MacNutt, Howard: (d. 1926) Lawyer, company executive and early New York Baha’i. Howard learned of the Faith from Kheiralla in January 1898 and he and his wife, Mary, became Baha’is shortly afterwards. They moved to Brooklyn in 1902 and became the nucleus of Baha’i activity there. After observing a Nineteen Day Feast in' Akka in 1905, he and his wife helped to establish the Feast in North America, hosting what was perhaps the first Feast to be held in the country in May 1905. His ideas about the station of 'Abdu'l-Baha differed from those held by other Baha’is and he fell out with some, particularly Arthur Dodge. He also failed to break off his relationship with Covenant-breakers when 'Abdu'l-Baha requested him to do so. He publicly repented of this in November 1912. He collected and edited 'Abdu'l-Baha's talks given in America, publishing them as The Promulgation of Universal Peace.
Maryam: A cousin of Baha’u’llah who embraced the Babi Faith in its early days. She helped take care of Baha’u’llah after His release from prison and remained a devoted and loyal follower throughout her life.
Mathew, Louisa: (1866-1956) British Baha'i who accepted the Faith in Paris. She traveled with 'Abdu'l-Baha on the S.S. Cedric. 'Abdu’l-Baha intimated to her that He would be pleased if she would marry Louis Gregory, whom she had met on pilgrimage. Their marriage in September 1912 was the first marriage between a black and a white Baha'i. From the 1920s Louisa spent most of the year teaching the Faith in Eastern Europe, returning to the United States in the summers to be with her husband.
Maxwell, Mary: (1910-2000) Hand of the Cause of God and prominent Baha’i lecturer and traveler. The daughter of Sutherland and May Maxwell, she married Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, in 1937. Shoghi Effendi gave her the title Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum. Amatu'l-Bahá means "Handmaiden of Glory". She was appointed a Hand of the Cause in 1952.
Maxwell, May Ellis Bolles: (1870-1940) Prominent early American Baha'i and teacher of the Faith. She learned of the Faith in Paris when Phoebe Hearst brought her group of pilgrims through on the way to 'Akka. May joined the party, arriving in the Holy Land in February 1899. This marked her acceptance of the Faith. When she returned to Paris she formed the first Baha'i group in Europe. In 1902 she married William Sutherland Maxwell and moved with him to Montreal, where their home became a focus of teaching. Their daughter, Mary, was born in 1910. May traveled widely For the Faith and was named a martyr by Shoghi Effendi when she passed away in Buenos Aires.
Maxwell, William Sutherland: (1875-1952) Hand of the Cause of God and outstanding Canadian architect. In 1902 he married May Ellis Bolles and their home in Montreal became a center of Baha'i activity. He became a Baha’i after meeting 'Abdu'l-Baha in 'Akka in 1909. After the passing of his wife in 1940, he moved to the Holy Land at the suggestion of Shoghi Effendi, who had married Sutherland's daughter Mary in 1937. He designed the superstructure for the Shrine of the Bab and supervised its construction. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause in 1951.
Mills, Mountfort: (d. 1949) Eminent lawyer who became a Baha'i in 1906. He was the first chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada and prepared the final draft of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assernbly in 1927. He successfully appealed the case of the House of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad to the League of Nations.
Mirza ‘Abbas Buzurg: (d. 1839) Also known as Mid ‘Abbs, he was the father of Baha’u’llah. A vizier to a son of Fath-‘Ali Shah and a governor under Muhammad Shah, he was respected for his artistic and intellectual abilities as well as his integrity and personal charm.
Mirza Ahmad: Alias, Mulla 'Abdu'l-Karim of Qazvin, a devoted follower of the Bab and of Baha'u'llah and amanuensis of the Bab, who before His death sent through him His gifts and effects to Baha'u'llah.
Mirza ‘Ali-Akbar: A cousin (paternal) of the Bab and intimate friend of Dayyan. Murdered by the followers of Mirza Yahya.
Mirza Aqa Jan: (1837-1901) Secretary of Baha’u’llah who accompanied Him throughout much of His exiles.
Mirza Aqa Khan: The prime minister of Persia from 1851 to 1858 under Nasiri’d-Din Shah. He was related to Baha’u’llah through the marriage of his niece and made futile efforts to protect Baha’u’llah’s relatives.
Mirza Buzurg Khan: The Persian consul-general in Baghdad who, from his arrival there in 1860, allied himself with Shaykh ‘Abdu'l- Husayn in an effort to destroy Baha’u’llah. After many futile attempts to discredit Baha’u’llah and take His life, they eventually succeeded in precipitating His transfer from Baghdad to Constantinople.
Mirza Hadi Dawlat-Abadi: A noted divine from Isfahan who became a prominent follower of Mirza Yahya, later identified as his successor.
Mirza Husayn Khan, Mushiru’d-Dawlih: The Persian Ambassador at thc Sublime Porte through whose influence Baha'u'llah was transferred from Baghdad to Constantinople. (see God Passes By, pp. 146 and 159).
Mirza Mihdi: (1848-70) Son of Baha’u’llah and brother of ‘Abdu’l-Baha who died at age twenty-two from injuries received in a tragic accident at the prison- barracks in Acre. He served as his Father's amanuensis. After his death Baha’u’llah bestowed on him the title of ‘The Purest Branch’.
