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Below is a picture of the group of friends gathered in Hong Kong for the annual Bahá’í Reunion which Amin attended just days before his passing.

“O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s love! Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters? No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.

Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.

Rely upon God. Trust in Him. Praise Him, and call Him continually to mind. He verily turneth trouble into ease, and sorrow into solace, and toil into utter peace. He verily ha
th dominion over all things.

If thou wouldst hearken to my words, release thyself from the fetters of whatsoever cometh to pass. Nay rather, under all conditions thank thou thy loving Lord, and yield up thine affairs unto His Will that worketh as He pleaseth. This verily is better for thee than all else, in either world.”

–Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 177

October 10, 2012

To the Family of Amin John Amirkia

Dearly loved Friends,

The National Spiritual Assembly was saddened to hear of the sudden departure of your dear son and brother, Mr. Amin John Amirkia, from this plane of existence. To lose a family member, especially when the loved one is young, is indeed a trial; our hearts go out to you at this difficult hour. Yet one may feel a measure of solace, inasmuch as this soul, at the beginning of his life, had devoted himself to serving the Cause with such resolve that he may be numbered among those who, in the words of our Beloved, “have passed beyond the narrow straits of names, and pitched their tents upon the shores of the sea of renunciation.”

Please accept our deepest condolences, and kindly convey them to Amin’s extended family and others of his loved ones. Be assured that the National Spiritual Assembly will remember you all in its prayers under the dome of the most holy Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, beseeching the Ancient Beauty to breathe a spirit of healing in your hearts, and to grant to dear Amin’s soul eternal joy and progress in all the worlds of God.

With tender Bahá’í love,

Kenneth E. Bowers
Secretary

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

Dearest family and friends,

We are grieving at the sudden and shocking loss of our beloved son and brother Amin Amirkia.  We are heartbroken but submit to the Will of God.  We are making arrangements for his funeral in China and plan to travel there as soon as logistics and travel details including visas can be put in place.

During this difficult time, we ask for your prayers for the progress of Amin’s soul.  As well for prayers for solace and patience for all of us such that we endure this great loss.

We thank you for your many comforting thoughts and words.  We are sorry that we are not able to answer each one in person.  You may know that this web site has been set up to collect memories, tributes and pictures of Amin.  We will appreciate your review and comments here which will be updated regularly.

With heartfelt regards,

Shidfar, Farzaneh, Ashkan & Laila + Vafa

As the news of Amin’s passing has reached the far flung corners of the world, there has been an outpouring of sympathy and admiration on Facebook.  Below are some examples from family, friends and those who did not know Amin but have been touched by his gentle humanity and untimely passing.

This video was just received from China and shows beloved Amin and the rest of the family visiting at the HuaShan hospital in Shanghai, China on the evening of October 5, 2012.  While waiting for for cousin May Farid to give birth, they shared storied and laughter.  Precious moments together.

For those who do not have access to YouTube service due to country restrictions, below is the same video via the Chinese YouKu service.

Two prayer gatherings were held in Beijing, where Amin lived, on Monday and Tuesday, October 8 and 9, 2012, in honor and loving memory of him.

Beijing, China
October 8, 2012

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Amirkia,

We are deeply saddened by the loss of your son, Amin, who was a key member of our China Practice.  Amin was both an excellent lawyer and loyal friend.

During this difficult time we want to assure you that Amin was someone that we loved very much and felt his contribution to the firm was unmatched.  He made a huge difference.  He was a mentor and leader for our younger lawyers, and he was deeply committed to their career and personal development. Amin was committed to his client matters, and committed to excellence in his performance. We can honestly say that he was one of the finest lawyers we ever worked with.  He was a kind and gentle person with much character and warmth about him.

Amin will be sorely missed by all of us at Sheppard Mullin.  He will always be remembered as a founding member of our Beijing office and for his time with us in Shanghai, where he was a close friend to many.  We honor his memory, and will preserve his legacy going forward. In this regard, our Beijing and Shanghai offices are preparing memory books of thoughts and comments prepared by our lawyers and staff concerning Amin’s work and contribution to the firm, and we will send these to you when completed.

Again, we are saddened by this loss and assure you that Amin, you, and other members of your family remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Please do let us know if we can be supportive in any way.

James Zimmerman / Don Williams / Simon Cheong
Partners in the Beijing and Shanghai offices and on behalf of everyone at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Monday, October 8, 2012 – Shanghai

Our brother, Sheedfar,
Our sister, Farzaneh,

Words fail us, utterly fail us to convey our deepest and most sorrowful condolences for the sudden and unexpected passing of this most refined young man, our dear Amin.

To be tested the most severe of tests – the test God ordained for His own manifistations – to lose a son, only tells of His knowledge of your spiritual capacity, since we are told that He would never test a servant beyond his capacity.

Other than praying for his soul, praying for your strength and offering service in His name what can we do? We weep. We are in disbelief. We are in shock. Nima and May’s baby, Zayn, got born yesterday. We fake smiles but there is a deep sorrow welling from the depth of our hearts, knowing we have to wait for our turn now to be able to see Amin’s radiant face again.

I often said that he is a young man who belongs to a different age. A man of integrity, immaculacy, utmost courtesy, unimaginable purity. He was most refined, unlike any man of his age. Always well groomed and very self disciplined. He had the most beautiful and innocent smile. He would look with intensity and listen with respect and attentively. He was diligent at his work. Spoke Mandarin beautifully. A few days ago he was saying that he thought that Chinese children from birth to age 4 are the most beautiful babies and looking at them made him happy.

He also was saying ” I am so lucky to have all the family here near me even if we don’t see each other all the time”.

He was ready to go. His journey had ended here. He had a smooth and painless departure. He was loved by everyone who knew him and admired by all. He was given a short cut. ‘Abdu’l-Baha says this is a world of toil and trouble. He by-passed it. We know He is being welcomed by His Maker now and there will be feasts for him in the Abha Kingdom. We have to get over our own loss, knowing that it will be just a matter of time before we can behold his new beautiful countenance fit for his new environment.

We send our endless love to you and Leila joon. We will do everything in our power to console the broken heart of our sweet Vafa.

Please know that if you decide to come here our humble home is all yours. We can cry and pray together. He would probably want you to laugh and be happy though.

We love you from the depth of our hearts and we will continue praying for all of you.

Much much love
Sheri & Borge