Melting Snow

The Declaration of the Bab

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

"Verily I am Thy servant, O my God, and Thy poor one and Thy suppliant and Thy wretched creature. I have arrived at Thy gate, seeking Thy shelter. I have found no contentment save in Thy love, no exultation except in Thy remembrance, no eagerness but in obedience to Thee, no joy save in Thy nearness, and no tranquillity except in reunion with Thee, notwithstanding that I am conscious that all created things are debarred from Thy sublime Essence and the entire creation is denied access to Thine inmost Being."1

The Báb

In 1844 of the Common Era, the Bab declared is mission to Mulla Husayn, his first believer. The Bab, meaning the Gate, was the forerunner of Baha'u'llah. In the intervening 174 years, the world has changed sometimes for the worst and sometimes for the better. Today we can see the interconnectedness of life, but to do this we have to look beyond ourselves. Humanity is a single race, the earth a single country, and all religions owe their inspiration to men, such as the Bab and Baha'u'llah, who received their revelations from God. Each religion may refer to God by a different name, but they worship the same unknowable essence.

On May 22, 1844, about two hours after sunset, the Bab declared his revelation. I meditate upon the above prayer, I contemplate the emotions that went through Mulla Husayns mind on that night, and I into a prayer of gratitude for hearing about the Bab and Baha'u'llah when I moved to Las Vegas. I know there were Baha'is in Blackwell, Shawnee, and Oklahoma City; but I didn't hear about the Baha'i Faith until I arrived in Las Vegas. I think the reason for this was that I wasn't ready to hear about it or its Central Figures.

Footnotes
1  Baha'i Words for May 23, 2017