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Báb

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File:Babshrinenight.jpg
Shrine of the Báb at night from above in Haifa, Israel.

Siyyid Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad (میرزا علی‌محمد in Persian) (October 20, 1819 – July 9, 1850), was a merchant from Shiraz, Persia, who at the age of 25, claimed to be a new and independent Manifestation of God, and the promised Qá'im, or Mihdi. After his declaration he took on the title of the Báb (باب), meaning "Gate" in Arabic, and 6 years later was shot by a firing squad in Tabriz.

His titles include, among others, the "Herald of the Faith" and the "Point of the Bayan".

Bahá'ís claim that the Báb was the forerunner of their own religion. Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, was a follower of the Báb and claimed to be the fulfillment of His prophecy.

The Báb's Life

Early life

Born on October 20 1819, in Shiraz to a well-known merchant of the city, his father died soon after his birth and the boy was raised by his uncle Hájí Mirzá Siyyid 'Ali, who was also a merchant.

As a child he learned to read and write and was sent with other children to a teacher of religion. During these lessons the little boy showed uncommon wisdom and quickly attracted attention, since he not only asked difficult questions, but he answered them himself. He did this so well that his teacher was dumbfounded.

Upon reaching manhood, he joined his uncle in the family business, a trading house, and became a merchant. His integrity and piety won the esteem of the other merchants with whom he came in contact. He was also known for his generosity to the poor. In 1842 He married Khadíjih-Bagum and they had one son, Ahmad, who died in infancy.

File:House of the bab.jpg
View of the upper room of the Báb´s house in Shiraz where he declared his mission

The Shaykhi Movement

In the 1790's in Persia, Shaykh Ahmad began a religious movement within Shi'a Islam. His followers, who became known as Shaykhís, were expecting the imminent appearance of the Qá'im of the House of Muhammad, also called the Mihdi. After the death of Shaykh Ahmad, leadership was passed on to Siyyid Kázim of Rasht.

During the Báb's pilgrimage in Karbila, he is known to have attended the lectures of Siyyid Kázim several times. The length of time and the extent of the relationship between the two became the subject of a debate between supporters and enemies of the Báb's movement. Bahá'í sources indicate that the Báb only attended a few lectures, and was not any kind of disciple of Siyyid Kázim. Other writers refuting the Báb's claim, such as the Ahmadi author Maulana, state that there was a close relationship that lasted possibly years, insinuating a less miraculous event when the Báb declared to be the Promised One.

Upon Siyyid Kázim death in 1843, he had counselled his followers to leave their homes to seek the Lord of the Age whose advent would soon break on the world. One of these followers named Mullá Husayn prayed and fasted for 40 days, then travelled to Shiraz, where he met the Báb.

Declaration to Mullá Husayn

On his arrival on May 23, 1844, Mullá Husayn was approached by a young man wearing a green turban, an indication that the wearer was a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. The stranger, the Báb, invited Mullá Husayn to his home.

After being asked by the Báb of what he was doing in Shiraz, Mullá Husayn replied that he was searching for the Promised One. The Báb then asked how would the Promised One be recognized, to which Mullá Husayn replied "He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, is endowed with innate knowledge and is free from bodily deficiency". To the shock of Mullá Husayn, the Báb declared "Behold, all these signs are manifest in me.".

Mullá Husayn had one more sign by which to identify the Promised One. He had been told by Siyyid Kázim that the Promised One would write a commentary on the Surih of Joseph without being asked. The Báb fulfilled this requirement as well, writing the commentary after making his declaration.

The room where the Declaration of the Báb took place on May 22, 1844.

After spending the night alone with the Báb, Mullá Husayn recorded the following:

"This Revelation, so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt... the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanised my being. 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. Arise, for His Cause is made manifest. The portal of His grace is open wide; enter therein, O peoples of the world! For He who is your promised One is come!”
(Nabíl-i-A'zam, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 65)

Proclamation

There is debate between critics about what the Báb declared himself to be and when. The Bahá'í view of the subject is quite clear, as described by Shoghi Effendi in the introduction of The Dawn-breakers.

