# Account of the Death of Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Alili Ridvan, Account of the Death of Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Account of the Death of Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal
> 
> Alili Ridvan
> 
> E. G. Browne, translator
> published in Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion
> 
> 1918
> 
> Handtyped and proofread by Alan Couper,
> formatted by Jonah Winters.
> 
> VIII
> 
> ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF MIRZA
> 
> YAHYA SUBH-I-AZAL, COMMUNICATED
> 
> BY HIS SON RIZWAN `ALI TO THE LATE
> 
> CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM, ESQRE, ON
> 
> JULY 11, 1912, TRANSLATED FROM THE
> 
> ORIGINAL PERSIAN
> 
> [blank page]
> 
> "Know that the Eternal Fruit (Thamara-i-Azaliyya=Subhi-i-
> Azal) fell somewhat sick in July, 1911. Gradually he ceased to go from one house to
> another, until he even ceased to come down from the upper story, and lost his appetite. In the
> month of September his condition became very critical; he lost all strength and a great debility
> appeared in his body. He was compelled to accept the ministrations of the physician, who,
> however, was unable to cure him. In consequence of material troubles and endless vexations he
> had no rest, and finally on the 28th of April [1912] his condition became suddenly much worse.
> At seven o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 29th of April, he bade farewell to this transitory
> world and passed into the world of Immortality. His household and its members applied to the
> government and asked permission from the Governor [i.e. Commissioner] of Famagusta to
> deposit his body in a place which belonged to that Blessed Being and which is situated about one
> European mile outside Famagusta near to the house of Bárútjí-
> záda Hájji Háfiz Efendi. His Excellency the
> Commissioner granted this permission with the utmost kindness and consideration, and a grave
> was dug in that place and built up with stones. A coffin was then constructed and prepared, and
> in the afternoon all the government officials, by command of the Commissioner and at their own
> wish and desire, together with a number of the people of the country, all on foot, bore the corpse
> of that Holy Being on their shoulders, with pious ejaculations and prayers, and
> 
> 312MATERIALS FOR THE STUDY OF THE BÁBÍ
> RELIGION
> 
> every mark of extreme respect, from his house to the site of the Holy Sepulchre. But none were
> to be found there of witnesses to the Bayán1, therefore the
> Imám-Jum`a of Famagusta and some others of the doctors of Islám, having
> uttered [the customary] invocations, placed the body in the coffin and buried it. And when they
> brought it forth from the gate of Famagusta some of the Europeans also accompanied the Blessed
> Body, and the son of the quarantine doctor took a photograph of it with a great number [of the
> bystanders], and again took another photograph at the Blessed Tomb2.
> 
> "Now this Holy Person [i.e. Subhi-i-Azal] before his
> death had nominated [as his executor or successor] the son of Aqá Mírzá
> Muhammad Hádí of Dawlatábád, who was one of the leading
> believers and relatively better than the others, in accordance with the command of His Holiness
> the Point [i.e. the Báb], glorious in his mention, who commanded saying, 'And if
> God causeth mourning to appear in thy days, then make manifest the Eight Paths,' etc., until he
> says, `But if not, then the authority shall return to the Witnesses of the
> Bayán3.' Therefore he appointed him, though hitherto no one has
> found his testament amongst the writings of that Blessed Being. Moreover twenty-eight years
> ago he had written for himself a lengthy form of visitation4 at the beginning of
> which he wrote Li'l-Wahídi'l-Farídi'l-Mawtúr. Please
> God after the lapse of some days, I will write it out for
> 
> 1 i.e. Bábís.
> 
> 2 These photographs were published by Mr. H. C. Lukach in his book
> The Fringe of the East, pp. 264 and 266, and he has most kindly permitted me to
> reproduce them here.
> 
> 3 This obscure quotation is doubtless from the Bayán,
> but I have not found it, and do not know the context.
> 
> 4 Ziyárat-náma, i.e., a form of prayer
> to be used by those visiting the tomb of a saint or martyr.
> 
> [two photographs]
> Photographs of the Funeral of Mírzá Yahyá
> Subh-i-Azal at
> Famagusta, Cyprus, on April 29,
> 1912.(Reproduced by kind permission of Mr H.C. Lukach and Messrs
> Macmillian
> from his book The Fringe of the East.)[blank page]
> 
> VIII.DEATH OF SUBH-I-AZAL313
> 
> your Excellency and send it. I cannot copy it now because my eyes see badly. Please God you will
> forgive me. I hope that God Most High will vouchsafe a complete cure to your Honour and remove
> the sickness which you have.
> 
> "At all events that Most Blessed Being four hours before his death wept and
> sorrowed because those of the notable and great men of Europe and other lands whom he had met
> were not present at his last breath. I have nothing more to add except that whatever difficulties
> you and equally Mr. Edward Browne may have, if you will refer them to me I will so far as
> possible give a satisfactory answer. The Light be upon you, and may God heal you and assuage
> your suffering.
> 
> "July 11, 1912. C. P." (Constantine the Persian).
