'Abdu'llah: The name of the father of Prophet Muhammad. He belonged to the family of Hashim, the noblest tribe of the Quraish section of the Arabian race, directly descended from Ishmael.
'Abdu'l-'Aziz, Sultan: (1830-76) The Sultan of Turkey from 1861 to 1876. He was responsible for Bahau'llah's banishments from Baghdad to Constantinople, from Constantinople to Adrianople, and from Adrianople to the prison-fortress of 'Akka. Willful and headstrong, he was known for his lavish expenditures and is stigmatized by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas as occupying the "throne of tyranny." Baha'u'llah prophesied his downfall in a Tablet addressed to Fu'ad Pasha, the Ottoman foreign minister during Baha'u'llah's imprisonment in 'Akka. As a result of public discontent, which was heightened by a crop failure in 1873 and a mounting public debt, Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz was deposed by his ministers in 1876. He died within a few days.
'Abdu’l-Aziz son of 'Abdu’l-Salam: A famous Muslim ecclesiastic of the Sunni sect.
‘Abdul-Baha: (Arabic), ‘Servant of Baha’: the title assumed by 'Abbas Effendi (23 May 1844- 28 November 1921), eldest son and appointed successor of Baha’u’llah, the Founder of Baha’i Faith, the Center of His Covenant, and authorized interpreter of His Writings. Named 'Abbas after His grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Baha was known to the general public as 'Abbas Effendi. ‘Abdu'l-Baha accompanied His father on His exiles, spending more than 40 years as a prisoner. After Baha’u’llah’s death in 1892, ‘Abdu’l-Baha became head of the Baha'i Faith, in accordance with provisions revealed by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Book of the Covenant, and worked to maintain the unity of its followers. Freed by the Young Turks' Rebellion in 1908, ‘Abdu’l-Baha began to travel outside the Holy Land, making His first visit to Europe in 1911. Baha’u’llah gave Him such titles as “the Most Great Branch,” “the Mystery of God,” and “the Master.” He chose the name ‘Abdu’l-Baha, meaning “Servant of Baha’u’llah.” ‘Abdu’l-Baha is also known as the Perfect Exemplar of Baha’u’llah’s teachings.
'Abdu'l-Hamid II: (1842-1918) Sultan of the Ottoman Turkish Empire from 1876 to 1909, known as ‘the Great Assassin’. As the result of the plotting of Mirza Muhammad-‘Ali, in 1901 he restricted ‘Abdu'l-Baha's freedom, confining Him and His family within the city walls of Akka. He later sent two commissions of inquiry to investigate false charges made against ‘Abdu'l-Baha by the Covenant-breakers. Public discontent with his despotic rule and resentment against European intervention in the Balkans led to the military revolution of the Young Turks in 1908. 'Abdu'l Hamid was subsequently deposed in 1909.
Abi-Abdi’llah: Arabic term used in reference to Imam Jaafar Sadiq, the sixth Shi'ih Imam, (83-148 A. H.)
Abu-‘Ali-Sina: (980-1037 A. D.) or Avicenna. An Arab physician and philosopher born in Persia, known in the West as the Hippocrates and the Aristotle of the Arabs.
Abu-Dhar: Abu Dhar Ghefan, an illiterate shepherd who became an esteemed disciple of Muhammad.
Abu-Ja’far-i-Tusi And Jabir: Two Muslims who like Mufaddal handed down traditions from Imam Sadiq.
Abu’l-Fadl Gulpaygani, Mirza: (1844-1914) Preeminent Mrsian Persian Baha’i scholar and author; noted for his learned treatises on the Baha'i Faith, who was sent to the United States by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in 1901 to deepen the American Baha’is and to counter the attempts of Kheiralla to create a division within the American Baha’i community. He was named an Apostle of Baha'u'llah by Shoghi Effendi.
Abu’l-Qasim-i-Kashi: A learned Babi from Kashan, Persia, who was murdered in Baghdad by the followers of Mirza Yahya.
Abu’l-Qbsim-i-Hamadani, Aqa: (d. 1856) Sole companion of Baha'u'llah during His retirement to Sulaymaniyyih. He was set upon by highwaymen or frontier patrols and was mortally wounded. When found near death, he gave his name and bequeathed all his possessions to Darvish Muhammad-i-Irani, the name Baha'u'llah had assumed.
‘Abdu’l-Vahhab: A shopkeeper from Shiraz who embraced the Babi Cause and was imprisoned with Baha’u’llah in the Black Pit of Tehran. Baha’u’llah gave him His own shoes to wear on the way to his execution.
'Abdu'llah-i-Ubayy: A prominent opponent of Prophet Muhammad ; called "the prince of hypocrites."
Abu-Nasr: Abu-Nasr Farabi, Persian philosopher and writer who lived about the 4th Century, A. H.
Abraham: Considered by Baha’is to be a Prophet, or Messenger of God. Scholars give 2100 B.C – 2000 B.C. as his dates. Regarded by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as the Friend of God and the Father of the Faithful. He is also recognized as the founder of monotheism and the father of the Jewish and Arab peoples. Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha’u’llah are among His descendants.
Abu-'Abdi'llah: Designation of the sixth Imam, Ja'far-i- Sadiq, great-grandson of Imam Husayn. He was poisoned by Mansur, the Abbaside Caliph. He died in 765 A.D.
Abu'Amir: An opponent of Prophet Muhammad; a monk.
Abu Jahl: Literally, "the Father of Folly"; so styled by the Muslims. An implacable enemy of Prophet Muhammad.
Afnan-i-Yazdi: (1830-1911) Also known as Haji Muhammad-Taqi, the Afnan, a cousin of the Bab and the chief builder of the first Baha’i House of Worship in ‘Ishqabad, in Russian Turkistan, which had been initiated by ‘Abdu'l-Baha in or about 1902. Taqi's state title was Vakil’ud-Dawlih. He was named an Apostle of Baha'u'llah by Shoghi Effendi.
