Badíʻ (18521869) was an eminent early follower of

Baháʼu'lláh Baháʼu'lláh (, born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was an Iranian religious leader who founded the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Iran and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Báb ...

, founder of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, and considered one of his chief

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

. At the age of 17 he delivered a letter from Baháʼu'lláh to Náṣiri'd-Dín S͟háh, for which he was tortured and killed.

Background

Badíʻ was from Nís͟hábúr, in the province of Khurásán. His given name was Buzurg, and the title Badíʻ' ( meaning "wonderful") was given to him by

after his martyrdom. His name sometimes appears as Mírzá or Áqá Buzurg-i-Nís͟hábúrí (or Nís͟hápúrí) or Khurásání. Although his father, Haji ʻAbdu'l-Majíd, was a Baháʼí, at first Badíʻ was not drawn to the new religion. He was an unruly and rebellious youth, and for this reason, his father had originally described him as the "despair of the family". Haji ʻAbdu'l-Majíd was later addressed by Baháʼu'lláh as Aba Badíʻ ("Father of Badíʻ"). Haji ʻAbdu'l-Majíd was a dealer in shawls and a noted merchant who had survived the

Battle of Fort Tabarsi Shaykh Ṭabarsí, or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Naser al-Din Shah Qajar and the Bábís over a period of seven months: October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849. The commanding ...

(1848 -1849). In 1877, at age 85, Badíʻs father was executed at a public square in

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

because he repeatedly refused to recant his faith.

Travels

It was upon a meeting with

Nabíl-i-Aʻzam Mullá Yár-Muḥammad-i-Zarandí (29 July 1831 – 1892), more commonly known as Nabíl-i-Aẓam ( "the Great Nabíl") or Nabíl-i-Zarandí ( "Nabíl of Zarand"), was an eminent Baháʼí historian during the time of Baháʼu'lláh, and one of ...

that Badíʻ heard a poem by Baháʼu'lláh and began weeping. After finishing his studies, he gave away his possessions and set out on foot for Bag͟hdád, where a significant number of Baháʼís were under persecution. Finally he set out on foot from Múṣul through Bag͟hdád to the prison city of ʻAkká. As guards protected against Baháʼís entering ʻAkka, Badíʻ dressed as a water-carrier and slipped by the guards, and then proceeded to a mosque, where he recognized

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 un ...

and gave him a note. Badíʻ received two interviews with Baháʼu'lláh, who requested that he deliver the Lawh-i-Sulṭán, Baháʼu'lláh's tablet to Náṣiri'd-Dín S͟háh. Badíʻ received the tablet in

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

to avoid being caught by Ottoman officials. From there he travelled for four months on foot to Ṭihrán. Along the way he was reported to "be full of joy, laughter, gratitude and forbearance, walking around one hundred paces then leaving the road and turning to face ʻAkká. He would then prostrate himself and say: 'O God, that which you have bestowed upon me through Your bounty, do not take back through Your justice; rather grant me strength to safeguard it'".

Execution

After three days of fasting, Badíʻ went to the Shah's summer camp, and the Shah came upon him while hunting in the woods. Badíʻ approached the monarch with respect and calmly said: "O King! I have come to thee from Sheba with a weighty message". Badíʻ was arrested, branded for three successive days, his head beaten to a pulp with the butt of a rifle, after which his body was thrown into a pit and earth and stones heaped upon it.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Badi 1852 births 1869 deaths Iranian Bahá'ís Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh Bahá'í martyrs 19th-century Bahá'ís