The Martyrdom of the Báb
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To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
On Wednesday 10 July, Bahá’ís the world over will join together to commemorate the Martyrdom of the Báb, the Herald of our Faith, through Whose “coming, the eternal Faith of God was renewed and revitalized with extraordinary swiftness.”1 The dramatic circumstances of the Báb’s execution – and the ultimate sacrifice He made to prepare the way for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh – has been a source of inspiration for generations of believers. Bahá’u’lláh wrote:
I swear by the dawning-light of this Cause that were the people to grasp the barest intimation of the fervour and longing which overcame that sovereign Beauty when His celestial Temple was suspended in the air, all would, in the intensity of their own yearning, offer up their souls in the path of this Manifestation of supernal glory.2
The Martyrdom of the Báb is the last of the Holy Days before the Bahá’í world celebrates the Twin Holy Days in October, which this year includes the bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb. The National Spiritual Assembly hopes that all of the friends will take the opportunity to reflect further upon the “marvellous opportunities for awakening those around”3 us “to the great Day of God, to the extraordinary effusion of heavenly grace signalled by the appearance of two Manifestations of the Divine Being, successive Luminaries Who brightened the horizon of the world.”4
Taking account of British Summer Time, the Martyrdom of the Báb should be observed, if feasible, at around one o’clock in the afternoon on 10 July. It is one of the Bahá’í Holy Days on which work should be suspended.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Patrick O’Mara,
Secretary
References
1 Written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies, 1 June 2018
2 Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance, p.181
3 Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Riḍván 2019
4 ibid.