BahaiGlossary.org

Azal, or Subh-i-Azal, was the title of Mírzá Yahyá, the younger half-brother of Bahá'u'lláh. After the death of Mírzá Buzurg in 1839, Azal was raised by Bahá'u'lláh. At a very young age, Azal accepted the Bábí Faith and was appointed by the Báb to 'preserve what hath been revealed in the Bayán.' Azal appears to have been envious of Bahá'u'lláh's prominence in the Bábí Faith and, through the spreading of lies and rumors, was the cause of doubt and disunity among the Bábís in Baghdád. The Baha'i historical perspective lays much at the feet of Azal and his compatriots. He was responsible for ordering the murder of a rival (Dayyán) for the leadership of the Bábís in Baghdád, and later was the cause of Bahá'u'lláh's banishment to 'Akká. While in Edirne, Azal poisoned Bahá'u'lláh, causing Him severe illness and a tremor in His hands that would last for the rest of His life. Azal was eventually exiled to Cypress where he died in 1912 at the age of 80. Followers of Subh-i-Azal are known as Azalís.