Ásíyih Khánum - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ásíyih Khánum (‎‎) was the wife 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....

. She is viewed by Bahá’ís as the paragon of a devoted mother and wife. She is also known by her titles of Navváb, the Most Exalted Leaf, Búyúk Khánum or Hadrat-i-Khánum. Khánum, is a title usually given to a Persian lady and is equivalent to madam. Bahá’u’lláh and Ásíyih Khánum were known as the Father of the Poor and the Mother of Consolation for their extraordinary generosity and regard for the impoverished. Bahá'u'lláh, along with Ásíyih Khánum and her children are regarded as the Bahá'í holy family.

Background

Ásíyih Khánum was born Ásíyih Yalrúdí the only daughter of Mírzá Ismá’íl Yalrúdí, the vazír or minister. Ásíyih Khánum was born in Mazandaran, Persia to a wealthy noble family. Her father Mírzá Ismá’íl was a minister in the court of the King of Persia and highly influential and wealthy. She had one brother Mírzá Mahmúd who did not become a Bábí

Babi

Babi may refer to:* Babı, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Babi Dynasty, founded in 1735 by Muhammed Sher Khan Babi , Nawabs of this dynasty went on to rule over Junagadh in Gujarat, from the 18th to the 20th century....

or a Bahá’í. Little is known about the early life of Ásíyih Khánum. This is mainly due to the fact that contemporaries did not care for the maternal side of families concentrating more on the males – hence the name of her mother is unknown. What can be assumed however is that the young Ásíyih Khánum was educated well, learning to read and write in Persian and Arabic.

Marriage

More information is known about her after her marriage to Bahá’u’lláh. In 1832 her eldest brother, Mírzá Mahmúd, was wedded to an elder sister of Bahá’u’lláh; Sarah. Sarah Khánum was very close to Bahá’u’lláh and was gratified with evidence of her beauty, piety and kindness. She quickly devised a plan to marry the two together. Mírzá `Abbás Núrí

Mírzá `Abbás Núrí

Mírzá `Abbás-i-Núrí more commonly known as Mírzá Buzurg was the father of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Mírzá Buzurg was a nobleman from the Persian province of Núr, and worked for a time in the service of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh....

(father of Bahá'u'lláh) accepted perhaps enticed by the huge dowry which included three servants, large piece of land, property and a huge sum of money. The betrothal was then made official. For the young Ásíyih marriage would have meant a new found freedom something which ladies in nineteenth century Persia could only find through marriage. In her youth she was lauded for her beauty being described as "tall, slender, graceful, eyes of dark blue" "slender, stately…with white skin and blue eyes and dark hair" and "winsome, vivacious and exceedingly beautiful".

In October 1835 the fifteen-year-old Ásíyih Khánum married Bahá’u’lláh in a grand and sumptuous ceremony with the buttons on Ásíyih Khánum’s clothes as jewels, these jewels were later sold to provide for food for the family during the persecution of Bábís

Persecution of Bahá'ís

The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...

in 1852. The early years of the marriage were apparently happy, according to Bahá'í texts, living a life of luxury; with Ásíyih and Bahá’u’lláh occupying themselves with philanthropy though naturally Ásíyih only helped the women and young children. The marriage resulted in seven children: Kázim, Sádiq, `Abbás, `Alí-Muhammad, Bahíyyih

Bahiyyih Khánum

Bahíyyih Khánum the only daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and Ásíyih Khánum. She was born in 1846 with the given name Fatimih Sultan, and was entitled "Varaqiy-i-'Ulyá" or "Greatest Holy Leaf"...

, Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

and `Alí-Muhammad. Only three survived to adulthood all of whom were incredibly loyal to their mother. Ásíyih Khánum was very close to her children, and took active participation in their upbringing especially `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...

.

The three surviving children of the couple were `Abbás, entitled the Most Great Branch, who later took the epithet `Abdu'l-Bahá

`Abdu'l-Bahá

. Bahíyyih, entitled the Greatest Holy Leaf, and known as Bahíyyih Khánum

Bahiyyih Khánum

and Mihdí, entitled the Purest Branch, and known as Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

. The oldest of these: `Abbás, married in 1873 to Fátimih Nahrí

Munirih Khánum

Munírih Khánum was the wife of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. She was entitled the Holy Mother...

and had nine children. In her youth Bahíyyih chose to remain unmarried so therefore she had no children. Mihdí died at the age of twenty-two unmarried. All in all Ásíyih had nine grandchildren with only four surviving to adulthood.

