Bahá’í World/Volume 18/Abu’l-Qásim Faizi

The Bahá’í World
Volume 18

ABU’L-QASIM FAIZI

1906(?)-1980

HEARTS FILLED WITH SORROW PASSING INDEFATIGABLE SELF-SACRIFICING DEARLY LOVED HAND CAUSE GOD ABUL-QASIM FAIZI. ENTIRE BAHA] WORLD MOURNS HIS LOSS. HIS EARLY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS 1N CRADLE FAITH THROUGH EDUCATION CHILDREN YOUTH STIMULATION FRIENDS PROMOTION TEACHING WORK PROMPTED BELOVED GUARDIAN DESCRIBE HIM AS LUMINOUS DISTINGUISHED ACTIVE YOUTH. HIS SUBSEQUENT PIONEERING WORK IN LANDS BORDERING IRAN WON HIM APPELLATION SPIRITUAL CONQUEROR THOSE LANDS. FOLLOWING HIS APPOINTMENT HAND CAUSE HE PLAYED INVALUABLE PART WORK HANDS HOLY LAND TRAVELLED WIDELY PENNED HIS LITERARY WORKS CONTINUED HIS EXTENSIVE INSPIRING CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIGH AND LOW YOUNG AND OLD UNTIL AFTER LONG ILLNESS HIS SOUL WAS RELEASED AND WINGED ITS FLIGHT ABHA KINGDOM. CALL 0N FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HOLD BEFI'ITING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS HIS HONOUR, INCLUDING SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MEETINGS HIS NAME IN HOUSES WORSHIP ALL CONTINENTS. MAY HIS SHINING EXAMPLE CONSECRATION CONTINUE INSPIRE HIS ADMIRERS EVERY LAND. PRAYING HOLY SHRINES HIS NOBLE RADIANT SOUL MAY BE IMMERSED IN OCEAN DIVINE MERCY CONTINUE [TS UNINTERRUPTED PROGRESS IN INFINITE WORLDS BEYOND.

Universal House of Justice 20 November 1980

As the news spread, thousands of Faizi’s lovers wept in every part of the world. They had lost a selfless friend who had showered upon them the tokens of his boundless love through his visits to their homes in far-off corners of the earth, through the numerous little gifts he sent them, and through his

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wonderful, encouraging letters which uplifted their spirits, sustained them in times of sorrow, and enkindled in their hearts the longing to arise to greater heights in the service of the Cause of God. Among the hundreds of messages of grief which reached the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith, there was one which expressed the feelings of all. It came from a fellow Hand who was closely associated with Faizi for many years, and it said, ‘. . . A special sweetness has gone out of the world and out of my heart . . .’

How can one write an adequate tribute to a man who, for over half a century, brought happiness and inspiration to all who crossed his path in life? How can one tell of the influence of his spirit on the countless children he held in his arms, the numberless young people whose talents he helped to develop, and the old men and women he visited with reverence and gratitude for what they had given to the world?

Faizi, as he wished to be called, did not like the celebration of birthdays, except those of the Manifestations of God, and did not know the exact date of his own birth which was

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probably in 1906. Of his early days in the city of Qum he always spoke with a touch of sadness, for he was surrounded by fanatical people. One of the few happy memories of his childhood was the local gymnasium—the zdrliuinih—a traditional Persian establishment which is not only for the purpose of physical training, but also for inculcating human virtues such as chivalry, modesty and chastity in those who must bow in humility as they enter through its low door. Many fervent Muslims frowned upon the zdr-lizdnih and Faizi had to sneak away from home to watch the p(lhlawins perform their feats of wrestling and weight-lifting to the beat of the leader’s drum. The leader of the zu’r-liuinih, a man of dignity and great moral as well as physical stature, befriended Faizi and left a permanent mark on his character.

