Haji Mirza Aqasi: (d. 1849) Prime minister of Persia under Muhammad Shah, he prevented the meeting of Muhammad Shah and the Bab, ordered the successive imprisonments of the Bab in Mah-Ku and Chihriq, and saw to the arrest of Baha’u’llah. He fell from power after the death of Muhammad Shah and died poor and abandoned.
Haji Mirza Karim Khan: A pretender to knowledge, author of a book "Guidance to the Ignorant" ("Irshadu'l-'Avam"), whose works perished with him.
Haji Nasir: (of Kazim) One of the martyrs of Shaykh Tabarsi. (See Travellers Narrative, p. 307.)
Haji Shaykh Muhammad-‘Ali: A Baha'i merchant from Qazvin, Persia, who resided in Istanbul at the time of Baha'u'llah's sojourn there.
Haji Sulayman Khan: A courageous Babi sent by Baha’u’llah to Tabriz to recover the body of the Bab. He was himself martyred in Tehran two years after the Bab.
Hall, Albert Heath: (1958-1920) Lawyer, the son of a minister, who became a Baha’i between 1900 and 1903. While he was handling the case for the defense of Fred Mortensen, he taught the young man the Faith. Hall was president of the Executive Board of the Baha’i Temple Unity from 1911 to 1914.
Haman: Chief Minister of Pharaoh.
Hamzih: The "Prince of Martyrs," the title given to Prophet Muhammad's uncle.
Hannen, Joseph: (1872-1920) Leading Washington Baha’i and active teacher of the Faith who became a Baha'i shortly after his wife, Pauline. Along with his wife, he pioneered teaching the Faith to blacks in the United States. Among those they taught was Louis Gregory. In 1916 'Abdu'l-Baha sent the first Tablet of the Divine Plan to the southern states in care of Joseph. He was named a Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Baha by Shoghi Effendi.
Hannen, Pauline: (1874-1939) American Baha’i teacher and advocate of racial unity who accepted the Faith in Washington DC in November 1902. She taught several members of her family the Faith, including her husband Joseph and her sisters Fanny Knobloch and Alma Knobloch. Overcoming her own racial prejudice, she began to teach blacks in Washington, opening her home for Baha’i meetings. She also organized the Baha’i children's classes in the city.
Harmon, W.W: Boston metaphysician and Theosophist who revered ‘Abdu’l-Baha, supported the Baha’i teachings and associated with the Baha’i community. His controversial explanation of the Baha’i writings caused a rift in the American Baha’i community.
Harris, Hooper: (1866-1934) American lawyer who became a Baha’i in New York City in 1899. He answered the call of 'Abdu’l-Baha in 1906 for an American to go to India to teach the Cause, leaving New York that year with Harlan Ober. They first went to 'Akka to receive instructions from the Master. 'Abdu'l-Baha sent with them two Iranian teachers, neither of whom could speak English: the elderly Hand of the Cause lbn-i-Abhar and Mirza Mahmud.
Haydar 'Ali, Haji Mirza: (c. 1830-1920) Prominent Persian Baha'i known by Western Baha’is as the 'Angel of Carmel'. He became a Babi and later met Baha’u’llah in Adrianople. He suffered many years of persecution and imprisonment in Egypt and the Sudan because of his fidelity to the Cause of Baha’u’llah. In his later years He served the Master in Haifa. He is the author of the interesting narrative called Bahjatus Sudour.
Hearst, Phoebe Apperson: (1842-1919) American philanthropist and mother of the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. She was a supporter of Green Acre and met Sarah Farmer in 1897. In 1898 the Getsingers called on her and she became interested in the Faith. She organized and financed the first pilgrimage of western Baha’is to 'Akka in 1898-9. She financed a number of Baha'i teachers and some Baha’i publications, including the first English translation of the Arabic Hidden Words. She began to distance herself from the Faith after some adverse newspaper publicity.
Herod: Herod I ("The Great"). An Idumaean by race, but brought up a Jew. He was appointed by the Roman Senate in 40 B.C. as King of Judea. He rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.
Hisamu’s-Saltanih: Title of Prince Murad Mirza, grandson of Fath-'Ali Shah of Persia.
Hoar, William H.: (1856-1922) Early American Baha'i, named a Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Baha by Shoghi Effendi. Hoar heard of the Faith at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and became a Baha’i in January 1896. He was instrumental in forming the first Baha’i consultative body in New York, the New York Baha'i Board of Counsel, elected on December 7, 1900. He was elected to the Executive Board of the Baha’i Temple Unity in 1909, serving for three years.
Hud: A prophet sent to the tribe of ‘Ad. He was descended from Noah and Shem and is referred to in the Qur'an in surih 7:63-70; surih 11:5263; and in surih 26:123-139. He summoned the people to the worship of One God, but was rejected.
Husayn Khan, Mirza (Mushiru'd-Dawlih): Persian ambassador to Constantinople in the time of Baha’u’llah. Although involved in the banishment of Baha’u’llah from Baghdad, he testified at the court of Nasiri'd-Din Shah to the dignity, majesty and high-mindedness of Baha’u’llah.
Ibn-i-Anas and Asbahi: Two Arab zealots who directly took part in the murder of Imam Husayn.
Ibn-i-Mas’ud: 'Abdullah Ibn-i-Mas’ud, one of the early Arab Muslims at the time of Muhammad.
Ibn-i-Suriya: A learned Jewish Rabbi at the time of Muhammad.
Imam 'Ali: The first Imam of Shi’ah Islam. He was the cousin and first disciple of Prophet Muhammad; husband of Muhammad's daughter, Fatimih, and through his son Husayn, ancestor of Siyyid 'Ali Muhammad, the Bab.
Imam Husayn: In Shi’ih Islam, the third Imam, son of ‘Ali and Fatimih and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He was martyred at Karbala, Iraq, in 680 AD., making Karbala a point of pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims.
Imam-Jum’ih of Isfahan: Mir Muhammad Husayn, "the She-Serpent" (successor in this post to his brother Mir Siyyid Muhammad who befriended the Bab-see Dawn-Breakers). He, with "the Wolf," Shaykh Muhammad Baqir persecuted the Baha’is and brought about the death of Mirza Muhammad Hasan and Mirza Muhammad Husayn (The King and the Beloved of Martyrs), who were decapitated together.
'Imran: The father of Moses and Aaron; See Qur'an, surih 3: 30 and the Bible, Exodus 6:20.
Isfandiyar: Loyal servant of the household of Baha'u'llah, a member of the family entrusted with marketing and other family affairs. Despite the great danger to his own life when Baha’u’llah was imprisoned in the Siyah-Chal, he remained in the household to serve the holy family. Baha’u’llah’s wife sent Isfandiyar to Mazandaran in northern Iran to be safe but he returned one week later to Tehran to personally pay the household's debts.
Ives, Rev Howard Colby: (c. 1876-1941) Unitarian minister, pastor of the Brotherhood Church, Jersey City, New Jersey who became a Baha'i after meeting 'Abdu'l-Baha. His autobiography, Portals to Freedom, is an account of his conversion to the Baha’i Faith. (Please also see Baha’i Heroes and Heroines).