As a Bábí

In 1844 Bahá’u’lláh heard of a new faith Bábísm

Bábism

The Babi Faith is a religious movement that flourished in Persia from 1844 to 1852, then lingered on in exile in the Ottoman Empire as well as underground. Its founder was Siyyid `Alí Muhammad Shirazi, who took the title Báb—meaning "Gate"—from a Shi'a theological term...

and accepted. At 23, Ásíyih Khánum accepted the faith and her family became one it’s most prominent members. The Núrí family lived in the capital 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...

or sometimes Mazandaran – the norm of upper-class Persian families. She was aware of the plight of many of the Bábís and even was a close friend to Táhirih

Táhirih

Táhirih or Qurratu'l-`Ayn are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání , an influential poet and theologian of the Bábí Faith in Iran. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion...

whom she entertained in her private parlour.

On 15 August 1852, a radical group of Bábís attempted the assassination of the Shah and failed. The group of Bábís linked with the plan were rounded up and killed, and, notwithstanding the assassins' claim that they were working alone, the entire Bábí community was blamed and a general pogrom of the Bábí community was started by the Shah. Ásíyih was not spared. Her home was looted, its possessions were taken away and she was left in practical poverty. From being one of the most wealthy and influential families of Persia to penury in one night left a mark on Ásíyih for the rest of her life.

Baghdad

In 1852 her husband was arrested because of his Bábí faith. Her home was looted and the family were left in destitution. According to her daughter, Ásíyih would go the home of her aunt to find any news of Bahá’u’lláh. She lived in constant fear in case Bahá’u’lláh would be executed witnessing everyday one Bábí being killed from the Síyáh-Chál

Síyáh-Chál

Síyáh-Chál is the common word in Persian language for "dungeon".Historically, siyah-chals were used as a harsher form of incarceration. Typically, such dungeons had no windows or outlets, other than the entrance, consisting of a short stairway into the ground.In Bahá'í history the "Síyáh-Chál"...

. She sold parts of her dowry and used them to bribe guards to give food to her husband. An edict arrived banishing the family to Baghdad

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

. On leaving, no-one came to say goodbye save the "grandmother of Ásíyih Khánum". She reluctantly left her favourite child, Mihdí, in her care.

When her husband was exiled in the freezing January 1853 she accompanied him becoming his closest companion and confidante. As a young woman exiled, she was ill-prepared for her journey finding the exile hard and demanding "young as she was and unaccustomed to sorrow". She was pregnant when exiled in January 1853 – causing her much difficulty. However, she stayed quiet about her problems in order not to upset the demoralized exiles.

Bahá’u’lláh decided to retreat to Kurdistan and left his two brothers Mírzá Músá

Mírzá Músá

Mírzá Músá , surnamed Áqáy-i-Kalím was the only true brother of Bahá'u'lláh, meaning that they shared the same mother. He was later named by Shoghi Effendi as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh....

and Subh-i-Azal

Subh-i-Azal

' was a Persian religious leader of Azali Bábism.-Background:Mirza Yahya was born in 1831 to Kuchak Khanum-i-Karmanshahi 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...

to care for the family. The latter was often cruel to the family and when Ásíyih’s baby needed a doctor he forbade her from getting one. The child, born in Baghdad

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

whom she named `Alí-Muhammad after the Báb

Báb

Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...

. He died around 1855 at the age of about two, affecting her greatly. Her daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

explains: "the sweet body of our beautiful baby was given to a man, who took it away, and we never knew even where he was laid. I remember so clearly the sorrow of those days". When her husband left Baghdad to live in solitude she knelt greatly for support on her son

`Abdu'l-Bahá

and daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

and the three became inseparable. The period in Baghdad was extremely painful for the delicate Ásíyih Khánum; the exile, the separation from Mihdí, loss of her child and separation from her husband left her emotionally and physically drained.

