
The Shrine of the Báb,
Haifa, Israel.
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"His life is one
of the most magnificent examples of courage which it has been
the privilege of mankind to behold..."1
The object of this tribute by A.L.M. Nicolas, the prominent
French writer, was the nineteenth century prophetic figure
known to history as the Báb.
Millenial fervor gripped many peoples throughout the world
during the first half of the nineteenth century; while
Christians expected the return of Christ, a wave of
expectation swept through Islam that the "Lord of the Age"
would appear. Both Christians and Muslims envisioned that,
with fulfillment of the prophecies in their scriptures, a new
spiritual age was about to begin.
In Persia, this messianic ferment reached a dramatic climax
on May 23, 1844, when a young merchant--the Báb--announced
that He was the Bearer of a long- promised Divine Revelation
destined to transform the spiritual life of the human race.
"O peoples of the earth," the Báb declared, "Give
ear unto God's holy Voice...Verily the resplendent Light of
God hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring
Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of
peace..."2
Against a backdrop of widescale moral breakdown in Persian
society, the Báb's declaration that spiritual renewal and
social advancement rested on "love and compassion" rather
"than force and coercion," aroused hope and excitement among
all classes, and He quickly attracted thousands of
followers.3
Although the young merchant's given name was Siyyid
'Ali-Muhammad, He took the name "Báb," a title that means
"Gate" or "Door" in Arabic. His coming, the Báb explained,
represented the portal through which the universally
anticipated Revelation of God to all humanity would soon
appear. The central theme of His major work--the Bayán--was
the imminent appearance of a second Messenger from God, one
Who would be far greater than the Báb, and Whose mission would
be to usher in the age of peace and justice promised in Islam,
Judaism, Christianity, and all the other world religions.
The Báb referred to this coming Divine Teacher as "Him
Whom God shall make manifest" and stated that "no
words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any
reference in My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His
Cause."4
He clarified the central aim of His mission by explaining that
"the purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those
that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the
advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make
manifest."5
The basis for all human accomplishment is to be found in the
teachings of this promised universal Manifestation of God, and
"the sum total of the religion of God is but to help
Him."6
For the Báb, a climacteric in human history had been reached,
and He was the "Voice of the Crier, calling aloud in the
wilderness of the Bayán" announcing to humanity that it
was entering the period of its collective maturity.7
Throughout His writings, the Báb warned His followers to be
watchful, and as soon as the promised Teacher revealed
Himself, to recognize and follow Him. The Báb exhorted them to
see with the "eye of the spirit" rather than through
their "fanciful imaginations."8
To be worthy of "Him Whom God shall make manifest"
required entirely new standards of conduct, a nobility of
character that human beings had theretofore not achieved:
"Purge your hearts of worldly desires," the Báb urged
His first group of disciples, "and let angelic virtues be
your adorning...The time is come when naught but the purest
motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity, can ascend to
the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto
Him..."9
In several instances the Báb alluded to the identity of the
Promised One: "Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze
upon the Order of Bahá'u'lláh and rendereth thanks unto his
Lord. For He will assuredly be made manifest."10
And: "When the Day-Star of Bahá will shine resplendent
above the horizon of eternity it is incumbent upon you to
present yourselves before His Throne."11
Husayn-`Alí, a leading disciple of the Báb known to history as
Bahá'u'lláh, assumed the title of "Bahá" (Arabic for "glory"
or "splendor") at a gathering of the Báb's followers in 1848,
a title that was later confirmed by the Báb Himself.
In some respects, the Báb's role can be compared to that of
John the Baptist in the founding of Christianity. The Báb was
Bahá'u'lláh's herald: His principal mission was to prepare the
way for Bahá'u'lláh's coming. Accordingly, the founding of the
Bábi Faith is viewed by Bahá'ís as synonymous with the
founding of the Bahá'í Faith--and its purpose was fulfilled
when Bahá'u'lláh announced in 1863 that He was the Promised
One foretold by the Báb. Bahá'u'lláh later affirmed that the
Báb was "the Herald of His Name and the Harbinger of His
Great Revelation which hath caused...the splendour of His
light to shine forth above the horizon of the world."12
The Báb's appearance marked the end of the "Prophetic
Cycle" of religious history, and ushered in the
"Cycle of Fulfillment."
At the same time, however, the Báb founded a distinctive,
independent religion of His own. Known as the Bábí Faith, that
religious dispensation produced its own vigorous community,
its own scriptures, and left its own indelible mark on
history. The Bahá'í writings attest that "the greatness of
the Báb consists primarily, not in His being the
divinely-appointed Forerunner of so transcendent a Revelation,
but rather in His having been invested with the powers
inherent in the inaugurator of a separate religious
Dispensation, and in His wielding, to a degree unrivaled by
the Messengers gone before Him, the scepter of independent
Prophethood."13
With His call for the spiritual and moral reformation of
Persian society, and His insistence upon the upliftment of the
station of women and the poor, the Báb indeed assumed a
position reminiscent of the Prophets of the past. But unlike
those Seers of old who could but look to the far future for
the time when "the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord,"14
the Báb by His very appearance signified that the dawn of the
"Day of God" had at last arrived.
The hearts and minds of those who heard the message of the
Báb were locked in a mental world that had changed little from
medieval times. Along with His prescription for spiritual
renewal, His promotion of education and the useful sciences
was by any measure revolutionary. Thus, by proclaiming an
entirely new religion, the Báb was able to help His followers
break free from the Islamic frame of reference and to mobilize
them in preparation for the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mulla Husayn-i-Bushrú'í, a member of Persia's religious
class, described the effect on him of his first meeting with
the Báb: "I felt possessed of such courage and power that were
the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to rise against
me, I would alone and undaunted, withstand their onslaught.
