Hand of the Cause of God Furutan

IRAN FURÚTAN MUHÁJIR

Bahá’í Publishing Trust 401 Greenleaf Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Copyright © 2017 Iran Furútan Muhájir All rights reserved. Published 2017 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ∞ 20 19 18 17 4 3 2 1 ISBN 978-0-87743-383-5

Cover design by Jamie Hanrahan Book design by Patrick Falso All photographs reproduced from the personal collection of Iran Furútan Muhájir.

In memory of my parents, and for my grandchildren Johnathan ‘Abbás Mohadjer Cook and Amelia Rúhíyyih Mohadjer Cook

Contents About the Author...........................................................................................ix Acknowledgments..........................................................................................xi Foreword....................................................................................................... xv Ch. 1: Childhood in Iran................................................................................1 Ch. 2: Arrival in ‘Ishqábád............................................................................15 Ch. 3: As a Youth in ‘Ishqábád......................................................................29 Ch. 4: University Years in Moscow................................................................47 Ch. 5: Return to Iran....................................................................................69 Ch. 6: Marriage.............................................................................................85 Ch. 7: Saysan................................................................................................93 Ch. 8: As Principal of the Tarbíyat School in Tehran.................................. 109 Ch. 9: Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran........................129 Ch. 10: First Pilgrimage...............................................................................149 Ch. 11: Post-Pilgrimage Travels...................................................................169 Ch. 12: Persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran...................................................177 Ch. 13: The Forty-Five Month Plan............................................................189 Ch. 14: Steadfastness of the Bahá’ís of Iran.................................................201 Ch. 15: Appointment as Hand of the Cause of God................................... 217 Ch. 16: Second Pilgrimage.......................................................................... 241 Ch. 17: Further Persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran......................................257 Ch. 18: The Passing of Shoghi Effendi........................................................ 281 vii

Contents

Ch. 19: Life as one of the Custodians of the Bahá’í Faith............................295 Ch. 20: The Passing of his Mother.............................................................. 313 Ch. 21: Election of the Universal House of Justice ..................................... 317 Ch. 22: Service under the Auspices of the Universal House of Justice.........327 Ch. 23: Extensive Travels............................................................................343 Ch. 24: Conclusion of the Nine Year Plan..................................................363 Ch. 25: Establishment of the International Teaching Center.......................379 Ch. 26: The Five Year Plan..........................................................................383 Ch. 27: Travels in the East..........................................................................395 Ch. 28: A Final Journey to Iran...................................................................403 Ch. 29: Return to Russia............................................................................. 417 Ch. 30: The Passing of Mrs. Furútan..........................................................453 Ch. 31: The Holy Year................................................................................ 461 Ch. 32: Years in Haifa.................................................................................477 Ch. 33: Passing to the Abhá Kingdom.........................................................493 References...................................................................................................499 Index........................................................................................................... 519

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About the Author Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Mrs. Iran Furútan Muhájir is the daughter of Hand of the Cause of God Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan, and the widow of Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir.

Mrs. Muhájir has pursued an active life of service to the Bahá’í Faith. In 1954 she and Dr. Muhájir went to their first pioneer post in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, and were each honored by the beloved Guardian with the accolade of Knight of Bahá’u’lláh. She also pioneered to the Philippines and India, where she was the managing Director of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust for five years. She has traveled to more than fifty countries in service to the Bahá’í Faith and has served on a variety of Bahá’í institutions and Spiritual Assemblies, including the National Spiritual Assembly of the Philippines. She resided at the Bahá’í World Center in the company of her father for more than ten years and undertook special projects for the Universal House of Justice. She continues to work on a number of international Bahá’í assignments and translations.

Mrs. Muhájir is the author of the book Dr. Muhájir and has compiled several important Bahá’í books, including The Mystery of God (a portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá), and Dawn of a New Day, which she expanded into Shoghi Effendi’s Letters to the Indian Sub-Continent. During her years in India she created a correspondence course about the Faith which was used in many countries that were involved in mass teaching. Her forthcoming project is the biography of Hand of the Cause of God Siyyid Mustafa Rumi.

She holds a Master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. She has one daughter, Gisu, who is married to Robert W. Cook, and two grandchildren, Johnathan and Amelia. She lives in Potomac, Maryland.

