Find Communities in Australia

Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.

Learn about the Baha’i Faith

Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.

DISMISS MENU

Explore

This post is featured in the following collections:

Our Story Is One: The Persecution of Baha’is in Iran

in Explore > Themes

June 18, 2023 will mark 40 years since 10 Baha’i women were hanged in Shiraz. Their only ‘crime’ was their refusal to renounce their beliefs in a faith that promotes the principles of gender equality, unity, justice, and truthfulness. This collection highlights Baha’i Blog content relating to the ongoing persecution of Baha’is in Iran.

Awakening: A History of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths in Nayriz

October 21, 2013, in Articles > Books, by

Many Baha’is are familiar with the events described in the book The Dawnbreakers, where followers of the Bab were under attack and siege by the Persian army, but aside from these descriptions in the Dawnbreakers, very little is known about the many events which took place during this turbulent period of our Faith’s early history. That is why the new book Awakening: A History of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths in Nayriz by Dr. Hussein Ahdieh and Hillary Chapman is so important.

Now for the first time, many of the gaps in the history of our Faith during that period have been filled, as one of Dr. Ahdieh’s ancestors, a young boy named Shafi, was one of the few male survivors who had witnessed the horrific events which took place around him in the Persian town of Nayriz. At the request of Baha’u’llah, Shafi documented these events in his diary, and it is this diary which played an important role in the research for this book.

Besides being a Baha’i Historian and an author, Dr. Hussein Ahdieh is also a good friend of mine and I was able to spend some time with him while I was visiting New York recently. We spoke about this wonderful new book and he agreed to tell me and our Baha’i Blog readers more about Awakening.

Baha’i Blog: Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

Awakening is a history of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths in Nayriz. The book’s purpose is to bring to life, in words and images, the heroism and suffering of the early believers who resided there and to show the ultimate victories that grew from their sacrifices.

Epic historical books like The Dawn-Breakers by Nabil and God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi give a summary description of the persecution of the Nayriz Babis, and Awakening puts the reader in the middle of these events and highlights the heroes and villains.

Nayriz had three major conflicts. In 1850, Vahid declared the Bab’s mission from the pulpit of the Jumih Mosque in Nayriz. Many of the people responded to the announcement by swearing allegiance to the Bab and Vahid. The rest of the town considered them infidels and attacked them. The Babis under Vahid’s leadership took refuge in Fort Khajih and valiantly defended themselves for four weeks with inadequate arms against the overwhelming forces of the Persian Empire.

In 1853, a new wave of persecutions was unleashed on the surviving Babis. They took refuge in the mountains and again heroically defended themselves against overpowering forces. And this time the women participated, serving as lookouts and defending water supplies. The Babis were eventually defeated. Those taken prisoner, mostly women, children, and old men, were death-marched from Nayriz or Shiraz along with the decapitated heads of their menfolk and thrown into prison.

Again in 1909, during a period of chaos in Iran, another deadly campaign targeted the Nayriz Baha’i community and 18 Baha’is were killed.

The early believers in Nayriz knew their share of suffering. But they also experienced advances and victories. The surviving Babis and their children and grandchildren went on to build a flourishing Baha’i community in Nayriz. Three men from Nayriz were present in the Holy Land when the remains of the Bab were put to rest. Nayriz has sent forth many Baha’i teachers and produced great Baha’i scholars as well — among them Adib Taherzadeh and Ali Nakhjavani. The descendants of the Nayriz Baha’is have transplanted themselves on six continents, and so against all odds they have prevailed and prospered.

Awakening allows the reader to experience the pivotal moments in Nayriz Baha’i history. The book is written in a style accessible to a general audience. However it is also a historical record containing maps, photos, tablets, and over 700 references for future researchers. The book has been translated into Persian, Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian and Bulgarian.

Dr. Hussein Ahdieh

Baha’i Blog: Can you share a couple of interesting things which were uncovered in the process of working on this book?

One of my ancestors, named Shafi, was on the death march from Nayriz to Shiraz. He was a young boy but remembered vividly the horrific events and later recorded them at the request of Baha’u’llah. For the last 150 years scholars and family members have been searching for this diary, which I found recently. As part of the research for the book, I translated it.

Also, my ancestors have received over forty tablets from Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha. I’ve had these tablets transcribed and provisionally translated. They can be found on the Website Nayriz.org.

Baha’i Blog: What role does this book play in the history of the Baha’i Faith?

There are few detailed accounts of Babi and Baha’i history in the West or accounts of Vahid, who was one of the foremost intellectuals of his age. Awakening has helped to fill that void.

Also Awakening was reviewed by Payam-i-Baha’i. This was a great honor for me. My hope is that all of the interest and publicity surrounding Awakening will encourage young Baha’is to appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of their biological or spiritual ancestors.

Baha’i Blog: Why was this book so important for you to write, and what was the experience of working with such emotionally painful materials from your ancestors like for you personally?

