In Baghdád, Bahíyyih Khánum spent the remaining years of her childhood and the early years of adulthood

Bahá’u’lláh, His family and companions arrived in Baghdád on 8 April 1853 ‘in a state of great misery, and also of almost utter destitution'. The few personal effects that Bahíyyih Khánum’s mother had collected before departure ‘were nearly exhausted by the time we reached our destination, having been bartered on the journey for necessaries’.[1] In Baghdád, Bahíyyih Khánum spent the remaining years of her childhood and the early years of adulthood. As difficult as the decade-long stay in Baghdád was for the family, for her it was even harder. Describing the first place where they lived in Baghdád, she says: ‘When we first arrived there, we had a very little house, consisting of my father's room, and another one which was my mother’s, and in which were also my eldest brother, the baby, [2] and myself.’ [3] The same room served also as a reception room for female visitors. Bahíyyih Khánum was very conscious of her beloved mother's delicate health, caused by the hardships she had endured, and was concerned that ‘she always worked beyond her force'.[4] Therefore, from early childhood Bahíyyih Khánum helped with household chores. 

- Bahaieh Rouhani Ma’ani  (‘Leaves of the Twin Trees’)

[1] Phelps, ‘Master in Akka’

[2] Asíyih Khánum was pregnant when the exiles left Iran. The baby was born soon after their arrival in Baghdád. He was named ‘Alí-Muhammad. (Blomfield, Chosen Highway, p. 47)

[3] Blomfield, Chosen Highway, p. 47.

[4] Blomfield, Chosen Highway, p. 47.

Bahíyyih Khánum recalls happy childhood days

I remember dimly very happy days with my beloved father and mother, and my brother ‘Abbás, who was two years my senior . . .

We used to go to our house in the country sometimes; my brother ‘Abbás and I loved to play in the beautiful gardens, where grew many kinds of wonderful fruits and flowers and flowering trees; but this part of my early life is a very dim memory.                    

- Bahíyyih Khánum  (Quoted by Lady Blomfield in ‘Chosen Highway’)

The very first meeting in the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice was held in the name of the Greatest Holy Leaf

The thought was borne in today, as I gazed at the friends assembled in this meeting in this majestic setting, that the House of Justice is beginning to forge its links and bonds with the Greatest Holy Leaf. Why? Following so close upon the fiftieth anniversary of her passing, the very first meeting in the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice is held in her name. The architect of this building, Mr. Husayn Amanat, today confirmed my recollection that he had deliberately designed the dome of this building to be reminiscent of the dome on the monument erected at the resting place of the Greatest Holy Leaf. If we compare these two domes we will see the resemblance in broad outline. He did so, he said, because of the well-known statement of Shoghi Effendi in which he likened the administrative order of the Faith of Baha’u’llah to the monument of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the dome representing the Universal House of Justice.

This building, itself, standing so close to her resting-place, caused me to reflect, as I stood outside: upon yet another symbolism. It is as though someone were standing with his arms outstretched in a semicircle, this arc, the world administrative seat of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, encircling the consecrated spot where these three precious souls are buried, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch and Navvab -- chief among them the Greatest Holy Leaf. Thus we are now witnessing the forging of bonds at the World Centre of the Faith between the Universal House of Justice and the Greatest Holy Leaf. 

- ‘’Ali Nakhjavan  (‘The Greatest Holy Leaf: A Reminiscence’; excerpts from an address presented during the World Centre seminar commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, held in the reception concourse, permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, 17 July 1982; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)

“The years in which she basked in the sunshine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s spiritual victories were, perhaps, among the brightest and happiest of her life.”

No sooner had ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stepped upon the shores of the European and American continents than our beloved Khánum found herself well-nigh overwhelmed with thrilling messages, each betokening the irresistible advance of the Cause in a manner which, not withstanding the vast range of her experience, seemed to her almost incredible. The years in which she basked in the sunshine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s spiritual victories were, perhaps, among the brightest and happiest of her life. Little did she dream when, as a little girl, she was running about, in the courtyard of her Father’s house in Tihrán, in the company of Him Whose destiny was to be one day the chosen Center of God’s indestructible Covenant, that such a Brother would be capable of achieving, in realms so distant, and among races so utterly remote, so great and memorable a victory. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘The Baha’i World 1932-1934)

