Subh-i-Azal

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Mírzá Yaḥyá, Ṣubḥ-i-Azal

Ṣubḥ-i-Azal (Morning of Eternity)[1] (1831 - 1912), born Mírzá Yaḥyá Núrí was a Persian religious leader of Azali Bábism.[1]

Contents

[edit] Life

[edit] Background

Mirza Yahya was born in 1831 to Kuchak Khanum-i-Karmanshahi (Ruhi, A Brief Biography) and Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí, in the province of Mazandaran, and a younger-half-brother of Mírzá Husayn `Ali, better known as Bahá'u'lláh. His mother died while giving birth to him, and his father died in 1834 when Mirza Yahya was three years old. His father is buried at Vadi-al-Islam in Najaf. Mirza Yahya was committed to the care of his stepmother Khadíjih Khánum, the mother of Bahá'u'lláh.[2]

He was a follower of the Báb, and before the Báb's martyrdom in 1850, Mirza Yahya was named as the leader of the Bábís until the time that He whom God shall make manifest would appear. His title, Subh-i-Azal, means "Morning of Eternity".

[edit] Appointment as The Báb's successor

Main article: Bahá'í/Bábí split

There is dispute over whom the Báb named as successor and it eventually turned the supporters of Subh-i-Azal and Bahá'u'lláh against each other.[3] Shortly before the Báb's execution, a follower of the Báb, Abd al-Karim, brought to the Báb's attention the necessity to appoint a successor; thus the Báb wrote a certain number of tablets which he gave to Abd al-Karim to deliver to Subh-i-Azal and Bahá'u'lláh.[4] These tablets were later interpreted by both Azalis and Bahá'ís as proof of the Báb's delegation of leadership.[4]

In one of the tablets, which is commonly referred to as the Will and Testament of the Báb, Subh-i-Azal is viewed to have been appointed as leader of the Bábis after the death of the movement's founder; the tablet, in verse 27, also appears to order Subh-i-Azal "...to obey Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest."[5] Some state that Subh-i-Azal's claim to successorship is obvious;[6] others state that the Báb, for the purposes of secrecy, when corresponding with Bahá'u'lláh would address the letters to Subh-i-Azal.[7] After the Báb's death Subh-i-Azal came to be regarded as the central authority in the movement.[1]

However, the calibre of Subh-i-Azal's leadership of the Bábís was controversial.[7] He generally absented himself from the Bábí community spending his time in Baghdad in hiding and disguise; and even went so far as to publicly disavow allegiance to the Báb on several occasions.[7][1][8] Subh-i-Azal gradually alienated himself from a large proportion of the Bábís who started to give their alliance to other claimants.[1]

During the time that both Bahá'u'lláh and Subh-i-Azal were in Baghdad, Bahá'u'lláh publicly and in his letters pointed to Subh-i-Azal as the leader of the community.[7] However, since Subh-i-Azal remained in hiding, Bahá'u'lláh performed much of the daily administration of the Bábí affairs.[7] Then, in 1863 Bahá'u'lláh made a claim to be Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest, the messianic figure in the Báb's writings, to a small number of followers, and in 1866 he made the claim public.[1] Bahá'u'lláh's claims threatened Subh-i-Azal's position as leader of the religion since it would mean little to be leader of the Bábís if "Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest" were to appear and start a new religion.[7] Subhh-i-Azal responded by making his own claims, but his attempt to preserve the traditional Bábísm was largely unpopular, and his followers became the minority.[1]

[edit] Titles

His most widely known title, "Subh-i-Azal" appears in an Islamic tradition called the Hadith-i-Kumayl (Kumayl was a student of the first Imam, Ali) which the Báb quotes in his book Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih.

It was common practice among the Bábís to receive titles. The Báb's Will and Testament addresses Mirza Yahya in the first verse:

"Name of Azal, testify that there is no God but I, the dearest beloved."[5]

Manuchehri (2004) notes that Mirza Yahya was the only Bábí with such a title as "Azal".[5]

However, the Báb appears to mention him only occasionally, if ever, specifically as "Subh-i-Azal", while attributing others with the title. He appeared to prefer calling him "Thamaratu'l-Azaliyya" and "'Ismu'l-Azal", while in early books he is called "Hadrat-i-Azal". This has led certain academics to doubt its origin, although they cite error, rather than deception as a motive.[9] There are also references to the titles al-Wahid, Tal'at al-Nur and al-Tamara.[1]

[edit] Baghdad

Since he was in prison at the time of the Báb's death, he escaped to Baghdad in the Ottoman Empire, and under the title of Subh-i Azal (the Dawn of Eternity), became the titular leader of the Bábís.

During the ten years in Baghdad approximately 25 people claimed to be "He whom God shall make manifest", and some of the claimants were murdered.

[edit] Bahá'u'lláh's claim

Main article: Bahá'í/Bábí split

In 1863, Bahá'u'lláh claimed that he was the one whom the Báb prophesized about. Unlike the other claimants, he had almost universal acceptance by the Bábís.[8] Mirza Yahya disputed his claim and never accepted him as "He whom God shall make manifest", although his son eventually did. The group that followed Mirza Yayha became known as the Azali sect of Bábism.

[edit] Exile

In 1863 both half-brothers and their retinue were exiled to Adrianople.

