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AGA SHEIKH ALY AKBAR GOOCHANI
Martyred April, 1915
STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened; that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VI Kalamat 1, 71 (July 13, 1915) No. 7
Bahai Martyrdorns in Persia
Extracts from letters from Dr. Susan I. Moody and Dr. Arastoo, Teheran, Persia.
AGA SHEIKH ALY AKBAR GOOCHANI, a noted Bahai teacher, was murdered in Meshed last April. The assassin shot him in the back and the body lay where it fell in the bazaars for some days. The animosity against the Bahais had reached the point where none dared to move it for fear of a general slaughter. A photograph of fifty Bahais was posted in the bazaars and they were boycotted in all the shops.
A few days ago news reached Teheran from Goochan that the wife of the martyr has died in childbed; the child also died. No midwife would attend her, nor would a Mussulman prepare the bodies for burial. It was forbidden to bring them to the graveyard, so the grandmother washed the bodies and had them buried in their own garden.
The original of the photograph sent herewith was given me by Sheikh Aly Akbar while he was sojourning in Teheran three years ago.
His martyrdom is foretold by the beloved Abdul-Baha in the tablet of which I am enclosing both Persian and English copies. Persistent effort is being made to bring the murderer to justice.
—Susan I. Moody.
. . . The Wife of Aga Sheikh Ali Akbar, the martyr, had three or four children, and she herself was very learned. Consider how much the enemies have added to their oppression and tyranny toward the Bahais. All the Bahais are scattered from Khorassan and are distressed and wandering. . . . Also from Zovareh, which is a city near Esphahan, a great number of the Bahais have come to Teheran after all their property had been taken. . . . .
We have no remedy save to be patient and pray on behalf of the oppressors. May God awaken them!
—Dr. Aristoo, through Mirza Lotfullah, London, England.
TABLET REVEALED FOR SHEIKH ALY AKBAR
Upon him be Baha'o'llah-el-Abha!
O thou firm one in the Covenant!
Thy letter addressed to his honor Mirza Hayder Aly was noted and from its contents regret was experienced because our intention was to prepare the means of tranquillity; now it has produced difficulties and you are greatly troubled; but as these troubles are in the path of God it is in reality a favor and will have great results.
Since this is so, it is better that with the utmost cheerfulness and happiness you bid farewell to the friends (saying): I am going on a journey to teach that perchance I may be confirmed in servitude and perhaps the cup of martyrdom
may overflow. As in this region the giving up of life is not attainable, therefore it is necessary to hasten to other parts.
Then go to Ishkabad and a letter will be written to Hazrati Afnan to prepare the necessities of the journey to send you to Isfahan because in Isfahan the people are crying aloud for teachers and I hope that you may attain to a great and distinguished service on this journey. From Isfahan you may hasten to Abadeh and Shiraz and from there to the shores of the Persian gulf and the journey may be ended at the blessed tomb.
Upon thee be Baha'o'llah-el-Abha!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Translated by M. Vali'o'llah Khan Vargha, May 28, 1915, Teheran
Brief history of the Mashrak-el-Azkar in America
BY MRS. CORINNE TRUE.
"O Concourse of Creation! O People of God! Construct homes or houses, in the most beautiful fashion possible, in every city, in every land, in the Name of the Lord of religions. Adorn them with that which beseemeth them, not with pictures or paintings. Then commemorate thy Lord, the Merciful the Clement, in spirit and fragrance. Verily, by His mention, by this commemoration, the breasts shall be dilated, the eyes illumined, the hearts gladdened; and thus shall you pray the orient of praises, in the Mashrak-el-Azkar."
—From the Kiktab-el-Akdas, by Baha'o'llah.
HAVING heard enthusiastic reports of the building of the first Mashrak-el-Azkar in Ishkabad, Russia, the members of the spiritual committee* of the Chicago Assembly were inspired to supplicate to the Center of the Covenant, Abdul-Baha, to grant permission for the second Mashrak-el-Azkar to be built in America.
