The Gate Archives - Religious Holidays

Birth of the Bab, Birth of Baha’u’llah: Baha’is celebrate ‘Twin Holy Days’

October 25, 2022 by Stephanie Fenton Leave a Comment

The interior of a Baha’i house of worship in Sydney, Australia. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

SUNSET TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 and SUNSET WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26: Million of Baha’is worldwide will celebrate the “Twin Holy Birthdays,” as adherents of the faith rejoice in the birth anniversaries of the two figures most central to their faith: Baha’u’llah and the Bab.

Events commence worldwide, as Baha’is first celebrate the birth of Baha’u’llah—the “Promised One”—and the Bab—the forerunner of their faith, who is known as “the Gate.”

‘TWIN HOLY DAYS’: CELEBRATING TOGETHER

In questions submitted to Baha’u’llah after he wrote the “Kitab-i-Aqdas,” Baha’u’llah described his own birthday and the birthday of the Bab as “twin birthdays” that are “one” in the “sight of God.” Though the birthdays had been celebrated according to the solar calendar each year in most of the world—and Baha’u’llah’s birthday fixed on November 12—that changed in 2015. The Universal House of Justice—the governing body of the Baha’i faith—announced that from March 20, 2015 onward, the “twin birthdays” would be observed on the first and second days following the eighth new moon after Naw-Ruz, and the observation date of the Birth of Baha’u’llah would change annually. These “Twin Birthdays” are now celebrated by Baha’is as one annual festival, wherein the closely interwoven lives of these two figures are commemorated together.

THE BAB AND BAHA’U’LLAH: TWO LIVES, ONE MISSION

Born on October 20, 1819, the Bab would eventually declare his mission as preparing people of the world for the Promised One (Baha’u’llah). The Bab was born Siyyid Ali-Muhammad, in Persia, and at the age of 24, Siyyid announced the coming Messenger of God—the Promised One awaited for by multiple world religions. Siyyid changed his name to “the Bab” (meaning “the Gate”) and made his life a mission for the Promised One.

Six years following his first prophesy, the Bab was executed. The Shrine of the Bab now stands in Haifa, Israel, and attracts throngs of Baha’is on the birth anniversary of the Bab. Baha’u’llah described the Bab this way: “the Herald of His Name and the Harbinger of His Great Revelation, which has caused … the splendor of His light to shine forth above the horizon of the world.”

Mirza Husayn Ali (who would become Baha’u’llah) was born November 12, 1817, in Tehran, Persia (now Iran). The son of a wealthy government minister, Baha’u’llah was born into wealth and prestige. His family’s lineage could be traced to the ruling dynasties of Persia’s past, and at the time of his birth, Mirza Husayn Ali’s family still exercised influence over the court of the Shah.

From a young age, Mirza Husayn Ali was rumored to be “different” than his peers. The child was wise beyond his years, showed immense compassion for the poor and displayed an unusually alert mind. In adulthood, he showed support for the Bab and the emerging Babi religion; in 1863, Mirza Husayn announced himself as the One promised by the Bab, and became known as Baha’u’llah. As the years passed, Baha’u’llah was subject to exile, violence and imprisonment.

Declaration of the Bab and Ascension of Baha’u’llah: Baha’is celebrate two holy days

May 24, 2022 by Stephanie Fenton Leave a Comment

TUESDAY, MAY 24 and SUNDAY, MAY 29: In the Baha’i calendar, there are 11 holy days each year—nine of which have work and school suspended—and two of those days are observed this week, with the Declaration of the Bab on May 24 and the Ascension of Baha’u’llah on May 29. The Declaration of the Bab marks the anniversary of the Bab’s announcement of his mission, in 1844; the Ascension of Baha’u’llah recalls the passing of Baha’u’llah, in 1892.

DECLARATION OF THE BAB, ‘THE GATE’

Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Baha’i communities across the globe commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, made in 1844. Though the roots of this story began decades earlier—in 1783, precisely—it was not until this pivotal night that the Bab correctly answered a series of questions that revealed he was the “Promised One.”

