Afnan (Arabic: ﺍﻓﻨﺎﻥ, "Branches"), is a term in literature of the Bahá'í Faith referring to maternal relatives of the Báb, and is used as a surname by their descendants.[1] This name is also mentioned in the Quran.
The Báb's wife was named Khadíjih-Bagum, who had two brothers, Hajjí Mírzá Abu'l-Qasim and Hajjí Mírzá Siyyid Hasan. The descendants of these two brothers-in-law of the Báb, along with the descendants of his maternal uncles are known as the Afnán.
In the late 19th century the family established a large trading business based in Shiraz and Yazd in Iran, with offices in Beirut, Bombay, Hong Kong and 'Ishqábád.[1] They published some of the first Bahá'í literature from their printing press in Bombay.[1]
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