September 11, 2012

Nabil-i-Akbar -- An Apostle of Baha'u'llah and a Hand of the Cause

Aqa Muhammad-i-Qa'ini, surnamed Nabil-i-Akbar

Muhammad-i-Qa'ini, was surnamed Nabil-i-Akbar by Baha’u’llah. He was also known as Fadil-i-Qa'ini (the Learned One of Qa'in). He was arrested as a Bábi, a charge which he denied, however that incident started him thinking. He studied the Writings of the Báb and became a believer. Later, he became an eminent mujtahid and met Baha'u'llah in Baghdad, before He had declared His Mission. At first he did not recognize Baha'u'llah's station, but after listening to a discourse of Baha'u'llah, he became a Baha'i. He taught the Faith widely and was arrested three times. It was to Nabil-i-Akbar that Baha'u'llah's Tablet of Wisdom (Lawh-i-Hikmat) was addressed. He died in Bukhara, Russia, in 1892. 'Abdu’l-Baha designated him a Hand of the Cause and Shoghi Effendi included him among the Apostles of Baha'u’llah. 
(Adapted from ‘A Basic Baha’i Dictionary’, by Wendi Momen)