According to Baha’i tradition: The search for the Promised One, or “the Gate,” began years before the Bab’s birth, with a man named Shaykh Ahmad-i-ahsa’i. This man began traveling through Persia with the announcement that a great day was coming: a day that would see a Promised One. Later, a follower of his teachings—Mulla Husayn—would find the Bab. (For details, visit Bahai.org.)

Though the identity of the Promised One remained secret, it was through a series of descriptions, questions answered and seemingly impossible tasks accomplished that a Persian merchant named Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi convinced Mulla Husayn that he was the bearer of divine knowledge. This evening is now celebrated by Baha’is as the Declaration of the Bab. (For a meditative prayer set to music, visit New York Bahai.)

Following the 1844 proclamations, which were later made public, Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi took the name “the Bab” (Arabic for “gate”) and began writing. The Bab penned his messianic claims, teachings and new religious law. In a few short years, the Bab had acquired thousands of followers. Starkly opposed by other clergy and the government, thousands of Babis were persecuted and killed.

In 1850, at the age of 30, the Bab was executed by a firing squad—though not before finding Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith and the messenger of God whom the Bab had spoken of.

ASCENSION OF BAHA’U’LLAH, THE ‘PROMISED ONE’

An entrance to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A prisoner of decades, a man who penned almost 100 volumes and changed the interfaith world is commemorated today, on the Baha’i observance of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah.

The founder of the Baha’i faith, Baha’u’llah lived in Persia but was buried in Bahji, in the shrine where his body still lies, in 1892 CE. For this solemn holy day, many Baha’is attend a service or study the writings of Baha’u’llah.

Did you know? Baha’i gardens are designed to symbolize the order of the world in the future. Baha’u’llah wrote often of the unity necessary for peace in the future.

From the time he first heard about the Bab and the emerging Badi faith, Baha’u’llah became a follower. At age 27, Baha’u’llah was visited by a messenger of the Bab and accepted the Badi faith. The next several decades would be filled with exile, imprisonment and tumult, as Baha’u’llah expanded upon the claims of the Bab and began writing volumes of his own.

The Bab taught that Baha’u’llah was the Promised One, and that he had been but the Gate for Baha’u’llah.

LETTERS, TABLETS AND PROPHESIES: Through his years of exile and imprisonment, Baha’u’llah wrote large volumes, personal tablets and even letters for kings and rulers of the time, urging them to resist greed and anger in favor of peace. Many of the leaders—from a Russian czar to Napoleon III of France—disregarded Baha’u’llah’s warnings. Baha’u’llah predicted that if these leaders did not resolve their differences and halt the insatiable desire for land, materials and power, they would fall—and, one by one, the leaders realized the fate that Baha’u’llah had warned against.

Today, approximately 6 million Baha’is in 192 countries and territories across the globe observe this holy day. For the Ascension of Baha’u’llah, the faithful reflect on the messages of unity—and Baha’u’llah’s suggestion that all of the world’s major religions derive from the same source, in unity, as part of the same family.

Declaration of the Bab: A joyous Baha’i holiday and news from Wilmette

May 22, 2015 by Stephanie Fenton Leave a Comment

SUNDOWN FRIDAY, MAY 22: Baha’i communities across the globe commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, made on this night in 1844. Though the roots of this story began decades earlier—in 1783, precisely—it was not until this pivotal night that the Bab correctly answered a series of questions that revealed he was the Promised One. Mulla Husayn became the first to accept the Bab’s claims, and soon after, followers of the Bab became known as Babis.

SEARCH FOR A PROMISED ONE

According to Baha’i tradition: The search for “the Gate” began years before the Bab’s birth, in 1783, with a man named Shaykh Ahmad-i-ahsa’i. He began traveling through Persia with the announcement that a great day was coming: a day that would see a Promised One. Later, a follower of his teachings, Mulla Husayn,—who would find the Bab. (For details, visit Bahai.org.) Though the identity of the Promised One remained secret, it was through a series of descriptions, questions and seemingly impossible tasks that Persian merchant Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi convinced Mulla Husayn that he was the bearer of divine knowledge. This evening is now celebrated by Baha’is as the Declaration of the Bab. (For a meditative prayer set to music, visit New York Bahai.)

