Martyrdom of the Báb
21 June 2018
17 Núr 175 B.E.
All believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
This year, gatherings will take place on Tuesday 10 July to commemorate the Martyrdom of the Báb. Taking account of British Summer Time, this should be marked, if feasible, at around one o’clock in the afternoon. This is one of the Bahá’í Holy Days for which work should be suspended. This particular occasion offers us the opportunity to reflect upon the sacrifice of the Herald of Bahá’u’lláh. In this “matchless Day”, humanity has been given the gift of two Divine Manifestations. Before He offered up His life, the Báb renewed and revitalized the eternal Faith of God, opening the way for the advent of “He Whom God shall make manifest”.
Writing of His Herald, Bahá’u’lláh recounts:
The more He extolled the remembrance of God, the greater they waxed in their oppression, until all the divines pronounced sentence against Him, save those that were acquainted with the precepts of God, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. Matters came to such a pass that they united to put Him to death. They suspended Him in the air, and the hosts of misbelief flung at Him the bullets of malice and hatred, piercing the body of the One unto Whom the Holy Spirit is a humble servant, the dust of Whose feet is the object of adoration of the Concourse on high, and from Whose very sandals the inmates of Paradise seek a blessing. Whereupon the inhabitants of the unseen realm wept sore beneath the pavilion of eternity, the pillars of the Throne trembled, the inmost realities of all things were stirred into commotion, and the divine Tree received its full measure of His gleaming blood which was shed upon the earth. (Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance, p. 175)
This Holy Day offers us a moment for profound reflection on the implications that the coming of two Manifestations of God in such quick succession has for humanity. It is also a moment to share stirring accounts of the heroism of the Báb and His followers. From such narratives, may we all draw the inspiration and courage to respond to the immediate needs of the Cause today.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Patrick O’Mara
Secretary