Dar es Salaam:
Every year on 20 October, Baha’is worldwide celebrate the Birth of the Bab,
the first of the two Divine Teachers central to the founding of the Baha’i
Faith. In Dar es Salaam the Bahá’í community will gather for prayers and
devotional readings followed by fellowship and celebration on Sunday, 20th
October , 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at the Baha’i Centre, Mfaume Road, Upanga
West.
Although the young merchant’s given name was Siyyid Ali Muhammad, He took
the name “Bab”, a title that means “Gate” or “Door” in Arabic. He was born
in the city of Shiraz, Persia, on the first day of Muharram, in the year
1235 A.H (20th October, 1819 A.D). He belonged to a house which was
renowned for its nobility. The central theme of His major work– The
Bayan–was the imminent appearance of a second Messenger from God, One Who
would be far greater than the Bab, and whose mission would be to usher in
the age of peace and justice promised in Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and
all the other world religions. The Bab’s appearance marked the end of the
“Prophetic Cycle” of religious history, and ushered in the “Cycle of
Fulfillment”.
Throughout His Writings, the Bab warned His followers to be watchful, and
as soon as the promised Teacher revealed Himself, to recognize and follow
Him. Nineteen years later, one of the Bab’s followers, who took the title
Baha’u’llah, announced that He was the new Manifestation of God the Bab had
foretold. The Bab was Baha’u’llah’s herald: His principal mission was to
prepare the way for Baha’u’llah’s coming. Accordingly, the founding of the
Babi Faith is viewed by Baha’is as synonymous with the founding of the
Baha’i Faith—and its purpose was fulfilled when Baha’u’llah announced in
1863 that He was the Promised One foretold by the Bab.
The Bab, whose teachings attracted tens of thousands of followers, was
persecuted and imprisoned for six years following His proclamation as a
Messenger of God. He was eventually executed in 1850 in the public square
in Tabriz, Iran, on the order of the government. Much later, His remains
were entombed on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel and His shrine is now a
place of pilgrimage for the Baha’is worldwide
Abdu’l-Baha, the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet Founder of the
Baha’i Faith says about the Bab—“The Bab the Exalted One, is the Morn of
truth, whose Light shineth throughout all regions. At a youthful age of
twenty five years, He stood forth to proclaim His Cause. It was
universally admitted that He had never studied in any school, and had not
acquired knowledge from any teacher. The Bab arose with such power that He
shook the supports of the religion, of the morals, the conditions, the
habits, and the customs of Persia, and instituted new rules, new laws and a
new religion. Thereby, He imparted divine education to an unenlightened
multitude.”
The Bahá’í Faith is an independent, monotheistic religion. It accepts the
divine origin and common purpose of all the major world religions, and
teaches that God has revealed a new message in this day to establish the
oneness of humanity. It is the second-most geographically widespread
religion in the world, with more that 7 million adherents who live in more
than 118,000 localities in over 230 countries or significant territories.
About 2,112 indigenous tribes, races and ethnic groups are represented in
the Baha’i community. In Tanzania, Bahá’ís are found in every region.
Mrs. Qudsiyeh Roy
Media representative
Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Dar es Salaam
Tel: 0784 381565, 0719 686223