Following the 1844 proclamations, which were later made public, Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi took the name of the Bab (Arabic for “gate”) and began writing. The Bab penned his messianic claims, teachings and new religious law. In a few short years, the Bab had acquired thousands of followers. (Learn more from the Baha’i Blog.) Starkly opposed by other clergy and the government, thousands of Babis were persecuted and killed. In 1850, at the age of 30, the Bab was executed by a firing squad—though not before finding Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith and the messenger of God whom the Bab had spoken of.

IN THE NEWS: Iran to Wilmette

The Baha’i International Community recently launched a campaign that marked the seventh anniversary of the imprisonment of seven former Baha’i leaders in Iran; events took place in communities worldwide. (International Business Times reported.) From protests in Rio de Janeiro to reports by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, it is evident that religious freedoms in Iran have continued to decline in the past year. For the week-long campaign, each day will be dedicated to a different Baha’i prisoner.

Near Chicago, the Wilmette Baha’i Temple opened its highly anticipated welcome center. (World Religion News has the story.) The Baha’i temple has been the only one of its kind in America since 1953, and the welcome center is the first major addition to the building.

Martyrdom of the Bab: Baha’is recall awe-inspiring events of Bab’s execution

July 08, 2014 by Stephanie Fenton Leave a Comment

STARTS SUNSET TUESDAY, JULY 8: The world’s 5 million Baha’is pause at noon on July 9 to recall in solemnity the Martyrdom of the Bab. One of nine holy days of the year, the Martyrdom of the Bab commemorates the anniversary of an event that occurred on this date in 1850. The Bab, having been imprisoned for approximately three years, had finally been sentenced to a death scheduled for July 9; the events that ensued on the day of his death, however, have left millions in awe for more than a century.

The era was 19^th century Persia, and a man who called himself the Bab—his name means, the Gate—had begun attracting followers. Despite attempts by authorities, passion for his Babi religion ran wide and deep. Muhammad Shah would not execute the Bab, but his successor, Nasiri’d-Din Shah, was advised to kill the Bab. And so, it was announced that the Bab, along with any followers, would be executed.

According to Baha’i tradition: When the head attendant was ordered to bring the Bab before the chief religious officials of the City of Tabriz, to obtain death warrants, he did so and found the Bab in private conversation with his secretary, Siyyid Husayn. The head attendant lectured Siyyid Husayn, but the Bab warned that, “Not until I have said to him all those things that I wish to say can any earthly power silence Me.” (Learn more from Planet Bahai and the Bahai Library.)

As the traditional Baha’i story is retold: The Bab was brought to the center of the city to be executed by soldiers; as he had promised, not one bullet touched him, and the firing squads had instead blown apart the rope that had tied him. The Bab was nowhere to be found.

After frantic searches, the Bab was discovered in a private room, continuing his previously interrupted conversation with Siyyid Husayn. The Bab announced to them, “I have finished My conversation with Siyyid Husayn. Now you may proceed and fulfill your intention.” Several authorities and soldiers were so shaken by the events that they resigned and refused to have anything further to do with the execution; still, a new firing squad was drawn and brought to the Bab. The regiment opened fire, and the Bab was killed.

In 1909, the Bab’s body was placed in its current resting place, in the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Caramel in Haifa, Israel. Today, most Bahai’s observe the holy day with prayers, gatherings and services. (Access a meditation with slides and music from New York Baha’i.)

IN THE NEWS:
BAHA’I SECOND-LARGEST RELIGION
IN SOUTH CAROLINA

It’s surprising, but true, according to a new research report recently covered in both the Washington Post and National Public Radio’s website. A map recently created by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies has revealed that Baha’is represent the second-largest religious group in one of America’s 50 states: South Carolina. (Read more from the Protojournalist column in the NPR website.) Though the Baha’i faith is present in most states—and the Baha’i House of Worship for North America is located in Illinois—South Carolina was the only state where Baha’is ranked No. 2 behind the nation’s dominant Christian groups. Learn how the Baha’i religion grew in South Carolina, and why, in this article from the Post and Courier.