Constantinople/Adrianople

The family were subsequently exiled again to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

in 1863. During this period Ásíyih consoled herself with knowing her husband was with her, but according to her daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

she was also petrified knowing that at any time she could be separated from him "as though a sword were hanging over our heads". It was during this time that her daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

grew into a beautiful seventeen-year-old and began emulating her mother. She implored her parents, father in particular, to remain unmarried. According to Bahá'í sources, her mother gladly accepted this request and the two became constant companions.

Shortly after the arrival in Constantinople they were exiled to the remote Adrianople. The journey was an exhausting and wearisome one during the bitter winter. The cold winter took its toll of Ásíyih and she fell gravely ill. The five years in Adrianople were also unhappy. After Bahá’u’lláh almost died, the family were beside themselves with grief. Ásíyih and her children were then told that they would be all exiled to different places away from Bahá’u’lláh, she became so grievous that for a few days she neither slept nor ate. It was, according to Bahá’ís, through the intercession of `Abdu’l-Bahá that the edict was scrapped and the family all exiled together.

Acre

A royal command was issued in July 1868 condemning the Bábís/Bahá'ís to perpetual imprisonment and isolation in far-flung outposts of the Ottoman Empire — Famagusta

Famagusta

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...

, Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

for Mirza Yahya and his followers, and `Akká

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 Ottoman Palestine

Palestine

Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

, for Bahá'u'lláh and his followers. Again and for the last time the family were exiled to the prison city of Acre, Israel

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....

. This was by far the most devastating place the family had been to . Accompanying her was her was her 24-year-old son

`Abdu'l-Bahá

, her 21-year-old daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

, her twenty-year-old son Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

and her husband. A band of companions also accompanied. The Bahá’ís arrived in July in the heart of the summer, and when arrived where all seasick. The inhabitants of Acre were told that the new prisoners were enemies of the state, of God and his religion, and that association with them was strictly forbidden. The aggressive public was jeering and throwing abuse. She was greatly distressed by this and almost all of the exiles fell dangerously ill. Her husband and she depended emotionally on each other during this difficult period.

The period was distressing for Ásíyih Khánum, as it was for many of the Bahá'ís, due to the death of three Bahá'ís and hostile behavior of the surrounding population. The Bahá’ís were imprisoned under horrendous conditions in a cluster of cells covered in dirt and sewage and not given sufficient food for three days. The most devastating circumstance for Ásíyih was probably the death of her youngest and favourite son; twenty-two-year-old Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

. The site was painful for the onlookers, who witnessed the dying Mírzá Mihdí, covered in blood, hold out his arms to his mother. On witnessing this Ásíyih made an agonizing sigh and lost consciousness to the consternation of Bahíyyih Khánum

Bahiyyih Khánum

. His death caused her much pain – so much so that her family feared for her life. According to Bahá’ís the disconsolate Ásíyih was helped by Bahá’u’lláh who assured his wife their child was in heaven. Bahíyyih Khánum

Bahiyyih Khánum

gathered and kept her brother's blood-stained clothes after he died in 1870. Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...

has described her as having "continued to evince a fortitude, a piety, a devotion and a nobility of soul".

Easing of Restrictions

In 1870 restrictions were eased for the family and they were moved from the prison. As the people of Acre started to respect the Bahá'ís and in particular, `Abdu'l-Bahá, `Abdu'l-Bahá was able to arrange for houses to be rented for the family, and the family finally moved to the Mansion of Bahjí

Mansion of Bahjí

The Mansion of Bahjí is a term used to describe a summer house in Acre, Israel, where Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith died in 1892. His shrine is located next to this house...

around 1879 when an epidemic caused the inhabitants to flee. She was greatly respected and admired by the Bahá’ís and known for her keen sense of humour, kindness and compassion.

Ásíyih personally helped women and children of Acre who were struck with illness nursing them to health. Though she was dainty and off little strength she nonetheless served the household and pilgrims with the help her daughter and Bahá’u’lláh. Her health soon swiftly declined with many of her family believing it was the climate of Acre.