After a short period of rudimentary studies in Qum, Faizi moved with his parents to Tihran. The atmosphere of his life completely changed, as though he had come out of a stifling room into fresh air. His father, who was a Bahá’í at heart, allowed him to go to the Tarbi’yat School—one of many schools started by Bahá’ís throughout Tran. Here he excelled in studies and in sports. Faizi often spoke with deep love and reverence about his devoted, self—sacrificing teachers in the Tarbiyat School, such as the great poet ‘Azizu’llah Misbz’lh and the learned Fáḍil-i-ghirazi, who influenced him beyond measure and showed him the path of true servitude.

His fellow students, many of whom became life-long friends, loved and respected him. It was a joy to be present at Faizi’s reunion with a fellow student years later. They still spoke with awe about those wonderful teachers they had had; they remembered their classmates with affection; and how they laughed over old jokes!

One Friday, not long after Faizi had joined the Tarbl’yat School, his Bahá’í classmates took him to their ‘character training class’. He always remembered that day and the kind, radiant teacher to whom he was immediately drawn—Ni’iri’d—Din Fath-i-A‘zam. He began to attend these Friday classes regularly but did not at first realize their connection with the Bahá’í Faith. Although Faizi had never known Bahá’ís before coming to Tihran, he was attracted to his Bahá’í classmates and his

THE Bahá’í’ WORLD

acceptance of the Faith was quite natural as though he had been a believer all his life. When his mother realized her son was a Bahá’í, far from showing antagonism towards the Faith, as the rest of her relatives did, she encouraged him to observe the rules which his new beliefs prescribed. A devout Muslim herself, she would rise at dawn during the Bahá’í month of fasting to prepare his breakfast and make sure that he woke up on time. She was later to know that her only other child, older than Faizi and already married, had also accepted the Faith in another part of Iran. This saintly lady became a firm Bahá’í many years later.

In those days the Tarbi’yat School taught only up to the ninth standard. After completing the school Faizi spent some time at the American College in Tihran before going on to Beirut, in Lebanon, for higher studies in 1927. Beirut was only four hours away by car from Haifa and Faizi came on pilgrimage shortly after he left Tran. The climax of his life was the moment he met the Guardian of the Cause of God at whose feet he laid his whole heart—instantly, completely and forever. From that moment to the end of his days, Faizi had but one desire—to serve the Guardian. He became selfless in this servitude and sought no name or distinction. His tender love for the Guardian was. the cause of his happiness, and his solace in times of sorrow. This great love, the source of his own inspiration, overflowed to fill other souls and set them, too, on the path of service.

The Bahá’í students in Beirut were permitted to come on pilgrimage and visit the Guardian during their Christmas or Easter holidays. Faizi came whenever possible and stayed as long as he could. It was the Guardian who nurtured the seed of faith in his heart until it became a mighty tree and bore choice fruit for all to share.

During his visits to Haifa, Faizi was usually accompanied by his close friend and fellow student at the American University of Beirut —Hasan Balyfizi. Faizi, always humble and faithful towards his friends, said he owed a great debt of gratitude to Balyfizi, who guided him through those turbulent years and set an example for him to follow. The two were kindred souls and stood out as shining stars among the rest of the students from Tran.

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They had similar tastes, were both attracted to literature and the arts and sometimes worked together writing and producing plays for the Persian students’ society in Beirut. They also took part in all Bahá’í activities, including a study class on the Faith organized by the students themselves.

The Guardian showered his favours on them when they came on pilgrimage and encouraged them in .every way. Once he gave the two young men something to translate for him. At another time he sent them to visit the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh in Bahjí’ when it was still occupied by the Covenant-breakers and no other Bahá’ís were permitted to go there. Faizi would recount the terrible state in which they found the rooms where Bahá’u’lláh had once lived. Having witnessed how the enemies of the Cause had ruined the beautiful Mansion, the two friends were sent there again after the Guardian had renovated the building and furnished the rooms, restoring the dignity of the dwelling place of God’s Manifestation on earth. Balyuzi and Faizi were the first Bahá’ís allowed to sleep in the Mansion after its restoration.

