IOverview
Azalis are followers of the Báb who do not accept Bahá'u'lláh. They follow Mírzá Yahyá, known as Subh-i-Azal, Morning of Eternity, Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother. They keep the teachings of the Báb, above all the Bayán, and call themselves Bábís, not Bahá'ís.
Because both groups share Bábí roots, readers often confuse them. The Bahá'í community does not recognise Subh-i-Azal as the rightful leader after the Báb, and Azalis do not recognise Bahá'u'lláh as the one the Báb foretold. This page sets out both views descriptively and takes no position on which is right.
IIHistory
Subh-i-Azal was born in 1831. Shortly before the Báb's execution in 1850, the Báb named him head of the Bábí community and instructed him to obey Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest. The nature of that nomination is still debated: Bahá'í sources see it as nominal, while some scholars regard him as the Báb's successor.
After the persecutions of 1852 to 1853, both brothers went to Baghdad. There Azal lived in hiding while Bahá'u'lláh looked after the community's affairs. In 1863 Bahá'u'lláh made his declaration in the Garden of Ridván. Tensions between the two came to a head in Edirne, and in 1866 Bahá'u'lláh publicly called his followers the people of Bahá. In 1868 the Ottoman authorities exiled Azal and most of his followers to Famagusta in Cyprus, and Bahá'u'lláh to Akka.
- 1850The Báb names AzalJust before the Báb's execution in Tabriz.
- 1853 to 1863The Baghdad yearsAzal lives in hiding and communicates through intermediaries.
- 1866 to 1867The split in EdirneThe Bábí community divides into Bahá'ís and Azalis.
- 1868ExileAzal to Famagusta, Cyprus. Bahá'u'lláh to Akka.
- 1905 to 1911Iranian Constitutional RevolutionSome Azalis take an active part.
- 1912Subh-i-Azal diesIn Famagusta. His succession is unclear.
IIITwo Views
The Azali view. According to Wikipedia, Azalis keep the teachings and laws of the Bayán and hold that Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest could not come so soon, but only long after the Báb, once the laws of the Bayán had matured. They therefore regard Bahá'u'lláh's claim as premature and Azal as the rightful leader. Some Azali texts say the Promised One might appear in Azal's lifetime, so the Azali position is not fully consistent.
The Bahá'í view. The Bahá'í community does not recognise Azal as leader after the Báb for two main reasons, according to Wikipedia. First, his nomination was only nominal, and the very document that named him told him to obey Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest. Second, Bahá'ís read the Báb's references to the years nine and nineteen, that is 1853 and 1863 counting from 1844, as foretelling Bahá'u'lláh. On that reading, opposing Bahá'u'lláh meant going against the Báb himself.
Each side also made many accusations against the other during the Edirne period. Wikipedia notes that the Azali habit of concealing their beliefs, a practice known as taqiyya, makes their side of the record hard to verify. The British scholar Edward Granville Browne relied heavily on Azali sources, and his reading was later reassessed.
IVOrganisation and Present State
The Azalis never built an organisation like that of the Bahá'í community. Several figures linked to the Azali current took part in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905 to 1911. After they died and no recognised leader emerged, Azali Bábism, according to Wikipedia, entered a stagnation from which it has not recovered. According to the World Religion Database as cited on Wikipedia, there were no more than a few thousand Azalis in the 2000s, mostly in Iran.
VIn Vietnam
No source has been found for any Azali presence in Vietnam. The Bahá'í Community of Vietnam is a Bahá'í community and has no connection with the Azalis.
VISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIOther Branches of the Bahá'í Faith
The Worldwide Bahá'í Communityجامعهٔ بهائیThe Bahá'í Faith has no denominations.Bahá'í Community of VietnamCộng đồng tôn giáo Baha'i Việt NamNot a separate branch but the national community of the same Faith under the Universal House of Justice.Uses the common symbol of the pathOrthodox Bahá'í FaithOrthodox Bahá'í FaithFollowers of Mason Remey, who in 1960 claimed to be the Guardian after Shoghi Effendi, later led by Joel Marangella.Uses the common symbol of the pathBahá'ís Under the Provisions of the CovenantBahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant (BUPC)Founded by Leland Jensen in Montana in the 1960s and 1970s, also claiming a line of Guardians via Mason Remey.Uses the common symbol of the pathAzali Bábísازلی AzalīNot Bahá'ís.Uses the common symbol of the pathVIIISources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Are Azalis Bahá'ís
No. Azalis follow the Báb but do not accept Bahá'u'lláh. They call themselves Bábís and follow Subh-i-Azal, Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother.
Why does the Bahá'í community not recognise Subh-i-Azal
Bahá'ís regard Azal's nomination as nominal, and the document itself told him to obey the one the Báb foretold. Bahá'ís believe that figure is Bahá'u'lláh, so opposing him is seen as going against the Báb.
How many Azalis are there today
According to the World Religion Database as cited on Wikipedia, no more than a few thousand in the 2000s, mostly in Iran. The group has no central organisation.