"The shi'ahs look for the Qá'im, who is to come in the fulness of time, and also for the return of the Imam Husayn. The sunnis await the appearance of the Mihdi and also "the return of Jesus Christ." When, at the beginning of his Mission, the Báb, continuing the tradition of the shi'ahs, proclaimed His function under the double title of, first, the Qá'im and, second, the Gate, or Báb, some of the Muhammadans misunderstood the latter reference. They imagined His meaning to be that He was a fifth Gate in succession to Abu'l-Hasan-'Ali. His true meaning, however, as He himself clearly announced, was very different. He was the Qá'im; but the Qá'im, though a High Prophet, stood in relation to a succeeding and greater Manifestation as did John the Baptist to the Christ. He was the Forerunner of One yet more mighty than Himself."
(Shoghi Effendi, introduction to The Dawn-Breakers, p. xxx)

He later boldly proclaimed himself, in the presence of the Heir to the Throne of Persia and other notables, to be the Promised One. [1]

Some secondary sources state that he first claimed to be the Gate of the Hidden Imám of Muhammad and later raised his claim to be the Promised One (Maulana).

Letters of the Living

Mullá Husayn was the Báb's first disciple. Within a very short time, seventeen other disciples of Siyyid Kázim had independently recognized the Báb as a Manifestation of God, among them was one woman, a poetess, who later received the name of Táhirih (the Pure). These eighteen disciples were later to be known as the Letters of the Living.

To these first eighteen disciples the Báb gave the task of spreading the new Faith throughout the land.

Travels and Imprisonment

After the first eighteen Letters of the Living had independently recognized the Báb, the Báb and the eighteenth Letter of the Living, Quddús, left on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the sacred cities of Islam. In Mecca, the Báb wrote to the Sharif of Mecca explaining his mission. After their pilgrammage, the Báb and Quddús returned to Bushehr, Persia.

After some time, due to opposition from the Islamic clergy, the Governor of Shiraz ordered the Báb's arrest. The Báb, upon hearing of the arrest order, left Bushehr towards Shiraz and presented himself to the authorities. The Báb was placed under house arrest at the home of his uncle. The Báb was released when a plague broke out in Shiraz.

After his release in 1846, the Báb departed for Isfahan. During the Báb's stay in Isfahan, crowds of people came to see him every day. Due to pressure from the clergy of the province, the Shah Mohammad Shah Qajar ordered the Báb to Tehran. Before the Báb could meet the Shah, the Shah's prime-minister sent the Báb to Tabriz in the north of the country, where he was confined and was not allowed to see any visitors.

The Báb was then transferred to the fortress of Maku in the province of Azarbaijan. During his time in Maku, the Báb wrote his most important work, the Persian Bayan, which he never finished before his death. Due to the Báb's growing popularity in Maku the prime minister transferred the Báb to the fortress of Chihriq. Once again, the Báb's popularity grew in Chihriq, and thus the prime-minister ordered the Báb back to Tabriz where the government would hold a meeting with the religious authorities to examine the Báb.

At the meeting, when the officials asked the Báb who he claimed to be, the Báb responded that he was the Promised One for whom the people of Islam were waiting. He was then ordered back to the fortress of Chihriq.

Execution

The events surrounding the execution of the Báb have received several critical reviews. Bábí, and today Bahá'í reports claim that it was a miracle of God, when the first firing of 750 bullets completely missed him and cut the ropes suspending him. Reports continue by stating that after the smoke had cleared, the Báb was nowhere to be seen and was found back in his prison room finishing dictation to His secretary. Other sources, which include Persian and European reports, give a variety of accounts, some in agreement with the miracle-like Bahá'í story, and some claiming that he was killed by the first shots (there is a possibility that some of these simply omitted parts of the story altogether). All agree that he was eventually killed.

For many years after his death, the remains of the Báb were secretly transferred from place to place until they were brought to their final resting place at the Shrine of the Báb on the side of Mount Carmel in Haifa on the middle terrace of the Bahá'í Gardens.

Execution Order

In 1850 a new prime-minister ordered the execution of the Báb; he was brought to Tabriz, where he would be killed by a firing squad. The night before his execution, as he was being conducted to his cell, a young man, Anís (sometimes called Mulla Muhammad Ali), threw himself at the feet of the Báb, wanting to be killed with the Báb. He was immediately arrested and placed in the same cell as the Báb.

