BahaiGlossary.org

Mírzá Yahyá was the younger half-brother of Bahá'u'lláh. After the death of their father, Mírzá Buzurg, in 1839, Mírzá Yahyá was raised by Bahá'u'lláh. At a very young age, Mírzá Yahyá accepted the Bábí Faith and was appointed by the Báb to 'preserve what hath been revealed in the Bayán.' The Báb bestowed several titles on Mírzá Yahyá, including Mir'átu'l-Azalíyyih (Everlasting Mirror), Ismu'l-Azal (Name of Eternity) and Thamara-i-Bayán (Fruit of the Bayán). The most prominent of these titles and the one by which he is most often referred is Subh-i-Azal. Yahyá 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 Mírzá Yahyá 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, he poisoned Bahá'u'lláh, causing Him severe illness and a tremor in His hands that would last for the rest of His life. Mírzá Yahyá was eventually exiled to Cypress where he died in 1912 at the age of 80.