Ásíyih Khánum
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Ásíyih K͟hánum (‎ 18201886) was the first wife 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 ...
, the 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 ...
. She is also known by her titles of Navváb, Búyúk K͟hánum or Hadrat-i-K͟hánum. K͟hánum is a title usually given to a Persian lady and is equivalent to madam or
dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
. Baháʼu'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. Baháʼu'lláh, along with Ásíyih Khánum and her children, are regarded as the Baháʼí holy family.


Background

Ásíyih Khánum was born Ásíyih Yalrúdí the only daughter of Mírzá Ismáʼíl Yalrúdí, an aristocrat and minister in the
Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...
court in the village of Yal Rud in
Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
. She had one brother Mírzá Mahmúd who did not become a follower of
Bábism Bábism () is a Messianism, messianic movement founded in 1844 by Báb, the Báb ( 'Ali Muhammad). The Báb, an Iranian merchant-turned-prophet, professed that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible GodEdward Granville Browne ...
nor 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 ...
. The Yalrúdí family held a prominent position in the nobility, providing Ásíyih with an upbringing of exceptional privilege. She received a comprehensive education and was proficient in both Persian and Arabic.


Marriage

In 1832, Ásíyih's elder brother, Mírzá Mahmúd, entered into marriage with Sarah, an elder sister of Baháʼu'lláh. Sarah was very close to Baháʼu'lláh and was gratified with evidence of young Ásíyih’s beauty, piety and kindness. She quickly devised a plan to marry the two together. Mírzá ʻAbbás Núrí agreed, possibly enticed by a substantial dowry that included three servants, a sizable piece of land, property, and a sum of money. Although the engagement was officially announced, it was postponed until Ásíyih reached marriageable age. In October 1835, the fifteen-year-old Ásíyih Khánum married Baháʼu'lláh in a lavish ceremony where the buttons on Ásíyih Khánum's attire were jewels. These jewels were later sold to sustain the family with food during the persecution of Bábís in 1852. According to Baháʼí sources, Ásíyih and Baháʼu'lláh were actively involved in philanthropy. Known as the “Mother of Consolation,” Ásíyih engaged in charitable work, particularly aiding the destitute in Tehran. The marriage resulted in seven children: Kázim, Sádiq, ʻAbbás, ʻAlí-Muhammad, Bahíyyih, Mihdí, and ʻAlí-Muhammad. Only three survived to adulthood, all of whom maintained a strong loyalty to their mother. Ásíyih Khánum was intimately connected with her children, actively participating in their upbringing, especially that of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The Núrí family resided in the capital,
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
, and spent the summer months in
Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
; the customary practice of upper-class Persian families.


As a Bábí

In 1844,
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 ...
heard of a new faith
Bábism Bábism () is a Messianism, messianic movement founded in 1844 by Báb, the Báb ( 'Ali Muhammad). The Báb, an Iranian merchant-turned-prophet, professed that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible GodEdward Granville Browne ...
and accepted. Ásíyih soon joined to the new faith and became a fervent convert. She helped hide the Bábí leader
Táhirih Táhirih (Ṭāhira) (, "The Pure One," also called Qurrat al-ʿAyn ( "Solace/Consolation of the Eyes") are both titles of Fatimah Baraghani/Umm-i Salmih (1814 or 1817 – August 16–27, 1852), an influential poet, women's rights activist and th ...
in her private parlour whilst she was hiding from government forces. On 15 August 1852, a radical Bábí group attempted to assassinate the Shah, but their plan failed. The Bábís associated with the plot were apprehended and executed. Despite their assertion that they acted independently, the entire Bábí community bore the blame, triggering a widespread
pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...
initiated by the Shah. Bahá’u’lláh was arrested. Ásíyih’s residence was ransacked, its belongings seized, leaving her in dire poverty. She fled with her children, grappling at times to secure enough funds for their sustenance. The family vividly recalled receiving only a handful of flour to alleviate their hunger.