On June 7, 1903, a tablet was revealed in Acca by Abdul-Baha saying, "Now the day has arrived in which the edifice of God, the divine sanctuary, the spiritual temple, shall be erected in America."
The following words from the pen of Abdul-Baha clearly indicate the erection of a material building: "The Mashrak-el-Azkar, though outwardly a material foundation, is possessed of spiritual effect and causes the union of hearts and the gathering of souls. . . . Praise be to God! The erection of the Mashrak-el-Azkar has a great effect in all grades (or states). It was tested in the east and so evidently and plainly was
*Better known as the "House of Spirituality."—The Editors.
it proved good (that) even when in a village a house was called the Mashrak-el-Azkar, it possessed a different effect. How much more its building and organization." Furthermore, he says, "The Mashrak-el-Azkar is the most important matter and the greatest divine institute. Consider how the first institute of his holiness Moses, after his exodus from Egypt was the 'Tent of Martyrdom' which he raised and which was the travelling temple. It was a tent which they pitched in the desert wherever they abode, and worshipped in it. Likewise, after his holiness Christ—May the spirit of the world be a sacrifice to him—the first institute by the disciples was a temple. They planned a church in every country. Consider the Gospel (i. e., read it), and the importance of the Mashrak-el-Azkar will become evident. I hope that all the beloved of God, collectively, on the continent of America, men and women, will strive night and day until the Mashrak-el-Azkar is erected in the utmost solidity and beauty."
And again: "Today, the establishment
of the Mashrak-el-Azkar is of paramount importance, but hereafter it shall not be so. This is the beginning of organization; it is like unto the first church founded in Christianity; it is an expression of the elevation of the Word of God."
While in London, on his first European trip, Abdul-Baha told Mr. Charles Mason Remey that "its building is the most important of all things. This is the spiritual foundation, for that reason it is the most important of all foundations; from that spiritual foundation will come forth all manner of advancement and progress in the world of humanity. Therefore, how great is its importance."
To Mrs. Helen S. Goodall and Mrs. Ella G. Cooper, Abdul-Baha. said: "To have it built is most important. Some material things have spiritual effect, and the Mashrak-el-Azkar is a material thing that will have great upon the spirits of the people. Not only does the building of the Mashrak-el-Azkar have an effect upon those who build it, but upon the whole world." "In the Mashrak-el-Azkar, services will be held every morning and the words of Baha'o'llah only are to be read."
While in Ramleh, Egypt, Abdul-Baha assured Mr. Percy Woodcock that "The most important thing in this day is the speedy erection of the edifice. Its mystery is great and cannot be unveiled as yet. In the future it will be made plain."
During the sojourn of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Haney in the prison home of Abdul-Baha, he said: "When the Mashrak-el-Azkar, with its accessories, is established in the world, aside from its religious or spiritual influence, it will have a tremendous effect upon civilization. Aside from the religionists, who will feel its influence, materialists will not be exempt therefrom. Moreover, it contains divine wisdoms, spiritual effects upon the intellects and thoughts. Subsequent to its erection these will become evident."
This important point was made clear to a pilgrim visiting him, namely, that "The organization of worshipping places is not simply for drawing near to God, but it is to concentrate the word or spirit of God and cause the power of unity and oneness among the people."
Regarding the locating of this edifice of God, Abdul-Baha, wrote to the friends of New York City: "Concerning the erection of the temple; now all the believers must become united, so that the temple may be built soon in one place. For should the believers undertake (the erection of the temple) in many places, it will not become completed anywhere; and, as in Chicago they have preceded every other place to plan the erection of the temple, undoubtedly to co-operate and help them is nobler and a necessity. Then when it is built in one place it will become erected in many other places. God willing in all the states of America, in the future, there will be erected temples, with infinite architectural beauty and art, with pleasing proportions and handsome and attractive appearances, especially in New York."
