Montreal, July 9, 2021 - In Montreal and around the world, the Bahá’í Communities commemorated this Holy Day and holiday in different parts of the city by teleconference.

On July 9, 1850, at noon, approximately 10,000 people were gathered on the rooftops of buildings and houses around the courtyard of the Tabriz barracks in Persia.

The Báb and a young disciple were suspended by two ropes against a wall. The regiment of 750 Armenian Christian soldiers was arranged in three rows of 250 men each. They opened fire three times.

The shooting was so intense, Westerners report, that the sky was black and the courtyard was dark.

However, as the records of the British Foreign Office show, when the smoke cleared, the Báb had disappeared. His companion stood there unharmed, untouched by the bullets. The ropes to which they had both been tied were now only tattered.

The Báb was found in his cell, giving instructions to one of his secretaries. At daybreak, when the guards had come for him to be executed, He had told them that no "earthly power" could silence him until he had said what he had to say.

And when the guards returned for him, he calmly announced, "You may now perform your task."

So for the second time, the Báb and his young companion were brought before the firing squad. The Armenian soldiers refused to shoot a second time. So the task was given to a Muslim regiment. This time, the bodies of the two men were fused together.

In May 1844, Siyyid Ali Muhammad announced His mission in his hometown of Shiráz to one of the searching believers. He then took the title of Báb, a word that means "Gate" in Arabic.

Thereafter, the Bábíe Faith spread very rapidly in the country. The government and the clergy of Persia instantly joined forces to commit cruel misdeeds against the early followers of the Báb. Historians estimate the number of victims of these persecutions to be around 20,000.

Finally, under pressure from the clergy, the government gave the order to take the Báb to the barracks in Tabriz, Persia. They were convinced that this would stop the spread of the young Faith.

The Bahá’ís commemorate the Martyrdom of the Báb, a Holy Day and a holiday for the Bahá’ís around the world. The Báb is considered by Bahá’ís to be a Messenger of God. He is also the predecessor of Bahá'u'lláh, the Herald of the Bahá'í Faith.

* Photo from Archives of the Bahá'í World Centre - Location of the execution of the Báb