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Acknowledgments In writing this biography I had the benefit of the handwritten memoirs of my father, Hand of the Cause of God Furútan, who gave them to me in person.

Also preserved in his personal papers and entrusted to me were letters of the Guardian, his own letters to the Guardian, and many articles and photographs.

In addition to these materials, I researched many publications and Bahá’í periodicals to gather as much information about his travels as possible. However, this biography is just a glimpse into his nearly nine decades of service to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. No doubt future historians will add volumes to elaborate on what by necessity does not appear in these pages.

I am greatly indebted to the Universal House of Justice for its loving encouragement and guidance.

I am thankful to my daughter, Gisu Mohadjer, for the many hours that she spent in reading and editing the manuscript to bring it to its present shape.

Last but not least, my thanks go to Bahhaj Taherzadeh for his diligent review of the manuscript and wise suggestions.

Iran Furútan Muhájir

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May My praise, salutations, and greetings rest upon the stars of the heaven of Thy knowledge—the Hands of Thy Cause—they who circled round Thy Will, spoke not save after Thy leave, and clung not save unto Thy hem. They are servants whose mention and praise are recorded in the Holy Writ, Thy Books and Tablets wherein are extolled their services, victories, and high resolve. Through them the standards of Thy oneness were raised in Thy cities and realms, and the banners of Thy sanctity were uplifted in Thy kingdom. . . . Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast aided me to make mention of them and to praise them and their stations in Thy Cause and in Thy days.

—Bahá’u’lláh

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Foreword Here is the story of a life distinguished by submission to the will of God. It is told eloquently by a daughter who is well familiar with her father’s work and shares his profound love for a Cause that she, too, has served with distinction.

For those of us who knew Mr. Furútan, the narrative brings back cherished memories—a special combination of love, respect, and admiration that never failed to stir within us when in his company. To all of us, independent of the extent of our acquaintance with him, it offers glimpses into the heart and mind of a soul truly illumined. But there is more to the book. Mr. Furútan’s life spanned the greater part of the twentieth century, and as we read these pages, we see how the dialectic of crisis and victory operated during that period—first in Russia and Iran, and then throughout the world, which eventually became his sphere of service. Given the scale of the atrocities endured by humanity in that timeframe, it may appear puzzling to some that it should be considered the “century of light.” Yet we must remember that during those one hundred years the rays of the Sun of Truth reached all corners of the earth and the lamp of a new hope was lit in every land. We are indebted to the author for the valuable insights we are given into the dynamics of sacrificial service as we witness over the course of the book the Faith of a small persecuted community transform into a firmly established worldwide religion.

The chapters dedicated to Mr. Furútan’s studies and service in Russia make no claim to provide a thorough historical account of the Cause in that country.

Yet they contain captivating stories that allow us to see unfolding events in that region through his observant eyes. The Bahá’í community of ‘Ishqábád, where he spends the final years of his childhood and part of his youth, seems to be nurtured by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to demonstrate the society-building potential of the Faith, even at that early stage in its emergence. Russia, however, is busy with its own plan of transformation, a plan that, alas, finally produces one of the most oppressive systems ever invented. Strangely enough, the new system xv

Foreword

feels uneasy about the activities of the small band of Bahá’u’lláh’s followers in that land—apparently, it recognizes the Faith’s inherent powers—and freedom ends. Courage usually results in exile to Siberia, yet Mr. Furútan, by now a university student in Moscow, walks through the storm safely, for he clearly enjoys a special measure of protection. With astonishing boldness, he defends his beliefs and remains in that city long enough to complete his education, before returning to his native land.

There is a sizable body of literature on the rise of the Faith in Iran, and this book is a welcome addition to the material already available. It provides us with a unique view of developments in that country during Shoghi Effendi’s ministry. The many faces of persecution are plainly exposed in the book. The crown of martyrdom is bestowed upon certain souls chosen by the Hand of Providence; everyone else must learn to live a life that is under constant threat.

Loss of property, dismissal from work, denial of education, attacks by angry mobs, arbitrary rulings by officials, and ever-present insult—these are but a few of the injustices to which Iranian Bahá’ís are subjected. It is true that there are moments of ease, but the tide of persecution ebbs only to surge again in full strength. Why, then, the serenity and the joy, the energy and the hope that characterize the Bahá’í community decade after decade? As we read the chapters covering the twenty-three years that Mr. Furútan was secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, we can discern some of the reasons for the community’s resilience in the sincerity and indomitable faith of the body of the believers, in the wisdom and love of those who served them, and in the determination of one and all to keep their gazes fixed on the Center of the Faith.

