Name Haji Akhund | ||
 | ||
Ḥají Mullá `Alí-Akbar Shahmírzádí (Persian: حاج ملا على أكبر شهميرزادي 1842 – 1910), known as Ḥají Ákhúnd, was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh.
Contents
Background
Hají Ákhúnd was born in the village of Shahmírzád, Iran. He was the son of a Mullá, and after some preliminary studies, he went to Mashhad to attend a religious college. In 1861, he encountered Bábís and converted to the Báb's religion, which caused his immediate expulsion from the college and the city.
Imprisonment
Upon his return to his home village, he was also expelled and sent away by the local clergy. He settled in Tihrán, where he accepted Bahá'u'lláh and became a Bahá'í. It is recorded that when there was an outbust against the Bahá'ís in Tihrán, he would wrap his cloak around himself and sit waiting for the guards to come and arrest him.
He was arrested many times in Tihrán: in 1886 on the orders of Mulla ‘Ali Kani, in 1872 for seven months by Nayibu's-Saltanih, in 1882 for two years by Nayibu's-Saltanih, in 1887, and in 1891 for two years with Hájí Amín.
Travels
He visited ‘Akká, where Bahá'u'lláh and his family were prisoners, on three occasions: in 1873, 1888, and 1899. He was given the task of transferring the remains of the Báb from various secret locations to ‘Akká, where they remained for several years until they were eventually entombed in the Shrine of the Báb. He was one of the four Hands of the Cause appointed by Bahá'u'lláh himself, and was responsible for much of the Bahá'í activity in Iran until his death on 4 March, 1910.