Memories of Ezzat

Ezzat Janami Eshraghi was born in Born in 1926 in Najafabad in Esfahan. She was the youngest in her family and had 5 bothers and 2 sisters.

“She was the youngest in her family and was loved by all her brothers and sisters. We harvested the fruits of that, for example, our uncles who were bee keepers always kept their best honey for Mamman. After we moved to Shiraz, our uncle whose house was very close to ours, always brought Mamman something, the best fruits from his orchards, the favorite flowers that Mamman loved (Gole Yakh which comes on trees in winter and the other is Bide Moshk which comes on trees in spring), or he just came to pay her a short visit.” - Words by her daughter Nahid

After marrying Enayat in 1947 they settled life as newlyweds in Bushehr. Due to the facilities there she made the lengthy journey back to Esfahan each time to give birth to her children Saeid, Nahid and Vahid.

“I was always impressed by Mamman’s knowledge of the Faith, by how much she had read, the tablets she wrote by hand in her notebook, and how she knew to read Arabic with such confidence. It was a source of pride for me. I never knew that she even did not finish high school until I was old enough to know these things. Even then, I was amazed at how intelligent she was, and I always thought that if she had a chance she would have achieved a lot academically. There were no proper education facilities or possibilities for girls in her village, or the nearby towns. So, she stayed at home, and did other things like attending Baha’i classes, weaving carpets, and sewing. She was good at sewing and made a lot of our clothes herself. She also sometimes taught sewing to those less privileged for example to the village girl who was helping her with household chores. Other than this, she was a full time mother.” - Words by her daughter Nahid
 

"Managing the affairs of home was Mamman’s responsibility, who did a wonderful job considering her good taste and orderliness. On Fridays and holidays, we usually went on a picnic or to a restaurant, so that Mamman didn’t have to cook and could rest.  Of course sometimes, Mamman with her warm hospitality and her fantastic cooking invited guests and we all had a wonderful time. We always had a delicious treat to eat in the fridge.” - Words by her daughter Rozita

“Mamman was a good cook and enjoyed cooking. I remember that she took cooking classes once and she would come home with these fancy dishes they had made in her class. She was fussy about the quality of meat or vegetable that she would buy. She liked to try new recipes and new ideas.” - Words by her daughter Nahid

Both members of Baha’i committees, Enayat used to encourage Ezzat to attend out of town Baha'i conferences and summer schools . She used to travel to women’s conferences in Tehran, or other places.   

“Mamman had a lot of hand written prayer books and we often heard her chanting in the mornings before we were awake. She and Baba once decided to write the Kitab-i Aqdas for me so I can have it. In Iran, publishing Baha’i books were not permitted. First, Baba wrote the book in his really nice hand writing, and then with Mamman, one of them read from the original book and the other one checked for mistakes. Except in one place that a sentence was missing, the rest was in perfect order. I treasure that booklet.

Some of the statements, or prayers, Mamman used to say were prayers for protection: "O God, protect me during the tests, or O God, protect our youth. I remember her saying this often. I also saw a prayer that she had written in the hand written prayer book of someone I know, and the prayer was about protection from tests and asking for justice of the ‘ulama’ (clergy). It is interesting for me. As if all through her life, her spirit was being prepared for the ordeal she was going to go through.” - Words by her daughter Nahid

“Hearing the prayers and the reciting of the obligatory prayer every morning when we were still in bed, created a permanent calm in my mind and the prayers she whispered for the success and protection of her children brought assurance to my heart. And of course, the scenes of her anxiety shown by rubbing her hands together, pacing the house back and forth and whispering prayers inspires the mother role for me.” - Words by her daughter Rozita

“In addition to sewing, Mamman was good in various other crafts, she was great in knitting, she knew and liked quilting, even though she did not seem to ever have time for it. But, once in a while, she would make a quilted cushion cover. I remember once she made a skirt out of Baba’s old ties and she was so proud of it. She also enjoyed reading. So, whenever her never ending household chores allowed her, she would be doing a craft project or reading a magazine or doing crossword puzzle. She and Baba enjoyed doing that together. She even entered the contests sometimes and once won something, stockings or something like that. There was no TV as we were growing up, not until I left the house for university, so there were always a few things she had to do in those rare spare times.” - Words by her daughter Nahid

“Mamman loved nature, flowers, trees and shrubs. In spring, so patiently she collected the orange blossom petals from the 5 or 6 sour orange trees we had in our yard, placed them in plate on the table and their fragrance filled the air in the house. She would then dry them and make orange blossom jam from them. She loved the smell of the queen of the night and rose geranium. She often went out for a stroll or just a drive in a park or garden, after sunset with us, Baba or a friend.” - Words by Rozita

“The love between Baba and Mamman was exemplary, they never separated for any length of time. I think the duration of being in prison was the only time they lived apart.” - Words by her daughter Rozita

We are born of love. Love is our mother - Rumi

Photo by Payam Mazloum