In Memoriam 1992-1997/Ḥabíbollah Ma’naví

In Memoriam 1992-1997 Ḥabíbollah Ma’naví

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[Page 194]

TARABANGÍZ SAMANDARI-MA’NAVÍ 1921-1995

SADDENED NEWS PASSING MAID-SERVANT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, TARABANGÍZ SAMANDARI- MA’NAVÍ. HER DEVOTED SERVICES FAITH TURKEY, UNITED KING- DOM LOVINGLY REMEMBERED. HER PASSIONATE LOVE FOR BLESSED BEAUTY SUSTAINED HER THROUGHOUT LIFE. PRAYING HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER NOBLE SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM. CONVEY OUR LOVING SYMPATHY MEMBERS FAMILY.

Universal House of Justice February 27, 1995

Tarabangíz (Tarab) Samandari-Ma’naví was born in 1921 in the city of Qasvín, Iran. Her great-grandfather, who was named Samandar by Bahá’u’lláh, was one of the Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh. Her father, Agamirza Mohammed, was a devoted believer and teacher of the Faith, as a consequence of which he was imprisoned for a period whence, because of his frailness, he was taken ill. Following his release he never fully recovered and passed to the Abhá Kingdom at a young age.

Her mother, Lega Khandum Andalibi, was from a distinguished Bahá’í family. She was a teacher in a school for Bahá’í children in Qazvin and was left to bring up six children. Their grandfather, the Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Ţarázu’lláh Samandari was their spiritual father. Although travel kept him away for long periods, nevertheless Mr. Samandari had a profound influence on his grandchildren, making them ardent followers and servants of the Faith who spent their lives pioneering in different parts of the globe.

Having completed her secondary education in Qasvín, Tarab moved to Tihrán to obtain employment so that she could assist her mother financially. It was during this period that Lega Khandum was taken seriously ill and passed away. Tarab stayed in Tihrán until the start of the Guardian’s Ten Year Crusade in 1953. She communicated with her grandfather, Mr. Samandari, and informed him of her desire to pioneer. He invited her to join him in Shíráz. She spent two years with him there under his loving influence, and in 1955 she pioneered to Turkey. There she met and wed her husband, Habíbollah (Habib) Ma’naví, who had been pioneering in Istanbul since the beginning of the Crusade.

Habib was born in Țihrán in 1915. His father, Davoud, was of Jewish background. Habib embraced the Faith at the age of fifteen and was disowned by his family. He was a keen student, applying himself to a study of the Bahá’í writings from an Tarabangiz Samandari-Ma’naví [Page 195]

Habibollah Ma’navi

early age. He shone academically at school and at university, where he studied law and economics. Having obtained his doctorate from Țihrán University, he practiced law there until 1953 when he moved to Turkey.

Pioneering and teaching the Faith in Turkey were never easy. The Turkish government was suspicious of the Iranian friends, who they put under continuous and close surveillance. The Bahá’ís often had difficulty in securing visas and work permits, and many Iranian pioneers were asked to return to Iran. Habib, through his tactfulness, wisdom, and honesty in the Grand Bazaar where he was engaged in business, succeeded in obtaining a residence visa for his family, and he spent the next forty years serving the Faith there.

Tarab and Habib’s home was an open house for meetings, for teaching, and for hospitality extended to friends visiting from other parts of the world. They both had a pure and unconditional love for all, irrespective of race, religion, nationality, or class. Ţarab’s smile emanated this love, conveying a warmth that was in her heart.

Habib’s priority in life was serving the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and its believers. He served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Turkey and on Local Spiritual Assemblies for many years. In 1963 he was one of the delegates who had the honor of electing the first Universal House of Justice in Haifa.

Tarab’s warm and loving personality and her famous hospitality easily won her friends with the locals, many of whom became lifetime friends. When Țarab spoke to them about the Faith, she emphasized Bahá’u’lláh’s mission to unite the world and to bring love and harmony to its citizens. Many of her friends accepted the Faith, but the influence of the Islamic culture and fear of family reprisals prevented many others from declaring their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Those who did declare brought their families into the Faith and are still amongst the most ardent servants of Bahá’u’lláh in Turkey.