Also to Dr. Edward Getsinger, Abdul-Baha wrote: "Regarding the building of the temple in Chicago, both of you (Dr. and Mrs. Getsinger) display the utmost effort in encouraging and inspiring the believers and the maid-servants of God, so that they may assist in the matter with generosity, and thus soon this temple will be erected. This matter is of great importance." ("Utmost importance" in Abdul-Baha's own handwriting.)
When M. Eshte Kalanter wrote regarding a Mashrak-el-Azkar on Monsalvat (Green Acre, Maine,) Abdul-Baha replied: "Concerning the building of a Mashrak-el-Azkar on Monsalvat: It is certain that before long this shall be built; and this is an ordained (or fixed) matter; but in Chicago it is two or three years since a number of people are making efforts. Now while the building of
(Continued on page fifty-five)
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy.
Note—Until further notice, distribution in the Orient is through Agents.
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. VI
No. 7
Persian-American Educational Society
THE WORK of the Persian-American Educational Society continues as heretofore, and through the courtesy of M. Eshte'al-Ebn Kalanter, the private banking facilities of the Persian Legation have been made available for the transfer of funds to Teheran. In this way recent drafts have been safely transmitted, and another remittance is being made up to be forwarded as soon as the funds shall have been assembled.
Dr. Susan I. Moody writes from Teheran, telling of a plan to create a building fund by setting aside any margin which may accrue after deducting from the scholarship fund of $18.00 per annum, the actual expenses of tuition, books, etc. To this will be added such special amounts as the American friends may contribute from time to time. Of course, as heretofore, those who send money for clothing for their proteges may be assured of its being applied in that direction. The following quotation from Dr. Moody's letter may be of general interest:
"You might make known the fact of building fund, and others may wish to subscribe various sums. This year nine of the American boy pupils received sixth grade certificates from the university. In all forty-three boys passed.
"From the Girls' Tarbiet, twelve girls received the same certificate. We are very proud of them, as they have had so few years of preparation.
"We are also examining in my home, all the advanced girls who have completed the first and second courses in their study of the Revelation. We take them in small groups by request of the Spiritual Assembly. They are given simple gifts, as a remembrance—a pen-holder; a ticket bearing their name and stamped by the Mahfil Dars Aklagh; once we added a printed telegram from Abdul-Baha; another time one of Mr. Remey's illuminated cards; again, a photographic copy of a holy tablet. Miss Kappes loans out a beautiful gold medal sent by Miss Holmes, which is worn by each graduate in turn during one session of class. We serve sherbet and tea, the pupils chant prayers and poems from memory and the atmosphere is just what one desires, nearness to each other and to the Beloved.
"Dr. Clock and Miss Kappes are interested in establishing centers to teach married women to read and write, and
working in the advanced girl students as teachers."
The friends and patrons of the society will realize herein opportunities for service in a most effective manner, and it is hoped that the work of the society may be continued uninterruptedly, and its influence increased.
Joseph H. Hannen, Exec. Secy.
Brief History of the Mashrak-el-Azkar in America
(Continued from page fifty-three)
this temple is not yet started or engaged in, if there be the founding of a second temple undertaken, neither of the two would be accomplished, and this failure would weaken the Cause."
Mr. Mountfort Mills received a tablet from Abdul-Baha saying: "The Mashrak-el-Azkar of Chicago is of the greatest importance. This is a Bahai temple, a supreme house of worship, a place of spiritual gathering and of the manifestation of divine mysteries. The friends of God must endeavor with all their hearts and souls that this structure may be raised and completed."
The Center of the Covenant has written: "One must first grasp those affairs which will make growth (in the Cause) and also be in time and season."
From the foregoing quotations it is manifest that the Mashrak-el-Azkar is founded on the "Rock of Ages," the eternal Word of God, as to its object, location and appropriate time for its erection.
