Raised in Babol he had studied medicine in Tehran, completed his military service then left for England to study English and then Canada. After completing his studies in which he trained as an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist), he returned to Iran. His Canadian fiancee, Anita, followed and they were married in 1971. She and their three children, all under the age of seven, left Iran after the Revolution on the advice of the Canadian Embassy.

He was 48 years old at the time of his execution and was considered one of the top microscopic ear surgeons in the world. He was an innovator who devised a new method of ear surgery for the treatment of deafness. The method, now used in a modernized form around the world, allows a surgeon to implant a small hearing aid behind the ear of a hearing impaired person in a way that cannot been seen. [Iran Wire]

Some 19 years later on the anniversary of their martyrdom some 500 souls gathered at Golestan Yazd and circled around the place of martyrdom. The gathering was arranged by the Bahá'í community of Yasd and the relatives of these seven martyrs were special quests. [from a post to H-Bahai@h-net.msu.edu by Negar Mottahedeh dated 21 Sept 2000]

The following were appointed:

For Africa: Dr. Hushang Ahdieh (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Ḥusayn Ardíkání, Mr. Friday Ekpe, Mr. Oloro Epyeru, Mr. Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, Mr. Zekrullah Kazemi, Mr. Muḥammad Kebdani, Mrs. Thelma Khelghati, Mr. William Masehla, Mr. Muḥammad Muṣṭafá, Mr. Kolonario Oule, Mrs. Isobel Sabri, Dr. Mihdí Samandarí, Mr. Peter Vuyiya, Mrs. Bahíyyih Winckler.

For The Americas: Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, Dr. Farzam Arbáb, Mrs. Carmen de Burafato, Mr. Athos Costas, Mr. Angus Cowan, Mr. Lloyd Gardner (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Mas‘úd Khamsí, Mrs. Lauretta King, Mr. Artemus Lamb, Mr. Peter McLaren, Mr. Raúl Pavón, Dr. Sarah Pereira, Mrs. Ruth Pringle, Mr. Fred Schechter, Mrs. Velma Sherrill, Mr. Donald Witzel.

For Asia: Mr. Burháni’d-Dín Afshín, Mrs. Shirin Boman, Dr. Masíḥ Farhangí, Dr. John Fozdar, Mr. Zabíḥu’lláh Gulmuḥammadí, Mr. Aydin Güeney, Mr. Dipchand Khianra, Mr. Rúḥu’lláh Mumtází, Mr. S. Nagaratnam, Mr. Khudáraḥm Paymán (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Manúchihr Salmánpúr, Mr. Vicente Samaniego, Mrs. Zena Sorabjee, Dr. Chellie Sundram, Mr. Hideya Suzuki, Mr. Yan Kee Leong.

For Australasia: Mr. Suhayl ‘Alá’í, Mr. Ben Ayala, Mr. Owen Battrick (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Richard Benson, Mrs. Tinai Hancock, Dr. Peter Khan, Mr. Lisiate Maka.

For Europe: Mr. Erik Blumenthal, Mrs. Dorothy Ferraby, Dr. Agnes Ghaznavi, Mr. Hartmut Grossmann, Mr. Louis Hénuzet (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mrs. Ursula Mühlschlegel, Dr. Leo Niederreiter, Mrs. Betty Reed, Mr. Adib Taherzadeh.

They also announced the names of those retiring from service: Mr. Seewoosumbur-Jeehoba Appa, Dr. Iraj Ayman, Mr. Rowland Estall, Mr. Howard Harwood, Miss Violet Hoehnke, Mrs. Salisa Kermani, Mr. Paul Lucas, Miss Elena Marsella, Mr. Alfred Osborne, Miss Thelma Perks, Mr. Háḍí Raḥmání, Mr. ‘Imád Sábirán, Miss Edna True. [Mess1963-1986 p464]

The follow cable was received from the Universal House of Justice:

15th AUGUST 1981. DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING EMINENT DISTINGUISHED SERVANT BLESSED BEAUTY MEMBER BOARD COUNSELLORS AFRICA KNIGHT BAHA'ULLAH DEARLY LOVED MUḤAMMAD MUSṬAFÁ HIS LONG RECORD DEDICATED SERVICES IN ADMINISTRATIVE TEACHING FIELDS HIS SELF-SACRIFICING AUDACIOUS EFFORTS IN PROMOTION DEFENSE BELOVED FAITH UNFORGETTABLE CONVEY BEREAVED FAMILY FRIENDS LOVING SYMPATHY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES FURTHER UNFOLDMENT PROGRESS HIS NOBLE SOUL ABHA KINGDOM UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE. [BW18p768-771]

