Bahá’í World/Volume 20/Jalal Khazeh
JALAL KHAZEH
(Jalálu’lláh Kháḍi‘)
1897—1990
DEEPLY GRIEVED ANNOUNCE PASSING STAUNCH TIRELESS PROMOTER FAITH HAND CAUSE GOD JALAL KHAZEH. HIS STRENUOUS ENDEAVOURS CRADLE FAITH HOLY LAND LATIN AMERICA AND WORLDWIDE TRAVELS AFTER PASSING BELOVED GUARDIAN SET SHINING EXAMPLE OF UNSHAKEABLE DEDICATION AND COURAGE, OF UNDEVIATING LOYALTY AND PERSEVERANCE. IMPERISHABLE RECORD HIS STERLING SERVICES AS GIFTED TEACHER DEFENDER CAUSE NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN. HIS NOBLE SPIRIT NOW ABHA KINDGOM WILL UNDOUBTEDLY INTERCEDE BEHALF PERSIAN BAHA’I COMMUNITY WHOSE VITAL INTERESTS HE SERVED WITH SUCH HIGH DISTINCTION OVER SEVERAL DECADES. FERVENTLY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES FOR PROGRESS HIS ILLUMINED SOUL IN REALMS ON HIGH. ADVISE FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS HIS HONOUR PARTICULARLY ALL HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
When the Hand of the Cause of God Jalál
Kháḍi‘ ascended to the Abhá Kingdom on
21 February 1990, the Bahá’í world mourned
a man whose service in the Formative Age
of the Faith left a brilliant mark. Those who
had the privilege of knowing Mr. Kháḍi‘ will
never forget his radiant happiness, devotion,
and eagerness to serve.
Jalál was born in Ṭihrán, Persia, in 1897. His father, Ghulám—Riḍá, had had to leave his town Sidíh in the province of Iṣfahán,
with some other well-known Bahá’ís because of the unrest and persecutions there. Ghulám-Riḍá’s wife, who was not a Bahá’í, left him and, despite the fact that she was not divorced, married a Muslim. Thus it came about that Ghulám-Riḍá married Jamálíyyih Khánum in Ṭihrán. She was the daughter of Jináb-i-Karbilá’í Mihdí Ṭihrání, who had spent three years in the Síyáh—Chál in Ṭihrán as a prisoner because he was a Bahá’í. The couple had two children: Jalálu’lláh and Farkhundih.
As a result of the persecutions he had suffered, Ghulám—Riḍá was always in poor health, and he died at the age of thirty-five, when his son, Jalál, was only seven years old and his daughter, Farkhundih, was only five. With loving devotion, courage, and selflessness, their mother took care of their education. Jalál attended Bahá’í children’s and youth classes as well as the Tarbíyat Bahá’í School.
At the age of seventeen, Jalál began to study veterinary medicine at the military academy which was headed by professors from Sweden. In this profession, he served in the army in Qazvín, Hamadán, Kirmánsháh, Sanandaj, Khurramábád, Burújird, and Ahváz. He received the rank of a lieutenant when he was only nineteen years old. That same year, he married Jamálíyyih, the daughter of Ustád Ḥasan-‘Alí Mi’márbáshi-i—Káshání. Their marriage was blessed with three daughters and two sons. Having served the required number of years, he retired from the army in 1943, having attained the rank of colonel.
In his autobiography Jalál wrote: “Through my mother’s guidance I participated in my early years in two different classes conducted by well-known Bahá’í scholars. (Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar Rafsanjáni and Áqá Muḥammad Ḥusein—Ulfat.) And so I owe my faith in the Blessed Beauty’s Holy Cause to my mother’s guidance and the participation in these teaching evenings.”
Jalál Kháḍi‘ was only fifteen years old when he entered the field of service to the
Faith, and from his twentieth year onwards he was a member of committees and Spiritual Assemblies of the cities in which he lived and worked. In 1944, after he had retired, he was elected as a delegate to the National Convention for the electoral district of Ṭihrán. Thus he took part in that National Convention which was held in Shíráz to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb. He was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Írán and, served for five years in this capacity. Afterwards he was elected to the Spiritual Assembly of Ṭihrán and served there for three years as secretary.
