On the morning of July 9, 1850 in

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

, a 30-year-old

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

merchant known as the

Báb The Báb (b. ʿAlí Muḥammad; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850), was the messianic founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith. He was a merchant from Shiraz in Qajar Iran who, in 1844 at the age of 25, claimed ...

was charged with

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that i ...

and shot by order of the Prime Minister of the

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

. The events surrounding his execution have been the subject of controversy among researchers, and are regarded as miraculous by followers of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, who consider him to be a Manifestation of God. The Báb and one of his companions were suspended on a wall and a large firing squad prepared to shoot. When the smoke cleared after the first firing of bullets, the Báb was missing. Reports continue by stating that the Báb was found back in his prison room finishing dictation to his secretary. Other sources, which include Persian and European reports, give a variety of accounts, some in agreement with the miracle-like Baháʼí story, and some indicating a less miraculous event. All agree that he survived the first firing squad, and was killed by the second. For many years after his death, the remains of the Báb were secretly transferred from place to place until they were brought to their final resting place at the

Shrine of the Báb The Shrine of the Báb is a structure on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Baháʼu'lláh in the Baháʼí Faith, are buried; it is considered to be the seco ...

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

on the middle terrace of the Baháʼí Gardens. The anniversary of this event is commemorated by members of the

at noon on Rahmat 16 (Sharaf) (of the

Baháʼí Calendar The Badíʻ calendar used in the Baháʼí Faith is a solar calendar consisting of nineteen months and four or five intercalary days, with new year at the moment of Northern spring equinox. Each month is named after a virtue(e.g. Perfection, Mercy ...

- i.e., July 9 or July 10). It is one of nine

Holy Days A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

when work is suspended.

Execution order

In 1850 a new prime-minister,

Amir Kabir Mirza Taghi Khan-e Farahani ( fa, میرزا تقی‌خان فراهانی), better known as Amir Kabir (Persian: ‎, 9 January 1807 – 10 January 1852), also known by the title of ''Amir-e Nezam'' or ''Amir Nezam'' (), was chief minister t ...

, ordered the execution of the Báb; he was brought to Tabriz, where he would be killed by a

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...

. The night before his execution, as he was being conducted to his cell, a young man, Anís (sometimes called Mulla Muhammad Ali), threw himself at the feet of the Báb, wanting to be killed with the Báb. He was immediately arrested and placed in the same cell as the Báb. On the morning of July 9, 1850, the Báb was taken to the Tabriz courtyard filled with nearly ten thousand people wishing to watch his execution. The Báb and Anís were suspended on a wall and the firing squad of 750 rifles prepared to shoot.

Bábi/Baháʼí account

Here is an account which is in line with the common

view by historian

H.M. Balyuzi Hasan M. Balyuzi (7 September 1908 – 12 February 1980) was a prominent Iranian member of the Baháʼí Faith.Hand of the Cause of God Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders. Of the fifty individuals given the title, the last living was ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá who died in 2007. Hands of ...

, who published several carefully researched histories about the Baháʼí Faith and its central figures:

Western accounts

These events were witnessed by western journalists. Provided below is one source that is attributed to

Sir Justin Sheil Major-General Sir Justin Sheil (2 December 1803 – 18 April 1871) was an Irish army officer and diplomat, the British envoy in Persia from 1844 to 1854. Life The son of Edward Sheil and Catherine McCarthy, and brother of Richard Lalor Sheil, he ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran and written to

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, July 22, 1850.

's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran, wrote to

, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, on July 22, 1850 regarding the execution. The letter can be found in its original form as document F.O. 60/152/88 in the archives of the Foreign Office at the Public Records Office in London.

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; 1 March 1897 – 4 November 1957) was the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, appointed to the role of Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. He created a series of teaching plans that over ...

also prints a large selection of western quotes in his book ''God Passes By'' (p. 55), however most are unsourced.

Mírzá Mihdí Khán Zaímu'd-Dawlih

Mírzá Mihdí Khán Zaímu'd-Dawlih was the son of a Shiʻite cleric who was present at the execution of the Báb and who took his son to the barracks square to review the events he witnessed. Zaímu'd-Dawlih recounted his father's version in a book, ''Miftáh-i-Bábu'l-Abváb ya Taríkh-i-Báb va Bahá'' (Key to the Gate of Gates, or the History of the Báb and Bahá), published about A.H. 1310 (about 1896). The work is a polemically anti-Baháʼí book. But the account of the execution (which is lengthy) includes the following details:Mírzá Mihdí Khán Zaímu'd-Dawlih, extract from ''Miftah-i-Babu'l-Abvab ya Tarikh-i-Bab va Baha,'' quoted in

Firuz Feroz or Firuz is a Persian name meaning 'victorious', derived from the middle Persian name Peroz or Piruz. Related names are Phiroze, Feroze, and Parviz. It may refer to: People (historical) * Peroz I (), Sasanian king of Iran * Peroz II (), Sasa ...

and Kazem Kazemzadeh,
The Báb: Accounts of His Martyrdom
" ''World Order,'' vol. 8, no. 1 (Fall, 1973), 23-26. :1. The Báb and Anís were suspended about three meters (10') above the ground on a rope and fired on by a Christian regiment. :2. The bullets cut the rope and one bullet wounded Anís. :3. The Báb ran into one of the rooms in the barracks. :4. The Báb was brought back out and he and Anís were shot again, this time fatally.

Notes

References

* * * * Browne, E.G. (1893).
The New History of the Báb
'. Cambridge. Includes a lengthy introduction, the translation and then appendices.