Foroozan: the OG

It's been two years since my dear grand father (my Dad's father) passed away in Iran. During these two years, I've always wanted to pay tribute to him, by writing a little piece. But every time I plan to start, I never know where to begin. So I've decided to write with the words that have already been put together. I'll be sharing four of my favorite stories that friends/family have told me about my grand father, Ahmad. I've met him so many times in my life and we've made a lot of wonderful and happy memories as a family, but somehow my favorite stories of him are the ones told by others. 

Fun Fact: my grand father was not born Foroozan.
His family name was something completely different/but very long too.
When he became a Baha'i, he changed his last name to "Foroozan" which
in farsi means "shining". So I'm just a third generation Foroozan 

1. A second cousin of mine once told me that ever since she was very young, she was always fond of my grand father. Even though all their relatives were against him, and said all sort of nasty things just because he is a Bahá'i, she stayed close to him because she thought he was "different" and she was always curious to understand why. She said that once upon a time in the village they used to live in, there was a lady who was known around to be sort of a "prostitute". One day this lady became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, but the man who made her pregnant kept denying that he is the father. Everyone in the village of course knew he was the father, but he never admitted. The law in Iran (back then, perhaps even now?) is that illegitimate children won't be granted a birth certificate. Knowing that this boy, born out of wedlock, would face such difficulties (not just that he won't get a birth certificate, but he'll also grow up not having or knowing a father), my grand father intervened in their private lives and kept insisting to the man that they bring this case to court, until he finally admits he's the father. My cousin does not remember anymore what the result was, but she just remembers how no one in the village cared, but my grand father did. He'd always fight for justice, for his rights and the rights of others, even when it was none of his business. 

2. There's an old man who I always see at our home every time we travel to Iran. I've been seeing him for so many years - he goes out with my grand father, he helps my aunt with house work... Last year I finally decided to ask someone what's our relation with him. She said that this man and Ahmad have known each other for so many decades; they used to live in the same village (before moving to the city).  This man and some of his friends were once on a mission to kill Ahmad (yes, that was very common back then - fanatics would kill Bahá'is because they were told it's their way to heaven).
They didn't even know Ahmad at that time; they just knew he was a Bahá'i, and had to be gotten rid off. They were ready to go and attack Ahmad one day, but suddenly Ahmad started talking to these boys. I don't know the nature of the conversation, I was just told that as they talked, this man's heart changed....and he no longer wanted to kill Ahmad. His heart changed so much that this man loved Ahmad and served him (and our entire family) whole heartedly, not just until Ahmad died, but even until now... to the rest of us. 

My grand father was an avid reader. During the last years of his life, his hearing became weaker, but not his eyes. Not at all. He had a huge collection of Bahá'i, Islam, law books on the shelves of his bedroom. He had profound knowledge which he never only kept to himself; he was always sharing his knowledge with others. I remember when I was very little, a visitor came to our house and Ahmad gave her a huge book. She said he does that every time she visits, and he also asks her to tell him how she found the book. I remember another time we all went to one office... when we finished our work, my Dad and I were near the door, ready to leave, but we had to wait another hour because Ahmad was still talking with the employees -- about the Bahá'i Faith (yes, openly in a Government office!) This is why it's no surprise to me that even when he came face to face with his (potential) killers, whatever it is that he opened his mouth to say, it transformed their ignorance and prejudice into knowledge and love.

3. When I visited Iran last year, I watched the video of the memorial gatherings held at home soon after his passing. A few friends made speeches/shared stories and memories. One particular story struck me. The man said that there was one time that Ahmad was in the court (yes, my grand father was sent to the court countless of times in his life - it's almost very normal for Bahá'is in Iran to go through this... to be disturbed, interrogated, arrested, falsely charged, etc... for one and just one crime. Being a Bahá'i). While Ahmad was sitting at the front, answering questions, a Mullah barged into the hall and pointed at Ahmad and said "that man is a dog, and a thief!" Ahmad asked the judge if he could be given one minute to respond to this man who just made accusations at him. The judge approved his request, then Ahmad said "Yes, I am a dog. I am the dog of Bahá'u'lláh. But no, I am not a thief. You can start your investigation now." This Mullah felt so embarrassed and angry, he quickly turned around and walked back out.

4. My favorite story will always be the story of how he became a Bahá'i. This is what my Dad always shares. My grand father was born and raised muslim. But if you're already familiar with the history of the Baha'i Faith, then you'd know that Baha'is don't have it easy in Iran; since the beginning until now Baha'is can't enjoy their basic human rights. Nowadays it's usually the Government officials who target them, but in the past, it was done by just anyone. (read more here) So when my grand father was a young boy, he was already brainwashed by the people in the village that Bahá'is are bad. And indeed, he did feel prejudice against them. But my grand father loved to read. He always had a thirst for knowledge, for spiritual knowledge, even though he was just a boy who helped in the farm. Naturally, he met Bahá'is whenever he travelled (especially to one other particular town nearby)... so they would talk and he'd ask lots of questions. In his heart, he really liked the Bahá'i Faith, but he didn't tell his family about it because he knew they'd get very angry...until one night, he had a dream (this was when he was 18 years old). He dreamt that he saw a man all dressed in white, his face was shining and he was riding a horse. He came to a stop, pointed his glowing sword to the East and to the West and said "I am the Qa'im" (Qa'im is to Islam as the return of Christ is to Christianity, and Bahá'is believe that Bahá'u'lláh is Christ returned in the Glory of His Father). 

Ahmad woke up from this dream, woke his father and said "I am a Bahá'i!". His father threw a big slap across his face that his tooth broke, and told him "Don't say bad words!" Ahmad was determined, he knew very well in his heart and was convinced....even though he also knew that life would become very difficult for him and indeed, it became very difficult. Over the next decades, he has had his properties and wealth confiscated by the Government, he has been arrested and put in jail a couple of times, has received multiple death threats.. just like thousands of other Bahá'is throughout Iran. Many times he was told that his sufferings would end if and only if he simply recants his faith. But Ahmad always stood firm, and put his faith above everything else. He died very peacefully at the age of 99.

***

The reason why I chose these stories as my favorite is because they show a trait he had which I admire so much. He was fearless. He was absolutely fearless. He was afraid of no one - not the Government, not the police, not those who threatened to take his life or his earthly possessions. It reminds me so much of the Tablet of Ahmad, where Bahá'u'lláh reveals "...And be thou so steadfast in My love that they heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee..."

These kinds of stories inspire me to become a better version of myself. I'd love to hear from you -- what stories inspire you? Send me a message through the box on the right side of the page.