The Cause of Bahá’u’lláh is endowed with the capacity to rear souls who, whatever the time or place, can enter the arena of service and act decisively in response to the demands of the moment. Mr. Furútan is clearly one such figure.

He rose to serve the Faith in Iran when the sorely tried community was in need of love, support, and encouragement. The episodes presented in this part of the book give an indication of the weight of the responsibilities he shouldered as secretary of the National Assembly. But, rightfully, the focus is not on the burden. What comes through in the account is a spirit of joy and triumph. As we look through Mr. Furútan’s eyes, we marvel at the extraordinary capacity of the believers to move forward in the direction set for them by the Guardian. The development of the Administrative Order, requiring, for so many, a dramatic shift in worldview, accelerates day by day. Conferences and gatherings of consultation multiply steadily, as do courses that help a large national community deepen its knowledge of the tenets of the Faith. The community rises with alacrity to carry out the provisions of its forty-five month plan of expansion and consolidation in Iran and in neighboring countries. Every Friday morning, thousands of children set out from their homes for their Dars-i-Akhláq, where xvi

Foreword

they study with their Bahá’í teachers a series of books prepared by Mr. Furútan.

Steadfastness and enthusiasm abound. To witness such surges of vitality is but one of the rewards the Almighty bestows upon those who devote themselves to His Cause.

Every Bahá’í knows that the Guardian’s decision to raise certain believers to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God during the last years of his life held immense significance. It is impossible to imagine how, after his passing, the worldwide Bahá’í community would have steered the course ahead without the tireless and united efforts of those exalted souls to protect it and to foster its propagation. That they prepared the way for the election of the Universal House of Justice and then, having been in charge of the affairs of the community, asked not to be considered for membership on that body points to the high spiritual ground on which they stood. Their action can be understood as a clear statement that yearning for power, responsible for the corruption of religion in the past, would find no place in the hallowed precincts of the Administrative Order; this is a day that is not followed by night. However well documented such historical facts in other works, the chapters dedicated to the period of Mr. Furútan’s life as Hand of the Cause have their own charm and appeal, for they describe in detail many a specific step taken in the onward march of the Faith during the second half of the twentieth century. It is as if we travel with him from continent to continent, meeting individuals and audiences and becoming intimately aware of the circumstances of the worldwide community as it moves from strength to strength. We even have the fortune of observing the resurgence of the Faith in Russia when, after sixty years, the Guardian’s promise is fulfilled and Mr. Furútan is able to travel once again to a land he loved so dearly.

The childhood and early adolescence of Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan coincided with the final decade and a half of the Heroic Age of the Faith. The blood of the martyrs was fresh, and persecution ran wild. Souls fell victim to fanaticism, as ignorance was cultivated in the masses under the guise of the fear of God. As a child in Iran, he was blessed with a home that could shield him from harm and provide him with an environment of love and steadfastness, qualities that would characterize him throughout his life. At the age of nine, he entered the Bahá’í community of ‘Ishqábád, which was flourishing in freedom. There he studied and he learned, and by the age of fifteen he was already a distinguished teacher. Later in Iran, he consecrated himself entirely to the service of the Faith, now in its Formative Age; not for a moment did he waiver. And when he was raised to the station of Hand of the Cause of God, he found within him an even vaster store of energy, giving his utmost with a characteristic generosity of spirit and an unshakable sense of duty. Whoever had eyes could see the light of fortitude shining through him. xvii

Foreword

The story that unfolds in these pages is clearly about a man who achieved greatness, but not of the kind that worldly leaders seem to cherish. His greatness was a fruit of self-abnegation and selfless service, free from the grip of personal ambition. While still a young man, he took the decision with his wife to settle in the small village of Saysan in order to tend to the educational needs of its inhabitants. Nothing more did they desire. The Guardian, to whom Mr. Furútan turned at all times, graciously approved their plans but indicated that other fields of service awaited him. It was this young delegate from Saysan who attended the first National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Iran, was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly and became its secretary. From that point forward, he labored ceaselessly day and night, and as wider arenas of service opened before him, he simply responded to each one with an acquiescence at once radiant and decisive. His life bears testimony to the purity of a Cause in which those who earn distinction seek not position and praise but to give their all in the path of service to their Beloved.

