A century and a half have passed since that unspeakable tragedy in the northwest of Persia when the Báb faced the volley fired at Him from the rifles of 750 soldiers. The soldiers had followed the orders of the highest authorities in the land. The Báb’s mangled body was then thrown on the side of a moat outside the city, abandoned to what His cold-blooded persecutors thought would be a dishonourable fate. They had hoped thus to put an end to the growing influence of His teachings on masses of people throughout the country. These masses had accepted, in the face of intense persecution, the Báb’s claim to prophethood, and their lives were being transformed spiritually and morally as He prepared them for what He said was the dawn of a new age in which a world civilization would be born and flourish. The expectations that stirred countless hearts were heightened even more sublimely by the Báb’s announcement that One greater than He would soon arise. One who would reveal the unparalleled character of the promised world civilization that would signify the coming of age of the entire human race.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 22 May 2001 “On the occasion of the official opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb”; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)
