Bibi Kuchak
Born: Unknown
Death: Unknown
Place of Birth: Karbila, Iran
Location of Death: Ishqabad, Iran
Burial Location: Unknown
Bibi Kuchak, the sister of Mullá Husayn was surnamed “Varaqatu’l-Firdaws” and was intimately associated, while in Karbilá, with Táhirih [1]
The young respected sister of Jinab-i- Mullá Husayn, the Babu’l Bab, who was surnamed The Leaf of Paradise. She accompanied her brother and mother to Karbila where she married the well known Shaykh Abu Turab of Qazvin. After the raising of the call (Declaration of the Bab), she became a believer in the blessed Cause and was among the companions of Tahirih.
She was intimately associated while in Karbila with Tahirih. She accompanied her to Iran, and after a brief stay in Qazvin and Tehran, she went to Khorasan and stayed in Mashhad. After hearing of the martyrdom of her brother at Fort Tabarsi, she left Mashhad with her mother for Bashruiyih where she provided service and resided in great difficulty. After a short period of time she set out for Ishqabad to offer her customary services until the time of her death.
Among those taught by Varaqatu’l-Firdaws was the wife of Mullá Ghulám-Ridá Harátí of Shahrud who in turn converted her husband.[2]
There is an important tablet that Baha’u’llah wrote for Mullá Husayn’s sister, Varaqatu’l-Firdaws (Leaf of Paradise), to say at his grave site. It is called Surah of Visitation for Mulla Husayn.
This is the Súrah of Visitation that has been sent down from the realm of grace for the name of God, the First, that she who is the most pious of women may visit him, as well as those who believe in God and His verses and are of those who have attained. Please click on this link to read the Tablet.
After praising Mullá Husayn’s station, Bahá’u’lláh informs Varaqatu’l-Firdaws of the various genuflections and repetitions of the names of God that are part of the visitation ritual. Like the visitation texts for the Imáms, these genuflections and repetitions are integral parts of the communion with the Imám and a means of obtaining divine grace, as evinced in the following passage:
Praise God, thy Lord [say “ Alláh-u-Akbar”], nineteen times and at each instance of praise, God shall open one of the doors of Rizvan upon thy face and waft the sweet savors of the All-Glorified [as-subhán] unto thee from the direction of Paradise. [3]
Editor’s Note:
Additional reading from this link: The Wronged One: Shí‘í Narrative Structure in Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet of Visitation for Mullá Husayn by William McCants
Source:
1 ‘Abdu’l-Baha. “Memorials of the Faithful” p. 181 “Memorials of the Faithful,” p. 270.)
2 Momen, Moojan. “A Preliminary Survey of the Baha’i Community of Iran during the Nineteenth Century.
3 Súrah of Visitation for Mullá Husayn (Súrat al-ziyárah li-Mullá Husayn) – Translated by Joshua Hall (Title given by the translator)
Images:
Art Design by Joe Paczkowski
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