Mirza Mihdi: The Purest Branch – An Online Presentation with Dr. Boris Handal

In this online Wilmette Institute presentation given by Dr. Boris Handal, author of the book Mirza Mihdi: The Purest Branch, we learn about the short life of Mirza Mihdi, the youngest son of Baha’u’llah and Asiyih Khanum.

Born in Tehran in 1848, Mirza Mihdi was separated from his parents when they were exiled to Baghdad in 1852. He joined his parents in Baghdad in 1860 and then suffered three successive exiles with his Father over the next ten years to finally be imprisoned in the city-prison of Akka in 1868.

Mirza Mihdi fell from a skylight in the roof of the prison where he, his family, and many Baha’is were imprisoned with Baha’u’llah. Severely injured and likely to die from his injuries, Baha’u’llah offered to save his life, however he chose instead to sacrifice it so that the doors of the prison might open and those who longed to see Baha’u’llah attain their desire.

Dr. Boris Handal is a Professor of Education at the University of Notre Dame, Australia, and his publications comprise of over 100 conference and journal papers, books, and book chapters published in Australia, the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Dr. Handal has also published several books in the field of 19th Century Persian history and culture.

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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.