(d. 1927-8) also known by the appellation Fádil-i-Furúghí, was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...

, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....

, a global religion of Persian origin. He was the only Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian Bahá'í teacher who was given the chance to meet face to face with a Qajar

Qajar dynasty

The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....

 Shah

Shah

Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...

, was later identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh

Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh

The Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh were nineteen eminent early followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and the list was included in The Bahá'í World, Vol...

.

Background

Mírzá Mahmúd came from a remote village in Khurasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...

 named Dúghábád. His father was Mullá Mírzá Muhammad, one of the few survivors of the battle of fort Tabarsi

Shaykh Tabarsi

', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...

, who was an influential Shi'a

Shi'a Islam

Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...

 divine prior to becoming a Bábí. Mullá Mírzá Muhammad, who had never before used a weapon, was wounded five times by bullets or swords; but in the end he survived and made his way back home, where he faced persecution for his new faith.

Mullá Mírzá Muhammad was taken in chains to Mashhad, and after a long interim in the prison was released again, only to become a devoted follower of Bahá'u'lláh. He travelled often to Ishqabad with his son Mírzá Mahmúd, where many persecuted Bahá'ís settled. In Ishqabad, Mírzá Mahmúd became a well known teacher of the Bahá'í Faith, often dedicating himself to the welfare of the youth. One biographer described his time there:

"He was never impatient, never autocratic. Kind and considerate, he led the youth gently to better manners, better understanding, better conduct. And he was exceedingly modest."

(Eminent Bahá'ís, pg. 160)

Travels

The Islamic divines of Dúghábád caused the governor of the district to have Mírzá Mahmúd arrested for being a Bahá'í. He was sent in chains to Mashhad. From his prison-cell, he managed to secretly send a letter to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, who issued an order for the release of Mírzá Mahmúd. The clerics of Mashhad managed to have him exiled, rather than set free, to a remote corner of Khorasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...

 named Kalát.

In Kalát the governor soon became good friends with Mírzá Mahmúd, and informed him of the death of Bahá'u'lláh. In his grief, Mírzá Mahmúd began a three-day fast

Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...

. On the fourth night, Bahá'u'lláh appeared to him in a dream, which he claimed gave him new life.

He then travelled to Haifa

Haifa

Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

 and Akka

Acre, Israel

Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....

 in Palestine where he met `Abdu'l-Bahá

`Abdu'l-Bahá

‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...

 and then to Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

 where he met Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl

Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl

' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...

. He then returned to Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

 where he met face to face with the Qajar prince, Kamran Mírza, son of Nasser al-Din Shah and brother to Mozzafar al-Din Shah. He then travelled to Ashgabat, to Haifa where he met `Abdu'l-Bahá again, and then back to Iran. After once again travelling to Haifa and returning to Iran, where he was severely beaten in a mob attack he met with the Shah of Iran Mozzafar al-Din Shah Qajar. His later travels included times in Yazd

Yazd

Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....

, Khorasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...

, his home town of Dúghábád, Ashgabat, Mashad, where he survived a murder attempt, Ashgabat, Egypt, Haifa, Mashad, and then Dúghábád. Here Mírzá Mahmúd was poisoned by one of his enemies, and died in AH 1346 (CE 1927-1928).