A program originally created by Anne Perry for the Dallas Bahá’í Community, which can be modified to fit other localities. Rehearsal and advance preparation recommended. In a small community, this could be done as a spontaneous reading, if scripts are made for everyone.
Staging:Two mics placed on either side of the stage, with beautiful drapes on podium, column, or table (green, gold. . . ) and red roses. Visual slides can enhance the program, if desired (request slide show). Dress: can be elegant, historic, or multi-cultural, but shouldn’t be pedestrian. Lighting can be dramatic, warm. Readers can be seated and go up to the mic on either side in advance of the reading; sometimes there is a back and forth, so it should be rehearsed and noted where a reader should stay standing and step aside, and which mic he/she should go to. Ideally, the program should flow as one element, without applause. Technical assistance is important.
Participants: (9–12 readers/musicians/singers and 1-2 technical assistants)
MCcan be the same person as one of the readers, or not.
Persian or Arabic reader/chanter could also be one of the readers, below.
Reader 1: male or female
Reader 2: Reader of the Báb’s account, male, strong reader, perhaps in 20s
Reader 3: male or female
Reader 4: male or female
Reader 5: male or female
Reader 6: male or female
Reader 7: Reader, account of the Mother of the Báb, female
Reader 8: Reader, account of the Wife of the Báb, female
Reader 9: Strong and poetic reader, female preferred
MUSIC: (live music may be substituted for CD music)
CD Smith & Dragoman, Open the Gates https://9starmedia.com/smith-and-dragoman-open-the-gates
CD Vahid Ndobe, album “Primal Point”
CD Susan Engle & Jean White Marks, Special Times “Who Is the Child?” can also use “Song for the Báb”
https://9starmedia.com/susan-engle-jean-white-special-times
CD Eric Harper, Eric Harper “Say” https://9starmedia.com/eric-harper-eric-harper?zenid=f0380e47683dac980bb18b9678600359
CD Remover of Difficulties (Special Times or another)
Live Persian prayer or poem, chanted (could also have drum or flute); Arabic chant
PROGRAM:
Walk-in music: Smith & Dragoman, Open the Gates#1 & 2 (fade music as MC + Persian speaker come to mics)
MC: Good evening and welcome on behalf of the Baha’is of ______to this very special occasion of the Birth of the Bab or “Gate” of God. Tonight marks the secondtime the celebrations of the Twin Manifestations are observed consecutively throughout the world, as has been the practice in the Eastern countries and at the Baha’i World Centre,according to the Badi calendar system—a system gradually being implemented by the Universal House of Justice. This system represents a solar calendar but has within it aspects of the lunar calendar system as well. It also underlines the mysterious connection of the Báb and Baha’u’llah—Twin Messengers appearing at the same time to fulfill the prophecies of all past religious dispensations and give us the guidance we need for today. The Báb, or Gate of God, served as a Forerunner of Baha’u’llah, much the same as John the Baptist prepared people for the coming of Christ. Tonight’s program will feature prayers, readings, accounts by both the mother and wife of the Báb, and music, followed by refreshments. We ask that you silence your electronic devices and enjoy the program in a spirit of reverence, without applause until the end. (IF desired, translate last part, Persian speaker)
Persian Prayer or poem, chanted by ______________
Reader 1: O people of the earth ! Verily the resplendent Light of God hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and, by the Love of God , step out of the darkness into the light and onto this far-extended Path of Truth. (The Bab)
Reader 2: The following reading is a newly released Tablet of Baha'u'llah in honor of the Birth of the Báb, with portions read in the original Arabic: (optional)
Reader 3: In the name of the One born on this day, Him Whom God hath made to be the Herald of His Name, the Almighty, the All-Loving! This is a Tablet We have addressed unto that night wherein the heavens and the earth were illumined by a Light that cast its radiance over the entire creation. Blessed art thou, O night! For through thee was born the Day of God, a Day which We have ordained to be the lamp of salvation unto the denizens of the cities of names, the chalice of victory unto the champions of the arenas of eternity, and the dawning-place of joy and exultation unto all creation. Immeasurably exalted is God, the Maker of the heavens, Who hath caused this Day to speak forth that Name whereby the veils of idle fancy have been rent