Prophet's Daughter: The Life and Legacy of Bahíyyih Khánum : Outstanding Heroine of the Baháʼí Faith

Front Cover
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 2005 - 359 pages
The first full-length biography of one of the greatest women in world religious history. Her towering spiritual strength offers readers an unrivaled model of sacrifice and service to one's faith.Born in Tehran, Bahiyyih Khanum (18461932) was the daughter of Baha'u'llah (18171892), Prophet and Founder of the Baha'i religion. Because Baha'u'llah's teachings were seen in His homeland as a heretical threat to the established order, He and His immediate family and a small group of followers were exiled for some forty years. Meanwhile, thousands of other followers were exterminated in an effort to eradicate the new faith.From the age of seven, Bahiyyih Khanum accompanied her father in exile to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and eventually 'Akka, suffering all of the privations her father suffered. Yet she played a unique and crucial role in supporting her family; assisting members of the religion during periods of unspeakably brutal persecution; managing the small band's household under prison conditions; and, later in life, working with Baha'u'llah's successors to establish the Baha'i Faith as a universally recognized world religion. Her confident and resilient response to hardship and suffering, her acceptance of administrative responsibility, her exemplary leadership, and her capacity to deal constructively with change were exceptional.

From inside the book

Contents

Role in Baháí History
3
Explorations
10
Her Unique Role during Baháulláhs Ministry
16
Support of the Center of the Covenant
52
Rise of the Faith in the West and the Arrival of the First
59
Her Role during the Renewal of Incarceration
67
Entombment of the Remains of the Báb on Mount Carmel
75
Household Manager and Hostess to Pilgrims
87
The Evening of Her Life
200
The Passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf
211
NineMonth Period of Mourning
217
The RestingPlace of the Greatest Holy Leaf and the Rise of
226
Role Model for Both Sexes
239
Accepting Administrative Responsibility
253
Responsibilities of Rank
268
Dealing with Change
287

The War Years 191418
95
The Passing of AbdulBahá
106
Period of Renewed Anxiety
115
Response to Her Appointment
131
The Bond between the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf
185
Her Enduring Legacy
299
Glossary
327
Bibliography
339
A Basic Baháí Reading List
345
Copyright

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About the author (2005)

Janet A. Khan is a former member of the Research Department at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel. After completing a doctorate in counseling at the University of Michigan, she held academic positions at the University of Michigan and University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Her research interests include gender issues, the role of women in religion, aspects of social change, and the evolution of the Baha'i system of administration.

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