Farzam Arbab San Diego March 2017

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Childhood in Iran Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan was born in the city of Sabzevar in the province of Khorasan, Iran.

Situated between Mashhad and Tehran, Sabzevar was once one of Persia’s largest and most prosperous cities. Previously called “Bayhaq” and also known as Dáru’l-Mu’minín, meaning the “City of Believers,” it had, by the midnineteenth century, declined in size and stature and become a typical small Persian town. Its people—mostly illiterate, superstitious, and fanatical adherents of Shi‘i Islam—blindly followed the preaching of their clergy.

Mullá Þusayn and his companions stopped in Sabzevar for two days on their way from Mashhad to Fort øabarsí, and as a result several of Sabzevar’s inhabitants became Bábís. Nabíl Zarandí brought the news of the declaration of Bahá’u’lláh to Sabzevar in 1866 and several of the Bábís of the town became Bahá’ís. Others who were not Bábís also converted, among them merchants and craftsmen.1 Áyatulláh Þájí Mullá Ibráhím Sharí’atmadár Sabzevarí was the Grand Mujtahid of Sabzevar in the early 1900s, and enjoyed enormous power as the religious head and the Imám Jum‘ih of that city. He had met the Báb while He was in Isfahan and had become a Bábí. He later accepted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and was honored by receiving a Tablet from Him.2 However, he practiced taqíyyih and dissimulated his thoughts and beliefs and thus was able to assist the Bábís and Bahá’ís of that town during desperate times of persecution.3 The new Bahá’ís received numerous Tablets from Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá praised Sabzevar in a Tablet addressed to the friends: Ghabrá in the Arabic language means the earth and Khazrá the highest paradise. The Blessed Beauty, may my life be sacrificed for His loved ones, called 1

Hand of the Cause of God Furútan

that city Khazrá, thus with His grace and bounty that land should turn into heaven and that city become the day-spring of the shining moon. . . . 4 It was in this town that on the 29th day of April 1905, at a pleasant and cool dawn, a child was born into a distinguished Muslim family. He was the second son and was given the name ‘Alí-Akbar after the eldest revered son of the great martyr of Shi‘i Islam, the Imám Þusayn. He was destined to become a spiritual champion in the annals of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh as a Hand of the Cause of God appointed by the Guardian, and was to serve the Faith with dedication and faithfulness for more than nine decades.

‘Alí-Akbar’s father was Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí Þaddád Sabzevarí, the son of Karbala’í ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb Sabzevarí, who was a member of a well-connected clerical family that had made pilgrimage to the holy sites in Karbala and had the distinction of having the title of Karbala’í before their names. They were related to the Grand Ayatolláh Sharí’atmadár Sabzevarí. ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb’s wife, Maryam Khánum, was the daughter of Ha¤rat Qulí, a member of the Farhád Khání Kurdish tribe of Qúchán, Khorasan, and the granddaughter of Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Mu¥sin Munajjim, a renowned astronomer.5 ‘Alí-Akbar’s mother, ßughrá Khánum, was from a middle-class, well-known merchant family of Sabzevar.

‘Alí-Akbar’s parents followed the laws and traditions of Shi‘i Islam with piety and diligence, and regularly attended the sermons of the mullás at the mosque, gave alms, and fed the poor on the holy days. As they had done for his elder brother, Mu¥ammad Þusayn, they dedicated ‘Alí-Akbar to his namesake by performing all the usual Muslim religious rituals around him. On the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Imám Þusayn their house was decked in black and green cloth; black in memory of the martyrdom of the Imám, and green as a sign of the Imám’s descent from the Prophet Mu¥ammad. After the local mullá recited verses from the Qur’án, ‘Ali-Akbar was taken to the mosque where the mullá shaved his hair, which had been left to grow for the past year.

For this service the mullá received a gold coin. The shaved hair was then piled on a goldsmith’s scale and small gold coins equal to its weight were donated to the mosque.6 At the end of this ceremony, neighbors and other worshippers gathered around the now “blessed child” to chant the praises of the Imám Þusayn; the ceremony ended with more recitations from the Qur’án. The family then fed a great number of the poor in memory of the Imám.