She implored her Father to allow her to remain unmarried

During a ten-year sojourn in Baghdad, Bahíyyih Khánum “grew into a beautiful girl, very much like her lovely mother in grace of body and character, a gentle, slender maiden with large grey-blue eyes, golden-brown hair, and warm, ivory-colored skin. Her sense of humour was keen and her intelligence remarkable.” (‘The Chosen Highway’ by Lady Blomfield)

Lady Blomfield who interviewed Bahíyyih Khánum writes about her decision to remain unmarried and the reason behind it: “As she grew up, she implored her Father to allow her to remain unmarried, that she might the better devote herself to her three dearly loved ones. [1] And so it was.” Lady Blomfield then recounts what she had heard from an old man, a friend of Bahá’u’lláh, Who had once said to him: “I know no man worthy to marry such purity as my daughter.” In response to her question, “Khánum must have been very lovely?” The man had said: “I have been told so; naturally, I never saw her.” (‘The Chosen Highway’ by Lady Blomfield) 

- Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani  (‘The Greatest Holy Leaf’s unparalleled role in religious history and the significance of the Arc, the site of her resting place’, Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #121 [English], Louhelen Bahá'í Center: Davison, Michigan, USA, October 10–13, 2013 published in Lights of Irfan, volume 15)

[1] Her parents, Bahá’u’lláh and Ásíyih Khánum, and her brother, 'Abdu’l- Bahá

Bahá’u’lláh’s assurance: Her prayers would always be accepted at the Throne of God, and her supplications and interventions for others would never fail to be answered

The ladies of the blessed family eagerly explained to us the loftiness of her spiritual station, which we instantly felt but could not analyze. They told us that Bahá’u’lláh had written for her a precious Tablet (letter) in which He had stated that so great was her spiritual attainment that her prayers would always be accepted at the Throne of God, and that her supplications and interventions for others would never fail to be answered. Thus she was set apart as the purest and most saintly of women, and through her He glorified the position of woman in this New Day. All this was recognized by the maid-servants, whether wise or simple, high or low. It was touching to witness their humble homage, scarcely less than that accorded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself as, reverently touching her shoulder with lips and forehead, they would beg her to supplicate at the Holy Threshold in their behalf, the while their tears fell like rain. 

- Ella Goodall Cooper  (‘Bahiyyih Khanum – an Appreciation’; Star of the West, vol. 23, no. 7, October 1932)

“the responsibility of attending to the multitudinous details arising out of His [‘Abdu’l-Baha’s] protracted absence from the Holy Land”

And when, in pursuance of God’s inscrutable Wisdom, the ban on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s confinement was lifted and the Plan which He, in the darkest hours of His confinement, had conceived materialized, He with unhesitating confidence, invested His trusted and honoured sister with the responsibility of attending to the multitudinous details arising out of His protracted absence from the Holy Land. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘The Baha’i World 1932-1934)

“acting as the honoured hostess to a steadily increasing number of pilgrims who thronged ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s residence from both the East and the West”

And when the storm-cloud that had darkened the horizon of the Holy Land had been finally dissipated and the call raised by our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had stirred to a new life certain cities of the American and European continents, the Most Exalted Leaf became the recipient of the unbounded affection and blessings of One Who could best estimate her virtues and appreciate her merits.

The decline of her precious life had by that time set in, and the burden of advancing age was beginning to becloud the radiance of her countenance. Forgetful of her own self, disdaining rest and comfort, and undeterred by the obstacles that still stood in her path, she, acting as the honoured hostess to a steadily increasing number of pilgrims who thronged ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s residence from both the East and the West, continued to display those same attributes that had won her, in the preceding phases of her career, so great a measure of admiration and love. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘The Baha’i World 1932-1934)

The privilege of meeting ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s glorious sister, Bahiyyih Khanum: A pilgrim recalls

It is now thirty-three years since that never-to-be-forgotten first pilgrimage to the Most Great Prison was undertaken by a group of believers from the West and, while many details of the visit have faded into the background, there are certain events and personalities that remain clear and vivid in my memory, and which time seems powerless to efface. Next to meeting the Beloved Master Himself was the privilege of meeting His glorious sister, Bahiyyih Khanum, known as the Greatest Holy Leaf.

Her personality is indelibly imprinted upon my memory. Tall, slender and of noble bearing, her body gave the impression of perfect poise between energy and tranquility, between wiry endurance and inward composure, imparting to the beholder a sense of security, comfort and reliance, impossible to describe.