A brief sketch of the work accomplished may prove interesting:
In the spring of 1907 while Messrs. Chase, Agnew and Scheffler were in the prison home of Abdul-Baha, he said to them: "Concerning the temple, the Mashrak-el-Azkar, it is a very important matter, the most important thing now in America is the building of the temple. You and your friends must endeavor in this matter. This building will be the cause of the confirmation of the believers. It has a great effect because it is the beginning of the foundation. After centuries it is not so important as it is now, but now it is very important. At first they build the temple and worship in it and grow. In past times they could not build it so outwardly. This building will be the cause of unity and prosperity of the Cause. The unity comes; from every part the believers will assist. This is a heavenly society and also it will be the cause of strength. The believers will get blessings and bounties. It cannot be compared with the church of the old time. You have only to begin, everything will be all right."
When this message was brought back to America a new activity in the Mashrak-el-Azkar resulted throughout the country and contributions from various assemblies and individuals were received. A convention was called for November 26, 1907, to be held in Chicago. This was the first Mashrak-el-Azkar convention, regarding which Abdul-Baha wrote to Mr. Charles Sprague: "Thou hast written concerning the organization of a council for the building of the Mashrak-el-Azkar. This news brought much spirit and fragrance, for the nine delegates sent by the various assemblies gathered in that meeting and consulted concerning the building of the Mashrak-el-Azkar."
Several possible tracts of land on both the south and north sides of the city had been investigated, as Abdul-Baha had said to a pilgrim that it must be near the lake. The morning of the day of November 26, 1907, the delegates visited the south side tract, noting carefully the surroundings, returning to the home of Mrs. Grace Foster for a sumptuous (Thanksgiving day) feast, prepared in the name of the Center of the Covenant by the Chicago maid-servants. It was at first feared that such a feast of good things had incapacitated the delegates to visit
the north shore tract in the afternoon but it made them stronger for the trip, both spiritually and physically. That evening a spirited meeting was held over the location and it was unanimously voted that the north shore tract was most desirable. Miss Gertrude Buikema took the minutes of this meeting. Upon closer investigation the north shore tract (now the site of the Mashrak-el-Azkar) was found to consist of fourteen lots. The spiritual meeting of the Chicago Assembly, after bringing the matter before the assembly for approval, took title to two of the lots in the name of the treasurer of the assembly, Mr. Carl Scheffler, and arose to obey the Center of the Covenant when he said, "You have only to begin, everything will be all right." The sum of $2,000 was paid for those two lots on April 9, 1908.
On June 19, 1908, a tablet was revealed by Abdul-Baha and translated by his daughter Moneveh Khanum, in which he wrote, "Ask every spiritual meeting in the other cities that they will each select one and send him, and from these selected ones and with those who are selected from the Chicago meetings, establish a new meeting for the provision of the needs of the temple. If this be established with perfect fragrance and joy, it will produce great results. In this new meeting, especially for the establishment of the temple, women are also to be members."
In compliance with these instructions from Abdul-Baha, the House of Spirituality of the Chicago Assembly called the second*‘ Mashrak-el-Azkar convention for March 22 and 23, 1909, the proceedings of which were accurately recorded by Miss Gertrude Buikema and Mr. Charles Ioas, duly elected to act as secretaries, and afterwards printed. Thus the tiny mustard seed of nine delegates grew in the two intervening years to four times nine. The Bahai Temple Unity resulted, as an organization, with full
* More often referred to as the first convention because it was the first general gathering of Bahais in convention.—The Editors.