Parallel to his administrative functions, he continually travelled to teach throughout Persia and sent reports about his experiences to the beloved Guardian. On 17 August 1950, Dr. Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím penned the following remark onto his report about Kirmán and Rafsanján on behalf of the Guardian: ‘Write Jalál Kháḍi‘ and urge him to continue his travels and assure him how deeply the Guardian values his wonderful services.’
Mr. Kháḍi‘ was of strong, fine build, and very courageous by nature. He used, this quality whenever he received news of a Bahá’í being oppressed or mistreated somewhere. He did not hesitate to reprimand even government officials if they neglected to fulfil their duty in favour of giving in to pressure from fanatical elements in the society.
At the end of 1951, he resigned from the Spiritual Assembly of Ṭihrán to teach throughout Persia. At first he wanted to go to Hamadán, but then he received a telegram from Shoghi Effendi giving him permission for a pilgrimage. He immediately took steps to acquire a passport and all the necessary documents. At the end of March in 1952, his greatest wish was fulfilled. He was able to Visit the Holy Places in Haifa and ‘Akká and attain the presence of the beloved Guardian.
After this pilgrimage he felt as though he had been newly born to serve at the Holy Threshold. Shoghi Effendi gave him the task of teaching the Cause of God in the whole of
Persia, travelling to the villages and cities and bringing the friends news from the Bahá’í world, familiarizing them with the goals of the Ten Year Crusade and encouraging them everywhere to arise with all their strength to achieve these goals. For two and a half years he travelled through the provinces of Khuzistán, Fárs, Iṣfahán, Kirmán, Khurásán, and Mázandarán to carry out the tasks Shoghi Effendi had assigned to him.
On 23 October 1952, Mr. Kháḍi‘ received the following cable:
ADVISE ATTEND KAMPALA CONFERENCE AFTERWARDS VISIT AFRICAN CENTRES THEN CONTINUE MERITORIOUS VISITS CENTRES IRAN PRAYERS ACCOMPANYING YOU. SHOGHI.
Following this request, Mr. Kháḍi‘ took part in the African Intercontinental Conference in Kampala, Uganda, from 12—18 February. Then he visited the Bahá’ís in East Africa, travelling to Abyssinia, Eritrea, and Kenya. Afterwards he visited pioneers in Aden, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Masqat, and Ra’s at Tannurah. After carrying out Shoghi Effendi’s instmctions, he returned to Persia and continued his travels there.
He sent reports from Nairobi, Aden, and Ṭihrán to Haifa, informing the Guardian about his journey and enclosing photographs of Kampala and other places. When he was just about to leave for the province of Gílán, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Írán asked him to come to their meeting, and they gave him a telegram from the Guardian along with a letter from Dr. L. Ḥakím dated 20 May 1953. The cable, which expressed the infinite mercy of the Guardian, moved Mr. Khádi‘ to tears:
PROUD YOUR SERVICES ENCOURAGE FRIENDS CENTRES ARISE PARTICIPATE CRUSADE. SHOGHI.
Other telegrams and letters also reflect Shoghi Effendi’s loving acknowledgement and encouragement for Mr. Kháḍi‘ and assured him of his prayers. For example, the Guardian wrote, ‘...YOUR SERVICES ARE THE CAUSE OF GLORY AND HONOUR...’, and in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian: “your services and travels set an example for
the friends in Írán...” Mr. Kháḍi‘ wrote in his autobiography: “This [principle] became clear: if we take one step sincerely in His exalted path, He comes towards us one thousand steps through His goodness and grace, to encourage us and even to praise us. . .”