Baghdad

Bahá’u’lláh was eventually released but banished from his homeland to Baghdad. Despite their well-established connections through their families, many distanced themselves from the couple during this period. Upon departure, no one bid them farewell, except the "grandmother of Ásíyih Khánum". Reluctantly, Ásíyih left her youngest child, Mihdí, in her care. In the freezing winter of January 1853, the family embarked on their journey to Baghdad. Accompanying Baháʼu'lláh, who was weak and ailing from his months in the dungeon, Ásíyih Khánum became his closest companion and confidante. Additionally, she was pregnant during the journey, which posed considerable challenges. In 1854, Baháʼu'lláh decided to retreat to Kurdistan, entrusting the care of the family to his two brothers, Mírzá Músá and Subh-i-Azal. According to her children’s recollections, Azal restricted the family’s freedom, forbidding Ásíyih from seeking medical help when her baby needed a doctor. The child, named ʻAlí-Muhammad after the Báb, was born in Baghdad and died around 1855 at the age of two. Bahá’u’lláh eventually returned, bringing some stability to the family.


Constantinople and Adrianople

The family were subsequently exiled again to
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
in 1863. Shortly after the arrival in Constantinople they were exiled to the remote
Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
. The journey was an exhausting and wearisome one during the winter. The cold took its toll on Ásíyih and she fell gravely ill. The five years in Adrianople were also unhappy. Bahá’u’lláh almost died in 1866 and she was threatened with being separated from her husband in 1868. It was, according to Baháʼís, through the intercession of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá that this was scrapped and the family all exiled together.


Acre

In July 1868, a royal decree was issued, condemning the Bábís/Baháʼís to perpetual imprisonment and isolation in remote outposts of the Ottoman Empire. Mirza Yahya and his followers were assigned to
Famagusta Famagusta, also known by several other names, is a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime ...
, Cyprus, while Baháʼu'lláh and his followers were designated to Acre in
Ottoman Palestine The region of Palestine (region), Palestine is part of the wider region of the Levant, which represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia.Steiner & Killebrew, p9: "The general limits ..., as defined here, begin at the Plain of ' ...
. Once again, and for the final time, the family was exiled to the prison city of Acre, Israel, which proved to be the most challenging place they had experienced thus far. Accompanying Ásíyih were her twenty-four-year-old son, her twenty-one-year-old
daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...
, her twenty-year-old son, and her husband. The Baháʼís arrived in August at the peak of summer. The inhabitants of Acre were informed that the new prisoners were deemed enemies of the state, God, and His religion, and any association with them was strictly prohibited. The hostile public engaged in jeering and verbal abuse. Nearly all of the exiles fell dangerously ill. This period proved distressing for Ásíyih Khánum, as well as for many other Baháʼís, given the death of three Baháʼís and the antagonistic behavior of the surrounding population. The Baháʼís were imprisoned in appalling conditions within a cluster of cells covered in dirt and sewage, without adequate food for three days. Perhaps the most trying circumstance for Ásíyih was the sudden and accidental death of her youngest son, twenty-two-year-old Mihdí. The death of her son caused Ásíyih much pain, to the extent that her family grew concerned about her sanity. According to Baháʼís, the disconsolate Ásíyih found solace in
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 ...
, who reassured his wife that their child was in heaven.


Easing of restrictions

In 1870, the family's restrictions were eased, and they were relocated from the prison. As the people of Acre began to show respect for the Baháʼís, particularly ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he arranged for houses to be rented for the family. Around 1879, when an epidemic prompted the inhabitants to flee, the family moved to the Mansion of Bahjí. Despite her delicate health, exacerbated by the climate of Acre, Ásíyih continued her nursing work, a vocation she had initiated in Tehran. Remembered in the city for assisting the sick and developing remedies, she maintained this commitment As pilgrims gradually arrived from Persia, Ásíyih greeted them as the "head of the household," earning great respect and admiration from both Baháʼís and her own children. Baháʼu'lláh affectionately called her “Navváb”, and also gave her the names Varaqiyih-'Ulyá, meaning "Most Exalted Leaf," and his "perpetual consort in the worlds of God". Baháʼu'lláh designated her son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as his successor.


Death

Ásíyih passed away in 1886 at the age of 66, having suffered a fall, with Baháʼu'lláh by her side. Her death was a cause for mourning not only within the Baháʼí community but also among the broader populace of Acre.; her funeral was attended by
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
,
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
and
Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
people. Baháʼu'lláh expressed his profound grief, stating that after Ásíyih, his light had turned to darkness, his joy to sadness, and calmness into agitation. Her death was followed by additional losses that deeply affected the family. A year later, Mírzá Músá, Baháʼu'lláh's brother, passed away, followed by the death of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's son and Baháʼu'lláh's grandson, five-year-old Husayn. These subsequent losses intensified Baháʼu'lláh's mourning.


