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HESHMATOLLAH FARHOUMAND
19134995
Heshmatollah Farhoumand was born in Hamadan, Iran, on December 10, 1913. He was the son of Ḥakím Nasir, a physician ofjewish background who accepted the Faith when he married Nushafarin Soleiman. His mother was the granddaughter of Ḥakím Agha Jan, a physician and rabbi, who was the first in Hamadan of Jewish descent to embrace the Faith.
The love and steadfastness for Baha’u’llah that were hallmarks of Ḥakím Agha Jan’s life were passed on to his progeny, among them Heshmatollah, who from early childhood demonstrated an intense love for the Cause. He recounted that he had recognized the station of Baha’u’llah at the age of seven and had memorized the entire Hidden Words by the age of
THE Bahá’í WORLD
twelve, and he would chant them and weep because he was so overwhelmed by them.
He read every book available to him. When he was twelve his father gave him a Torah, and young Heshmatollah spent years studying and underlining the passages that dealt with prophecies of the advent of the Lord of Hosts.
His mother had instilled in him a love for Baha’u’llah that seemed to grow as he grew older. He attended the Ta’id School (Bahá’í School in Hamadan) and had passed into the ninth grade when it was closed by Reza flah. He then attended the American College where he completed the eleventh grade, and then he went to Tihran where he finished his high school education and was accepted in the newly opened dental school. In 1936 he completed his studies, graduating at the top of his class; his picture and achievements were noted in the newspapers.
From Tihran he was sent for two years of military service as an officer in Kurdistan. There he was an exemplary Bahá’í. Once he was asked to hide his Bahá’í identity for fear of offending military officers who were opposed to the Faith. 'they later found out that they were asking for the wrong actions from an unlikely candidate because Heshmatollah stood in defiance and told the officers that his belielf in the Bahá’í Faith was his only source of pride and joy. As a result of this courageous act, his superiors regarded him with the highest respect. Furthermore, much of the meager salary he drew from his military services he donated to the Faith and sent a fair amount to help his family.
When he returned to Tihran, he opened a dental practice with his older brother Manouchehr Farhoumand,'59 a physician. The Farhoumand brothers became very well
159 See Manouchehr liarhoumand, pp. 3I3—16.
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Hw/Imato/[zl/J Far/Jazzmmrd
known in the social circles of Tihran for their qualities of character and their skills; they were referred to as “the Bahá’í brothers of Chahrah (Plaza) of Hassanabad." Heshmatollah was very skilled as a dentist, and he often tendered his services to the poor. While in Tihran he was very much involved in the teaching and consolidation efforts of the Faith. He was very knowledgeable, well versed in Persian literature, and blessed with an ability to comprehend even the most difficult of concepts and had a natural gift for memorization with a recall of seemingly innumerable Persian poems.
In 1946 he married Fourough Vahid Ekhbatani, and in 1947 their first child, Delnawaz, was born. In 1950 a second child, Farshad, was born, and it was soon after this time that the call of the African Campaign to arise and pioneer had come from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís in Iran. In 1952 Heshmatollah sold his office and left his family to go to Africa, hoping to find a place to reestablish himself according to the wishes of the Guardian. Three
days before leaving his home in Tihra'n on December 26, 1952, his mother, Afarin @am’lm, asked him, “Heshi Jan, where are you going?" He replied, “Mother, I only know one thing: this journey ofmine is like a boat without sails or a mast that is floating in an endless turbulent ocean, but I am only sure about one thing—this ship is in the hands ofBaha’u’llah, and the Guardian is sitting at its helm, and they will never leave me to myself.”
He first went to Tanganyika where he was unsuccessful in securing a permanent resident visa. While he was there a letter was received from the Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas, addressed to him and Mehdi Samandari: “The beloved Guardian has asked me to assure Drs. Samandari and Farhournand of his prayers on their behalf. He is praying that every obstacle may be removed from their paths ofservice and that they may be both guided and confirmed in their work, and that the seeds they are sowing may yield many harvests.”
Heshmatollah proceeded to Kenya where he worked tirelessly to secure a visa, but the authorities did not accept his credentials. I—Iis ordeal had taken more than a year, and finally he moved on to Eritrea where destiny had meant him to be. There he was able to secure his residency, and in 1954 his family joined him. In that year a third child, Farnaz Ziba, was born, followed in 1959 by the birth of Foad Hossein. In Asmara, Eritrea, Heshmatollah opened a dental clinic on Via Giuglietti and practiced his trade until 1963.
The most prized possession of his life was a telegram he received from the Guardian who had sent his love and gratitude. Dated September 30, 1953, it read, “ASSURE FARI—IOUMAND DEEPEST APPRECIATION HISTORIC HIGHLY MERITORIOUS SERVICES SHOGHI.” This telegram was received after
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Heshmatollah had secured the recognition of the Faith by the then—ruling government in Eritrea and had mailed the document to Shoghi Effendi. This brought great joy and happiness to the Guardian who placed it in the Mansion of Bahjí.