An excerpt from one of Mr. Kháḍi‘s reports of that time reveals his service extremely clearly [translation from Payám-i-Bahá’í 126 (May 1990)]:
One of Shoghi Effendi’s instructions is the
reason why I feel the urge to visit the friends in many places despite being an old and weak man. When I was on pilgrimage with some of the other Hands of the Cause of God, Shoghi Effendi told us that we must serve the Cause of God until our last breath. Well, we all know what this last breath means. .. During my pilgrimage, the beloved Guardian instructed me to go to Persia and to visit the friends everywhere, even in places where there was only one Bahá’í. He said that if we do not visit the friends who are isolated in a place as pioneers or for some other reason, their tree of being will wither.
Thus, I left one day to visit the village Dilmán in Gílán. I travelled through forests and over mountains, and only mules which were especially trained were able to cover this distance of about 50 kilometres. The strain of the journey can hardly be described! I wanted to visit Mr. Riḍá Ṣamímí, a former clergyman from Táliqán whom the enemies of the Cause had wanted to kill. He had gone to Dilmán and was the only Bahá’í there. While I was with him, I realized how well our beloved Guardian knows which souls suffer from loneliness in which locations.
After a journey of two days, I arrived in Dilmán. I was so exhausted that I was unable to utter a single word. My legs were so grazed that I could not walk. I was carried up the stairs leading into the room and collapsed on the floor. Mr. Ṣamímí thought initially that I was a revenue
officer who had come to collect taxes. He
asked: ‘Excuse me, but who are you and why have you come?’ I asked: ‘Are you Riḍá Ṣamímí?’ He answered in the affirmative. I continued, ‘My name is Jalál Kháḍi‘ I met the beloved Guardian. He asked me to visit the friends everywhere, especially those who live in a locality all by themselves. I have been travelling for two days in order to come and see you.’
Before concluding this sentence, I realized that he did not know what to do. He began to cry and exclaimed: ‘My Beloved, the Guardian, remembered and thought of me and sent you here, because otherwise nobody would have come to this corner of the country in order to find out how I was.’ His tears streamed into his beard (reminding one of the fact that he had been a clergyman.) Then he said: ‘Well, as you are a messenger of my Beloved, please, stay exactly where you are and do what I tell you.’ I replied, ‘As you like it.’ Mr. Ṣamímí then explained: ‘I would like to circumambulate you nine times, chanting prayers and Tablets.’
To make a long story short, I felt that this man exerted a strength and power which made me sit down. He began to walk around me in circles, intoning Holy Tablets and prayers, shedding tears. For lunch he brought soup (ábgusht), but he did not eat anything. He said that he could not possibly eat at the same time as I, because he desired to eat from the plate from which I had eaten...
Mr. Kháḍi‘ also reported on his journeys to Rasht, Lahiján, Shahsavár, Siahkol, Chálús, and other places. In the answer of 16 August 1953, Dr. Ḥakím quotes Shoghi Effendi as follows: ‘Write to Mr. Kháḍi‘ that I read his detailed report carefully and that I was deeply touched by it. I profoundly appreciate his continuous service, and his trips to the different communities and localities have had a long-lasting impression on the friends.’
Jalal Khazeh
On 22 November 1953, Mr. Kháḍi‘ received a letter from Dr. Ḥakím in answer to his travel report about the region of Khurásán-Mashhad, Qúchán, Darjaz, Bujnúrd, Shírván, Turbat—i—Jám, and about Sístán, deep in the heart of Balúchistán. This letter had been sitting in Mashhad for two months, because nobody knew his address. In that letter, Mr. Ḥakím wrote on behalf of the Guardian:
Shoghi Effendi asked me to write to you
and to tell you that he read your letter despite the heavy workload and that he is very happy about your visits to the friends in the different places. Now the beloved Guardian would like you to go on an extended journey to the Mázandarán region. He does not expect you to settle there, but he asks you to stay in each place for a considerable period of time, in order to have extensive meetings with the friends and to encourage and support them with respect to their relationship to the Faith as much as you can. The friends in Mázandarán are in great need of such assistance, especially in the
region of Núr and Tákur. Shoghi Effendi
is very glad about your services and appreciates them greatly. He is always thinking of and praying for you...