‘Alí-Akbar was three years old when another honor was bestowed upon him.

On the day of the martyrdom of the Imám Þusayn, he carried a leather waterpouch and stood by the gate of the mosque to offer water to the mourners who were performing flagellation with chains and cutting their skin with razor blades. A year later, a special chain with razor blades was bought for him to 2

Childhood in Iran

Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí Þaddád Sabzevarí, ßughrá Khánum, the mother of ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan the father of ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan

perform flagellation as he chanted the praise of the martyred Imám. The scars of these flagellations were apparent on his back to the end of his life. These practices continued until his mother, ßughrá Khánum, and his paternal grandmother, Maryam Khánum, became Bahá’ís, when he was five years old.

‘Alí-Akbar’s father, Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí, accepted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh when his son was four years old. During the winter of 1909 Þájí Mírzá Taqí Khán Qájár, an erudite Bahá’í teacher, who was on his way to Mashhad to visit the Bahá’ís, stayed the night in Sabzevar at the home of Karbala’í JarrᥠSabzevarí, a respected local surgeon who was a Bahá’í and a neighbor of Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí. Karbala’í Jarrᥠinvited him for dinner to meet his guest and as a result of this meeting with the celebrated Bahá’í teacher, Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí embraced the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. As was the custom of the time, he kept his conversion a secret and mentioned his newfound faith only to a few friends who had also become Bahá’ís. Some evenings when one or two of them visited him, they went to the corner of the kitchen where the tanúr, the deep clay oven for baking bread, was located, put a lighted candle at its base, and leaned into it to read the letters and Tablets that were sent to them by the Bahá’í teachers.7 3

Hand of the Cause of God Furútan

ßughrá Khánum did not know about her husband’s conversion, but his mother, Maryam Khánum, was aware of it. Mr. Furútan remembered his grandmother as a tall, strong woman with the distinctive traits of courage and boldness of her Kurdish tribe and the beauty for which her people were famed.

Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí was her only child, whom she had reared alone since his babyhood after she separated from her husband when he married a second wife. Although a strong believer in Shi‘i Islam, she had removed her son from the influence of his father’s clerical relations and had put him to work as an apprentice in a blacksmith’s shop. However, she had tried her best to imbue her only son with the Muslim traditions and to bring him up as a staunch Shi‘i.

Now she believed that in spite of all her efforts her son had deviated from the right path. She often implored God to purge this ignominy so that the shame of his becoming a Bábí would not become known.8 Sabzevar was still known as the “City of Believers” and the “City of Worship.” Its inhabitants turned out in large numbers on the days of the anniversaries of the martyrdoms of the Imáms, using the occasions to curse the “Bábí dogs,” who were believed to be enemies of the Prophet and Islam. There were also a few other non-Shi‘is in the city, mostly Sunnis and Armenian tradesmen.

Similar to the Bahá’ís, these two groups were the object of the fanatical fury of the Shi‘i mob once it was aroused.

Mr. Furútan related an incident in Sabzevar when an Armenian merchant, who was falsely accused of having had an illicit relationship with a Muslim woman, was tortured, stoned, and knifed to death in the public square. Still not satiated by his murder, the frenzied, vengeful mob demanded the blood of a Bábí. It attacked the ironsmith shop of Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí, who by now was rumored to be a Bábí, and dragged him in handcuffs with a noose round his neck to the Mujtahid’s house, demanding a decree for his hanging.

By chance, Maryam Khánum was taking her grandson Mu¥ammad Þusayn to the bazaar at the same time. She asked the onlookers about the commotion and was informed that her son had become a Bábí and was being taken to the Mujtahid. Hearing that the disgrace of her son’s conversion to Bábísm had become public, Maryam Khánum dragged her grandson home and informed her daughter-in-law of the baleful news of her husband’s downfall. The two women wailed, beating their chests, and Maryam Khánum beseeched the Prophet Mu¥ammad and all the Imáms to allow the hanging of her son.

The Grand Mujtahid, Mullá Ibráhím Sharí’atmadár-i-Sabzevarí, was not only a relative of Karbala’í Mu¥ammad-‘Alí but, as mentioned before, secretly a believer in the Faith. Mr. Furútan often talked about him and said that he always carried a Tablet addressed to him by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, hidden in his turban.

Once a delegation from the league of traders of the bazaar had visited Mullá 4

End of this sample.

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