Ásíyih spent most of her time devoted to piety and her family. Bahá’u’lláh called her “Navváb”, a respectable term Persian noblemen called their wives. She was also affectionately known as Búyúk Khánum. He also named her the Most Exalted Leaf and his "perpetual consort in the worlds of God". Bahá’u’lláh named her son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as his successor. She was greatly esteemed and revered by Bahá’ís and even by her own children and was referred to as "the Exalted Leaf" by them. Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...

described her as “the most distinguished of all people”. `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote about his mother:

Death

Ásíyih died in 1886 peacefully with Bahá'u'lláh by her side at the age of 66. Her passing was mourned by the populace of Acre; her funeral was attended by Muslims, Christians and Druze

Druze

The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...

people.
Bahá’u’lláh remarked that after Ásíyih, his light had been turned to darkness, his joy to sadness and calmness into agitation. Her death was followed by several other deaths which hurt the family: a year later the death of Mírzá Músá

Mírzá Músá

, the brother of Bahá’u’lláh, followed by the passing of `Abdu’l-Bahá’s son and Bahá’u’lláh grandson (five-year-old Husayn) only increased Bahá’u’lláh’s mourning. `Abdu’l-Bahá writes that when it came to suffering, his mother "endured with patience and thanked God therefore and praised Him". Though her children were deeply hurt, it was Bahá’u’lláh who was the most affected. He was so grief-stricken that he lost his appetite to eat and was overwhelmed with sorrow.

He revealed a tablet in her honour which he extols her virtues writing God "is well-pleased with thee" and that God "hath singled thee out for His own Self, and chosen thee from among His handmaidens". Heart-broken, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a number of writings in honour of Ásíyih. In one revealed shortly after her death, he describes her as his "companion", that she had been faithful at all times, that she had drank from the "chalice" of tribulation and praised her steadfastness and devotion. He described her death as the second most sorrowful event for the Bahá'ís – the first being the death of Khadíjih-Bagum

Khadíjih-Bagum

Khadíjih Bagum was the wife of the Báb. Throughout Bahá'í literature she is sometimes referred to as Khadíjih-Sultán Bagum, Khadíjih Bigum or Khadíjih Khánum.-Background:...

– and that he was overtaken by sadness. He also warns "woe betide" anybody who tries to marginalize her, or question her station. She was originally buried in a Muslim cemetery with her son, Mírzá Mihdí, but in December 1939 her body was removed and reburied on in the gardens below the Arc

The Arc (Bahá'í)

The Arc is a number of Bahá'í administrative buildings at the Bahá'í World Centre on Mount Carmel located at Haifa, Israel. They include the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, the Seat of the International Teaching Centre, the International Archives, and the Centre for the Study of the Sacred...

on Mount Carmel in 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...

in an area now called the Monument Gardens.

Reburial

After Ásíyih died in 1886 she was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Acre. Years rolled on with Western and Eastern pilgrims were forced to venturing to the cemetery to visit her grave and the grave of her son. In 1932 her daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

died and her wish was to be buried beside her mother and brother

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

. Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...

thought the burial of Ásíyih in the cemetery was unbefitting for her and her son. After fifty-three years of burial Shoghi Effendi arranged to secretly transfer her remains and that of her son to be buried near her daughter in Mount Carmel. They were removed from their previous resting places and the bodies were temporarily left in the Shrine of the Báb

Shrine of the Báb

The Shrine of the Báb is a structure in Haifa, Israel where the remains of the Báb, founder of Bábism and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been laid to rest; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís, after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre...

till the burial arrangements were finished. He then cabled the Bahá’ís:
He commissioned two marble monuments to be built made in Corinthian style from Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. After successfully transferring the remains Shoghi Effendi reburied the two next to each other in a ceremony on Christmas Day of 1939. The burial ground is now called the Monument Gardens the burial ground of the Bahá’í "holy family" namely the wife, son

Mírzá Mihdí

Mírzá Mihdí , given the title Ghusn-i-Athar . Mírzá Mihdí was born Mihdí Núrí in Tehran, and named after a deceased brother of his father.-Biography:...

, daughter

Bahiyyih Khánum

and daughter-in-law

Munirih Khánum

Munírih Khánum was the wife of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. She was entitled the Holy Mother...

of Bahá’u’lláh.

Background

Marriage

As a Bábí

Baghdad

Constantinople/Adrianople

Acre

Easing of Restrictions

Death

Reburial

See also