Azali

For the 2018 film, see Azali (film). For the tribe, see Azali (tribe).

An Azali (Persian: ازلی) or Azali Bábí is a follower of the monotheistic religion of the Báb who embraced the leadership of Subh-i-Azal. Early followers of the Báb were known as Bábís; however, in the 1860s with the Baháʼí–Azali split, the vast majority of Bábís followed Mirza Husayn ʻAli, known as Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith, and became known as Baháʼís. Some among the remaining Bábís continued to follow Subh-i-Azal, Baháʼu'lláh's half-brother, whom the Báb had appointed his successor and leader of the community, and thus came to be called Azalis.

Azali Babis continued to push for the end of the Iranian monarchy, and several individuals were among the national reformers of the constitutional revolution of 1905–1911. Azalis stagnated and disappeared as an organized community after the revolution, numbering at most a few thousand by the end of the 20th century, mainly in Iran. Azalis are considerably outnumbered by adherents of the Baháʼí Faith, who number in the millions.

Distinguishing characteristics

Main article: Baháʼí–Azali split

Azalis do not accept any of those who have advanced claims to be the Báb's promised one (known as "He whom God shall make manifest"). The most bitterly contested claim is that of Baháʼu'lláh in 1863. Azalis rejected his claim of divinity as premature, arguing that the world must first accept the laws of the Báb before "He Whom God Shall Make Manifest" can appear.

Involvement in Persian secular and constitutional reform

With respect to the direction that Azali Bábism took immediately after the split, MacEoin said:

Azali Babism represents the conservative core of the original Babi movement, opposed to innovation and preaching a religion for a non-clerical gnostic elite rather than the masses. It also retains the original Babi antagonism to the Qajar state and a commitment to political activism, in distinction to the quietist stance of Baháism [sic]. Paradoxically, Azali conservatism in religious matters seems to have provided a matrix within which radical social and political ideas could be propounded.

After the split with the Baháʼís, some Azalis were very active in secular reform movements and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1907), including Sheikh Ahmad Rouhi and Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani. However, the community was still suppressed as a heresy, and the accusation of being an Azali was often enough for most to believe it to be true. Coupled with the Azali practice of taqiyya (dissimulation), determining whether or not a particular figure in Persian politics was an Azali is difficult.

Taqiyya

Taqiya ("dissimulation") was practiced by some Bábís. It was justified by some as a response to the often violent oppression the community faced. However, prominent Bábí leaders never encouraged individuals to practice it; and some who had practiced taqiyya later abandoned it, declared themselves openly, and were put to death.

Among Azalis, however, the practice became ingrained and widespread. One historian has noted:

The Azali Babis and in particular Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani and Shaykh Ahmad Ruhi showed little hesitation in alteration and falsification of Babi teachings and history in their works. Azali Babis regarded taqiyyah as an imperative requirement.
In contrast the Azali Babis glorified taqiyyah in their literature. Taqiyyah was considered a virtue and classified into various levels of concealment. Prominent Azali leaders openly recanted their faith and even abused [the] Bab and Azal in the process.

Succession and aftermath

There was some dispute on the question over who was Subh-i-Azal's appointed successor. MacEoin states that Subh-i-Azal appointed Yahya Dawlatabadi as his successor in turn after the death of his (Yahya's) father, Mirza Hadi Dawlatabadi. However, this was disputed by Subh-i-Azal's grandson, Jalal Azal, indicating that this question was not entirely resolved.

MacEoin notes that, in any event, neither he (Yahya Dawlatabadi) nor anyone else arose to organize the affairs of the community, or produce significant writing to develop the religion. He goes on to say (writing in 1999):

With the deaths of those Azalis who were active in the Constitutional period, Azali Babism entered a phase of stagnation from which it has never recovered. There is now no acknowledged leader nor, to the knowledge of the present writer, any central organization. Members tend to be secretive about their affiliation, converts are rare, and association appears to run along family lines. It is difficult to estimate current numbers, but these are unlikely to exceed one or two thousand, almost all of whom reside in Iran.

Prominent Azalis

Despite their small numbers, the Azalis have included several prominent Iranian political and literary figures, notably Shaykh Ahmad Ruhi and Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani.

References

• Amanat, Abbas (1989). Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Babi Movement in Iran. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801420986.
• Barrett, David (2001). The New Believers. London, UK: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35592-5.
• Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2011-09-28). "Azalī". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
• Browne, E.G. (1890) [Republished in 1901]. "Bábism". Religious Systems of the World: A Contribution to the Study of Comparative Religion. London: Swann Sonnenschein. pp. 333–53.
• Browne, E.G., ed. (1918). Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• MacEoin, Denis (1992). The Sources for Early Bābī Doctrine and History. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-09462-8.
• MacEoin, Denis M. (1987-12-15) [Updated 18 August 2011]. "AZALI BABISM". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
• MacEoin, Denis (2012). "Ṣubḥ-i Azal". Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7112. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
• Manuchehri, Sepehr (1999). "The Practice of Taqiyyah (Dissimulation) in the Babi and Bahai Religions". Research Notes in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies. 3 (3). Archived from the original on 2 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
• Momen, Moojan (1991). "The Cyprus Exiles". Baháʼí Studies Bulletin: 81–113.
• Smith, Peter (2000). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
• Warburg, Margit (2006). Citizens of the world: a history and sociology of the Bahaʹis from a globalisation perspective. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-474-0746-1. OCLC 234309958.