Parallels in Martyrdom (Jesus Christ, testimony, Earth, the passion, mystic)

[Popeyesays]

Tomorrow Baha`i's around the world will gather at noon (local time) to commemorate the martyrdom of the Bab. The Bab was suspended before the muskets of 700 men and shot to death for espousing a new religion.

he was shot to death on the second attempt, actually. The first time the battalion fired, the ropes suspending the Bab and His companion were cut by a musket ball and both victims were dropped to the ground without a bullet wound. After a frantic search the Bab was found in His cell, finishing the dictation of a letter to His secretary that had been interrupted by the failed execution. The Bab calmly said, "I have finished my purpose, and now you may proceed."

The original battalion refused to fire twice and a further delay was required to find another unit to replace it as firing squad.

The similarities to the Martyrdom of Christ are many and profound:

"There is but one parallel in all recorded history to the brief turbulent history of the Báb. It is the passion of Jesus Christ. There is a remarkable similarity in the distinguishing features of Their careers. Their youthfulness and meakness; the dramatic swiftness with which each ministry moved toward its climax; the boldness with which They challenged the time-honored conventions, laws, and rites of the religions into which They had been born; the role which the religious leaders played as chief instigators of the outrages They were made to suffer; the indignities heaped upon Them; the suddenness of Their arrest; the interrogations to which They were subjected; the scourgings inflicted upon Them; Their passing first in triumph, then in suffering through the streets of the city where They were to be slain; Their public parade through the streets on the way to the place of martyrdom; Their words of hope and promise to a companion who was also to die with Them; the darkness that enveloped the land in the hour of Their martyrdom; and finally Their ignominious suspension before the gaze of a hostile multitude."
[William Sears, Release the Sun, p. 183.]

Regards,
Scott

[UnityNow101]

I have never understood how someone could so vehemently stand against the whole world and yet be said to be false. This is why I am beginning to come to the conclusion that truth can be found in the prophets' steadfastness in the cause and their unwillingness to aspire to any earthly position. How could a man such as the Bab, if He be false, stand with such calmness in the face of such hatred and animosity towards the cause that He was entrusted to? How could Baha'u'llah, who could have lived a very noble and material-rich life, bring Himself to living in prison cells and dungeons, for something which was false? It makes no sense..They both aspired to nothing but the Cause of God and spoke nothing but of the cause they were given by God....What could be their reasoning for shunning all earthly dominion and wealth to wear the robe of heavenly splendor? To proclaim a cause which was a lie? That would make no sense...

Scott...The story of the Bab's martyrdom is an inspiration for everyone. The similarities between the life of the Bab and Jesus Christ are remarkable, and should be looked at by all that are pure at heart. I still have many questions about everything and understand very little, but it feels as though the truth is slowly being unveiled before my eyes.

[Popeyesays]

Ahang Rabbani prepared a paper on the story behind rescuing and preserving the remains of the Bab after His martyrdom in Tabriz
http://ahang.rabbani.googlepages.com...of_the_Bab.pdf :
"Nabil gives a useful outline of the events after the martyrdom of the Bab, which is summarized here to

provide a frame of reference for the later discussion.

6 According to Nabil, it was some days earlier
that through his contacts in the government circles, Haji Sulayman Khan Tabrizi (son of Yahya Khan)
– an ardent believer in the Bab – learned that the Prime Minister had issued orders for the execution of
the Bab. Together with some close friends, he immediately left Tehran for the purpose of the Bab’s
deliverance, arriving in Tabriz a day too late. He went directly to Bagh-Mishih, a suburb of Tabriz, the
home of Haji Mirza Mihdi, the kalantar of Tabriz, one of his friends and confidants, who was a
dervish belonging to a Sufi mystical community. Haji Sulayman Khan was ready to take immediate
action but the kalantar, being a seasoned and wise officer, advised against a rash decision and
suggested to him to wait in another house for the arrival that evening of Haji Allah-Yar, a well-known
gang leader in Tabriz and feared by the generality of the people.
At the appointed hour, Haji Sulayman Khan met Haji Allah-Yar and several of his armed men.
That very night, they set out for the location where the remains of the Bab were left and when the
guards saw the approaching men, recognizing their determination and fearing for their own lives, they
quickly withdrew and allowed Haji Allah-Yar and his men to take the precious remains. Later,
apprehensive that their superiors would accuse them of dereliction of duty, the sentinels announced
that wild beasts had consumed the remains, a view that found currency in majority of the Qajar court
histories and some European reports, but was effectively refuted by Nicolas.7

The remains were taken to the silk factory owned by one of the Babis of Milan. Next day, it was
laid in a specially constructed wooden case, and transferred then, according to Haji Sulayman Khan’s
directions, to a place of safety. The latter immediately reported the matter to Baha’u’llah, who was in
Tehran and who instructed Aqa Kalim to dispatch a special messenger to Tabriz for the purpose of
transferring the bodies to the capital.
Nabil leaves the rest of the story untold, only suggesting that the sacred remains were taken to
Tehran, first to Imamzadih Hasan, and from there to a secret location, which he strongly hints to be

5 Nabil, Dawn-Breakers 518.
6 Nabil,

Dawn-Breakers 518–21.
7 The majority of Qajar court histories indicate that the remains of the Bab were left unguarded to be destroyed. However,
the French diplomat/historian, Nicolas, cogently argues the inaccuracy of this statement (A. L. M. Nicolas, Seyyed Ali-
Muhammad dit le Bab 378.): ‘M. de Gobineau, in agreement with the authors of the Nasikh at-Tavarikh, of Rawdat as-
Safa, of Mir’at al-Buldan, in a word with all the official historians, relates that after the execution the body of the Bab
was thrown in a moat of the city and devoured by dogs. In reality it was not so, and we shall see why this news had been
spread by the authorities of Tabriz (little eager to draw upon themselves a rebuke of the government for a favour dearly
sold) and by the Babis, desirous to prevent any further investigation by the police. The most reliable testimony of the
actual witnesses of the drama or of its actors do not leave me any doubt that the body of Sayyid Ali Muhammad was
carried away by pious hands and, at last, after various incidents which I shall narrate, received a burial worthy of him.’

Sorry for the peculiar formatting, but it was grabbed from a PDF.

Regards,
Scott