Another great honour was bestowed upon them and a few of their fellow students when they were invited to visit the daughter of Bahá’u’lláh, the Greatest Holy Leaf. Faizi has written about this unique privilege and the extraordinary effect that her celestial presence had on his sensitive soul.

Faizi had decided to go back to serve in the Tarbiyat School after finishing his studies in Beirut, and he was greatly encouraged by the Guardian’s expressed hopes that Bahá’í youth consecrate their lives to the service of the Cause. The Guardian once asked him what he intended to do after his studies were completed, and expressed great satisfaction with his decision. At another time the Guardian enquired of him whether the Bahá’í schools in lran were closed for the nine Holy Days. Faizi replied that he did not think they were, and the Guardian said they should not open on Bahá’í Holy Days even if this meant they would be permanently closed by the government. The words of the Guardian were significant, though Faizi did not realize their full import at that time.

On his last visit to the Holy Land the Guardian gave Faizi flowers from the Shrines

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to place on his behalf 0n the resting-place of the first American Bahá’í martyr, Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who had passed away in Iṣfahán.

The final parting with the Guardian, in 1933, would have been impossible for Faizi to bear had it not been for his great longing to start his work at the Tarbiyat School. Alas, he did not know that in 1934, less than three weeks before he could finish his compulsory military service in Tran, all the Bahá’í schools in the country would be permanently closed by the government because the National Spiritual Assembly had decided not to open them on Bahá’í Holy Days.

His dream now shattered, Faizi reluctantly accepted a post with the Anglo—Iranian Oil Company in Tihran. He had a good salary and prospects of climbing to the top of an important career. But his heart was not in riches and high positions. Though he was serving on Bahá’í committees and had started deepening classes for youth, he yearned to dedicate his whole life to the serviceof the Cause. He remembered that the Guardian had 'once told him not to defile himself with this world and wondered how he could escape it. But he remembered, too, that the Guardian had assured him of his prayers, and this was what he relied on.

An opportunity came his way and he seized it with joy and determination. The Bahá’ís of the village of Najafabad, whose schools had been closed by the government, had asked for a volunteer to go to live among them and teach their children. To the great surprise of all and the dismay of his friends. Faizi decided to give up his job and become a teacher in an obscure corner of the country. This was probably the greatest decision he was to make, for it set the course of his life away from the glitter of the world. When the Guardian read about it in a general report sent to him by the National Spiritual Assembly of Tran, he wrote in reply, ‘This spontaneous decision will attract divine confirmation and is a clear proof of the high endeavour, the pure motive, and the self-sacrifice of that favoured servant of the divine Threshold. I am extremely pleased and grateful to him and I pray from the depths of my heart for the success of that active, radiant youth . . .’

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In Najafabéd Faizi had about four hundred students, from kindergarten children to adults. He organized his classes in the homes of the Bahá’ís and went from house to house from morning till afternoon, sometimes starting at dawn to teach the youth who went to work in the fields after their lessons. Some of those who had previously taught in the two Bahá’í schools in the Village helped him with the children, but Faizi had introduced Bahá’í lessons for all the students now that they were not obliged to follow the strict curriculum imposed on schools by the government, so the burden of the work 'fell on his shoulders. His mother gave him all her support. As his father had passed away while he was in Beirut, she had accompanied Faizi t0 Najafabad, and she helped him in every way she could. She loved the children who were always in and out of their modest home. She washed the faces of the little ones and combed their hair, and associated with their parents, serving them in many ways. She also supported Faizi financially in Najafabad with the little money left to her by her husband, for the nominal sum he himself received served only as pocket money, which he usually spent on the children. Their household at this time included a faithful old servant, a child Faizi had adopted before leaving Tihran, and two other children belonging to a widowed relative. It was in Najafabad that Faizi’s mother dreamed of the blessed Bab and became a firm believer. It was also during this period that Faizi chose his life’s partner, someone he had known for many years.