asunder, the mists of vain imagining have been dispelled, and His name “the Self-Subsisting” hath dawned above the horizon of certitude. Through Thee the choice wine of everlasting life hath been unsealed, the doors of knowledge and utterance have been unlocked before the peoples of the earth, and the breezes of the All-Merciful have been wafted over every region. All glory be to that hour wherein the Treasure of God, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, hath appeared! O concourse of earth and heaven! This is that first night, which God hath made to be a sign of that second night whereon was born He Whom no praise can befittingly extol and no attribute describe. Well is it with him who reflecteth upon them both: Verily, he will find their outer reality to correspond to their inner essence, and will become acquainted with the divine mysteries that lie enshrined in this Revelation, a Revelation through which the foundations of misbelief have been shaken, the idols of superstition have been shattered, and the banner hath been unfurled which proclaimeth,
Reader 4:“No God is there but Him, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Incomparable, the Protector, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.”
Reader 3:On this night the fragrance of nearness was wafted, the portals of reunion at the end of days were flung open, and all created things were moved to exclaim:
Reader 4:“The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord of all names, Who is come with world-embracing sovereignty!”
Reader 3:On this night the Concourse on high celebrated the praise of its Lord, the Exalted, the Most Glorious, and the realities of the divine names extolled Him Who is the King of the beginning and the end in this Revelation, a Revelation through whose potency the mountains have hastened unto Him Who is the All-Sufficing, the Most High, and the hearts have turned towards the countenance of their Best-Beloved, and the leaves have been stirred into motion by the breezes of yearning, and the trees have raised their voices in joyful reply to the call of Him Who is the Unconstrained, and the entire earth hath trembled with longing in its desire to attain reunion with the Eternal King, and all things have been made new by that concealed Word which hath appeared in this mighty Name. O night of the All-Bountiful! In thee do We verily behold the Mother Book. Is it a Book, in truth, or rather a child begotten? Nay, by Myself! Such words pertain to the realm of names, whilst God hath sanctified this Book above all names. Through it the hidden Secret and the treasured Mystery have been revealed. Nay, by My life! All that hath been mentioned pertaineth to the realm of attributes, whereas the Mother Book standeth supreme above this. Through it have appeared the manifestations of “There is no God but God” over them all. Nay, while such things have been proclaimed to all people, in the estimation of thy Lord naught but His ear is capable of hearing them. Blessed are those that are well assured! Whereupon, dumbfounded, the Pen of the Most High cried out:
Reader 4:“O Thou Who art exalted above all names! I adjure Thee by Thy might that encompasseth the heavens and the earth to exempt me from mentioning Thee, for I myself have been called into being by virtue of Thy creative power. How, then, can I depict that which all created things are powerless to describe? And yet, I swear by Thy glory, were I to proclaim that wherewith Thou hast inspired me, the entire creation would pass away from joy and ecstasy, how much more then would it be overwhelmed before the billows of the ocean of Thine utterance in this most luminous, most exalted and transcendent Spot! Absolve, O Lord, this faltering Pen from magnifying so august a station, and deal mercifully with me, O my Possessor and my King. Overlook then my trespasses in Thy presence. Thou, verily, art the Lord of bounty, the All-Powerful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.” (Ayyám-i-Tis‘ih, pp. 12–15)
Music: Primal Point, sung (If CD used, Vahid, #4 note: cue up to after quote)