The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp. I
seemed to be the Voice of Gabriel personified, calling unto
all mankind: 'Awake, for, lo! the morning Light has
broken.'"15
The transformative impact of the Báb's message was
primarily achieved through the dissemination of His epistles,
commentaries, and doctrinal and mystical works. Some, though,
like Mulla Husayn, were able to hear Him directly. The effect
of the Báb's voice was described by one of His followers: "The
melody of His chanting, the rhythmic flow of the verses which
streamed from His lips caught our ears and penetrated into our
very souls. Mountain and valley re-echoed the majesty of His
voice. Our hearts vibrated in their depths to the appeal of
His utterance."16
The boldness of the Báb's proclamation--which put forth the
vision of an entirely new society--stirred intense fear within
the religious and secular establishments. Accordingly,
persecution of the Bábis quickly developed. Thousands of the
Báb's followers were put to death in a horrific series of
massacres. The extraordinary moral courage evinced by the
Bábis in the face of this onslaught was recorded by a number
of Western observers. European intellectuals such as Ernest
Renan, Leo Tolstoy, Sarah Bernhardt and the Comte de Gobineau
were deeply affected by this spiritual drama that had unfolded
in what was regarded as a darkened land. The nobility of the
Báb's life and teachings and the heroism of His followers
became a frequent topic of conversation in the salons of
Europe. The story of Táhirih, the great poet and Bábí heroine,
who declared to her persecutors, "You can kill me as soon as
you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women,"
traveled as far and as quickly as that of the Báb
Himself.17
Ultimately, those opposed to the Báb argued that He was not
only a heretic, but a dangerous rebel. The authorities decided
to have Him executed. On 9 July 1850, this sentence was
carried out, in the courtyard of the Tabriz army barracks.
Some 10,000 people crowded the rooftops of the barracks and
houses that overlooked the square. The Báb and a young
follower were suspended by two ropes against a wall. A
regiment of 750 Armenian soldiers, arranged in three files of
250 each, opened fire in three successive volleys. So dense
was the smoke raised by the gunpowder and dust that the entire
yard was obscured.
The report of the execution, written to Lord Palmerston,
the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, by Sir
Justin Shiel, Queen Victoria's Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran on July 22, 1850, records:
"When the smoke and dust cleared away after the volley, Báb
was not to be seen, and the populace proclaimed that he had
ascended to the skies. The balls had broken the ropes by which
he was bound but he was dragged from the recess where, after
some search he was discovered and shot."18
After the first attempt at execution, the Báb was found
back in His cell, giving final instructions to one of His
followers. Earlier in the day, when the guards had come to
take Him to the courtyard, the Báb had warned that no "earthly
power" could silence Him until He had finished all that He had
to say. When the guards arrived this second time, the Báb
calmly announced: "Now you may proceed to fulfill your
intention."19
Again, the Báb and His young companion were brought out for
execution. The Armenian troops refused to fire, and a Muslim
firing squad was assembled and ordered to shoot. This time the
bodies of the pair were shattered, their bones and flesh
mingled into one mass. Surprisingly, their faces were
untouched. The light of the "Mystic Fane," as the Báb
referred to Himself, had been quenched under a dramatic set of
circumstances.20
The last words of the Báb to the crowd were: "O wayward
generation! Had you believed in Me every one of you would have
followed the example of this youth, who stood in rank above
most of you, and would have willingly sacrificed himself in My
path. The day will come when you will have recognized Me; that
day I shall have ceased to be with you."21
Bahá'u'lláh paid this tribute to the Báb: "Behold what
steadfastness that Beauty of God hath revealed. The whole
world rose to hinder Him, yet it utterly failed. The more
severe the persecution they inflicted on that Sadrih [Branch]
of Blessedness, the more His fervour increased, and the
brighter burned the flame of His love. All this is evident,
and none disputeth its truth. Finally, He surrendered His
soul, and winged His flight unto the realms above."22
A.L.M. Nicolas, who chronicled the episode of the Báb,
wrote: "He sacrificed himself for humanity; for it he gave his
body and his soul, for it he endured privations, insults,
torture and martyrdom. He sealed, with his very lifeblood, the
covenant of universal brotherhood. Like Jesus he paid with his
life for the proclamation of a reign of concord, equity, and
brotherly love."23
The short six-year duration of the Báb's mission in some
respects symbolized the abrupt and startling transition to
global consciousness that the Báb had called humanity to
undertake. Since His bold proclamation in the middle of the
last century, unparalleled scientific and technological
advances have indeed provided the first glimmerings of a
global society. In His role as the "Primal Point from
which have been generated all created things," the Báb
set in motion a dramatic new cycle of human creativity and
discovery.24
The "breezes" of God's "knowledge" had
"stirred" the "minds of men" and caused
"the spirits to soar."
The nearly simultaneous appearance of two Manifestations of
God, Bahá'u'lláh Himself states, "is a mystery such as no
mind can fathom."25
For Bahá'ís, it is both an affirmation that the establishment
of universal peace--the "Kingdom of God"--is not too
far distant, and a testimony to the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh's
Revelation. As `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's appointed
successor, explains:
The Báb, the Exalted One, is the Morn of
Truth, the splendor of Whose light shineth throughout all
regions. He is also the Harbinger of the Most Great Light,
the Abhá Luminary (Bahá'u'lláh). The Blessed Beauty
(Bahá'u'lláh) is the One promised by the sacred books of the
past, the revelation of the Source of light that shone upon
Mount Sinai, Whose fire glowed in the midst of the Burning
Bush. We are, one and all, servants of their threshold, and
stand each as a lowly keeper at their door.26