Her beautiful face was the feminine counterpart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s the lines of suffering and privation softened by the patient sweetness of the mouth; the dominating brow, bespeaking intellect and will, lighted by the wonderful understanding eyes, in form like those of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but deep blue rather than hazel. Watching their expressive changes—as one moment they darkened with sympathy or pain, the next moment sparkled with laughter and humor—only served to deepen the impression of her irresistible spiritual attraction. 

- Ella Goodall Cooper  (‘Bahiyyih Khanum – an Appreciation’; Star of the West, vol. 23, no. 7, October 1932)

The unique relationship between Bahá’u’lláh and the Greatest Holy Leaf

The writings of Bahá’u’lláh set out the uniqueness of His relationship with His daughter and disclose the dual aspects of that bond. For example, on the physical plane the Greatest Holy Leaf is described as “a leaf that hath sprung from this preexistent Root,” and the tenderness of the father’s love for His daughter is conveyed in the following testimony: 

“How sweet thy presence before Me; how sweet to gaze upon thy face, to bestow upon thee My loving-kindness, to favour thee with My tender care, to make mention of thee in this, My Tablet—a Tablet which I have ordained as a token of My hidden and manifest grace unto thee.”[1]

Beyond the ties of physical relationship, Bahá’u’lláh underlines a transcendent purpose for her physical being, a purpose that relates to her recognition of His station as Manifestation of God and the fulfillment of her purpose in life. He states, "We have created thine eyes to behold the light of My countenance, thine ears to hearken unto the melody of My words, thy body to pay homage before My throne. Do thou render thanks unto God, thy Lord, the Lord of all the world."[2] 

Bahá’u’lláh likewise expresses pleasure at the manner in which she exemplified the spiritual qualities embodied by the Manifestation of God when He states: 

"I can well inhale from thee the fragrance of My love and the sweet-smelling savour wafting from the raiment of My Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous." [3]

“the towering grandeur of her spiritual life”

Only future generations and pens abler than mine can, and will, pay a worthy tribute to the towering grandeur of her spiritual life, to the unique part she played throughout the tumultuous stages of Bahá’í history, to the expressions of unqualified praise that have streamed from the pen of both Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Centre of His Covenant, though unrecorded, and in the main unsuspected by the mass of her passionate admirers in East and West, the share she has had in influencing the course of some of the chief events in the annals of the Faith, the sufferings she bore, the sacrifices she made, the rare gifts of unfailing sympathy she so strikingly displayed—these, and many others stand so inextricably interwoven with the fabric of the Cause itself that no future historian of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh can afford to ignore or minimize.

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘The Baha’i World 1932-1934)

1931: A pilgrim’s impression of the Greatest Holy Leaf

The face of the sister of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahiyyih Khanum, although shadowed by age, was so full of love and a genuine interest in life and people that we did not think of her as old, but rather as ageless and eternal. The freshness of the beauty of love radiating from her captivated us. 

- Sylvia Paine (Star of the West, vol. 23, no. 12, March 1933)

1909 Akka: Juliet Thompson sees the Greatest Holy Leaf for the first time

…we went to the Holy Household to visit the Holy Leaves. I shall never forget that little procession as they entered the room with the dignity of queens, led by the Greatest Holy Leaf. She was all in white: the Greatest Holy Leaf, the daughter of the Blessed Perfection. Her face had the look of one who had passed through crucifixion and was resurrected in another world. In it shone great blue eyes, eyes that had looked upon many sorrows and now were ineffably tender… Behind her came Túbá Khánum and Munavvar Khánum (two of the daughters of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Munirih Khanum)...

Juliet Thompson (‘The Diary of Juliet Thompson)

Condition of women in the Middle East in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the unparalleled role of the Greatest Holy Leaf in religious history

The Greatest Holy Leaf’s role in Bahá’í history is unparalleled in religious history. To assess this role, it is necessary to take into consideration the constraints under which women in the Middle East lived in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Women in the Islamic world were largely invisible. They enjoyed few rights and had no status in the community. They were veiled and led a cloistered existence separated from all men except the members of their immediate family. Deprived of the opportunity for education and confined to the home, they tended to be illiterate. They were not permitted to participate in public affairs and had no role in religion. In addition, the historical record of the era contains few references to women, since it was considered unethical and im- proper for historians, who were mostly male, to invade the privacy of women by inquiring into their lives.

While the sources of information about Bahíyyih Khánum are scattered and sometimes sparse, it is particularly significant that Bahá’u’lláh Himself chose to withdraw "the veil of concealment” [1] from His daughter, thereby opening the way for historians to study her life, to rescue her from invisibility, to appreciate her role in society, and to assess her contribution to history. 

