ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan (; 29 April 1905 – 26 November 2003) was a prominent

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian Baháʼí educator and author who was given the rank of Hand of the Cause in 1951.

Biography

A native of Sabzivár in what was, at the time,

's Khurásán, ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan was still a child when he witnessed the persecution of his family and others for their beliefs. Seeking safety, the family moved in 1914 from Sabzivár to Ashkhabad in

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

, which was then a part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. In 1926, nine years after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, 21-year-old Furútan won a scholarship to the

University of Moscow Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

, where he studied education and child psychology. Within four years, as a result of his Baháʼí activities, he was expelled from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and, in 1930, returned to Iran. After he returned to Iran, he and his wife helped administer the ''Tarbiyat School for Boys'', which was later closed by the Pahlavi government.''History of Baháʼí Educational Efforts in Iran''
Later, ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan was elected to the National

Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

of Iran in 1934, serving as its secretary until 1957. In December 1951, he was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by

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 ...

. From 1959 to 1963, he served as one of the nine Custodians at the Baháʼí World Centre 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 ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Throughout his life, ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan taught Baháʼí classes for children and youth, and he published many works in the area of child spiritual and material education. ʻAli-Akbar Furútan died in Haifa, 98 years old.

Works

*
Baháʼí Education for Children
' (6 volumes; originally ''Kitab-i-Dars-i-Akhlagh'' ("Books for Moral Education")) * * * * Several books in Persian.

Notes

References

"Hand of the Cause Mr. ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan, 1905-2003"
a biography at the Baha'i Library Online website.
High-ranking member of the Baha'i Faith passes away

Biography

Works

Notes

References

Further reading