On the morning of July 9, 1850, the Báb was taken to a courtyard filled with nearly ten thousand people wishing to watch his execution. The Báb and Anís were suspended on a wall and the firing squad of 750 rifles prepared to shoot.

Bábi/Bahá'í Account

Here is an account which is in line with the common Bahá'í view and paraphrased from "Release the Sun", by William Sears, a Hand of the Cause of God:

The firing squad was made up of 750 Armenian soldiers, split into three rows and was under the command of Sam Khan. Sam Khan had become increasingly affected by his Prisoner and spoke with him privately telling Him that he was a Christian and had no ill-will against Him. Sam Khan said "If Your Cause be the Cause of Truth, then enable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your blood." The Báb replied, "Follow your instructions; and if your intention be sincere, the Almighty is surely able to relieve you of your perplexity."
The Báb and a young companion were suspended from a nail by ropes for execution by a firing squad of three ranks of 250 rifles each; a total of 750 rifles. Sam Khan, unable to avoid his duty, gave the order to fire. When the smoke cleared, the crowd of 10,000 persons was amazed to find the Báb's companion standing, alive and unhurt, the ropes severed by the bullets. The Báb was nowhere to be seen. He was found, back in His cell, finishing His business with His secretary. The Báb then said to the guard, "I have finished My conversation. You may now proceed to fulfill your duty." The guard, remembering the rebuke he had received earlier, resigned his post, shaken to the core and cut himself off from the enemies of the Báb.
Sam Khan, likewise removed himself and his regiment from this duty declaring, "I refuse ever again to associate myself and my regiment with any act which involves the least injury to the Báb." A colonel of the bodyguard then volunteered to carry out the execution. The Báb was again taken to the execution ground and suspended as before, and a new regiment brought in. Again the rifles fired. This time the bodies of the Báb and His companion were shattered by the blast. The bodies were thrown at the edge of a moat outside the city and guarded so that none of His followers could claim His remains. Two days after the execution His followers were able to recover the bodies, hid them in a specially made wooden case, and kept them in a place of safety.[2]

Western Accounts

These events were witnessed by western journalists. Provided below is one source that is attributed to Sir Justin Shiel, Queen Victoria's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran and written to Lord Palmerston, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs July 22, 1850. This can be found in its original form as document F.O. 60/152/88 in the archives of the Foreign Office at the Public Records Office in London.

"The founder of the sect has been executed at Tabreez. He was killed by a volley of musketry, and his death was on the point of giving his religion a lustre which would have largely increased his proselytes. 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 [not literally, of course] from the recess where after some search he was discovered and shot. His death, according to the belief of his disciples, will make no difference as Báb must always exist." [Quoted in Ferraby, 1975]

Shoghi Effendi also prints a large selection of western quotes in his book God Passes By (p55), however most are unsourced.

Maulana

Another view is recorded by Muhammad Ali Maulana, a member of the Ahmadiyya Islamic Community, in his book History and Doctrines of the Bábí Movement (1933):

Mulla Muhammad Ali was the only man who was executed along with him. It happened, however that when the smoke of musket fire cleared, Mirza Ali Muhammad [the Báb] was not there. The bullet[s] instead of hitting him hit the rope with which he was hung and Mirza Ali Muhammad fled to a closet from which he was brought again. Mirza Jani [an early Bábí historian] is sure that the escape was due to the fact that he was not yet willing to be killed and therefore could not be killed, but willing or unwilling he had to submit to the same process a second time, and this time was killed.

This report is, documented in the Nuqtatul Qaf. Some person see this account as biased in an attempt by the Ahmadiyya community to discredit the Báb, so their own figurehead, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, can be credited with the station of the Mahdi. However the Nuqtatul Qaf was written by a Babi.

