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‘AziZU’LLAH SEAYANi
1900—1988
‘Azizu’llah _S__hayani was born on 10 J anuary 1900, in Hamadén, Persia. He was from a J ewish background, and only his father, Aqa Rahim, and one of his uncles had become Bahá’ís. ‘Azizu’lláh personally took on the task of independent search after truth and attended the classes and firesides of Haji Mihdi Arjumand (author of Gulsjtan-i-Haqa ’z'q). After a thorough investigation of the Faith, he embraced the Cause wholeheartedly.
As a result of his extreme enthusiasm and intelligence during his youth, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá acknowledged ‘Azizu’llah in reply to a letter from Haji Amin, saying, “In truth, this youth is worthy of affection”. Following this, ‘Aziz chose §hayani as his surname. (Shayan means “worthy” in Persian.)
Upon completion of his studies, including learning the French language, in Hamadan, ‘Aziz moved to Tihran with his family, where he worked in trade, importing electrical supplies. He actively served the Faith in Tihran, particularly in the area of education. In 1922, he married Jan Khánum: and they raised four children dedicated to the Cause. J an accompanied and aided him through 30 years of pioneering.
1 Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu ‘l—Baha (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1982), p. 139.
THE Bahá’í WORLD
‘Aziz had the bounty of going on pilgrimage for the first time in 1936, When he was honoured by being in the beloved Guardian’s presence for eleven days. He had the privilege of meeting the Guardian for a second time in 1953, after attending the inauguration of the Temple in Wilmette, Illinois, USA.
On the first day of Riḍván 1955, ‘Azizu’lláh Ehayéni left Tihran to begin the successful teaching and pioneering efforts Which were to last close to 30 years. He went first to Cairo, Egypt, on his way to attend the National Convention, then to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. When after three months he found he could not renew his Visa, he left Madagascar for Mauritius. After a three month stay, he set out for Reunion. On each of these three islands he was successful in teaching many sou1s and forming Assemblies.
‘Aziz pioneered next to Asmara, Ethiopia. Later, he set out for Nairobi, Kenya, and continued his teaching efforts there. While in Nairobi, he carried out certain assignments as requested by the Hands of the Cause of God residing in East Africa. As a result, in addition to his teaching efforts, he travelled to Mogadishu, Somalia, and other parts of East Africa.
After a short trip to Tihran to consult with the pioneering committee, ‘Aziz set out for Italy to await the advice of the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Giachery about moving to Portugal. Dr. Giachery, however, rather than suggesting Portugal, recommended pioneering to Sicily with the hope of forming the Assembly in Palermo. After ‘Aziz had stayed in Palermo for two years and had helped establish an Assembly there, Dr. Giachery proposed he pioneer to Torino in Italy. ‘Aziz stayed there for six years, where he was quite successful in teaching the Cause.
In 1968, ‘Aziz attended the Palermo Conference, then had the bounty of having a third pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While there, a member of the Universal House of Justice suggested that he take on the task of
IN MEMORIAM
establishing the National Spiritual Assembly of the Malagasy Republic and overseeing the construction and repairs on the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Antananarivo. He accepted the challenge and was in Madagascar until 1974. In addition to constructing and repairing the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, purchasing the land for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, making the preliminary arrangements for making the Bahá’í Faith official in Madagascar, and attending the International Convention, ‘Aziz was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Madagasy Republic in 1973. During these six years, he travelled to teach in Ethiopia during the rainy season in Madagascar. He also made two more trips to Reunion and Mauritius in this period.
When ‘Aziz left Madagascar, he Visited the friends in Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali, then took residence in Casablanca, Morocco. He participated in teaching trips in West Africa in 1975, but after attending the Paris Conference in 1976, he was hospitalized and underwent surgery in the city of Montpelier. His health began to deteriorate after this illness, and he was not able to travel any more.
In addition to having the bounty of being in the presence of the beloved Guardian twice, ‘Aziz had the privilege of pilgrimage on three other occasions. He was also able to attend the dedication ceremonies of the Temples in Chicago, Sydney, and Frankfurt, and to attend the World Congress in London in 1963. His other trips included such destinations as Japan, India and Pakistan.
He was a devoted and active Bahá’í who, in his 30-year-long pioneering endeavours, was engaged day and night in teaching and promoting the Cause. Among his other services was the donation of a chandelier to the Shrine of the Bath. .1
He passed away on 11 June 1988 in his home in Casablanca. His funeral was conducted in utmost dignity at the Bahá’í cemetery in Casablanca. The following telegram was sent by the Universal House of Justice on 13 June:
911
‘Azz’zu ’lláh Shdydnz’
DEEPLY SADDENED PASSING STAUNCH STEADFAST PROMOTOR FAITH AZIZOLLAH SHAYANI. HIS PIONEERING SERVICES OVER THREE DECADES IN AFRICAN CONTINENT LOVINGLY REMEMBERED. ASSURE MEMBERS FAMILY FERVENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRlNES PROGRESS HIS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.
MR. LOTFOLLAH SCHAYANI AND
DR. NOSRATOLLAH SCHAYANI
(Mr. Luṭfu’lláh §héyéni and Dr. Nusratu’lláh shayani) Translated from the Persian by Goli Yazdani