Heshmatollah was well known for teaching the Faith to his patients while they sat in his Chair holding their mouths open. Some of the people he was successful in teaching included Dr. Leo Niederreiter, Mr. Augusto Robiati, and Mr. Techeste Ahderom. He also went to meet Reverend Miller‘60 who had come to Eritrea to discredit the Faith. With the courage ofa lion he told Reverend Miller that he had come too late and that the successes of the Faith would not be detailed.
Since he was the second pioneer to Eritrea after Sabri Elias,161 the Knight of Baha’u’llah (French Somaliland), Heshmatollah was instrumental in opening the way for many other pioneers from Iran. Now regarded in high esteem in government circles, Heshmatollah facilitated the visa applications for the newly arrived. During his sojourn in Asmara, with the help of the other pioneers, the Faith witnessed a tremendous growth among Eritreans and Italians of all walks of life. Heshmatollah was also instrumental in securing the Bahá’í cemetery from the government at no cost to the Faith.
In 1956 he was granted permission to go on pilgrimage to Haifa. He spent nine glorious days in the company of Shoghi Effendi, who showered him with his love and spoke to him about the future of humanity. The Guardian said, “The pioneers
‘60 William McElwee Miller. See Douglas Martin, “The Missionary as Historian: William Miller and the Bahá’í Faith,” Bahá’í Studies, vol. 4, December 1978.
‘6‘ See Sabri Elias, pp. 255-57 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD
are in Africa to serve the Africans,” and he promised Heshmatollah that he would be visiting the Holy Land on two other occasions—promises that were fulfilled when he returned in 1963 and in 1968 for the first and second elections of the Universal House ofjustice. Heshmatollah also begged the Guardian to pray for his children to be of service to the Faith, and Shoghi Effendi answered him with these words, “Rest assured that they will participate in the international teaching efforts of the Faith.”
In 1963, after participating in the first election of the Universal House of Justice'“ he moved with his family to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There they were blessed with another daughter Fatah.
In Addis Ababa he purchased land for the Bahá’í center when Emperor Haile Selassie made it possible for foreign residents to acquire property, and he was involved in securing the funds for the construction of the building. Heshmatollah also purchased land in Awassa and donated it to the Faith.
As a dentist he served most of the members of the imperial family of Ethiopia, with the exception of the emperor. However, in the early seventies he was summoned to the Imperial Palace. The flah of Iran was Visiting Emperor Haile Selassie and was afflicted with a toothache. When the flab discovered that the dentist attending him was Iranian, he asked Heshmatollah what he was doing in Ethiopia, so far away from his homeland. With great assertion Heshmatollah replied that he had come as a pioneer to bring the Message of Baha’u’llah to the peoples ofEthiopia. The gab continued by saying that Iran was a very good place to live, why did he give
'62 As a member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly
of North East Africa.
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it up? Again Heshmatollah replied, “Your Imperial Majesty, I have already stated that the purpose of my stay is to bring the Message of Baha’u’llah to the people of this country.”
After the Ethiopian Revolution most of Heshmatollah’s children went to America to study, and he, longing to join them, asked the permission of the Universal House of Justice to leave his post and emigrate to America. The request was granted, and in 1976 he moved to Vienna, Virginia. The nineteen years that he spent in America, he enjoyed with his extended family of grandchildren, but his services to the Faith occupied his foremost attention.
Heshmatollah made teaching trips to Ecuador, Brazil, and the Caribbean Islands. In Ecuador he was influential with the government in securing resident visas for Iranian Bahá’í refugees who had gone there to seek asylum after the Iranian Revolution. In Brazil he befriended immigration officials and was also able to secure visas for Iranian Bahá’í refugees.
In May 1995 he was invited by the Universal House of Justice to attend the election of the first National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Eritrea. This was for him a great moment, and his greatest reward was to witness the fruition of his efforts and dedication. In a way he knew that his days on this earthly plane were coming to an end. He talked about it often, and he went to see his old friends to say his “au-revoirs.” In the last days of his life he wrote to his younger brother Parvíz, u\When elephants become old and have to die, they separate from the herd and look for a place to pass on. I hope that I can find that place soon.”
His bedroom was surrounded with Bahá’í books and Tablets. He read and meditated into the early morning hours. On the last evening of his earthly life, the
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last words he had apparently read were found at his bedside in a Tablet by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—a Tablet summoning God’s help in staying firm in the Covenant and begging for His guidance to be extended to His family after His passing.
On November 8, 1995, after a short illness caused by a stroke, surrounded by family and friends, Heshmatollah winged his way to the Abhá Kingdom. He was interred on November 17. at the King David Memorial Cemetery in Falls Church, Virginia. His funeral was attended by hundreds ofpeople, and the proclamation that ensued was :1 Further testament of his services continuing from the world beyond. On November 9 the Universal House of Justice cabled:
DEEPLY SADDENED PASSING DEVOTED PROMOTER FAITH DEDICATED PIONEER ETHIOPIA ERITREA HESHMAT FARHOUMAND. CONVEY MEMBERS FAMILY LOVING SYMPATHY ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.
To further honor this humble servant of the Faith, the Eritrean Bahá’í Community is establishing a Bahá’í Institute, which at the request of the Universal House of Justice will be named the H. Farhoumand Bahá’í Institute.