Faizi’s daily work in the village did not end with the classes in the afternoons. In the evenings, dressed in simple clothes woven and stitched in Najafabad, he would attend Bahá’í meetings or visit the friends in their homes. inspiring them with stories from Bahá’í history or sharing with them some of the rare Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh which he had transcribed in beautiful calligraphy. He loved to sit at the feet of the older generation and hear from them about the first courageous Bahá’ís of Najafabad in the days of Bahá’u’lláh. The lives of the early believers always fascinated him. All his life he gathered these stories and recounted them to other Bahá’ís, touching their hearts and giving them insight into the sacrifices that had laid the foundations of their

THE BAHA’I’ WORLD

Faith. Often he would encourage a youth to serve the Cause by telling him of the great deeds of one of his own ancestors of which he himself had not known before.

During his stay in Najafzibad, Faizi’s work extended to the neighbouring city of Iṣfahán where he held a regular deepening class for a large number of youth, and to the surrounding villages where he visited the Bahá’ís from time to time. In Najafabzid itself he helped to build a strong, well-organized community with a library, which was named after Zaynu’lMuqarrabin, the famous religious dignitary of Najafabad who became a Bahá’í and went to live with Bahá’u’lláh in exile. Faizi also encouraged the Bahá’í’s to build a public bath as none of the villagers had baths in their homes and Bahá’ís were not allowed to step inside the public bath owned by Muslims. But, of course, his main work centred on the children and the youth. Years later, as he travelled around the world, he was to meet dozens of them scattered as pioneers in different countries, many with high academic degrees and important positions, but still looking up to him as their teacher and their example in life.

Faizi stayed in Najafabad for about five years until he had trained enough teachers to carry on his work. During this time he had travelled to other parts of Iran, meeting Bahá’í communities and translating for visitors from abroad. He had also translated into Persian some of the Guardian’s letters to the West, and had prepared a condensation of The Dawn-Breakers. On these he based his notes when teaching Bahá’í administration and history at the newly-established Summer School on the outskirts of Tihran.

The National Spiritual Assembly asked Faizi to go from Najafabad to the town of Qazvin where there was another large community of believers. In reply to the Assembly’s report, dated 1940, the Guardian wrote that they ‘should constantly encourage this distinguished youth . . . so that all his time may be spent in important service to the Cause because his services are very important and his travels to Bahá’í Centres produce beneficial results. I do not forget the ceaseless services of that active servant of the Cause in Najafabad, and it is my cherished hope that he will be graciously aided to render greater

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services, accomplish more important undertakings and achieve higher and more distinguished victories. This is my earnest desire for him at all times and under all conditions . . .’

In Qazvin, as in Najafabad, Faizi endeared himself to young and old alike. His personal life, as well as his dedicated work, influenced everyone who came in touch with him. He organized Bahá’í classes for all ages and took the youth on outings to visit believers in neighbouring towns and Villages. He went to people’s homes, taking warmth and laughter wherever he went. He encouraged the community to closer association and helped to establish a beautiful library in the name of one of Qazvin’s foremost Bahá’ís—Ḥakím-i—Ilahi. But his greatest accomplishment in that town was the training of over thirty youth Who studied with him every day, preparing themselves for dedicated service to the Cause. These youth became ignited torches and later carried the light of Bahá’u’lláh to different villages and towns, and many of them rendered outstanding services as pioneers in other countries. Faizi’s stay in Qazvin was no more than a year but the results of his work there were immeasurable.

When the Guardian asked the Bahá’ís of lran to pioneer to the neighbouring countries, Faizi’s response was immediate. In the winter of 1941 he set out with his wife for Baghdad, hoping to obtain a visa to one of the cofitries in the Arabian Peninsula. He was unable to get to his pioneering post for a year, during which time he brought a new spirit to the Bahá’í community in Baghdad. He started regular study classes for—their youth, encouraged the new believers, made friends among the members of old Bahá’í families from the days before Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration, and continued to'collect his precious stories. To those who, like himself, had set out to pioneer to Arabia and were stranded in Baghdad during the war—whole families with yofig children and elderly people living under dire conditions—he was a symbol of patience, a ray of joy with his ever-ready humour.

