The Báb: The Herald of the Day of DaysBalyuzi, H. M.
Religion
The Báb: The Herald of the Day of Days
Balyuzi, H. M.
Bab, Ali Muhammad Shirazi, 1819-1850; Bahai Faith
Let me tell you the secret of my happiness. After the Báb
had been taken back to [_Ch_]ihríq,[EF] one day, as I lay
confined in my cell, I turned my heart to Him and besought
Him in these words: 'Thou beholdest, O my Best-Beloved, my
captivity and helplessness, and knowest how eagerly I yearn
to look upon Thy face. Dispel the gloom that oppresses my
heart, with the light of Thy countenance.' What tears of
agonising pain I shed that hour! I was so overcome with
emotion that I seemed to have lost consciousness. Suddenly I
heard the voice of the Báb, and, lo! He was calling me. He
bade me arise. I beheld the majesty of His countenance as He
appeared before me. He smiled as He looked into my eyes. I
rushed forward and flung myself at His feet. 'Rejoice,' He
said; 'the hour is approaching when, in this very city, I
shall be suspended before the eyes of the multitude and
shall fall a victim to the fire of the enemy. I shall choose
no one except you to share with Me the cup of martyrdom.
Rest assured that this promise which I give you shall be
fulfilled.'[7]
[Footnote EE: Siyyid `Alíy-i-Zunúzí.]
[Footnote EF: Following his examination in the summer of
1848.]
Now, two years later, in a thoroughfare of Tabríz, Mírzá
Muḥammad-`Alíy-i-Zunúzí received the same promise and assurance
from the Báb.
That night the Báb was joyous. He knew that on the following day He
would quaff the cup of martyrdom. He also knew that His Mission on
this earth was totally accomplished, despite fierce opposition mounted
by the divines and rulers of the land, and despite the tyrannies and
indignities to which He had been mercilessly subjected. No power had
succeeded in quenching the flame of faith which His Word had set
ablaze. He had knowingly sacrificed His life for the sake of the
Redeemer promised unto all Faiths. The near advent of 'Him Whom God
shall make manifest' (Man-Yuẓhiruhu'lláh) had been His constant
theme. He had made the acceptance of His own Book--the mighty
_Bayán_--dependent upon the good pleasure of 'Him Whom God shall make
manifest', Whom He had addressed in the early days of His Ministry:
O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for
Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned
for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love.[8]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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