Reburial

After Ásíyih died in 1886, she was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Acre. Western and Eastern pilgrims would travel to the cemetery to visit her grave and the grave of Mírzá Mihdí. In 1932 her
daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...
died and her wish was to be buried beside her mother and
brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
.
Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; ;1896 or 1897 – 4 November 1957) was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, in ...
thought the gravesite of Ásíyih in this cemetery was unbefitting for her and her son. After fifty-three years since her death, he 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 The Shrine of the Báb is a structure on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Baháʼu'lláh in the Baháʼí Faith, are buried; it is considered to be the sec ...
till the burial arrangements were finished. He then cabled the Baháʼís: He commissioned two marble monuments to be built made in Corinthian style from
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. 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 Baháʼí "holy family", namely the wife, son,
daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...
and
daughter-in-law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship each party in the marriage has to the family of the other party in th ...
of Baháʼu'lláh.


Appearance and personality

Tall by the standards of nineteenth-century Persia, Ásíyih possessed a fair complexion, dark hair, deep blue eyes, and regular features, making her a recognized beauty. Described by her daughter as a "pearl amongst women", historical accounts depict her as "slender, stately, with white skin and blue eyes and dark hair". She was further characterized as "winsome, vivacious, and exceedingly beautiful". All her children inherited her distinctive physical features. Ásíyih had an aristocratic bearing, yet at times, she grappled with the challenges of life in exile. Unaccustomed to labor, she faced difficulties during the exile in Baghdad, with her hands suffering from blisters and cuts caused by washing clothes. Remembered for her strong character, her son `Abdu’l-Bahá reflected that she was "patient, God-fearing, calm, humble, and contented."
Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; ;1896 or 1897 – 4 November 1957) was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, in ...
described her as having "continued to evince a fortitude, a piety, a devotion, and a nobility of soul". Ásíyih was profoundly religious. Following the unexpected death of her son Mírzá Mihdí, she found solace in her deeply rooted belief that he was in heaven. Her granddaughter fondly remembered her, stating, "my eyes will always see her in her blue dress…her sweet, smiling face…as she chanted prayers in her musical voice". Even in her youth in Tehran, Ásíyih was recognised for her charitable work with the poor, and this commitment continued during her imprisonment in Acre. When the exiled Bahá’í community experienced a period of relative freedom, Ásíyih actively participated in caring for the sick in Acre.


See also

*
Baháʼu'lláh's family Baháʼu'lláh was the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He was born in 1817 to Khadíjih Khánum and Mírzá Buzurg of Nur (in the province of Mazandaran), a Persian people, Persian nobleman, and went on to be a leader in the Bábism, Bábí moveme ...
Others buried in the Monument Gardens: * Mirzá Mihdí, Baháʼu'lláh's youngest son by Ásíyih to survive infancy. *
Bahíyyih Khánum Bahíyyih Khánum (1846 – 15 July 1932) was the only daughter of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, and Ásíyih Khánum. She was born in 1846 with the given name Fatimih Sultan, and was entitled "Varaqiy-i-'Ulyá" or "Greates ...
, Baháʼu'lláh's daughter by Ásíyih. * Munirih Khánum, daughter-in-law by Ásíyih and wife of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Ásíyih's eldest son. Baháʼí Holy Family: *
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 ...
, eldest son of Ásíyih and Baháʼu'lláh. *
Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; ;1896 or 1897 – 4 November 1957) was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, in ...
, grandson of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, great-grandson of Ásíyih and Baháʼu'lláh, and the ''Guardian'', or head, of the Baháʼí Faith. * Rúhíyyih Khánum, wife of Shoghi Effendi. * Khadíjih-Bagum, wife of The Báb.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asiyih Khanum Family of Baháʼu'lláh 1820 births 1886 deaths People from Tehran Iranian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire Burials at Monument Gardens, Haifa People from Acre, Israel Iranian prisoners and detainees Female religious leaders 19th-century Iranian people Women mystics