This was the fulfillment of Ţarab’s wish. During her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1956, she confided to the beloved Guardian that her only wish was to overcome her shyness so that she could befriend people easily and teach them the Faith. For the rest of her life she never had difficulty in approaching others and in communicating a sincere love and ready kindness.

During their pioneering years Tarab and Habib had the privilege of having the Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Tarázu’lláh Samandari stay at their home during the summer months. Mr. Samandarí, then in his nineties, needed to recuperate from his travels. His presence in Turkey was received as a great bestowal from the Kingdom of Abhá by the friends there. Many meetings were held at Tarab and Habib’s house, during which the friends enjoyed the fruits of his deep knowledge. Many contacts [Page 196]were brought to meet this man who had attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh at the age of fifteen. These occasions filled Ţarab’s heart with happiness, and nothing gave Habib more pleasure than accompanying Mr. Samandarí on travel teaching trips to different parts of Turkey. Many accepted the Faith and became great servants as a result of these trips.

However, there were times when the growth of the Faith in Turkey was slow. The friends worked with wisdom and caution, but on more than one occasion Bahá’í meetings were raided by the police, and the friends were arrested in numbers. They were released after harsh interrogations. Many were the seeds planted then, the fruits of which can now be observed.

Tarab served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kadikoy and on the teaching committee. In 1965 she pioneered with her four-year-old son to the island of Imbros (Gökçeada) in the northern Aegean Sea. Imbros was inhabited by a Greek majority and had a very small population. Life was simple, and almost everyone on the island relied on their own resources to make a living. The Greeks were adamant in refusing to have contact with the Turkish, but Ţarab befriended many and spread the Faith among them. This raised the suspicion of Turkish officials, and she was asked to leave the island six months later.

The passing of Mr. Tarázu’lláh Samandarí in 1968 brought great sorrow. Tarab dearly loved and revered her grandfather, often reminisced about the times they spent together in Turkey, and missed him greatly until the end of her life.

In 1972 Tarab moved to Sheffield, England, to supervise the education of her two sons who were then in their teens. The social and political upheavals in Turkey were a cause of serious concern for many parents whose children could not attend schools and universities in safety. Her house became the venue for many meetings and firesides, and now that she was in a country where one had the freedom to propagate the Faith, her enthusiasm for teaching intensified. In 1981 she established "Peace Guest House." Literature was readily available to her guests, and she gave the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to many willing ears. Many wrote to her later thanking her for her kindness. During these years Tarab served as a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly.

In the meantime, Habib continued serving in Turkey. The revolution in Iran in 1980 and the subsequent persecutions forced many of the friends to cross the mountains into Turkey, leaving Iran without travel documents. During this difficult period Habib helped these friends to secure refugee status in welcoming countries around the globe. He helped them with travel arrangements and regularly liaised with the Universal House of Justice to ensure the protection of the Faith. Much of his time was taken up with the varied circumstances of the refugees and with difficult negotiations with Turkish authorities. Habib was drained emotionally as day after day he listened to the heartrending, firsthand stories of the persecutions. Years afterward the refugees continued to remember his selfless assistance.

In early 1993 his health declined, and he was flown to Sheffield in the United Kingdom. He passed to the Abhá Kingdom in March, and on the 10th of that month the Universal House of Justice sent this message to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom:

Our hearts are saddened by the news of the passing of Habib Manavi, stalwart upholder Faith Bahá’u’lláh. His long years devoted service extending several decades fondly remembered.

[Page 197] In the Cradle Faith he ably defended interests Bahá’í community. In Turkey where he pioneered early years Ten Year Crusade, he served with unfailing steadfastness in teaching and administrative fields.

Tarab pioneered to Gibraltar for a brief period in 1992. She attended the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ascension in the Holy Land as a member of the delegation from that country. Ill health prevented her from staying, and she returned to Sheffield to spend the last years of her life running her guest house. Following an unfortunate accident she passed away February 23, 1995.

Samandar Ma’navi