power and authority to provide ways and means for the erection of the Mashrak-el-Azkar. A constitution was presented and adopted and the first executive board of Bahai Temple Unity was elected and authorized by the convention to close and complete the purchase of the land, recommended by the first convention, 1907, of which two lots had been bought and paid for, with an option secured on the remaining twelve lots. Immediately after the close of the convention the newly appointed executive board went into session, selecting its officers in accordance with the constitution. The treasurer of the Chicago Assembly, Mr. Scheffler, in whose name the title to the two lots was held, turned over to the Bahai Temple Unity all official documents and all monies held by him for the Mashrak-el-Azkar, as follows:
| Monies on hand | $3,666.44 |
| Land values | 2,000.00 |
| Total | $5,666.44 |
When the two lots had been purchased, Mr. C. E. Brush, one of Chicago's architects, kindly made a plat of the tract and its surroundings, which was sent to Abdul-Baha. A beautiful tablet flowed from his pen, "To the friends and maid-servants," saying that on the anniversary of the declaration of his holiness the Supreme, the Bab, the map of the Mashrak-el-Azkar had been presented, that "great joy was obtained thereby and with the greatest care it was considered;" that "it is indeed a delightful spot worthy of this edifice and building." (Date of this Tablet, July 4, 1908).
The members of the Executive Board of Bahai Temple Unity appointed Messrs. Mills, Hall and Jacobsen, a committee to attend to the land negotiations, and an of $32,500 fog the remaining twelve lots was made and accepted with a contract providing for the payment of $5,000 every six months, with interest, commencing July 1, 1909. A religious corporation was effected under the laws of Illinois in the name "Bahai Temple Unity," and the title to the land secured.
The third Mashrak-el-Azkar convention convened in Chicago, April 25 and 26, 1910. Report of the work done during the year was given by the secretary, Mr. Jacobsen, and the financial secretary's report showed contributions for the fiscal year:
| From the Orient | $7,092.85 |
| From America and Europe | 7,638.66 |
| Turned over by Mr. Scheffler | 5,666.44 |
| Total ($2,000 of this being land) | $20,397.95 |
Contributions had come from India, Persia, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Russia, Egypt, Germany, France, England, Canada, Mexico, Hawaiian Islands, and a little island far out in the Indian Ocean, Mauretius. Besides from sixty different American cities. The words of the Center of the Covenant had literally been fulfilled: "You have only to begin—everything will be all right."
The fourth Mashrak-el-Azkar convention was held in Chicago, May 1 and 2, 1911. A command having come from Acca to hold the convention during the Rizwan days. During the fiscal year April 23, 1910, to April 29, 1911, the total contributions were:
| The Orient and Europe | $1,190.83 |
| America | 9,210.76 |
| Total | $10,401.59 |
The fifth convention in Chicago, April 29 to May 1, 1912, will eternally wear the glorious crown of bestowal because of the presence of the Center of the Covenant and his dedication of the Mashrak-el-Azkar grounds May 1, 1912. During this fiscal year the lake shore tract of 293 feet frontage had been contracted for and payment made on it, the purchase price being $17,000. The contributions for the year having been $7,292.45.
The sixth convention was entertained by the friends of New York City, April 28 and 29, 1913. Regarding this wonderful convention Abdul-Baha, wrote Mr. Wilhelm, saying:
"Praise be to God, that the New York believers became confirmed in the accomplishment of a great service and held in that city the consultation convention for the erection of the Mashrak-el-Azkar. They displayed the utmost of effort until that convention was inaugurated with infinite perfection. They exercised the greatest of love and kindness towards all the delegates who had come from the different states. They united and entertained the delegates in their homes. With perfect affection they spread before them the banquet of hospitality. Every one became grateful and happy. This event will adorn an important and blessed page in the Bahai history."
At this convention the commemoration of the ninth day of every month as Mashrak-el-Azkar day was proposed and afterward confirmed by Abdul-Baha, and has proved a very great impetus to the Mashrak-el-Azkar work. The friends of other countries join with us in observing the day; very beautiful are the letters from our four American sisters in Teheran telling of their holding this ninth day with us.
The first contribution for the fiscal year April 30, 1912, to April 19, 1913, was a gift from the Center of the Covenant at the closing session of the previous convention in Chicago. Also this year marked the completion of the payment on the site dedicated by Abdul-Baha, and an indebtedness of $9,000 on the Lake Shore tract remained only, its entire liquidation being urged before the expiration of 1913. The contributions for the year having been $14,206.42.