Faizi and his wife were among the very few who were able to pioneer to Arabia after the long waiting. They had, by now, exhausted what little money they had, but Faizi was offered a job in the only secondary school in

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Bahrain at that time. Unfortunately, the job was withdrawn after it became known that he was a Bahá’í, and it was only through a miracle that he was not deported from the island. There followed test after test, too numerous to recount, but nothing could dampen his spirit. His beloved Guardian had asked the pioneers to remain at their posts, and neither the terrible heat, the lack of water, of proper food and every means of comfort, nor the hostility of fanatical people could shake his determination to stay in Bahrain.

Faizi, his wife, the two children born to them in Bahrain and one new believer were the only Bahá’ís in that part of the world for about seven years before a few other pioneers could settle in the countries along the coast of Arabia. They were not permitted to mention the Faith and strange rumours were circulated about their beliefs. But Faizi, in his sweet, gentle manner, slowly began to win the hearts of the inhabitants of Bahrain. His students at the school had been the first to be attracted to him, then gradually the neighbours, the shopkeepers around and, finally, nearly all those who had considered him a heretic and had tried to have him deported became his friends.

Faizi had a way of bringing out the good hidden in people’s souls. Once he befriended a well-known thief in Bahrain who spent most of his time in prison. Whenever he met this man on the street he would do some shopping and send the purchases home with him so that he could give him a little money for his trouble. The man faithfully delivered everything. One day Faizi entrusted him with some expensive items and, when he reached home after a long while, saw that the shopping had not yet been delivered. It might have been natural to assume that this time the temptation had proved too much for the thief, but no such doubt entered Faizi’s mind. ‘He has probably stopped for a chat in the market place,’ he said. ‘He’ll come.’ And he did.

Slowly surmounting many barriers, other pioneers—usually young men who could bear the hardships—began to settle in Arabia. They were scattered in different territories, lived under extremely difficult conditions, and could seldom receive news from their homeland. Faizi strengthened them through his wonderful letters, uplifting their spirits, en [Page 664]664

couraging them to persevere at their posts and giving them what little news he himself received. He corresponded with their parents, assuring them that their sons were safe and rendering wonderful services to the Cause.

As the number of pioneers grew in Arabia, Faizi’s correspondence increased. By this time he was also writing to other pioneers around the globe. He gave them news of the work in Arabia, sent them quotations from the Writings to inspire them, and anecdotes to make them laugh. To the end of his life Faizi corresponded with hundreds of friends, including many children. He loved to give people little gifts and he usually included in his letters quotations written in his own beautiful calligraphy and decorated by himself. These can now be seen framed in many homes in every corner of the world. Apart from his vast correspondence, Faizi wrote many articles and literary works and continued his translations.

The pioneers in Arabia adored Faizi. To them he was a father and a close friend. They looked up to him as their example, and from him they learned the lessons of true love and perseverance in the face of every worldly deprivation. Their’ only wish was to obey their beloved Guardian and cheer his heart. Even when, years later, Faizi had a good job and could afford to buy a few means of comfort for his home, such as a refrigerator, he refused to do so because other pioneers in Arabia could not afford such luxury. Everything he had was shared with others. When he was asked how he would be able to pay for his children’s higher education, he said, ‘There are so many children around me who need help now. How can I deprive them in order to save for an unknown future?’ The children he assisted at that time are now grown up and serving their countrymen throughtthe different posts they occupy.

The Guardian referred to Faizi as ‘the Spiritual Conqueror of Arabia’ and wrote concerning his work, ‘The unceasing meritorious services of that radiant youth in these past years illumine the annals of the Cause of God and set an example for all to follow . . .’