At the end of December 1953, when Mr. Kháḍi‘ had returned from a two month teaching trip in Sístán and Balúchistán to Turbat—i—Ḥaydaríyyih, he was awakened on the second night at about four o’clock in the morning by three Bahá’í friends who wanted to congratulate him. Greatly astonished, he asked them the reason. They asked if he had not received his telegram. When he replied in the negative, one of the friends embraced him and said, “Then I am the first to bring you the happy news that you have been appointed a Hand of the Cause of God. The telegram arrived twenty days ago and was sent on to Záhidán, Bírjand, and Zábul. Apparently they were not able to reach you there.”
“Amazement and astonishment”, writes Mr. Kháḍi‘, “took hold of this servant’s whole being. How strange, what ability does this insignificant, shameful, modest atom possess to be honoured by such a high rank and such grace and to be chosen for this.” With tears in his eyes he asked the friends to leave him alone and for some time he sat in prayer and meditation. Early in the morning, the friends gathered again to meet him. He decided to go to Mashhad in order to personally receive the following telegram dated 7 December 1953:
ANNOUNCE YOUR ELEVATION RANK HAND CAUSE CONFIDENT DIVINE BLESSINGS FUTURE SERVICES. SHOGHI.
Remembering this time, Mr. Kháḍi‘ wrote: ‘God knows the state I entered when I read this cable. On the one hand, I saw my weakness, and on the other hand, I saw the arduousness of my future task, and the fire of hopelessness began to consume me.’ Mr. Kháḍi‘ then sent a telegram to the Guardian which read, when translated from the Persian:
The crown of honour which the Beloved
of all Worlds has bestowed upon the head
of this servant through His mercy will be
the cause of everlasting honour and glory for this servant and his descendants in both worlds. Now, the future lies in the hands of this servant. I will either find a spot in the paradise of nearness to Him by attracting the bounty of the incomparable Protector, or I will be neglectful and careless and fall into the fire of remoteness from Him. Thus, I ask you for your support and help, so that the feeble back of this nonentity will be enabled to carry this heavy load and will come to a good end in this passing world.
In answer to this telegram, Mr. Kháḍi‘ received the following cable:
REST ASSURED CONFIDENT GREAT SUCCESS. SHOGHI.
Mr. Kháḍi‘ travelled on to Mázandarán, and at Riḍván 1954 went to Ṭihrán to take part in the National Convention and the meeting of the Hands of the Cause in Asia. Shoghi Effendi sent a telegram instructing the Hands of the Cause Ṭarázu’lláh Samandarí and Jalál Kháḍi‘ to continue their teaching trips, although Mr. Kháḍi‘ had been elected once more to the National Assembly of Persia. Dr. Ḥakím wrote on behalf of the Guardian: ‘Although you were elected a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, you should continue your travels through Mázandarán for some time, in order to visit and encourage the friends. That is more important for you than staying in the capital.’ So Mr. Kháḍi‘ went again to Mázandarán.
Between 22 June and 10 July 1954, he and the Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan visited Núr and Tákur and the House of Bahá’u’lláh there. About this Visit Mr. Kháḍi‘ wrote: ‘During this sojourn of nineteen days I met relatives of Bahá’u’lláh every day and spoke to them about the greatness of the Cause and about the honour bestowed upon them by belonging to this illustrious family.’ After that, Mr. Kháḍi‘ visited friends of Sangsar for twelve days and travelled through Bábul for six months
in order to carry out the Guardian’s request to strengthen and encourage the friends. He continued sending reports to the Guardian about his travels to Búshihr, Kazerún, Shíráz, and Ábádih. On 20 August 1954, he received the first cable from Shoghi Effendi directly addressed to him:
DELIGHTED REPORT PRAYING CONTINUED SUCCESS. SHOGHI.