> 
> The above account of Subhi-i-Azal's death and burial was
> communicated to me on September 3, 1912, by Mr. C. D. Cobham, for whom it was written in
> Persian by Rizwán `Ali (or, as he has called himself since his conversion to
> Christianity [GREEK TEXT]. On the preceding May 19 Mr. H. C. Lukach, secretary to the High
> Commissioner of Cyprus, had already written to ask me for a copy of my "brochure on the
> subject of the community of Bábís dwellng at Famagusta," adding that "the
> Báb" (meaning Subhi-i-Azal) "died on April 29th last, aet. circâ
> 82." On the 5th of September he very kindly communicated to me the following further
> particulars concerning Subhi-i-Azal's family and possessions:
> 
> "I am now able to give you a little further information with regard to the family
> of the late Subhi-i-Azal.
> 
> "It appears that Subhi-i-Azal left a letter saying that he of his
> sons who resembled him most closely in his mode of life and principles was to be his successor.
> The point as to
> 
> 314MATERIALS FOR THE STUDY OF THE BÁBÍ
> RELIGION
> 
> which of the sons fulfils this condition has not yet been decided; consequently all the children
> would appear at present to be co-heirs.
> 
> "The eldest surviving son is Ahmad Subhi-i-Azal, a poor
> man who is obliged to earn his living as a railway porter in Famagusta. The most affluent of the
> brothers is `Ali, who keeps a shop. Another, Mehmed (i.e. Muhammad) is not
> quite right in his head. The youngest, and, as far as I can gather, the favourite son (by a second
> wife) is one Taqiyyu'd-Dín, who was always near his father. `Constantine the Persian,'
> alias `Costi2', has been far away from Famagusta for some time. It may be that he
> will consent to sell some of his father's manuscripts in his possession. The other brothers are
> at present not prepared to sell theirs.
> 
> "No steps have, as far as I am aware, yet been taken to elect a walí
> (i.e. successor or executor). I am afraid this information is meagre, but, having been on
> Mount Troodos for the last few months, I have had no opportunity of making personal
> investigations in Famagusta."
> 
> On the 23rd of January, 1913, Mr. Lukach wrote to me again, enclosing a letter
> from a Syrian named Mughabghab who lived in Famagusta, and kindly offering his help should I
> desire to enter into negotiations for the purchase of any of the late Subhi-i-
> Azal's manuscripts. From Mr. Mughabghab's letter it appeared that Subhi-i-
> Azal's son "Costi" (i.e. Rizwán `Alí) was prepared to sell his share
> of his father's manuscripts, nine in number, but was anxious that his brothers should not know
> of his intention, as they desired to keep all these books and manuscripts together. The prices
> demanded
> 
> 1 This, I think, must be `Abdu'l-`Alí, who kept a
> shop in Varoshia, a suburb of Famagusta
> 
> 2 His proper original name was Rizwán
> `Ali.
> 
> VIII.DEATH OF SUBH-I-AZAL315
> 
> were, in my opinion, excessive, and I did not pursue the matter further. The list was as follows:
> 
> (1) Kitábu'n-Nur ("Book of Light") (see p.216
> supra), the first and largest of the works so entitled, composed at Baghdád,
> £30.
> 
> (2) Díwánu'l-Azal (see p.214 supra), £20.
> 
> (3) Lahadhát, £20.
> 
> (4) Sata`át, £20.
> 
> (5) Jawámi-`u'l-Hayákil, £20.
> 
> (6) Lawámi`, £20.
> 
> (7) Lawáhidh wa Nafáyi` (507
> súras), £20.
> 
> (8) As-Sawáti`, £20.
> 
> (9) Latá'ifu'l-Azal, £20.
> 
> Four of these manuscripts (nos. 3,4,6 and 7 in the above list) have, as I have
> recently learned (Sept.26, 1917), been offered to the British Museum. The title of No. 7 is
> somewhat differently given as Lawáhidhu'n-
> Nafá'ih, which is no doubt correct.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views24346 views since posted 2003-09-06; last edit 2021-08-11 03:15 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../ridvan_death_mirza_yahya;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
> Language
> Current
> English
> Language
> First
> Persian
> Permission
> public domain
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/234
> Citation: ris/234
> 
> select Collection:
> Archives
> Articles
> Articles-unpublished
> Audio
> Bibliographies
> BIC
> Biographies
> Books
> Chronologies
> Compilations
> Compilations-NSA
> Compilations-personal
> Documents
> East-asia
> Encyclopedia
> Essays
> Etc
> Excerpts
> Fiction
> Glossaries
> Guardian
> Histories
> Introductory
> Letters
> Maps
> Music
> Newspapers
> NSA-documents
> NSA-letters
> Personal
> Pilgrims
> Poetry
> Presentations
> Resources
> Reviews
> Scripts
> Software
> Statistics
> Study
> Talks
> Theses
> Transcripts
> Translations
> UHJ-documents
> UHJ-letters
> Video
> Visual
> Writings
> 
> home
> 
> sitemap
> 
> series
> 
> chronology
> 
> search:
> author
> 
> title
> 
> date
> 
> tags
> 
> adv. search
> languages
> 
> inventory
> 
> bibliography
> 
> abbreviations
> 
> links
> 
> about
> 
> contact
> 
> RSS
> 
> new
>
> — *Account of the Death of Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal (Used by permission of the curator)*