Mírzá `Abbás Núrí
Encyclopedia
Mírzá `Abbás-i-Núrí more commonly known as Mírzá Buzurg was the father of Bahá'u'lláh
, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith
. Mírzá Buzurg was a nobleman
from the Persian province of Núr
, and worked for a time in the service of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh.
Mírzá Buzurg was the son of Mírzá Riḍá-Qulí Big, son of Mírzá `Abbás, son of Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍá Big, son of Áqá Muhammad-`Ali, son of Áqá Fakhr, son of Shahríyár-Ḥasan. He had four wives and three concubines, and at least 15 children.
(Minister) to Imám-Virdi Mírzá, the twelfth son of the Persian Qajar King, Fath Ali Shah, who was the Ilkhani' (tribal chief of the clans) of the Qajar
tribe. Mírzá Burzurg was later appointed governor of Borujerd
and Lorestan.
Mírzá Buzurg's second wife was Khadíjih Khánum, who had been married once before and was widowed. She had one son and two daughters by her first marriage, namely, Mírzá Muḥammad-`Ali, Sakinih Khánum and Sughra Khánum. Mírzá Buzurg took Khadíjih Khánum as his wife and wedded her daughter, Sakinih Khánum, to his younger brother, Mírzá Muḥammad. The first-born of that marriage was a daughter, Sarih Khánum (generally referred to as 'Ukht', Arabic for sister, in Bahá'u'lláh's writings). The next was a son, Mírzá Mihdi, who died in his father's lifetime; and Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí (Bahá'u'lláh) was the third-born. The fourth was another son, Mírzá Músá
, entitled Áqáy-i-Kalím later years, and the fifth was another daughter, Nisá' Khánum, who was married eventually to Mírzá Majid-i-Ahi, a secretary of the Russian Legation.
The third wife of Mírzá Buzurg was Kulthúm Khánum-i-Núrí, by whom he had five children. The first was a daughter, Sháh-Sultán Khánum (also called `Izziyih Khánum), who became a firm supporter of Mírzá Yahyá
. Next came three sons: Mírzá Taqi, a poet with the sobriquet Parishan, who became a Shaykhí
much opposed to Bahá'u'lláh; Mírzá Riḍa-Quli, who earned the designation 'Ḥájí' by his pilgrimage to Mecca, and who kept apart from Bahá'u'lláh, even trying to conceal the fact of their relationship, although his wife, Maryam, was greatly devoted to him; and the third son, Mírzá Ibráhím, who also died in his father's lifetime. The fifth child of that marriage of Mírzá Buzurg was another daughter, Fatimih-Sulṭán Khánum, who also chose to follow Mírzá Yahyá.
The next three wives of Mírzá Buzurg were concubines. The first was Kuchik Khánum of Kirmanshah, the mother of Mírzá Yahyá
. The second was a Georgian lady, Nabat Khánum, and by her Mírzá Buzurg had another daughter, Husniyyih Khánum, of whom not much is known. The last concubine, Turkamaniyyih, was the mother of Mírzá Muḥammad-Quli who was greatly devoted to Bahá'u'lláh.
Lastly came Mírzá Buzurg's marriage to a daughter of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh. This lady, who was entitled Diya'u's-Saltanih was a calligraphy student of Mírzá Buzurg. Their marriage was to bring him nothing but misfortune and, in the end, to prove his undoing.
(reigned 1834–48). He encountered the ill will of that monarch's grand vizier, Haji Mirza Aqasi, and lost his position and much of his considerable wealth.
Haji Mirza Aqasi, the Prime Minister, was antagonistic to Mírzá Buzurg. One reason which prompted his enmity was Mírzá Buzurg's particular friendship with the Qá'im-Maqam, Mirza Abu'l-Qasim of Farahan. In June 1835 the Qá'im-Maqam was put to death by Muhammad Shah. The very manner of his fall from power and his execution, which was followed by the rise to high office of Haji Mirza Aqasi. Mírzá Buzurg wrote letters condemnatory of Haji Mirza Aqasi, which the Prime Minister eventually encountered, and retaliated with force. He had Mírzá Buzurg dismissed from the governorship of Burujird and Luristan. This post had been given to him by his friend, the Qá'im-Maqam. A document exists in the handwriting of Muhammad Shah himself, commending and praising the services rendered by Mírzá Buzurg in this capacity. Next, Haji Mirza Aqasi stopped Mírzá Buzurg's annual allowance. Then, he began to disturb the relationship between Mírzá Buzurg and his last wife, Ziya us-Saltana, the daughter of Fath Alí Shah. Through her nephew, Firaydun Mirza, he induced Ziya us-Saltanih to seek and obtain divorce from her husband.
