Monthly Archives: November 2012

The following poem was written in memory of Amin by Mr. Jamal Maani of Tyler, Texas.

               امین،،

                     ،، بیاد آن جوانی

                        که آزاد پیش او رفت ،

                      در آن دمی،، که چشم به چشم او داد،، 

                                                  بی تاب به سوی او رفت .

                      ز این جوار خاکی ،

                                              پرواز به آسمان عشق کرد ،،

                                           به درگه او رسید ”   شادان به خان او رفت .

                                               *      *      *

                  نامش، امین و ، ذاتش امانت و درستی ،

                                         نگو ، چگونه او جدا شد ،،

                                                 اسیر این فنا بود ،، مشرف به آن بقا شد . 

                مرام او  ، عشق و یاری ،،

                                           ز پیش ما برفت و ،،

                                                               همدم به یار با صفا شد.

                گریه و بی تابی مکن ،، زین جدائی  ،

                                                 امانت بهاء بود ، ،  رفیق با وفا شد .

                ”معانی ” چه بگوید ، زین غم نا باور ،،

                                                 رضای حق بود ،،

                                                             تسلیم ، به قدر و قضا شد .

                                             *      *      

                                                            تقدیم به خانواده امیر کیا .

                                                                                          ج.معانی ،،۲۷ اکتبر ۲۰۱۲  tyler .texas

A small memorial for Amin was held in London on 28 November 2012 by friends who had known him in Beijing.  They prayed, sang songs, and viewed photos and read tributes from the web site.  Also present and eaten were representatives of “God’s little nuggets of goodness.” [tangerines]

Warmest regards and deepest condolences,

Marc, Farnoosh and Shiraz Famouri-Lee

The following is a beautiful poem in Persian about the journey to the beyond and reunion with the Beloved. We hope that those who can read Persian will enjoy it.

One of Amin’s colleagues in Shanghai visited the neighborhood where he used to live.  She put a video together with pictures of his house along with those of his colleagues planting a tree in honor of Amin at Laoshan Mountain during their recent retreat.

Youku version for China below

A memorial gathering was held for Amin in Bologna, Italy on Saturday, November 17, 2012.  Prayers and stories were shared by those gathered.

Amin and his sister Laila made a memorable trip in 1993 to Asia.  They went to visit their aunt, uncle and cousins in China.  Together they traveled by train to Mongolia and later to Hong Kong and the Philippines.   In the pictures below, we see a sweet 12-year old Amin who was profoundly affected by the people and scenes that he came across on that trip.  Later in life, he made a commitment to living and serving the people of the land he had visited in his childhood.

The numbers 9 and 19 have spiritual significance in the Bahá’í Faith and its predecessor, the Bábi Dispensation.  In the Revelation of the Báb the numbers 9 and 19 had a special meaning.  The Báb and his disciples – the Letters of the Living – formed a group of 19.  There were 19 Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.  The calendar has 19 months of 19 days plus a holiday period of 4 to 5 days. (Years in the Bahá’i calendar are counted from 21 March 1844 CE, the beginning of the Bahá’i Era (abbreviated BE).  The Bahá’í World Centre on Mount Carmel in Israel consists of 19 terraces.

The numerical value of 9 in the abjad system of the Arabic alphabet is the same as the four letters which form the word “Bahá”.  “Bahá” is known as the Most Great Name of God.  (b=2, h=5, á=1 and ‘ (hamza)=1, added together they equal 9)  Also, 9 is the highest single digit and therefore symbolizes unity and universality, principles upon which the Bahá’í order lies.  The elected administrative assemblies of the Bahá’í world have a minimum of 9 members.  Bahá’í houses of worship have nine doors that are open for everyone.  However, there are no  “lucky” or “unlucky” numbers in the Bahá’í Teachings.

So, how does all this relate to Amin and his passing?  In the guest booklet put together by the funeral home, Amin’s sister noted the following so far as Amin’s age at the time of his passing.

Coincidence?  Perhaps.  Curious?  For certain!  Another mystery from the spiritual realms as to the sudden and untimely passing of dear Amin.

Dear Friends and Family,

With broken and aching hearts we would like to thank a thousand times all the families, friends, and those who have supported us with their prayers, devotional gatherings, services during the funeral and memorial, contributions in memory of Amin, beautiful flowers and cards, making food for us and expressing your loving and healing remarks towards us by phone and emails during this difficult time in our life. We are truly fortunate to have all of you with us. How can we ever thank you all?

Losing a child or a sibling is never easy and is one of the hardest tests in life. Bahá’u’lláh has given us the glad tidings about the life after this and this is what gives us hope to go forward. We believe Amin was summoned by Bahá’u’lláh to the Abha kingdom to serve in another capacity. Of course we will miss him profoundly but we will abide by the will of God and remain submissive to His will. In one of his tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that God creates angels in the form of humans and we believe Amin was truly one of those angels. From birth to death he was a joy.

We indeed love you all and wish we could hold each one of you in our arms and thank you personally. We raise our suppliant hands towards Bahá’u’lláh to assist all of us to attain his approval. Thank you so much again.

With profound love and appreciation,

The Amirkia Family

It is one month since the passing of dear Amin.  We thought the following selection from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would be appropriate to share.

“O thou beloved maidservant of God, although the loss of a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limits of human endurance, yet one who knoweth and understandeth is assured that the son hath not been lost but, rather, hath stepped from this world into another, and she will find him in the divine realm. That reunion shall be for eternity, while in this world separation is inevitable and bringeth with it a burning grief.

Praise be unto God that thou hast faith, art turning thy face toward the everlasting Kingdom and believest in the existence of a heavenly world. Therefore be thou not disconsolate, do not languish, do not sigh, neither wail nor weep; for agitation and mourning deeply affect his soul in the divine realm.

That beloved child addresseth thee from the hidden world: ‘O thou kind Mother, thank divine Providence that I have been freed from a small and gloomy cage and, like the birds of the meadows, have soared to the divine world—a world which is spacious, illumined, and ever gay and jubilant. Therefore, lament not, O Mother, and be not grieved; I am not of the lost, nor have I been obliterated and destroyed. I have shaken off the mortal form and have raised my banner in this spiritual world. Following this separation is everlasting companionship. Thou shalt find me in the heaven of the Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.”

Amin’s second-cousin, Adel Missaghian and his daughter Samara visited the resting place of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith in London last week.  Special prayers in Amin’s memory were said at this Holy site.

Shoghi Effedi’s death also came unexpectedly.  He passed away while sleep during a visit to London on 4 November 1957.  His wife Mary Maxwell – entitled Rúhíyyih Khanum – sent the following cable to the Bahá’í communities throughout the world:

Shoghi Effendi beloved of all hearts sacred trust given believers by Master passed away sudden heart attack in sleep following Asiatic flu. Urge believers remain steadfast cling institution Hands lovingly reared recently reinforced emphasized by beloved Guardian. Only oneness heart oneness purpose can befittingly testify loyalty all National Assemblies believers departed Guardian who sacrificed self utterly for service Faith.

—Ruhiyyih