Reader 5:This glorious Tablet hath been revealed on the Anniversary of the Birth [of the Báb] that thou mayest recite it in a spirit of humility and supplication and give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Make thou every effort to render service unto God, that from thee may appear that which will immortalize thy memory in His glorious and exalted heaven. Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I implore Thee by the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and by the Revealer of Thy clear tokens to grant that I may, under all conditions, hold fast the cord of Thy loving providence and cling tenaciously to the hem of Thy generosity. Reckon me then with those whom the changes and chances of the world have failed to deter from serving Thee and from bearing allegiance unto Thee, whom the onslaught of the people hath been powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy Name and celebrating Thy praise. Graciously assist me, O my Lord, to do whatever Thou lovest and desirest. Enable me then to fulfil that which will exalt Thy Name and will set ablaze the fire of Thy love. Thou art, in truth, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. (Bahá’u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláhp. 234)
Music: “Who Is the Child?” (sung, with or without CD)
Reader 1:Almost nothing is known about the circumstances attending the Báb’s birth. We do know that He was born on October 20, 1819 in Shiraz, Persia. In these two passages the Bab refers to His own birth:
Reader 2:, Reading the Báb’s account:Through the revelation of Thy grace, O Lord, Thou didst call Me into being on a night such as this. . . . Thou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious favour and didst protect Me . . . and didst nourish Me, through Thy loving-kindness, with life-giving blood. After having fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst . . . graciously acquaint Me with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of the straight path of Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book. And when I attained full maturity Thou didst cause Me to bear allegiance unto Thine inaccessible Remembrance, and enabled Me to advance towards the designated station, where Thou didst educate Me through the subtle operations of Thy handiwork and didst nurture Me in that land with Thy most gracious gifts. When that which had been preordained in Thy Book came to pass Thou didst cause Me, through Thy kindness, to reach Thy holy precincts and didst suffer Me, through Thy tender mercy, to dwell within the court of fellowship, until I discerned therein that which I witnessed of the clear tokens of Thy mercifulness, the compelling evidences of Thy oneness, the effulgent splendours of Thy majesty, the source of Thy supreme singleness, the heights of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the signs of Thy peerlessness, the manifestations of Thine exalted glory, the retreats of Thy sanctity, and whatsoever is inscrutable to all but Thee. (Selections from the Writings of the Báb, pp. 173-174)Thou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou didst call Me into being out of the water of Thy love till I reached fifteen years of age I lived in the land which witnessed My birth [Shiraz]. Then Thou didst enable Me to go to the seaport [Bushihr] where for five years I was engaged in trading with the goodly gifts of Thy realm and was occupied in that with which Thou hast favoured Me through the wondrous essence of Thy loving-kindness. I proceeded therefrom to the Holy Land [Karbila] where I sojourned for one year. Then I returned to the place of My birth. There I experienced the revelation of Thy sublime bestowals and the evidences of Thy boundless grace. I yield Thee praise for all Thy goodly gifts and I render Thee thanksgiving for all Thy bounties. Then at the age of twenty-five I proceeded to thy sacred House [Mecca], and by the time I returned to the place where I was born, a year had elapsed. There I tarried patiently in the path of Thy love and beheld the evidences of Thy manifold bounties and of Thy loving-kindness until Thou didst ordain for Me to set out in Thy direction and to migrate to Thy presence. Thus I departed therefrom by Thy leave, spending six months in the land of Sad [Isfahan] and seven months in the First Mountain [Maku], where Thou didst rain down upon Me that which beseemeth the glory of Thy heavenly blessings and befitteth the sublimity of Thy gracious gifts and favours. Now, in My thirtieth year, Thou beholdest Me, O My God, in this Grievous Mountain [Chihriq] where I have dwelt for one whole year. Praise be unto Thee, O My Lord, for all times, heretofore and hereafter; and thanks be unto Thee, O My God, under all conditions, whether of the past or the future. The gifts Thou hast bestowed upon Me have reached their fullest measure and the blessings Thou hast vouchsafed unto Me have attained their consummation. . . . (Writings of the Báb, pp. 180-182)
Reader 6: Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent. —The Báb
Music: Say God Sufficieth (Eric Harper)
