Who Is Who of the Bahai Figures

Mirza Aqa Jan of Kashan (Baha's Close Companion)

This man stuck to Baha through thick and thin. According to the Historical Epitome of Mirza Jawad of Qazwin, whose sister-in-law was married to Muhammad Ali, second son of Baha, P.9 and P.88, Materials for the Study of the B?BI Religion by Professor Browne, Mirza Aqa Jan of Kashan was surnamed by Baha His Honour the Servant of the Presence (Abd-i Hazir) or His Honour the Servant of God (Janab-i Khadimullah). He was amanuensis to Baha. He ranked after the sons of Baha whose followers were commended by him to ‘show honour to the Servant who stands before the throne in a laudable station.”

Mirza Aqa Jan identified himself with Baha during the latter period of the Bahai exiles sojourn at Baghdad, and conducted underhand activities in favour of him. When Baha started staled out his pretensions at Edirne he became Baha's amanuensis and wrote his Ishraqiyya in support of Baha's pretensions. He also wrote a tract (Risala), touching the Acre murders, and Baha's arrest and imprisonment. Both these works are in manuscripts and not available.

In acknowledgment of his service he was surnamed "the servant of god," "the servant of the presence," "the servant who stands before God”, "the throne in a laudable station" into whom the Bahais were enjoined upon by Baha in a special tablet to show honour."- Materials for the study of BABi Religion by Browne, P. 9 and P. 88

Baha's Epistolary protocol at Acre required that communications addressed to Baha by the Bahais and replies issued from the throne, namely, Baha, should be sent through his amanuensis Mirza Aqa Jan.

After acknowledging the receipt of a petition and stating which it was laid before the throne. Mirza Aqa Jan took a point in the petition, and quoted Baha's reply in the conventional Arabic annotation marks known as "بقوله" and "انتهی".

After didactic rhetors, appropriate to the occasion, Mirza Aqa Jan took up the next point in the petition, and dealt with Baha's reply in the same manner. This system of treatment continued until the whole petition was processed. In the course of time Bahais came to take for granted that body of such replies, with the exception of their portion or portions quoted in the conventional Arabic quotation marks emanated not from Baha but from Mirza Aqa Jan. Alive is the unfavourable consequences of such an impression, Baha called upon Mirza Aqa Jan to furnish him with an admission in writing that the whole body of such replies emanated not from Mirza Aqa Jan but from Baha.

Such a document Mirza Aqa Jan refused to furnish, and offended with him, Baha would not forgive him unless and until he furnished such a document. Baha passed way with no such document forthcoming. During his tenure of office Sir Abbas Effendi extracted such a document from Mirza Aqa Jan.- Kitab-i-Subhi by Subhi Fazlullah Muhtadi. PP. 116-123

As the servant of the presence Mirza Aqa Jan constantly waited on Baha. As Baha's master of ceremonies, he admitted those who desired an audience in parties of from half a dozen to a dozen at stated times. Those audiences did appear to last long as a rule. On reaching the flight of steps to the room where Baha was, the Bahai visitors, and the master of ceremonies who preceded them, prostrated themselves, and entered the room on their knees. Prof Browne's Art vi, J.R.A.S July 1889, P.519.

Baha died and Sir Abbas Effendi wore the mantle of the Bahai hierarchy. Differences dissension arose between Sir Abbas Effendi and his half brother Mirza Muhammad Ali. But as the dissension gained momentum, and became acute, Mirza Aqa Jan, a man of standing and experience, thoroughly acquainted and Baha's sacred writings with whom he had been intimately associated from the days of Baghdad, thought that the auspicious time had arrived for him to step in and seek to effect a reconciliation between the two brothers.

The occasion was the first anniversary of Baha's death, the Bahais had assembled in a room in the vicinity of Baha's tomb to commemorate him.
Baha's servant of god Mirza Aqa Jan took the floor, broke his long silence, and began to deliver himself of a discourse replete and criticism of the deeds and words of Sir Abbas Effendi and his servants of god on the grounds that they were inconsistent with, and repugnant to, Baha's sacred text.

Acting on tip off from his son-in-law Mirza Hadi Afnan, Shoghi Effendi’s father, Sir Abbas Effendi put in an appearance on the scene, interrupted Mirza Aqa Jan in the middle of his discourse, seized him by the hand and expelled him from the room bare headed and bare-footed, which Sir Abbas Effendi’s servants of god beat Baha's servant of god Mirza Aqa Jan on the head and face.

Maltreated, beaten, imprisoned in a stable, robbed of his books, threatened with strangulation Baha's servant’s of god was excommunicated. Prof. Browne's materials for the study of the B?Bi Religion. PP. 87-91; PP. 197-198.

Thus Mirza Aqa Jan of Kashan, the amanuensis of Baha, to whom he stuck so through thick and thin the servant of god, the servant of presence, the servant of god who stood before the throne in a laudable station, unto whom Bahais were to show honour, privilege, excommunicated and denounced as "reprobate, apostate croaker, hypocrite, and devil," passed to the mercy of god as an outcast.- Materials, ibid, P. 88.

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