After spending one month in Ṭihrán, Mr. Kháḍi‘ and his wife returned to northern Írán and Babul where they stayed for six months. During the day, there were gatherings for youth; in the evenings, he met with the Spiritual Assembly. He also visited other communities in Sháhí, Sárí, Amul, and associated villages. According to the Guardian’s guidance, Mr. Kháḍi‘ then travelled to the province of Fárs and remained in Shíráz in order to protect the friends from the intrigues spun by covenant breakers.
During that time, Jalál Kháḍi‘ regularly went to Búshihr from where he mailed his reports to Haifa. It was he who gave directions to the Local Assembly there concerning the transfer of the remains of the wife of the Báb. In a letter dated 15 March 1956, Dr. Ḥakím had written to Mr. Kháḍi‘ on behalf of the Guardian, expressing the wish that this transfer be conducted with wisdom, quietude, steadfastness, and meticulousness.
On 18 June 1956, Mr. Kháḍi‘ gave the Guardian an account of teaching and pioneer activities in Shíráz. The Spiritual Assembly had formed a committee to collect contributions to assist friends willing to pioneer. In July 1956, Dr. Ḥakím wrote on behalf of the Guardian:
The services rendered by the beloved
friends in Shíráz and Fárs are deeply appreciated. The Guardian instructed Jináb-i—Varqá to provide 10,000 tuman for the assistance of these deeply valued services in Fárs in his name. He wants you to continue your valuable work and assures you of his happiness about your activities and of his prayers for your success.’
After being appointed a Hand of the Cause of God, Mr. Kháḍi‘ undertook numerous journeys abroad. In April 1957, he was the Guardian’s representative at the National Convention for North East Asia in Tokyo, Japan, and he then visited the friends in that country as well as in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Shoghi Effendi asked him to let him know his impressions about the success of the friends in those countries and then go back to Shíráz. From there, he was to travel to Neyriz and its environs to monitor the activities of the covenant breakers, and then spend the remainder of the year 1957 in the region of Fárs.
In November 1957, the Bahá’í community was thunderstruck by the unexpected news of the passing of the beloved Guardian. Paralysing sadness overcame the hearts of the friends. The Hands of the Cause were notified and asked to gather in London for the funeral and then proceed to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, Mr. Kháḍi‘ and Mr. Furútan were unab1e to receive travel documents in time to travel to London, but they arrived in the Holy Land on the same day as the other Hands of the Cause of God.
During their historic gathering, the twenty-six Hands of the Cause decided that nine of them should reside in Haifa and that the other Hands were to travel all over the planet to guide the friends and the Bahá’í institutions. Mr. Kháḍi‘ was one of the nine Hands of the Cause who stayed in the Holy Land. From 24 November 1957 to September 1963, he and his wife lived in Haifa in order to serve the Cause of God there.
However, during those years he also went abroad. He travelled for two months to see the friends in most of the localities in Írán to explain the declaration and decisions of the Hands of the Cause following the passing of the Guardian. In 1958, he participated in the International Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, and then returned to the Holy Land. In the Winter of 1960, he spent five months on the Indian subcontinent. He was a master of the Persian and Arabic languages,
spoke English well, and knew some Spanish. He was a competent and skillful speaker and exerted a strong impression on his listeners with his broad knowledge of the Faith.
Whenever he was in Haifa, Mr. Kháḍi‘ took care of the Eastern pilgrims. In addition to the official programme, which was conducted in turns by the different Hands of the Cause of God, he was indefatigable in taking the pilgrims to every spot in Haifa of historic importance in order to tell them interesting details and to ask them to take pictures which are of historic value today.
During Riḍván 1963, he was present during the first election of the Universal House of Justice. Right after that, he attended the first Bahá’í World Congress in London. On behalf of the Hands of the Cause of God, he visited the national conventions in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Before going back to the Holy Land in September, he travelled through Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey.