The sacrifices of the pioneers yielded rich fruit in Arabia. Although unable to teach their Faith, they won the friendship and respect of others by their lives, thus making it

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possible for many Bahá’ís to settle throughout the Peninsula. Before Faizi left, in 1957, there was already a National Spiritual Assembly in Arabia, and he lived to see five others established in that area.

Faizi had gone to India to attend the Intercontinental Conference in 1953, and had then accompanied a Hand of the Cause to Australasia to translate'for him. He was in Europe in 1957 when news reached him that he himself had been appointed a Hand of the Cause. Then, within only a few weeks, he was to receive the news which shattered his whole being. The Guardian had passed away‘ Griefstricken and bowedeith uncontrollable sorrow, he went to London to attend the funeral. Years before, the Guardian had praised his warm, resonant voice when he had chanted one of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh for him in Haifa. It was now his destiny to chant the Prayer for the Dead before the Guardian’s remains were laid to rest.

Faizi had no desire to live after his beloved had left this world. The only thing which kept him alive was the task which the Guardian had entrusted to him. He drowned himself in work and did not stop until the last day of his life. Though broken in health and in and out of hospital for many years, nothing could even slow him down.

He was one of the nine Hands chosen to remain at the World Centre of the Faith, and he went through much personal suffering during those first five fateful years as he remembered the days when he followed the Guardian through the gardens or heard him chanting in the Shrines.

In the Holy Land Faizi served as a link between his fellow Hands from the East and the West for he spoke and wrote both Persian and English fluently. He also knew Arabic and French very well, both of which were valuable to him in his work for the Cause.

Though the burden of work was heavy and his new tasks demanding, Faizi continued to reach out to his friends all over the world through his ever-increasing personal correspondence. Always a lover of people, he derived much happiness from meeting the groups of pilgrims and their children who came from different countries of the world. He showed them around the Holy Places, and prepared gifts for them to take away. Their

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response to his warmth was touching as they eagerly awaited his coming each day and sat spellbound when he spoke to them, answering their questions or telling them some of his delightful stories. Many of these pilgrims, too, began to correspond with him after leaving the Holy Land.

It is impossible to recount here, even in brief, all the many valuable services FaiZi rendered the Faith as a Hand of the Cause and as a member of the International Teaching Centre. He travelled extensively throughout the whole world, representing the Universal House of J ustice at numerous conferences and Conventions; he defended the Cause against its Covenant-breakers, advised National Spiritual Assemblies, met heads of state and world dignitaries, gave public addresses and private talks, conducted study classes for Bahá’ís, visited the homes of pioneers in every continent, encouraged the youth to use their talents in the service of the Cause, inspired the hearts through his published writings1 and translations, and never stopped sending out his valued letters even when he was too ill to receive visitors.

He had been confined to bed several times during his travels—once he had to be rushed to hospital in the middle of a talk—but he would not be persuaded to look after his health. He fell and rose again and again until his body could no more keep pace with his indefatigable soul. Though unable to travel, he continued to write letters and receive pilgrims in his home to the end of his life in 1980. Among the last papers he left on his desk were a few gifts he had prepared to give away—quotations from the Writings in his own calligraphy. At the bottom of each he had written, ‘For the dear pilgrims.‘

The Guardian, whose Vision was not limited by time, had looked at this beautiful life in its entirety, and had written Of Faizi in 1942: ‘Blessed is he and those who like unto him aided the Cause of God by their words,

1 Some of Faizi’s best known works in Persian and English are: Paydm-i-Dzist va Bahdr-i-Sad-u-Bz’st—~120 BE (19631964); Da’sldn-i-Dlixttin—lll BE (1964—1965); The Priceless Pearl translated into Persian—1969; Three Meditations 0n the Eve of November the F0urth—1970; Explanation of the Emblem of the Greatest Name—19701971; Our Precious Trusts—1973; The Wonder Lamp1975; Stories from the Delight of Hearts translated into English—1980.

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their deeds, and all that was bestowed upon them by their Lord, and attained His goodpleasure.”

GLORIA FAIZI