Mírzá Buzurg had a large household to support, and could no longer afford to keep up his estates. He was forced to sell a part of his properties and mortgage others, including the complex of houses in Tehran
in which he and his family resided. The marriage settlement was of such proportions that the Mírzá Buzurg could not pay it immediately, and Ziya us-Saltanih then had Mirza Buzurg imprisoned in his own house. In the end, Mírzá Buzurg was obliged to sell, once again, his complex of houses in Tehran, and part with the valuable carpets and other furnishings which they contained.
Mírzá Buzurg then decided to retire to Iraq
, but first died in 1839. His body was taken to Iraq and buried at Najaf
, where the tomb of `Ali
is located. He was survived by seven sons and five daughters.
Manuscripts exist in his superb and much-admired handwriting, in various collections both in and outside of Iran. There is one such scroll in the International Archives of the Bahá'í World Centre
.
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...
, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
. Mírzá Buzurg was a nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
from the Persian province of Núr
Noor, Iran
Nur is a city in and capital of Nur County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 21,806, in 6,164 families.Located on the Caspian Sea coast, Nur is one of the oldest cities of west Mazandaran Province...
, and worked for a time in the service of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh.
Mírzá Buzurg was the son of Mírzá Riḍá-Qulí Big, son of Mírzá `Abbás, son of Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍá Big, son of Áqá Muhammad-`Ali, son of Áqá Fakhr, son of Shahríyár-Ḥasan. He had four wives and three concubines, and at least 15 children.
Service to the state
He served as vizierVizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
(Minister) to Imám-Virdi Mírzá, the twelfth son of the Persian Qajar King, Fath Ali Shah, who was the Ilkhani' (tribal chief of the clans) of the Qajar
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
tribe. Mírzá Burzurg was later appointed governor of Borujerd
Borujerd
Borujerd is a city in and capital of Borujerd County, Lorestan Province in western Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 227,547, in 59,388 families....
and Lorestan.
Family
Mírzá Buzurg's first wife was arranged by his father, Riḍa-Quli Big, to a relative of the family, named Khan-Nanih, before Mírzá Buzurg left the district of Núr in Mazandaran to make his fortune in Tehran. Two sons, Mírzá Áqá, the elder, and Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan, were born of this first wife.Mírzá Buzurg's second wife was Khadíjih Khánum, who had been married once before and was widowed. She had one son and two daughters by her first marriage, namely, Mírzá Muḥammad-`Ali, Sakinih Khánum and Sughra Khánum. Mírzá Buzurg took Khadíjih Khánum as his wife and wedded her daughter, Sakinih Khánum, to his younger brother, Mírzá Muḥammad. The first-born of that marriage was a daughter, Sarih Khánum (generally referred to as 'Ukht', Arabic for sister, in Bahá'u'lláh's writings). The next was a son, Mírzá Mihdi, who died in his father's lifetime; and Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí (Bahá'u'lláh) was the third-born. The fourth was another son, Mírzá Músá
Mírzá Músá
Mírzá Músá , surnamed Áqáy-i-Kalím was the only true brother of Bahá'u'lláh, meaning that they shared the same mother. He was later named by Shoghi Effendi as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh....
, entitled Áqáy-i-Kalím later years, and the fifth was another daughter, Nisá' Khánum, who was married eventually to Mírzá Majid-i-Ahi, a secretary of the Russian Legation.
The third wife of Mírzá Buzurg was Kulthúm Khánum-i-Núrí, by whom he had five children. The first was a daughter, Sháh-Sultán Khánum (also called `Izziyih Khánum), who became a firm supporter of Mírzá Yahyá
Subh-i-Azal
' was a Persian religious leader of Azali Bábism.-Background:Mirza Yahya was born in 1831 to Kuchak Khanum-i-Karmanshahi and Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí, in the province of Mazandaran, and a younger-half-brother of Mírzá Husayn `Ali, better known as Bahá'u'lláh...