The newly established institution of the Universal House of Justice decided that five of the nine Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land should stay in Haifa, while the others should move to different parts of the world. Jalál Kháḍi‘ chose South America, where the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Hermann Grossmann had served before. In September 1963—after a short journey to Persia during which he visited several Bahá’í communities—he and his wife boarded a ship which took them from the Holy Land to Rio de Janeiro. One week later they travelled onwards to Campinos, a small town about 100 kilometres north of São Paulo, where they settled.
For the following six years, Mr. Kháḍi‘ travelled all over ten South American countries, bearing the stress caused by going through a multitude of climatic zones and altitudes typical of this continent. Once in a while, he also visited Europe and North and Central America and fostered the creation of a Spanish newsletter which was published in Latin America and distributed everywhere.
When the Universal House of Justice appointed the members of the first Continental Board of Counsellors, Mr. Kháḍi‘ attended the opening session of the Board of Counsellors for South America. Following the directions of the Universal House of Justice, he and his wife returned to Persia in 1969.
From Írán, he travelled through Europe for six months and visited Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, England, France, Spain, Italy, and Austria. Next, he made a journey to the eastern states of the United States of America. During a short sojourn in Chicago, Illinois, he visited the House of Worship in Wilmette. On his way back to Írán, he went to Europe and spent a week with the friends in France, Monaco, and Switzerland before proceeding to the Holy Land. In Haifa, he presented a report about his travels to the Universal House of Justice, and received new instructions. Then he returned to Persia where he settled in Ṭihrán.
At Riḍván 1970, he represented the Universal House of Justice at the National Conventions in Dahomey, Togo, and Niger, as well as in Ghana, and in August 1970 he participated in the Oceanic Conference in Mauritius. Afterwards he returned to Ṭihrán and concentrated on his tasks in the fields of teaching and protection of the Cause. That was a period in Írán full of tests, but it also brought great teaching successes in the provinces due, in large part, to his enthusiasm and encouragement.
In the summer of 1973, Mr. Kháḍi‘ visited the friends in India, Japan, Alaska, Canada, the United States and Switzerland during a journey around the world. In 1974, he made an extended tour of South America and the Caribbean. In Brazil, he attended the National Convention. In the Caribbean area, he spent two months visiting the friends and Spiritual Assemblies in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica.
Next he went to Texas, U.S.A, for a conference. Six days later, he took a flight via France to the Holy Land. Again, he informed the Universal House of Justice about his travels and then proceeded to Írán.
While he was living in Írán again, a valuable manual for Spiritual Assemblies was compiled under Mr. Kháḍi‘’s guidance. It took one and a half years to complete and many relevant topics are classified in it, verified by extracts from the Holy Writings, letters from the Universal House of Justice and circulars from the National Assembly of Írán. The manual was published around 1975.
In 1976, he and his Wife, Jamáliyyih, decided to move from Ṭihrán to Bábulsar, in the province of Mázandarán. From there, he travelled to virtually all of the cities, towns and villages in the provinces of Mázandarán and Gílán to visit the Bahá’ís residing in those areas.
In 1978, he was able to attend the International Convention in Haifa, although he was very weak.
His beloved wife passed away in Bábulsar. Soon after, the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Republic attacked his house. Mr. Kháḍi‘ was interrogated, and all of his writings, documents and books were taken away to aid their investigation. After this incident, Mr. Kháḍi‘ was moved to Ṭihrán and kept in safe places. The authorities began to look for him in order to arrest him.
In 1984, at the age of 87, upon the advice of the National Spiritual Assembly and with the help of relatives, he moved from Írán to Canada. During the last ten years of his life, he was mostly confined to the house because of very poor health and eyesight. He was so frail that he had to content himself with assisting the friends through giving advice. He passed away on 21 February 1990 in Canada.
In both the Arabic and Persian languages, “kháḍi‘” means “humble”, and that was one of his outstanding qualities. People in his presence always felt his humility, devotion, and love. Thus, his personal commitment to
the Cause of God and his spiritual greatness will always be an example. His historic merits can only become completely evident to future generations.