Declaration of the Bab May 23rd

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Above is a photo of the House of the Bab in Shiraz where He declared His Mission on May 22nd-23rd, 1844 CE (1260 AH). The House was destroyed and levelled for a parking lot for a Mosque in 1979 but photos tell us what it was like..Actually the House has been destroyed before:

The first time was in 1942 when it was raided and damaged by fire,
after which the Baha`is raised funds to restore it to its original condition.

The second was in 1955 when `uncontrollable mobs' stormed the building, looting anything of value and reducing part of it to rubble.

So we remember the House of the Bab especially on this Holy Day of the Declaration of the Bab:

YouTube - Pilgrimage to the house of the BAB (PART ONE)


On May 23, 1844, the Bab ("gate" in Arabic) announced that He was the bearer of a long-promised Divine Revelation destined to transform the spiritual life of the human race.

His role, He said, was to be the portal through which the universally anticipated Revelation of God would appear in the form of another Messenger. This Messenger from God would be far greater: He would usher in the age of peace and justice promised in Islam, Judaism, Christianity and all the other world religions.

The Bab referred to the Messenger as "Him Whom God shall make manifest" and said, "No words of Mine can adequately describe Him nor. . . do justice to His Cause."

That Messenger was Baha'u'llah.

On May 23, Baha'is celebrated the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, who, after His announcement, was arrested, beaten and imprisoned. On July 9, 1850, He was executed in the public square of the town of Tabriz.

The Declaration of the Bab is one of nine holy days on which Baha'is suspend work and school.

Prominent 19th century French writer A.L.M. Nicolas wrote that the Bab's life "is one of the most magnificent examples of courage which it has been the privilege of mankind to behold."

 

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"Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!"

It was about an hour after sunset when my youthful Host began to converse with me. "Whom, after Siyyid Kazim," He asked me, "do you regard as his successor and your leader?"

"At the hour of his death," I replied, "our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved. I have, accordingly, journeyed to Persia, have arisen to accomplish his will, and am still engaged in my quest."

"Has your teacher," He further enquired, "given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the promised One?"

"Yes," I replied, "He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fatimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency."

He paused for a while and then with vibrant voice declared: "Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!"

~ Nabil, The Dawn-breakers, p. 57

 

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The Message of the Bab

The all-encompassing grace of God has saved you. It is for God to test His servants, and not for His servants to judge Him in accordance with their deficient standards. Were I to fail to resolve your perplexities, could the Reality that shines within Me be regarded as powerless, or My knowledge be accused as faulty?

Nay, by the righteousness of God! it behoves, in this day, the peoples and nations of both the East and the West to hasten to this threshold, and here seek to obtain the reviving grace of the Merciful. Whoso hesitates will indeed be in grievous loss.

Do not the peoples of the earth testify that the fundamental purpose of their creation is the knowledge and adoration of God? It behoves them to arise, as earnestly and spontaneously as you have arisen, and to seek with determination and constancy their promised Beloved.”

He then proceeded to say: “Now is the time to reveal the commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.” He took up His pen and with incredible rapidity revealed the entire Súrih of Mulk, the first chapter of His commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.

The overpowering effect of the manner in which He wrote was heightened by the gentle intonation of His voice which accompanied His writing. Not for one moment did He interrupt the flow of the verses which streamed from His pen. Not once did He pause till the Súrih of Mulk was finished. I sat enraptured by the magic of His voice and the sweeping force of His revelation.


~ Nabil The Dawn-breakers Chapter 3

 

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The first published account of Proclamation of the Bab:

From Western sources:

The first published account was that of proclamation by the Báb of his mission in Mecca and the arrest and punishment of four of the Báb's disciples in Shiraz, and the arrest of the Báb. This account appeared in The Times of London on 1 November 1845.

- Moojan Momen

Early Western Accounts of Bahá'á' Faith