Another year soon rolled around and Chicago was again blest with a Mashrak-el-Azkar convention, which was the seventh convention. It also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Baha'o'llah.
At the close of the year 1913 the money came literally rolling in for the cancellation of all land debts and a cablegram was sent to Abdul-Baha announcing that the Bahai Temple Unity had, completed
its land obligations. Thus the new year, 1914, dawned free of any clouds for the Mashrak-el-Azkar work so that the building fund might be started. The financial secretary reported contributions for the year $13,503.79 and the Unity entirely out of debt with land holdings for which $51,500 had been paid and which was worth almost double the price paid. Complete unity and harmony marked the sessions of this seventh convention.
And now the eighth Mashrak-el-Azkar convention and first Bahai congress has convened in San Francisco. Thus our conventions held in the United States of America have travelled from coast to coast.
Almost immediately after the second convention, when the Bahai Temple Unity resulted, the president of the first Executive Board, Mr. Mountford Mills, of New York City, visited the Center of the Covenant who was still a prisoner of the Turkish Government, though liberated in July of that same year, 1908. Mr. Mills wrote: "At the temple convention, he seemed most pleased and satisfied and assured us that the future would see many more, constantly increasing in numbers, attending and bringing together representatives from all parts of the world. He said that these gatherings would be to the spiritual body of the world what the inrush of the spirit is to the physical body of man, quickening it to its utmost parts and infusing a new light and power."
One of the most touching gifts to the building fund was a check for $1,000 addressed to "the Bahai Temple of Peace" and saying in the letter, "In Europe, fathers and brothers have been torn from their wives and little children, and many left at home are in want of dire necessities. Out beloved ones are not facing mutilation, acute suffering and death. I send this as a thanksgiving offering, though it seems minute indeed to express what I feel."
During the fiscal beginning April 27, 1914, the monthly contributions have been as follows:
| April 27 to May 1 | $258.00 |
| May | 388.60 |
| June | 351.09 |
| July | 483.31 |
| August | 344.22 |
| September | 1,533.88 |
| October | 557.99 |
| November | 519.50 |
| December | 614.66 |
| January | 768.72 |
| February | 247.10 |
| March | 278.76 |
| April 1 to April 18 | 251.82 |
| Total, to April 18, 1915 | $6,597.65 |
Total receipts of subscriptions from August, 1907, to April, 1915:
| First Convention | $5,666.44 |
| Second Convention | 14,731.51 |
| Third Convention | 10,401.59 |
| Fourth Convention | 7,292.45 |
| Fifth Convention | 14,206.42 |
| Sixth Convention | 13,503.79 |
| Seventh Convention | 6,597.65 |
| Grand Total | $72,399.85 |
Of the above amount $11,158.75 was from countries other than United States, as follows:
England—St. Ives, Cornwall; Springfield, Broadway; Manchester; London; Sussex, Brighton; Warwicke; Clifton, Bristol. Ireland—Warrington, County Down. France—Paris; Dinan, Brittany. Germany—Berlin; Stuttgart; Esslingen; Zuffenhausen. Italy—Sienna; Ravenna, Erba. European Turkey—Constantinople. Palestine—Acca; Haifa. Russia—Baku; Ishkabad. Persia—Teheran; Esphahan; Gangelie; Shiraz; Yahromi; Resht; Kermanshah; Sanstan; Meshed; Tiflis; Yazd; Arabelli. India—Rangoon; Bombay; Mandalay. Egypt—Cairo; Port Said; Alexandria. South Africa—East Rand; Transvaal; Capetown. New Zealand—Davenport; Aukland. Brazil—Sao Paolo. Canada—Montreal; Brockville; St. John's, W. B. Islands of the Sea—Isle of Pines; Isle of Mauretius; Hawaiian Islands.
Respectfully submitted, CORINNE TRUE, Financial Secy., Bahai Temple Unity.
