Mullá Hádí-i-Qazvini
Encyclopedia
Mullá Hádí was the fifteenth Letter of the Living
in the Bábí movement and also the son of Mullá Abdu'l-Vahhab-i-Qazvíni who was a close companion of Shaykh Ahmad with whom he shared the message of fast approaching Revelation. Mullá Hádí was initially a Shaykhi a student of Siyyid Kázim. He did not get involved in the Battle of fort Shaykh Tabarsi
and shielded his life through the practice of Taqiyya
. He was also the brother of another letter of the living Mullá Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Qazvini.
After the death of the Báb
, the Bábís split into a number of factions one of which was led by Mullá Hádí. He later became a devout Azalí and was expelled from the community by Bahá'u'lláh
during the Edirne
period "and spent his final days in oblivion".
Mullá Hádí is a controversial Letter of the Living since it is not entirely clear that he was actually one. He is noted as absent in the list formed by Amanat [1987] and replaced by Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í. This is explained in a footnote that although he is included in Nabil's list provided in The Dawn-breakers
, the incomplete list provided by al-Karbalá'í al-Qatíl has Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í in his place. Qatíl described Mullá Hádí as "in darkness" in spite of his brother's vigour and the fact that in later years he never showed any serious interest in the movement. Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í's preaching in his home town of Mayámay gave him weight in Amanat's eyes.
Letters of the Living
The Letters of the Living was a title provided by the Báb to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábí Religion. In some understandings the Báb places himself at the head of this list...
in the Bábí movement and also the son of Mullá Abdu'l-Vahhab-i-Qazvíni who was a close companion of Shaykh Ahmad with whom he shared the message of fast approaching Revelation. Mullá Hádí was initially a Shaykhi a student of Siyyid Kázim. He did not get involved in the Battle of fort Shaykh Tabarsi
Shaykh Tabarsi
', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
and shielded his life through the practice of Taqiyya
Taqiyya
Taqiyya , meaning religious dissimulation, is a practice emphasized in Shi'a Islam whereby adherents may conceal their religion when they are under threat, persecution, or compulsion...
. He was also the brother of another letter of the living Mullá Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Qazvini.
After the death of the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
, the Bábís split into a number of factions one of which was led by Mullá Hádí. He later became a devout Azalí and was expelled from the community by Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
during the Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
period "and spent his final days in oblivion".
Mullá Hádí is a controversial Letter of the Living since it is not entirely clear that he was actually one. He is noted as absent in the list formed by Amanat [1987] and replaced by Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í. This is explained in a footnote that although he is included in Nabil's list provided in The Dawn-breakers
The Dawn-breakers (book)
The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation or Nabíl's Narrative is a historical account of the early Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths penned by Nabíl-i-A`zam in 1887-8...
, the incomplete list provided by al-Karbalá'í al-Qatíl has Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í in his place. Qatíl described Mullá Hádí as "in darkness" in spite of his brother's vigour and the fact that in later years he never showed any serious interest in the movement. Mullá Muhammad-i-Mayáma'í's preaching in his home town of Mayámay gave him weight in Amanat's eyes.