- Janet Khan  (‘Prophet’s Daughter’)

[1] Shoghi Effendi  (‘Bahíyyih Khánum, The Greatest Holy Leaf’, a compilation by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1982)

1903: The Greatest Holy Leaf, Munirih Khanum and her four daughters

Middle row, those sitting on chairs, left to right: Munawar and Touba (daughters of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Munirih Khanum), the Greatest Holy Leaf, Munirih Khanum (wife of ‘Abdu’l-Baha), Diya’iyyih (daughter of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Munirih Khanum, mother of Shoghi Effendi), and Ruha (daughter of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Munirih Khanum). The other ladies in the picture are pilgrims and believers from Haifa-Akka area.

“her sleepless vigilance, her tact, her courtesy, her extreme patience and heroic fortitude” dealing with “the fierce onslaught of the forces of disruption that followed” the passing of Bahá’u’lláh

With the passing of Bahá’u’lláh and the fierce onslaught of the forces of disruption that followed in its wake, the Greatest Holy Leaf, now in the hey-day of her life, rose to the height of her great opportunity and acquitted herself worthily of her task. It would take me beyond the compass of the tribute I am moved to pay to her memory were I to dwell upon the incessant machinations to which Muhammad-‘Alí, the arch-breaker of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, and his despicable supporters basely resorted, upon the agitation which their cleverly-directed campaign of misrepresentation and calumny produced in quarters directly connected with Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd and his advisers, upon the trials and investigations to which it gave rise, upon the rigidity of the incarceration it reimposed, and upon the perils it revived. Suffice it to say that but for her sleepless vigilance, her tact, her courtesy, her extreme patience and heroic fortitude, grave complications might have ensued and the load of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s anxious care would have been considerably increased. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘Baha’i Administration’)

After the passing of Bahá’u’lláh she served as the head of Abdu’l-Bahá’s household

Following the death of her Father, the Greatest Holy Leaf lived in the household of Abdu’l-Bahá. Because of the high station conferred upon her by Bahá’u’lláh and her unique qualities, she served as the head of Abdu’l-Bahá’s household. She cultivated social relationships to shield her Brother and acted as the honored hostess to the increasing numbers of pilgrims from the East and the West. In all things she was His loyal partner and trusted confidant. Finally, when the sultanate was overthrown in 1908 and all political and religious prisoners of the Ottoman state were freed, Abdu’l-Bahá was able to embark on his historic travels to the Western world. During His two-year absence from the Holy Land, Abdu’l-Bahá left the running of the affairs of the Cause in the hands of Bahíyyih Khánum. She was, according to Shoghi Effendi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s “competent deputy, His representative and vicegerent, with none to equal her.” 

- Janet Khan  (‘Prophet’s Daughter’)

“The very elements of this frail being were leavened with her love, refreshed by her companionship, sustained by her eternal spirit.”

After the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha to the realm of the All-Glorious, that Light of the Concourse on High enfolded me, helpless as I was, in the embrace of her love, and with incomparable pity and tenderness, persuaded, guided, and urged me on to the requirements of servitude. The very elements of this frail being were leavened with her love, refreshed by her companionship, sustained by her eternal spirit. Never for a moment will her kindnesses, her favours, pass from my memory, and as the months and the years go by, the effects of them on this mourning heart will never be diminished.

O Liege Lady of the people oj Baha! Broken is our circle by thy going— 

Broken our circle, broken too, our hearts.

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘Bahíyyih Khánum, The Greatest Holy Leaf’, a compilation by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1982)

‘Abdu’l-Baha had entrusted her with the sacred remains of the Báb which were housed in her room for some ten years in the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha

The Greatest Holy Leaf also had a mystic bond, as Shoghi Effendi describes the relationship, with her brother, 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant -- One Who not only knew her station and appointed her to be in total charge of His household, but Who entrusted her with the sacred remains of the Báb which were housed in her room for some ten years in the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha, Who entrusted her with His last will and testament and Who realized that after His passing she would play a central role in the community, as He knew that Shoghi Effendi was not present at the time of His passing. We can be sure that 'Abdu'l-Baha passed away with His mind at rest, because He knew that Shoghi Effendi would soon be there, and that the Greatest Holy Leaf was there. 

- ‘Ali Nakhjavani  (From an address presented during the World Centre seminar commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, held in the reception concourse, permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, 17 July 1982; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)