In Memoriam 1992-1997/Tahereh Saber ‘Alá’í
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IN MEMORIAM 1992—1997 15
TAHEREH SABET ‘ALA’I’ Knight of Baha’u’llah 1906—1992
GRIEVED NEWS PASSING KNIGHT OF BAHA’U’LLAH TAHEREH SABET ‘ALA’I’. ASSURE RELATIVES FRIENDS ARDENT PRAYERS PROGRESS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.
Universal House ofjustice October I, 1992
ahereh Sabet was born in Ṭihrán,
Iran, on May 6, 1906. Her father, ‘Abdu’lláh, had accepted the Bahá’í Faith in his youth, and her mother, Kishvar, was from the Arjumand family that had become Bahá’í two generations before. Her only brother, Habib, received the title of Nasiri’d—Din (Helper of the Faith) from Shoghi Effendi.
Her childhood was spent in Ṭihrán, where she attended the Tarbiyat School for Girls. Much ofher education was provided by her mother who was well versed in the
YZZhen’b Saber H14”!
teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and in Persian literature. In 1923, at the age of seventeen, she and her brother traveled to Haifa and had the bounty of meeting the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf. When she was twenty—six, she married ‘Aynu’d—Din ‘Ala’i, who was working for the Ministry of Finance in the government of R623 Shah the Great.
Tahereh made her last pilgrimage to Haifa and ‘Akká in 1952, and it was then that she learned of the Guardian’s wish for Bahá’ís to pioneer to Africa. The following year, she and her husband attended the Kampala Conference10 and decided to stay in Africa to further the aims of the Ten Year Crusade. With much difficulty, the ‘Alá’ís secured visas for Mozambique, but unfortunately the terms of their authorization expired and were not renewed. The ‘Alá’ís then went to Southern Rhodesia (presently Zimbabwe), and while there the title of Knight of Bahá’u’lláh was bestowed upon them both.
Once again their visas were not renewed, and so they went to Nairobi, Kenya, where Mr. ‘Aziz Yazdi helped them to obtain residence permits. Soon thereafter Tahereh was elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya along with seven Africans and one American.
Many teaching trips were undertaken, and Tahereh would often drive the African teachers two to three hundred kilometers to distant towns and villages. They were successful in teaching the Faith to large numbers of secondary school students. They encouraged them to ask questions and helped many to enroll in the Faith.
10 The first of four Intercontinental Teaching
Conferences called by the Guardian as part of the Great Jubilee festivities of the Holy Year 1953. The other Conferences were subsequently held in Wilmette, Stockholm, and New Dehli.
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16 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD
While in Nairobi, Tahereh and several members of the National Assembly were invited to the palace of President Jomo Kenyatta to whom they presented a copy of the Proclamation OfBa/7d’u’lld/7 t0 the King: and Leader: oft/Je IWarld. After the presentation, members of the National Assembly were often invited to official state functions.
With funds provided by Tahereh and her family, many local Bahá’í centers were established in Kenya, where teaching seminars and Children’s Classes were organized and hosted. In a letter to her brother and sister—in—law, Tahereh wrote:
I believe that the most important considerations in becoming successful are to love pioneering and to serve. In that undertaking, patience and humility are very important. Furthermore, one has to have love and understanding for the people ofher new home. Then one can go out and proclaim the message of Baha’u’llah. He will lead the way and
crown your efforts with Victory.
In February 1972, after eighteen years in Africa, the ‘Ala’is went back to Tihran where they continued to have firesides and to teach.
They left Iran in 1979 and settled in Le Cannet, a small town on the French Riviera. Again they found that within a short time there were enough Bahá’ís to form a Local Spiritual Assembly, to which Tahereh was elected.
Unfortunately, in September 1982, Mr. ‘Ala’i was struck by an automobile, and several days later he passed away. Tahereh was alone, but she carried on to serve the Faith by opening her home for meetings and firesides and attracting many souls with her radiant smile and warm hospitality.
It has been said that she would never complain about her health. Tahereh would say, “Why worry about material things
when you have the blessings of Baha’u’llah?” pointing out that the spirit must be maintained in good condition.
About 1986 her knees began to trouble her, and she needed crutches to get around. Tahereh was determined to visit the Holy Land once more, and in January 1989, with the help of Marie—Therese Levoy, she traveled to Haifa and ‘Akká. Regrettably her health deteriorated, and she was unable to return to the World Centre to join the other Knights of Baha’u’llah for the 1992 Holy Year centennial Observances.
She continued to smile and to show her love for mankind, offering her apartment to the friends for Bahá’í activities until the last month of her life. In the weeks before her passing, she spoke often of her pioneering years, of her privilege of having seen the Greatest Holy Leaf, and of having pleased the Guardian by participating in the Ten Year Crusade. During the night of September 26, 1992, Tahereh passed on to the Abhá Kingdom in complete serenity and with a smile on her face.