The Final Resting Place of the Martyred Prophet of Shiraz, Persia

Next year will be the anniversary of the centenary of passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, His successor and the Center of His covenant. The Bahá’í community is in the process of building a Shrine for the earthly remains of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, planned for dedication in November 2021. The Shrine of the Báb was built with a great deal of difficulty and lack of resources under the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. During this presentation we will be discussing the details of how this location on Mount Carmel was selected as the site of the Shrine of the Báb; how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s internal and external enemies mis-represented the character and purpose of this holy place to prevent the building of the Shrine and how He personally directed the building of the Shrine while under house arrest far removed from the building site. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself referring to the Shrine of the Báb was heard many times to remark: “Every stone of that building, every stone of the road leading to it I have with infinite tears and at tremendous cost, raised and placed in position” The earthly remains of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have been entombed in the same building which will be moved from the current location to its final resting place. It has been worthy to study what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Bahá’í community has achieved in times of turmoil.

Speaker Biography: Jamshíd Afnán is a Bahá’í author and historian. He was born in Shiraz to a Bahá’í family as a fifth generation Bahá’í. To further his education, he moved to the United States in the mid-1970s, where he studied Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. He has been married to his wife Názly for 33 years and has two children — a daughter and son. Jamshid has always been interested in history, especially the history of the Bábí and Bahá’í faiths. In 2016 Jamshid co-authored a book titled: “Stories from the Cradle of the Faith, Narratives of Heroism, Sacrifice and Transformation in the Bahá’í Community of Iran”. Professionally Jamshid has worked in the Power Industry since 1980 and is currently the Chief Information and Cybersecurity officer for the bulk power system operator for the six New England states. Jamshid has been giving talks and presentations about the different aspects of the Bahá’í Faith for decades.