He made a pilgrimage in 1912 and a second one in 1919. Upon his departure he was given a gold coin by 'Abdu'l-Bahá which he interpreted as a sign that he would have great wealth. In addition to the services he rendered as a member of Bahá'í institutions and through the teaching trips he made throughout lran offering encouragement to the friends, he made generous gifts of funds which made possible the acquisition of lands and buildings for the Faith in Asia, Europe and Africa. These gifts were made without ostentation, often without even his family being informed and in many cases in response to Shoghi Effendi's wishes. Although it is impossible to compile a complete record, his munificence can be glimpsed by mentioning that in Africa alone he had up to 1958 purchased no less than forty-four Temple sites, Teaching Institutes, Bahá'í Centres and other sites.

Another notable contribution was the Missaghiyeh Hospital and Maternity Clinic in Tehran.

The Baha'i cemetery, known as "Golestan-i-Javid" – the Eternal Garden – was confiscated. Ten years later, the City of Tehran demolished the cemetery in order to build the Khavaran Cultural Complex. In accordance with Shi'a jurisprudence, the conversion for the purpose of so-called "improvement" of a cemetery is only permissible after 30 years, but in this case only ten years had passed. The construction of the Khavaran Cultural Centre required deep excavation and the disinterment of more than 1,000 bodies. The design for the sunken yard and the vast basement of this complex was in reality a modern solution to the doctrinal problem of cleansing the soil of the "contamination" of the "unclean" remains of Bahá'ís. During the excavation and recycling of the soil, the remains of the "non-believer" Bahá'ís were apparently used in the foundation for the road and a new overpass. [Iran Press Watch 11 June 2018]

On January 2, the seven Baha'i prisoners were taken to the prosecutor's office for trial. The Sharia judge was Hojjatoleslam Fahim Kermani, and the charges against them were exactly the charges of the National Assembly members, such as spying for Israel. They did not accept any of the charges and the court did not provide any evidence. The trial was held in private and the defendants were denied the right to a lawyer. After several hours of trial, all seven were sentenced to death and the confiscation of their properties. Each of the defendants was summoned separately by the representative of the court and the verdicts were communicated to them. 'If you abandon the Bahá'í faith, you will be set free,' they were each told. The proposal was met with a negative response from all seven. An hour later, the court representative collectively offered the defendants a reduction in punishment if they condemned the actions of the Bahá'í National Assembly; again, all seven gave a negative response."

The men were shot at Evin Execution Square and the two women were shot in the basement of Evin Prison. The seven were buried in plain clothes, without any religious ceremonies, in Khavaran Cemetery. [Iran Press Watch 7 January 2022]

The agency was established with a view to co-ordinating and encouraging research and education among Bahá'ís who are health professionals and others who are interested or who have knowledge in this area.

Goals of the agency include compiling a world directory of Bahá'ís who work in health-related professions, scientists and resources; organizing an international Bahá'í conference on health to be held every three years; publishing the proceedings of these conferences; and developing and distributing educational health programmes for children and adults in various countries and cultures. These programmes will be made available in written and audiovisual form for use by Bahá'í radio stations, Bahá'í schools, Spiritual Assemblies and non-Bahá'í' entities. [BW18:201; BW12p194; VV25]

Reprints of the articles in pdf format can be found on the Hurqalya Publications: Center for Shaykhī and Bābī-Bahā’ī Studies website.

An incomplete index of the publications up to October 1992 can be found at Bahá'í Library Online.

This conference was originally scheduled to be held in Manila, in the Philippines. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated March 1981]

"... a five-year term for the Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre. Each term will start on 23 May immediately following the International Bahá'í Convention, and the current term will end on 23 May 1988. Should circumstances prevent the Universal House of Justice from making new appointments at the end of any five-year term, the Counsellors will remain in office until such time as new appointments can be made."