Miller

Another documentation was made by Miller, a Presbyterian missionary, in his book The Bahá'í Faith: Its History and Teachings (1974):

The execution was carried out by firing squads of soldiers, who fired three volleys. The first firing party was composed of Christian soldiers, and the second of Muslims.
In the presence of a great crowd Mirza Muhammad Ali was suspended by ropes from the parapet, and his body was riddled by the first volley of bullets. Then a second volley was fired by the same firing squad at the Báb, who was similarly suspended. When the smoke rolled away, “a cry of mingled exultation and terror arose from the spectators – for the Báb had disappeared from sight! It seemed, indeed, that his life had been preserved by a miracle, for, of the storm of bullets which had been aimed at him, not one had touched him; nay, instead of death they had brought him deliverance by cutting the ropes which bound him, so that he fell to the ground unhurt.”
Had the Báb been able to maintain his presence of mind and rush out alive and unhurt among the crowd, the spectators would without doubt have hailed his escape from death as a miracle of God, and would have eagerly espoused his cause. No soldier would have dared shoot at him again, and uprisings would have occurred in Tabriz which might have resulted in the overthrow of the Qajar dynasty. However, dazed by the terrible experiences he had passed through, the Báb took refuge in one of the rooms of the barracks. There he was soon found, “was seized, dragged forth, and again suspended; a new firing party was ordered to advance (for the men who had composed the first refused to act again); and before the spectators had recovered from their first astonishment, or the Bábís had time to attempt a rescue, the body of the young prophet of Shiraz was riddled with bullets.

Successorship

Main article: Bahá'í/Bábí split

He Whom God Shall Make Manifest

The Báb left a great deal of writings alluding to a Promised One, most commonly referred to as "He whom God shall make manifest", and that he himself was "but a ring upon the hand of Him Whom God shall make manifest."

Within 20 years of the Báb's death, over 25 people claimed to be the Promised One, most significantly Bahá'u'lláh.

Will and Testament of the Báb

Before the Báb's death, he sent a letter addressed to Subh-i-Azal, which is considered to be his will and testament. Translations and commentary on the document can be seen here.

The letter is recognized as appointing Subh-i-Azal to be the leader of the Bábí community after the death of the Báb. He is also ordered to obey the Promised One when he appears.

Bahá'u'lláh's Claim

Bahá'u'lláh claimed that in 1853, while a prisoner in Tehran, he was visited by a "Maid of Heaven", and given his task as a Messenger of God. Ten years later in Baghdad, he made his first public declaration, and became recognized by most Bábís as "He whom God shall make manifest". His followers began calling themselves Bahá'ís.

Subh-i-Azal's Involvement

Subh-i-Azal disputed the claim of Bahá'u'lláh, along with anyone who made the claim to be "He whom God shall make manifest". His followers became known as Bayanis or Azalis. For the Bábis that did not recognize Bahá'u'lláh, Sub-i-Azal remained their leader, until he died in 1912 with no obvious successor.

Results of Conflicting Claims

Bahá'u'llah came out far more successful in his claim following doctrinal conflict. The vast majority of the Báb's followers abandoned Subh-i-Azal and become Bahá'ís. Today Bahá'ís claim to have over 6 million followers, while estimates of Azali's are as low one thousand.

Bahá'í sources report that 11 of the 18 "witnesses" appointed by Subh-i-Azal to oversee the Bábí community became Bahá'ís, as well as his son. The man appointed by Subh-i-Azal to succeed him, Hadiy-i-Dawlat-Abadi, later publicly recanted his faith in the Báb and Subh-i-Azal, although Bayanis claim he was using taqiyyih.

Writings

Excerpts from the following and other writings are printed in the only English language compilation of the Báb's writings, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

References

Official Bahá'í resouces

  • `Abdu'l-Bahá, (Browne, E.G., Tr.) (1891). A Traveller's Narrative: Written to illustrate the episode of the Bab. Cambridge University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Ferraby, John (1975). All Things Made New: A Comprehensive Outline of the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'í Distribution Service. ISBN 8186953019.
  • Taherzadeh, Adib (1976). The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 1. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853982708.
  • Taherzadeh, Adib (1977). The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 2. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853980713.
  • Taherzadeh, Adib (1984). The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 3. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853981442.
  • Taherzadeh, Adib (1987). The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 4. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0853982708.

Other resources

  • Amanat, Abbas (1989). Resurrection and Renewal. Cornell University Press, 124 Roberts Place, Ithica, New York 14850. ISBN 0-8014-2098-9.
  • Gobineau, Conte (1864). Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l’Asie Centrale.
  • Browne, E.G. (1889) "The Bábis of Persia" in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, pp. 485-526 and 881-1009.
  • Browne, E.G. (1891), A Traveller’s Narrative, Cambridge. Includes a lengthy introduction, the translation and then appendixes.
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