In 1868 Mirza Yahya was exiled to Cyprus where he died in Famagusta, Cyprus on April 29, 1912. He was buried with Muslim rites.[10]

[edit] Family

According to Browne, Mirza Yahya had several wives, and at least nine sons and five daughters. His sons included: Nurullah, Hadi, Ahmad, Abdul Ali, Rizwan Ali, and four others. Rizvan Ali reports that he had eleven or twelve wives.[11] Later research reports that he had up to seventeen wives including four in Iran and at least five in Baghdad, although it is not clear how many, if any, were simultaneous.[12]

[edit] Legacy

Image:Nur.jpg
Passport Photograph of Subh-i-Azal

Many of the facts about Mirza Yahya are disputed by the respective Bahá'í and Azali historical sources. Bahá'ís claim that he was unscrupulous, jealous, frustrated, and behind several murders and attempted murders of his enemies, including the poisoning of Bahá'u'lláh.[13][14][15] Some Azali sources take these allegations against him and re-apply them to Bahá'u'lláh, even claiming that he poisoned himself.[16] His legacy did continue, however with diminishing success. Shoghi Effendi reports that Mirza Yahya appointed a distinguished Bábí, Aqa Mirza Muhammad Hadi of Daulatabad (Mirza Hadiy-i-Dawlat-Abadi) successor, but he later publicly recanted his faith in the Báb and in Mirza Yahya. Mirza Yahya's eldest son apparently became a Bahá'í himself.[17][18]

Browne reports that there was confusion over who was to be Mirza Yayha's successor at his death. Mirza Yayha's son, Rizwán `Ali, reported that he had appointed the son of Aqa Mirza Muhammad Hadi Daulatabadi as his successor; while another, H.C. Lukach's, states that Mirza Yahya had said that whichever of his sons "resembled him the most" would be the successor. None appear to have stepped forward.[19] Miller quoting a later source states that Yahya did not name a successor.[20]

In the 1970s there were believed to be between 500 and 5000 Azalis, mostly concentrated in Iran. Current estimates are that that there are no more than a few thousand. [8][21]

[edit] Works

A Succinct Account of the New Manifestation

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h MacEoin, Dennis (1989). "Azali Babism". Encyclopædia Iranica.  
  2. ^ Ruhi, Atiyya. A Brief Biography of His Holiness Subh-i Azal. Retrieved on 2006-12-23.
  3. ^ Amanat, Abbas (1989). Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Babi Movement in Iran. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, p. 414. 
  4. ^ a b Amanat, Abbas (1989). Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Babi Movement in Iran. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, p. 384. 
  5. ^ a b c Manuchehri, S. (2004). "The Primal Point’s Will and Testament". Research Notes in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies Vol. 7 (No. 2).
  6. ^ Nicolas, A.L.M (1933). Qui est le succeseur du Bab?. Paris: Librairie d'Amerique et d'Orient, 15. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f Cole, Juan. A Brief Biography of Baha'u'llah. Retrieved on 2006-06-22.
  8. ^ a b c Barrett (2001). p 246
  9. ^ Schaefer, U.; Towfigh, N. & Gollmer, U. (2000). Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics, p.631.  quoted in The Universal House of Justice (28 May 2004). Tablet of the Báb Lawh-i-Vasaya, "Will and Testament"; Titles of Mírzá Yahyá. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
  10. ^ Browne, E.G. (1918). Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, pp. 310-312. 
  11. ^ Browne, E.G. (1897). "Personal Reminiscences of the Babi Insurrection at Zanjan in 1850, written by Aqa `Abdu'l-Ahad-i-Zanjan". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
  12. ^ Momen, M. (1991). "The Cyprus Exiles". Bahá'í Studies Bulletin: pp. 87-96.
  13. ^ Balyuzi, H.M. (2000). Bahá'u'lláh, King of Glory, pp. 225-226. 
  14. ^ Browne, E.G. (1918). Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, p.16. 
  15. ^ Cole, J.R.I. (2002). "Baha'u'llah's Surah of God: Text, Translation, Commentary". Translations of Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Texts Vol. 6 (No. 1).
  16. ^ Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani made this claim later in his Hasht-Bihisht. This book is abstracted in part by E.G. Browne in "Note W" of his translation of A Traveller's Narrative, (Browne, E.G. (1891). A Traveller's Narrative, An epitome of Bábí and Bahá'í history to A.D. 1898, p. 359. ). However, the practice of Taqiyya (Dissimulation) was widespread among Azalis and contemporary historians recognize that: "The Azali Babis and in particular Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani and Shaykh Ahmad Ruhi showed little hesitation in alteration and falsification of Babi teachings and history in their works." (Manuchehri, Sepehr (1999). "The Practice of Taqiyyah (Dissimulation) in the Babi and Bahai Religions". Research Notes in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies Vol. 3 (no. 3). Retrieved on 2006-12-26.)
  17. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By, p. 233. 
  18. ^ Momen, M. (1991). "The Cyprus Exiles". Bahá'í Studies Bulletin: p. 99.
  19. ^ Browne, E.G. (1918). Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, pp. 312-314. 
  20. ^ Miller, William M (1974). The Bahá'í Faith: Its History and Teachings, p. 107.  Miller relied heavily on Jalal Azal who disputed the appointment of Muhammad Hadi Daulatabadi. (Momen, M. (1991). "The Cyprus Exiles". Bahá'í Studies Bulletin.)
  21. ^ "Azali". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 2006-12-26. 

[edit] References

  • Barrett, David (2001). The New Believers. London, UK: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0304355925. 
  • Schaefer, U.; & Wilson, T. (2000). Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-443-3. 
  • Smith, Peter (1988). The Bahá'í Religion, A Short Introduction to its History and Teachings. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-277-5. 

[edit] External links

eo:Subh-i-Azal fa:یحیی صبح ازل pl:Subh-i-Azal

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