Declaration of the Bab

Every year during the evening of May 22 and May 23, Baha’is celebrate the Declaration of The Bab with prayers, storytelling, and reflections. It is one of the nine holy days when work is suspended. The holiday begins two hours and eleven minutes after sunset on May 22, which is the exact time at which the Báb declared himself.

The Báb was born Siyyid Ali-Muhammad, in Shiraz, Iran. Born in 1819 into a family of merchants and traders, raised by his maternal uncle after the premature death of his father in 1826, a mystic descended from many generations of mystical Sufis, known from childhood for his wisdom, intelligence and humility, The Bab would start a religious movement unparalleled in history.

During the early evening of May 22, 1844, Siyyid Ali Muhammad declared his mission as The Bab to an ardent seeker named Mulla Husayn. He took the name “Báb,” which means “gate” or “door” in Arabic to emphasize his role as the portal through which the Revelation of God would enter.

Younger than Jesus when he declared His revelation, The Bab started, on that day, a new era of faith–and the renewal of the eternal promise of religion itself. Soon many thousands of people became followers of The Bab. He upended the corrupt practices of the Persian clergy, challenged tradition by abrogating the laws of the past and declared that He had come, like John the Baptist, as the herald for another Manifestation of God, the Promised One of All Ages, the founder of a universal and unifying world religion—Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith.

The effect of the Declaration of a Manifestation of God is impossible for us to understand. ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá explains it as follows.

The appearances of the Manifestations of God are the divine springtime. When Christ appeared in this world, it was like the vernal bounty; the outpouring descended; the effulgences of the Merciful encircled all things; the human world found new life. Even the physical world partook of it. The divine perfections were upraised; souls were trained in the school of heaven so that all grades of human existence received life and light.

Then by degrees these fragrances of heaven were discontinued; the season of winter came upon the world; the beauties of spring vanished; the excellences and perfections passed away; the lights and quickening were no longer evident; the phenomenal world and its materialities conquered everything; the spiritualities of life were lost; the world of existence became like unto a lifeless body; there was no trace of the spring left.

The Tablet of the Bell

A Tablet called “Tablet of the Bell” (Lawh-i-Naqus) was revealed in Istanbul at the request of a believer. It was recommended that this Tablet be recited in connection with the celebration of this Holy Day. The Tablet could be said to express what happens when a Manifestation declares His Mission. Below is a provisional translation of the Tablet of the Bell.

In thy name that is God,

Thou art verily God!

O sacred Monk, ring out the bells, for the day of God hath come, and the Beauty of the All-Glorious is established on the holy, shining throne. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O prophet of wisdom, Hud, beat thou upon thy drum, in the name of the Lord, the Precious, the Bountiful, for the Temple of Holiness is seated upon His high, unapproachable throne. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Thou beauty of eternity, pluck with the fingers of the spirit at the strings of Thy lute that is wondrous and Holy, for the Heavenly Beauty hath come in His garment of glimmering silk. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O angel of light, sound thou thy trumpet to herald this appearance, for the letter HA hath mounted above the letter of pre-existent might. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Nightingale of Praise, sing out upon thy boughs within this garden and land, the well-beloved Name, for the beauty of the red rose hath shone from the impenetrable veils. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Thou Dove of Paradise, sing upon the boughs in this wondrous day, when the Lord hath cast His rays upon all creatures. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Thou Bird of Eternity, soar into this firmament, for the bird of faithfulness hath winged his flight to the presence of the merciful Lord. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Dwellers in Paradise, sing out and chant with melodious voices, for the melody of God is pealing from beyond the high pavilions of holiness. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O denizens of the Kingdom, sing in the name of the Well-beloved, for the beauty of commandment hath gleamed from behind the veils, in the shining mantle of the spirit. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O dwellers in the kingdom of names, adorn the zones of the furthermost heaven, for the Greatest Name is riding on the mighty clouds of holiness. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O people of the realm of holy attributes in the heaven of Abha, prepare to meet your God, for the breezes of sanctity have wafted from the exalted throne, and this is a manifest grace. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O thou Ridwan of the one God, rejoice within thyself, for the Ridwan of God, the Exalted, the Precious, the Wise, is made manifest. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O heaven of the grandeur, thank God within thyself, for the heaven of holiness is raised up in the realm of the sanctified heart. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O Sun of this earth, eclipse thy face, for the sun of eternity hath dawned in the luminous heaven. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O land of knowledge, swallow up thy learning, for the realm of wisdom is unfolding in the self of God., the Exalted, the Mighty, the Bountiful. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O lamp of the world, extinguish thyself, for the light of the Lord is kindled in the lamp of eternity, and hath illumined the denizens of heaven and earth. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O seas of the world, quiet your waves within you, for the crimson sea hath surged with a wondrous Cause. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O cock of everlasting life, crow out on the peaks of the realm of might, for the Herald of God hath sounded His Call from every lofty hill. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O concourse of lovers, give out the glad tidings with all your heart, for the time of waiting is over, and the covenant hath come, and the Beloved hath shone in wondrous beauty. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

O people of knowledge, rejoice within your souls, for the day of parting is gone by, the time of certainty hath come, and the beauty of this Youth hath shone in sacred raiment within the paradise of the steadfast Name. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

Lauded art Thou O my God! I implore Thee by Thy day in which all the prophetic days are resurrected, Thy day whereof a moment comprehendeth all the ages. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

And I implore Thee by Thy Name which Thou made king of the Kingdom of Names and ruler over all in earth and heaven. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

To make men free of all besides Thyself, and cause them to approach unto Thee and sever themselves from all but Thee. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Precious, the Compassionate. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

Then kindle, O my Beloved, in their hearts the flame of Thy love, till it shall burn away the memory of all save Thee, that they may testify with themselves that verily Thou hast dwelt from everlasting on the heights of immortality, that nothing hath been joined with Thee, and that Thou ever art as Thou hast been. There is no God save Thee, the Mighty, the Beneficent. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

And those among Thy servants who seek to ascend the heights of Thy singleness, if their souls be set on the remembrance of aught else save Thee, they shall not be true believers in the unity of God, nor will the rank of a follower of the oneness of God be allotted them. Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!

The glory be to Thee, O my God, for as long as Thy command endureth. Wherefore send Thou down from the clouds of Thy Mercy that which shall cleanse the hearts of Thy lovers, and sanctify the souls of Thy friends.

Then raise them up in Thy Loftiness, and give them the victory over all on earth; for this is that which “We have desired to bring honor upon those who were brought low in the land, and to make them leaders of men, and to make them our heirs.” Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God, O Thou who alone art God!