Mirza Musa: (d. 1887) Also known Aqay-i-Kalim. A younger brother of Baha’u’llah 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.
Mirza Mustafa: One of the Bab's followers who was executed at Tabriz soon after the Bab's martyrdom.
Mirza Rida-Quli: One of Baha'u'llah's brothers who could not recognize His station.
Mirza Safa: Haji Mirza Hasan-i-Safa, , an accomplice of Mirza Husnyn Khan, in active hostility towards Baha'u'llah in Constantinople.
Mirza Taqi Khan: Prime minister of Persia under Nasiri’d-Din Shah who was involved in persecuting Babis at the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi, at Nayriz, and at Zanjan. He was also involved in the execution of the Seven Martyrs of Tehran and ordered the execution of the Bib. He later fell out of favor with the royal court and was killed by royal decree.
Mirza Vahhab-i-Khurasani: Also known as Mirza Javad, a prominent early believer who lived during the ministry of the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
Moody, Dr Susan I.: (1851-1934) American physician who became a Baha’i in 1903 in Chicago. At 'Abdu'l-Baha's invitation she went to Persia in 1909 to provide medical care for the Baha’i women. She founded the Tarbiyat School for Girls in Tehran in 1910. She lived in Persia for 15 years.
Mortensen, Fred: (1887-1946) Juvenile delinquent who became a Baha’i through his lawyer, Albet Hall, and who 'rode the rods' to see 'Abdu'l-Baha in Green Acre. He spent many years teaching the Faith across the United States and was a member of the Chicago community for 21 years.
Moses: One of the six great Prophets, according to Islam. See Exodus 4:16, where God says to Moses: "thou shalt be to him instead of God"; and Exodus 7:l: "I have made thee a god to Pharaoh." Moses led the exodus from Egypt, which is now dated about 1440 B.C.
Mott, Lucretia: (1793-1880) A Quaker minister who was active in the movements for peace, women's rights, and the abolition of slavery. She was a primary organizer of the first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in June 1848.
Muhammad: Arabic, literally means: “The Praised One”. The Prophet and Founder of Islam and Revealer of the Qur'an. Born August A.D. 570. Declared His Mission A.D. 613. He was the son of ‘Abdu’llah of the family of Hashim. Fled to Medina A.D. 622, (See Some Answered Questions, pp. 22-29). Foretold by Moses, Deut. 18:I5; by St. John the Divine, Rev. 11 (see Some Answered Questions, p. 53 ff.). Baha’is regard Muhammad as a Manifestation of God and His book, the Qur'an, as holy scripture.
Muhammad 'Ali, Mirza: (1853-1937) 'Abdu'l-Baha's half-brother, the arch-breaker of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant.
Muhammad 'Ali Mirza: Shah of Iran following the death of Muzaffaru’d-Din Shah in 1907. He abdicated in 1909.
Muhammad-Quli: A faithful half-brother of Baha’u’llah who accompanied Him in His exiles.
Muhammad-Taqi Manshadi, Siyyid: Persian Baha'i living in Haifa, and later Port Said, through whom Tablets and letters were sent and received. The Covenant-breakers attempted to win him to their cause but he remained loyal to 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Mulla 'Abdu'l-Khaliq-i-Yazdi: At first a Jewish priest, he accepted Islam, joined the Shaykhi School and was converted by Mulla Husayn to the Babi Faith.
Mulla ‘Ali Jan: A believer of Mazindaran, martyred in Tihran. (see God Passer By, p. 201)
Mulla 'Aliy-i-Baraqani: Uncle of Tahirih, one of the most learned and famous members of the Shaykhi community. Being converted to the Babi Faith, he became in Tihran one of its most earnest and able expositors.
Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami: One of the Letters of the Living. Sent on a special mission by the Bab from Shiraz in 1844, he became the first to suffer and to lay down his life in the path of this new Faith.
Mulla Baqir: A native of Tabriz and a man of great learning, became a Letter of the Living. He was with Baha'u'llah in Ntur, Mazindaran and Badasht. Outlived all other Letters of the Living.
Mulla Husayn: (d. 1849) A leading follower of Siyyid Kazim, he was the first to recognize the Bab as the Promised One, thereby earning the title Babu'l-Bab (Gate of the Gate) and becoming the first of the Bab's eighteen Letters of the Living. He was born in 1813. He was a student of Siyyid Kazim for nine years and a follower of the Bab for five years. He was a leader of the Babis during the siege at the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi, in which he was martyred on February 2, 1849.
Mulla Mihdiy-i-Khu'i: A close companion of Baha’u’llah and tutor to the children of His household. Martyred at Tabarsi.
Mulla Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Zanjani: Surnamed Hujjat. "One of the ablest and most formidable champions of the Faith" (Cod Passes By, p. 44), the leader of the Babis in what Lord Curzon called "the terrific siege and slaughter" they suffered at Zanjan where he with 1800 fellow disciples was martyred.
Mulla Ni'matu'llah-i-Mazindarani: A Babi martyred at Shaykh Tabarsi.
Mulla Yusuf-i-Ardibili: A "Letter of the Living," martyred at Shaykh Tabarsi.
Munirih Khanum: (d. 1938) Literally “Illumined”: the name bestowed on Fatimih Khanum, who came to Acre at Baha’u’llah’s invitation to marry ‘Abdu'l-Baha in 1873. She is also known as the Holy Mother.
