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SULEIMAN SULEIMANI
(Sulayman Sulaymani) c.190l—1987
Sulayman Sulayméni—Milani was born to ‘Ali-Muhammad and his wife Zahra in Milan, Agarbéyjan, Persia, around 1901. Although his parents were not Bahá’ís, they were close friends of the Faith, and Sulayman recalled that they sometimes admonished him and their other children, “Don’t make noise; the Babis are saying prayers in the other house”.
When Sulayrnén was 10 years old, his parents, sister Kawkab, and brothers, Muhammad Taqi and ‘Ali-Akbar, left Milan by mule to join his older brother, Muhammad, in ‘ngabad. Along the way, in the town of Tiflis, ‘Ali-Muhammad succumbed to injuries he sustained in a train accident, leaving his wife and three children to continue the journey to ‘Ishqábád alone. When they eventually joined Muhammad, the children were enrolled in the Bahá’í School Where Sulayman studied for six or seven years, and in his own words, “one by one, we became Bahá’ís”.
After finishing his studies at the Mashriqu’l-Aglmar School for Boys, he joined his two brothers, both of whom were cloth merchants, in their shop. A few years later, at the age of 23, he married Riḍvániyyih Ouskouli, Who had attended the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár School for Girls. Riḍvániyyih was the oldest of four daughters and a son, who were born in ‘Ishqábád to Mullá Ḥusayn ‘Ali and his Wife, Zahré.
Sulaymén and Riḍvániyyih had been married approximately a year when, in 1923,
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together with Riḍvániyyih’s father, two sisters, her brother and grandmother, they embarked upon a lifelong journey of devoted service to the Cause of Baha’u’llah, as they took their first steps toward their new home in Shanghai, China. They gave many years of distinguished service in that vast country.
Sulayman would humbly and sweetly recount the occasion of his priceless privilege of accompanying Martha Root on her 1930 trip to Nanking, Which was the capital of China at that time. Together with a few other Bahá’í friends, they attended numerous meetings at universities, the Royal Asiatic Society, and other places where many of the society’s most influential members asSembled to hear the Message of Baha’u’llah. Professor M. S. Tsao, an Honorary Consul for China in the United States, often Visited Mr. and Mrs. Sulaymani’s home in the afternoons, together with his wife, who was Swedish. One afternoon, when Martha Root was their guest of honor, Professor Tsao embraced the Faith. Later, in 1937, there was another Visit by Martha Root, Which he remembered with equal affection.
The Sulaymanis remained in China for 26 years, from 1924 to 1950, returning to Persia for a short period because of the socially and politically disturbed conditions in China. Mr. Sulaymani’s father-in-law, Husayn Ouskouli, decided to remain behind in Shanghai, and he passed the years remaining to him in continued service to his beloved Cause until, at the age of 82, he ascended to the Abhá Kingdom in 1956.
During their pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1952, the Sulaymam’s were encouraged by the Guardian to attend the International Conference which was to be held in New Delhi the following year. At the Conference, over 70 people arose to pioneer, prompting the Sulayménis to conclude that, “We had better go back to China, to Taiwan, because we know something about Chinese”. When asked, “What will you do there?”, Sulayman recalled his answer: “Never mind. I can
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drive a taxi.” He and his wife returned to Persia to get their personal affairs in order, and within a year they set sail aboard a ship bound from Qurramflar to Hong Kong, where they boarded another vessel and arrived in the port city of Keelung on 22 October 1954. On this momentous date, the Sulaymanis became the first pioneers in the history of Taiwan. _
During their early years in Taiwan; the Sulaymanis worked side—by-side with great champions of the Faith who visited that land. Among these were the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l—Baha Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Agnes Alexander, D_hikru’llah K_hadim, J alal 1511:3413 Dr. Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, Collis Featherstone, Abu’l-Qasim Faydi, and Iarazu’llah Samandari. In the evening of his life, Sulayman tenderly reeonnted stories of these Visits with such overwhelming love and affection that the hearts With whom he shared these events could not help being profoundly touched with the spirit of those meetings.
When, in 1967, at the bidding of the Universal House of Justice, a National Spiritual
THE BAHA’l WORLD
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Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taiwan was formed, Sulayman was elected as one of its members. He served on that august body until 1978. He also served as a deputy of the institution of Huqi'iqu’lláh in Taiwan for about two decades.
A Bahá’í Centre was built in Tainan through the collective efforts of a number of friends: Bahá’ís in the community who helped secure a piece of property; Mr. and Mrs. Sulayniani who used the modest funds available to them; and a believer Who was an architect who provided the designs. During the many years which followed, seekers from all walks of life passed through its doors and came to know the special embrace of “Mr. Su’s” warm and kindly spirit. It was from this Centre that, in 1981, Riḍvániyyih winged her flight to the Abhá Kingdom.
Notwithstanding the fondness he might have developed for this dwelling-place of memories and the receptacle of the few material possessions remaining to him, Mr. Su’s deepest heart was rooted elsewhere. In response to the suggestion that this Centre was a wonderful gift to the Tainan community, he shook his head “No.” Standing at its entrance, Mr. Su seemed to dismiss the Vision of the Centre before him with a wave of his hand, saying, “I hope one day soon, they can tear it all down.” The surprised guests asked him why, and he gestured upwards with his arms as he said, “So they can build a bigger one...a better one than this, for the Faith”.
Sulayman Sulayméni passed away at the Tainan Bahá’í Centre on 6 July 1987, even as the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tainan, on which he and his beloved Wife had served from its inception, was convened in its counsel chamber in a room near his bedside.
On 7 July, the Universal House of Justice sent the following message to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taiwan:
SADDENED LEARN PASSING DEVOTED SERVANT BAHA’U’LLAH SULEIMAN SULEIMANI.
IN MEMORIAM
HIS DEVOTED LABOURS AS PIONEER WITH HIS LATE WIFE TO CHINA IN 1923 AND IN 1954 AS FIRST PIONEERS TO TAIWAN LOVINGLY REMEMBERED. ASSURE ARDENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS IMMORTAL SOUL ALL WORLDS GOD.
JAMES MANNERS
