection also extended to Núri’d-Dín’s children, and Mírzá Habíb basked in the brilliancy of her attention and love. As if that blessing was not enough, God showered Mírzá Habíb with an even greater measure of His munificence. As a young man, he was called to the Holy Land, where he spent nine months living in close proximity to Bahá’u’lláh and drank his fill from the Fountainhead of the Faith. For the next decade, from Egypt he remained in constant communication with `Abdu’l-Bahá and periodically visited Him in `Akká. While there, he was privy to some of the most heart-wrenching scenes of `Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry and had a glimpse into the private inner workings of the Cause. He witnessed the defection of the Aghsán, their corrupt ways, the anguish of the Master, His efforts to conceal their perversion and violation, and the transmission of this news to the Bahá’í community. At the turn of the century, Mírzá Habíb, together with his family, was called to the hallmark service of his life. For the next half century, he served with the greatest distinction as the hereditary custodian of the House of the Báb in Shiraz. Consequently, he was uniquely qualified to tell the story of the Bábí and Bahá’í movements in Shiraz and to describe the days of Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land. Mírzá Habíb’s Two Narratives 5 Mírzá Habíb penned two histories. The first, entitled Khátirát-i-Hayát , is the account of Mírzá Habíb’s pilgrimages to the Holy Land and his decade-long stay in Egypt. The exact date of its composition is not known, but the author’s sons, Abú’l-Qásim and Hasan Afnán, indicate that Mírzá Habíb wrote his first notes shortly after he returned to Iran. The notes themselves and family records show that this first draft was recopied and reorganized in the middle of the 1940s. 2 The most important part of the narrative is Chapter 2. The author recounts being near Bahá’u’lláh from the middle of July 1891 until shortly after Naw-Rúz 1892; that is, a little over two months before Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. The remaining sections are singularly important because they clarify many aspects of the first decade of `Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry, when the storm of Covenant-breaking was raging mercilessly in the Holy Land. The following table shows the dates of Mírzá Habíb’s pilgrimages, which are discussed in this narrative: Pilgrimage Date Duration 1 16 July 1891-late March 1892 9 months 2 Spring 1897 a few months 3 Summer 1898 2 weeks 4 September 1898 1 month 5 1901 40 days While translating the narrative, the two oldest sons of Mírzá Habíb, who had preserved the original document, noted that their 2 For example, Mírzá Habíb notes that 53 years had elapsed since the Spring of 1892, when he had met Tarazu’llah Samandari in the Holy Land. Assuming these years have been calculated using the lunar calendar, this places the date of re- composition around 1944-5. 6 father had intended to supplement it with additional materials. They kindly supplied the text of these materials to me. The second history is entitled Táríkh-i-Amri Fárs va Sh íráz (History of the Cause in Fárs and Shiraz). The exact date of its composition is not known, but is estimated to be in the early-to- mid 1930s. The original version was handwritten by Mírzá Habíb, and this was used by Mírzá Abu’l-Hasan-i-Ansif-i-Nayrizi to produce a final draft. This draft was then edited by Mírzá Habíb, whose remarks are found along various margins and lines throughout the manuscript. This edited version has been used for my translation that will appear shortly as In the Land of Refuge by Kalimat Press. Mírzá Habíb was a well-educated man. He attended the same school that the Báb had attended and was tutored by one of the ablest educators of the city. During his youth, Bahá’u’lláh arranged for him to study with the Aghsán in the Mansion of Bahjí. Subsequently, he spent many years receiving daily instructions from the celebrated Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl, one of the most erudite believers of his generation. Therefore, the style of his composition is very learned and represents an important literary achievement in its own right. It is hoped that the original Persian of these two narratives will be published, so that students of the Faith will become better acquainted with his exquisite style. Notes on the Present Translation This volume contains a translation of the first narrative, Khátirát-i-Hayát , into English. For this rendering, every effort has been made to stay as close as possible to the original text, to the extent that a literal rendering has often been preferred to a more stylistic one. Annotations in form of footnotes have been included 7 to add information, clarify points, and provide a more detailed perspective. Typically, Mírzá Habíb referred to the Central Figures using honorific titles such as “His blessed Person” or “that Sacred Being”. Wherever possible, these have been replaced with actual names. Also, it is customary in Eastern Bahá’í historiography for the name of a Central Figure or prominent believer to be followed by laudatory expressions such as “may the souls of all be offered as a ransom for Him.” Because such formulations are awkward in English, they have been omitted for the most part. Occasionally, I have added comments to improve the clarity or continuity of the material.

Load more

  230

Copy Link