Ahmad-i-Azghandi: (Mirza Ahmad) An erudite and ardent teacher of the Baha’i Faith, formerly one of the most outstanding Muslim divines of Khurasan. Before the Bab's declaration of His mission in1844, Mirza Ahmad-i-Azghandi compiled all of the Islamic prophecies and traditions pertaining to the advent of the long awaited Promised One, an immense work containing almost twelve thousand traditions.
Ahmad, Shaykh: Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa’i, also known as Shaykh-i-Ahsa’i (1743-1826), he was the first of the two forerunners of the Bab, and the founder of the Shaykhi School of Islam. He authored about 96 books. He was a respected interpreter of Islamic doctrine and attracted many followers in the Shi’ih holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. His teachings, which emphasized the near advent of the Promised One of Islam, and the metaphorical rather than literal interpretation of certain scriptures (such as resurrection and Muhammad’s night journey to heaven), prepared the way for the Bab. While traveling in Persia near the end of his life, he chose as his successor a disciple named Siyyid Kazim, who eventually attained the presence of the Bab.
Alexander II, Czar: Emperor of Russia from 1855 to 1881. He instigated a number of reforms in his country, including the emancipation of the serfs. He was assassinated after a period of repression that instigated a surge of revolutionary terrorism.
'Ali: The son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, the first of the twelve Imams. He was the cousin and first disciple of Muhammad and married to His daughter Fatimih.
‘Ali Muhammad: Siyyid 'Ali Muhammad, born in Shiraz, Persia, on October 20, 1819; the "Point of the Bayan" and the "Bab" and precursor of Baha'u'llah.
Amalekites: The people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an Amalek ancestry. They were expelled in early times from Babylonia. They spread through Arabia to Palestine and Syria and as far as Egypt, to which they gave several of its Pharaohs.
'Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khaum: Nee Mary Maxwell (1910-2000),
also called
Ruhyyih Rabbani; daughter of May Bolles Maxwell and Sutherland Maxwell of
Montreal, Canada, and wife of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.
She served as the Guardian's
secretary during his lifetime. On 26 March 1952, succeeding her illustrious
father, she was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land. Ruhiyyih (meaning "spiritual") is a name given to
her by Shoghl Effendi on their marriage.
Khanum is a Persian title meaning "lady," "Madame," or
"Mrs." The title Amatu’l-Baha (meaning "Maidservant of Bahá”) was
used by the Guardian in a cable to a conference in Chicago in 1953. Rabbani is
a surname given to Shoghi Effendi by 'Abdu'l-Baha After Shoghi Effendi's passing in 1957, she traveled
extensively to teach the Baha'i Faith, consolidate Baha'i communities, and
serve as a representative of the Universal House of Justice at major events.
Amir-Nizam: One of the titles of the Prime Minister, Mirza Taqi Khan.
Anis: Literally ‘Close Companion’: Surname of Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Zunuzi, the youth who was martyred with the Bab in 1850.
Annas: High Priest of the Jews at the time of Christ and father-in-law to Caiaphas (John 18. V.13.).
Aqa Husayn-i-Isfahani: Distinguished calligraphist, and companion-in-exile of Baha’u’llah, surnamed “Mishkin-Qalam”: “Musk-scented pen”, a name by which he as a calligrapher of the first rank was known. He first heard of the Faith in Isfahan, but it was in Baghdad that he learned more about it. In Adrianople he met Baha'u'llah and became His follower. When Baha'u'llah and His companions were exiled to 'Akka, Mishkin-Qalam was sent to Cyprus. He was eventually freed and came to the Holy Land in 1886. After travelling in Egypt, Damascus and India, 'Abdu'l-Baha asked him to come back to the Holy Land, where he passed away in about 1912. It is Mishkin-Qalam's calligraphic rendering of the Greatest Name which Baha'is most commonly use as its symbol.
Aqay-i-Kalim: Also known as Mirza Musa, the faithful younger brother of Baha’u’1lah (d. 1887) who recognized the station of the Bab and of Baha’u’llah and faithfully served Baha’u’llah throughout His exiles. He often met with government officials and religious leaders on Baha’u’llah’s behalf until 'Abdu'l-Baha assumed that function.
Archbreaker of the Covenant: Mirza Muhammad-'Ali, a son of Baha’u’llah and younger half-brother of 'Abdu'l-Baha who attempted to subvert the provisions of Baha’u’llah’s written will and to seize leadership of the Baha’i community after the passing of Baha’u’llah.
Ashraf: Aqa Mirza Ashraf of the town of Abadih in Persia, martyred in Isfahan, October, 1888.
Ashraf: Siyyid Ashraf, born in the Fort of Zanjan during the siege.
Ashraf, Qudsiyyih: First Persian woman to travel to the United States. She represented Baha’i women of the Orient at the laying of the corner-stone of the Wilmette Mashriqu'l-Adkar.
‘Asiyih Khanum: Wife of Baha’u’llah and mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha, Bahiyyih-Khaum, and Mirza Mihdi. She married Baha’u’llah in 1835, accompanied Him throughout all of His exiles, and died in 1886. Baha’u’llah addressed her as Navvab (an honorific implying "Grace or "Highness") and designated her as the "Most Exalted Leaf" and His "perpetual consort in all the wor1d.s of God."
‘Azim: Literally ‘Great One’; a title given by the Bab to one of His disciples to whom He revealed the name and the advent of Baha'u'llah. (God Posses By p. 28). Later, he was instrumental in the plot against the shah. He refused to implicate Baha’u’llah falsely in the crime, although he knew that his refusal would result in his own death.
