Holy Day Program for the Martyrdom of the Bab
Welcome to the Commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab. Bahai’s believe that the Bab is a Messenger of God just like Mohammed or Christ or Krishna. He was born in Iran what use to be called Persia in the mid 1800 and he arose to proclaim what we think of as a two-fold mission.
The first element of His mission was to renew that bond of love which connects every human being with their Creator, and the second was to proclaim the advent of a new manifestation of God one Who would usher humanity into a new stage a new era of its existence.
Now, this message swept through Iran like a wildfire. It attracted the love and admiration of several thousands of people. but others notably those who were members of the clergy or some members of the government, were threatened by His message and so they arose and use all their power to try to extinguish His Faith. Because of this He was made to suffer numerous banishment from one part of Iran to another imprisonment as well as public
humiliation.
When the enemies of His faith realized that none of these instruments could manage to destroy this newborn faith, they decided to take it to the next level and in July of 1850 the Grand Vizier of the Shah of Persia at the time gave the order to execute Him.
There’s one aspect to the story of the Martyrdom of the Bab that is quite unique is the story of Anis. A young man who was locked away by his father during the time that the Bab’s teachings and his His Person and His followers were causing such an uproar in the land at
the time because of these because of his revelation. He broke out of his father’s home and made his way to the Bab and threw himself at the feet of the Bab and begged not to be removed from his person.
The Bab was surrounded by loved ones and devout followers and the Bab said that rather than being killed by the hands of His enemy He would wish to be killed by the hands of one of His friends and if you can only imagine those who were already in such pain and disbelief that they were going to lose their Lord shied away. They would not think a second of harming their Beloved but one of the members of the group stood up and with full confidence said I am ready to carry out whatever you command and that was Anis. Well, you could imagine that the group hold him back and were shocked and dismayed that somebody would arise to hurt the Bab. But, the Bab addressed Anis and said “rest assured you will be with me”
When I think about Anis and his utter devotion to the Bab that he would stand up and not think twice about carrying out the wish of the Bab and yet the Bab’s entire message and indeed the understanding of living a spiritual life is that the body is only temporary. Our real being our true reality is spiritual and our true home is the world to come and knowing that the body is the limitation of the spirit. There is no reason that Anis would need to concern himself at the body. He was attached and adored the Bab for His message His Spirit and His Command.
It’s the morning of the 9th of July 1850. The Bab and His two followers, one is His secretary and the other is young Anis are in His cell and His dictating His last message to His secretary. While He’s doing this, the commander of the regiment which was to execute His order, Sam Khan, comes to Him because he has been seized by a feeling of fear because he is worried that he is putting a man of God to death and he’s afraid of attracting the wrath of God as a result. The Bab says to him that if his intention is sincere God would surely save him from committing this act. He tells Sam Khan to go ahead and carry out his order.
While He is still dictating His last message, one of the guards comes to Him to take Him to the execution ground. The Bab accepts to be led to the execution ground but boldly declares that until He is finished His work no power on earth will be able to stop him. He and Anis are led to the place of execution.
Sam Khan ordered his men to drive a nail into the pillar that lay between the door of the room that Siyyid Husayn occupied and the entrance to the adjoining one, and to make fast two ropes to that nail, from which the Bab and His companion were to be separately suspended. Anis begged Sam Khan to be placed in such a manner that his own body would shield that of the Bab. He was eventually suspended in such a position that his head reposed on the breast of his Master. As soon as they were fastened, a regiment of soldiers ranged itself in three files, each of two hundred and fifty men, each of which was ordered to open fire in its turn until the whole detachment had discharged the volleys of its bullets.
O Lord! Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that no created being may remain beyond the bounds of Thy good-pleasure. From time immemorial Thou hast been potent to do what pleaseth thee and transcendent above whatsoever thou desirest. – The Báb
The firing of the 750 muskets left a thick black smoke that travelled over the crowd. When this smoke was cleared, the crowd was absolutely astonished to see Anis standing in front of them unharmed and the Bab nowhere to be found. After a frantic search to find the Bab, He was found back in His cell finishing His dictation that he had been interrupted from before. There was an expression of unruffled calm on His face and His body had emerged unscathed from the shower of bullets fired at him. “I had finished my conversation with Sayyed Hussayn” the Bab told the attendant, “now you may proceed to fulfil your intention”.
Sam Khan stunned by the events that had just taken place and remembering the Bab’s words to him earlier refused to do anything against the Bab. He ordered his regiment out of the barracks a new regiment volunteered and prepared to fire.
As it happened the Bab turned to the crowd and said:
“O wayward Generation had you believed in me, everyone of you would have followed in 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”.
Once again the Bab and Anis are suspended in front of the agitated crowd. Once again the order is given fire.
Tablet of Visitation
The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Daystars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. I testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injuction “Be Thou” hath been enforced, and God’s hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all created things have been called into being, and all the Revelations have been sent down.
I bear witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored One hath been unveiled, and through Thy face the face of the Desired One hath shone forth, and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all created things, causing them who are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the summit of glory, and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss.
I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great, therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs, and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy throne. Woe betide him that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee, and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion, and been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.
Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, truly, hast been supreme over all things.
The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech God, by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden, to remove the veils that have come in between Thee and Thy creatures, and to supply me with the good of this world and the world to come. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, and its boughs, and its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as Thy most excellent titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will last. Protect it, then, from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts of tyranny. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Bless Thou, also, O Lord my God, Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee. Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. No God is there save Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
– Bahá’u’lláh
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