 "Verily, I say, I am the Báb, the Gate of God..." ~ The Báb (R-54) Hand crafted gates ornament many of the gardens surrounding sacred Bahá'í architecture. |
Youthful Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad had been a honorable merchant from Shiraz, Persia. In 1844, at age 23, He declared that He was the Promised Qá'im of Islam and had come to prepare people for another Divine Teacher whose Revelation would be greater than His. Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad's title was the Báb, meaning "the Gate." His religious dispensation, the Bábí Faith, was the gate between the Islamic dispensation and the dispensation of the One the Báb promised would soon come (D-28). The rapid spread of the Bábí Faith alarmed many of the ecclesiastic and political rulers of the time, much as the Jews were alarmed with the growing number of Christ's followers. Though the Báb preached of peace and harmony, these leaders wanted to eliminate the Bábí Faith. Just six years after His declaration they publicly martyred the Báb by firing squad in Tabriz, Persia. His followers kept His sacred remains hidden from the rulers for many years until there was a safe place to erect a shrine (D-29). Over 20,000 Bábís were martyred for embracing the Báb's message. Ablaze with the love of God, the Bábís kept on sharing His message and watching for the time when the new Divine Teacher from God, promised by the Báb, would be made manifest (D-30). |