. Next came three sons: Mírzá Taqi, a poet with the sobriquet Parishan, who became a Shaykhí
Shaykh Ahmad
Shaykh Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Dín ibn Ibráhím al-Ahsá'í was was the founder of a 19th century Shi`i school in the Persian and Ottoman empires, whose followers are known as Shaykhís....
much opposed to Bahá'u'lláh; Mírzá Riḍa-Quli, who earned the designation 'Ḥájí' by his pilgrimage to Mecca, and who kept apart from Bahá'u'lláh, even trying to conceal the fact of their relationship, although his wife, Maryam, was greatly devoted to him; and the third son, Mírzá Ibráhím, who also died in his father's lifetime. The fifth child of that marriage of Mírzá Buzurg was another daughter, Fatimih-Sulṭán Khánum, who also chose to follow Mírzá Yahyá.
The next three wives of Mírzá Buzurg were concubines. The first was Kuchik Khánum of Kirmanshah, the mother of Mírzá Yahyá
Subh-i-Azal
' was a Persian religious leader of Azali Bábism.-Background:Mirza Yahya was born in 1831 to Kuchak Khanum-i-Karmanshahi and Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí, in the province of Mazandaran, and a younger-half-brother of Mírzá Husayn `Ali, better known as Bahá'u'lláh...
. The second was a Georgian lady, Nabat Khánum, and by her Mírzá Buzurg had another daughter, Husniyyih Khánum, of whom not much is known. The last concubine, Turkamaniyyih, was the mother of Mírzá Muḥammad-Quli who was greatly devoted to Bahá'u'lláh.
Lastly came Mírzá Buzurg's marriage to a daughter of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh. This lady, who was entitled Diya'u's-Saltanih was a calligraphy student of Mírzá Buzurg. Their marriage was to bring him nothing but misfortune and, in the end, to prove his undoing.
Expulsion from service
Mírzá Buzurg prospered in the service of the State, until the death of Fath Ali Shah, and the rise of Muhammad SháhMohammad Shah Qajar
Mohammad Shah Qajar was king of Persia from the Qajar dynasty .- Rise to power :...
(reigned 1834–48). He encountered the ill will of that monarch's grand vizier, Haji Mirza Aqasi, and lost his position and much of his considerable wealth.
Haji Mirza Aqasi, the Prime Minister, was antagonistic to Mírzá Buzurg. One reason which prompted his enmity was Mírzá Buzurg's particular friendship with the Qá'im-Maqam, Mirza Abu'l-Qasim of Farahan. In June 1835 the Qá'im-Maqam was put to death by Muhammad Shah. The very manner of his fall from power and his execution, which was followed by the rise to high office of Haji Mirza Aqasi. Mírzá Buzurg wrote letters condemnatory of Haji Mirza Aqasi, which the Prime Minister eventually encountered, and retaliated with force. He had Mírzá Buzurg dismissed from the governorship of Burujird and Luristan. This post had been given to him by his friend, the Qá'im-Maqam. A document exists in the handwriting of Muhammad Shah himself, commending and praising the services rendered by Mírzá Buzurg in this capacity. Next, Haji Mirza Aqasi stopped Mírzá Buzurg's annual allowance. Then, he began to disturb the relationship between Mírzá Buzurg and his last wife, Ziya us-Saltana, the daughter of Fath Alí Shah. Through her nephew, Firaydun Mirza, he induced Ziya us-Saltanih to seek and obtain divorce from her husband.
Mírzá Buzurg had a large household to support, and could no longer afford to keep up his estates. He was forced to sell a part of his properties and mortgage others, including the complex of houses in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in which he and his family resided. The marriage settlement was of such proportions that the Mírzá Buzurg could not pay it immediately, and Ziya us-Saltanih then had Mirza Buzurg imprisoned in his own house. In the end, Mírzá Buzurg was obliged to sell, once again, his complex of houses in Tehran, and part with the valuable carpets and other furnishings which they contained.
Later years
After the storms subsided, Mírzá Buzurg made an effort to regain the houses which he had had to sell under duress 'for a negligible sum'. A document exists in the handwriting of Bahá'u'lláh, drawn up for the purpose of eliciting from those in the know their testimony to the fact that the sale of the houses had taken place under unlawful pressure. But it did not produce the desired effect and no restitution was made.Mírzá Buzurg then decided to retire to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, but first died in 1839. His body was taken to Iraq and buried at Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
, where the tomb of `Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
is located. He was survived by seven sons and five daughters.
Manuscripts exist in his superb and much-admired handwriting, in various collections both in and outside of Iran. There is one such scroll in the International Archives of the Bahá'í World Centre
Bahá'í World Centre
The Bahá'í World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith. The World Centre consists of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh near Acre, Israel, the Shrine of the Báb and its gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, and various other buildings in the area...
.