The Hojjatiyeh movement initially presented itself as a conservative Islamic group that aimed to combat the spread of the Bahá'í Faith and defend the principles of Twelver Shia Islam. It considered the Bahá'í teachings to be a heretical deviation from Islam and saw Bahá'ís as apostates. The movement was critical of the Shah's regime and initially aligned itself with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the Iranian Revolution in 1979. After the revolution, the Hojjatiyeh movement's activities and ideology began to be viewed with suspicion. Its radical and confrontational approach towards other religious minorities and even other Shia Muslims drew criticism from other clerics and political factions within the new government. In response to mounting pressure and criticism, Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the dissolution of the Hojjatiyeh society in 1983, effectively banning the organization. The movement's radical and divisive teachings were seen as a threat to the stability and unity of the newly established Islamic Republic. [Wikipedia; Hojjatiyeh, Mesbahiyeh, and Ahmadinejad by M Sashimi]

1. The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers with pure-hearted devotion.
2. The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures, specifically at least each morning and evening, with reverence, attention and thought.
3. Prayerful meditation on the Teachings, so that we may understand them more deeply, fulfill them more faithfully, and convey them more accurately to others.
4. Striving every day to bring our behavior more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.
5. Teaching the Cause of God.
6. Selfless service in the work of the Cause and in the carrying on of our trade or profession.

They also suggested that in their private meditation the believers use the repetition of the Greatest Name, Alláh-u-Abhá, ninety-five times a day which, although at that time it was not yet applied in the West, it was among the Laws, Ordinances and Exhortations of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.

The acquisition, preservation, and maintenance of the places directly associated with the history of the Bahá'í faith had been among the goals of the community since its early years. These places consisted of houses and sites associated with the principal figures of the Faith, burial places of Bahá'í saints, places where the martyrdoms of believers took place, prisons, fortresses, and defense centres of heroes and renowned Bahá'ís. The fact that these places were located throughout the country made their care a major undertaking for various committees at local and national levels. The work included the registration, description, and photographing of the sites in addition to their regular maintenance and restoration. In the late 1960s more than 124 holy places belonged to the faith in various localities throughout the country. There were more than 200 national and 452 local endowments consisting of Bahá'í centres, cemeteries, hostels, and public baths. [Department of Statistics, Baháʾí World Centre, Haifa, "Persia - Nine Year Plan File," 14 January 1969]

In addition the Bahá'is had acquired 3.58 square kilometers of land on the slopes of Mount Alborz, named Ḥadīqa, in northeast Tehran, for the eventual construction of a National Mašreq al-Aḏkār. Although the temple had not yet been built a complex of buildings had been erected on the site to serve as the seat of Bahá'í summer schools and other social and administrative activities. [BW10p48; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]

 In a message to the Bahá'í world the Universal House of Justice called on individuals and Bahá'í communities to apply the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh systematically to the problems of their societies. This seminal statement pointed to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh as a source of order in the world, asserted the coherence of the spiritual and the material dimensions of human life, praised the social and economic progress achieved by the Bahá'í community of Iran, announced the establishment of the Office of Social and Economic Development at the World Centre and defined the role of various Bahá'í agencies in fostering development. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October, 1983, Mess63-86p602-603,AWH6–10; BW19:153, BW92-93pg229-245]

See Marian Crist Lippitt: Short Biographical Monograph by Peter Terry.

She compiled Reality, Soul, and the Worlds of God in 1968 but it was never published. In 2003 J. Michael Kafes updated and revised it with all the latest translations of the Writings that were available at that time.

She also devoted considerable study of The Diving Art of Living by Mabel Hyde. In 1950 she published A Study of the Diving Art of Living in Seven Discussion Periods, in 1956 and again in 1972, Round Table Discussions Based on The Divine Art of Living, and in 1977 The Diving Art of Living; Seven Round Table Discussions. [Collins 7.1407-7.1410 p98]

Around 1952-1953, Mrs. Gene Crist (Marian's mother) was appointed to head a team charged with preparing two indexes to the Bible and Bahá'í Writings, one organized by subject, and the other by Biblical verse. Due to illness, Mrs. Crist was not able to continue as director of this project, so Marian took over for her. These indexes were completed in 1955, and an incomplete version of the verse index was typed, duplicated and found its way into various Bahá'í libraries and the Western pilgrim house in Haifa. Both indexes were entered into a data base in 1995-1996 and then updated and corrected by volunteers. The Bible-Bahá'í Index is available as an Excel file.