Tuesday, July 9th @ 11am
Bahá’í Faith Community Center
6910 E. Shea Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85254
The last words of the Báb to the gazing multitude, as the regiment prepared to fire its volley,
O wayward generation! Had you believed in Me every one of you would have followed the example of this youth [Anís], 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.
Christ was crucified at the age of 33 for preaching the Gospel. In much the same way, The Báb, “The Gate to God” was martyred at the age of 30 for spreading the Divine Teachings. The Báb was kind and loving, and had a radical message for the transformation of humankind. He claimed to be the Messenger of God, and for this claim was tortured and later assassinated. The Báb wrote:
There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness.
Just before being taken to the firing squad, The Báb said to the guard:
Not until I have said to him [my secretary] all those things that I wish to say can any earthly power silence Me.
The Báb and one of His companions (Anís) were suspended on a wall and a large firing squad prepared to shoot. 750 rifleman fired the first volley. Gradually the smoke cleared and the crowd was able to see. They stared in amazement. Standing beneath the broken rope, with a smile on his face, was Anis. Of The Báb there was no sign. He had gone. They searched frantically for Him. The Báb was found back in His prison room finishing dictation to His secretary of the final Words of His Revelation.