Like many Nayriz Baha’is, my ancestors embraced the Babi Faith and many fought alongside Vahid and were ultimately killed. I grew up hearing stories of their heroism and sacrifice. My reason for writing Awakening was to make sure that the suffering of the brave Babi and Baha’i men and women of Nayriz is not forgotten, and also to remember that the persecution of the Baha’i community in Iran is still continuing.

In fact, since Awakening was published, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. have contacted me to share information about their ancestors or to obtain such information.

Baha’i Blog: What message do you have to other Baha’i writers and historians out there?

Pray, prepare, produce, promote, and be patient with your publisher. All kidding aside, writing and publishing a book, and doing it well, requires discipline and dedication. But the psychological and spiritual rewards are immeasurable.

Baha’i Blog: What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in the future?

Current projects are a book and a half-hour documentary on the life of Tahirih for the general public, shown in the context of female contemporaries in the West, as well as a book on the renowned Harlem Prep, an alternative school in New York, of which I was one of the co-founders.

Baha’i Blog: Thank you so much Dr. Ahdieh for taking the time to do this interview, and thanks to you and Hilary Chapman for contributing such an important historical book to our Faith’s early history.

You can find out more about Awakening and the events which took place in Nayriz from the book’s website, and you can purchase a copy of the book from your local Baha’i bookstore, or order it online here.

Also, below is a short video interview with Dr. Ahdieh about Awakening.

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.
Naysan Naraqi

Discussion 14 Comments

The very mention of 5-year-old Shafi and his recollections from Nayriz makes me all misty-eyed. This went right to the top of my book shopping list. Thank you Mr. Ahdieh and thank you Naysan!

Sam Karvonen

Sam Karvonen (October 10, 2013 at 4:11 PM)

Thank you Sam for sharing ❤️!

Hussein. Ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh (August 8, 2019 at 4:52 PM)

Is tis available as an e-book?

Liz Hahn

Liz Hahn (October 10, 2013 at 6:08 PM)

In a few months Awakening will be available as part of Baha’i Publishing e-book collection !

Tatiana Jordan

Tatiana Jordan (October 10, 2013 at 8:32 PM)

Hussein. Ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh (August 8, 2019 at 4:53 PM)

Let me know the minute a manuscript is written about Harlem Prep! I did a paper on it for school back on the day!!!

Bonnie fields

Bonnie fields (November 11, 2013 at 5:52 PM)

P.S. I love my Mana CDs ! Such a joyful way to memorise Ruhi quotes!

Bonnie fields

Bonnie fields (November 11, 2013 at 5:54 PM)

Quite an age Bonnie!
We met at the Baha’i Center in the late 70’s in Paris and later I left to Florence Italy for my studies.
Hope you remember the name:
Samuel Ufondu (Nigerian)
Looking forward to hearing you.
Best regards.
SAM

Samuel Emeka Ufondu

Samuel Emeka Ufondu (December 12, 2014 at 9:52 PM)

The contribution that you have made, Dr. Ahdieh and team, in the publishing of Awakenings for the Western Baha’i and the world are enormous. As for the forthcoming documentary and long-awaited book on Tahirih – can’t wait! Thank you for the interview, Naysan. With much much love and gratitude.

Barbra Levine Pakravan

Barbra Levine Pakravan (November 11, 2013 at 7:21 AM)

Thank you Barbra for the kind words! Our new book Foreigner is available now. Check it out.
With Love,
Hussein

Hussein. Ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh (August 8, 2019 at 4:59 PM)

I am currently reading Awakening which is a wonderful history of the Babis. It is a slow process as there are so many Persian names which are hard to remember and I have to keep going back to see who is being spoken about, but well worth it!

Jo Johnstone

Jo Johnstone (March 3, 2014 at 9:20 AM)

Dear Jo,I can imagine how hard is to keep up with foreign names, especially when they sound the same.I hope if you like the book you will give your review in Amazon.com
Warmly,
Hussein

Hussein. Ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh (August 8, 2019 at 4:58 PM)

Any book which adds to the rich information in the Dawn Breakers is a valuable contribution to the Baha’i world. Thanks to Dr Ahdieh for his wonderfulful contribution! I am just waiting for my local bookshop in Malaysia to mae it available.

Ganasa Murthi Ramasamy

Ganasa Murthi Ramasamy (March 3, 2015 at 1:59 AM)

Thank you for your comment!
The book is available in Malaysia, it was publish by NSA of Malaysia. Here you can also find it in Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/hussein-ahdieh/s?k=hussein+ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh

Hussein. Ahdieh (August 8, 2019 at 4:56 PM)

Leave a Reply to Ganasa Murthi Ramasamy Cancel reply

YOUR EMAIL WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED
REQUIRED FIELDS ARE MARKED *

"*" indicates required fields

Receive our regular newsletter

Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.

Find Communities in Australia

or Internationally

The arts and media have a critical role in how we share our community experiences. We’ve got resources, projects and more to help you get involved.

Visit our Creator Hub

Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.

What Baha’is Believe

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia.

We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures; and to elders both past and present.

Baha’i Blog is a non-profit independent initiative

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha’i Faith.