March 14. On this date in 1981, Muhammad Labíb, a Bahá'í author, photographer, notable Esperantist, founder the Nawnahálán Company, and pioneer to Japan and Rhodes, died.

 

March 14. On this date in 1981, Muhammad Labíb, a Bahá'í author, photographer, notable Esperantist, founder the Nawnahálán Company, and pioneer to Japan and Rhodes, died.

Muhammad Labíb was born into a Bahá'í family in Yazd in 1893. Muhammad Labíb's father was Muhammad-Husayn Ulfat (known as 'Attár), a Shaykhí who converted to the Bahá'í Faith.

In 1905 he and his family moved to Tehran, where Labíb received an education at a Bahá'í school.

Labíb learned Esperanto in 1914 and later taught the language at the Bahá'í Tavakkul School in Qazvín. He also served as an official representative of the World Esperanto movement.

In the late 1910's Labíb founded the Nawnahálán Company. Muhammad asked 'Abdu'l-Bahá's permission to found the trust fund while on pilgrimage in 1919, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave Labíb His blessing, and also contributed two gold coins to the company. The company eventually received investments from many Bahá’ís in Iran, and moved to Tehran where it evolved into a national financial institution. The assets of the company were seized by the post-revolution government of Iran in February of 1979, and the company's offices were stormed later in the year.

Labíb accompanied Effie Baker on her journey to take photographs of important Bahá'í sites throughout Iran from 1930 to 1931. He also had the Risalih-'i Siyasiyyih, a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, published in Tehran in the early 1930's.

He pioneered to Hiroshima in 1955, and taught the faith in Japan for the next nine years. In 1961 he converted six people of Ainu ancestry who were leaders of the Ainu community to the faith, which was an early breakthrough for the Faith in Japan. In 1963 he moved to the Greek island of Rhodes.

He wrote many books in his later life which included many photographs he had taken. Only one of his books, The Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak, has been published in English.

Muhammad Labíb died on March 14, 1981.

On January 6, 1957, Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím sent a cable to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, advising pioneers to "scatter to make new centers" and "not to gather in one place but to scatter in different places."

To the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran

Letter of January 6, 1957

Regarding pioneers going to Japan, Brazil … and other places, the beloved Guardian states that they must not gather in one place but scatter to make new centers, e.g., Mr. Assassi and his wife, and Mr. Labib who travelled to Japan must not stay in Tokyo but should go to places where there are no Bahá’ís, or very few Bahá’ís to make new centers. Furthermore (he) says that the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran must write to all pioneers that have left Iran for other parts of the world and instruct them not to gather in one place but to scatter in different places. He says that the matter stated above is very important… (translated from the original Persian)

(signed by Dr. Hakim)