Reader 1: What follows is a fictionalized account of the Bab’s life, based on what we do know, told from the perspective of his Mother and His wife, taken from a play called “Midsummer Noon”:
(Reader 7) The Mother of the Báb: I knew him well. He was my son. He was born on October Reader 20, 1819 in the city of Shiraz. From the time He was a baby I remember thinking that there was something different about him. As a child He was always very serene, and had a dignified manner. My husband died when the Báb was very young, and my brother became His guardian. When it came time for him to go to school, my brother took him, but His teacher brought Him back to His uncle the following day saying that he had nothing to teach this gifted child. He said, “He stands in no need of a teacher such as I.” My brother was determined that the Báb should continue to attend school, and so He did, but as time went on, the schoolmaster became even more convinced of the Báb’s superior intelligence. He said that he felt that in his relationship to the Báb, he was the one who was being instructed. But my son’s intelligence was not the only characteristic which made him stand out from other children. The character of His devotion to God was very unique. The Báb spent a great deal of time praying, and was often late for school, because, as He said: “He had been in His grandfather’s house.” You see, we were direct descendents of the prophet Mohammed, and this is an expression that we sometimes used for prayer. Sometimes His teacher would tell him that a 10 year old boy did not need to spend so much time praying. But the Báb would say, “I wish to be like my grandfather.” When the Báb was 17, He went to Buchir with His uncle, where He worked as a merchant for 5 years. My brother told me that He won the esteem of all the merchants He met because of His honesty and trustworthiness. During that time, He continued to devote a large amount of time to prayer. When the Báb returned from Buchir, He was 22. I arranged His marriage to our neighbor’s daughter, Halijeh. These were happy days. They were so perfect for each other. Although I did not understand it, there seemed to be a change in my son’s behaviour. I mean, He was always extremely courteous, and very mild, but a new radiance seemed to surround him. Other people must have recognized that there was something very special about him too, for many young religious students would come to visit him in the evenings. Before long, I realized that Halijeh was going to have a baby. In due time, she went into labour, but it was a very difficult labour and I feared that at one point she was going to die. When I hurried to tell my son about the grave condition of His wife, He picked up a mirror which was beside Him and He wrote a prayer on it. He instructed me to hold the mirror in front of Halijeh. I did this immediately and the child was soon born, but its life was short. He was a boy and the Báb named him Ahmad. When Ahmad died, I was very angry at my son. I demanded that He tell me why it was, if He possessed such powers, that He had not attempted to save the life of His own child. He answered very quietly that He was not destined to have any children. It was soon after this that the heart of the storm entered our lives. My son went on pilgrimage, and when He returned, the religious authorities summoned Him to the mosque. They told him that He must stop His teaching. After that we did have a few quiet months before my son moved to my brother’s house. He told Halijeh that it was for our safety that He was leaving us. You know, women were not allowed to be a part of religious affairs in those days and it was very difficult for us to learn what the religious talk of the day was. Sometimes we heard rumours of my son’s claim to be the Promised One, but at the time I personally was not able to investigate this claim. It was toward the end of my life, when Bahá’u'lláh, the One that the Báb had said He had come to prepare the way for, sent two of His followers to teach me about the wonderful station and mission of my son. . . .
(Reader 8) The Wife of the Báb: I also knew Him well. I am Halijeh, the Báb’s wife. We were childhood friends, and as our houses were beside each other, the Báb would often visit us with His family. . . . After He went to Buchir with His uncle, I had a very vivid dream in which I saw him standing in a field of beautiful flowers. He was . . . in an attitude of prayer and He was wearing a beautiful coat, which was embroidered in gold thread with verses from the Koran. His face was radiant. When I told this dream to His mother and grandmother, they assured me that it was my friend, the Báb’s, assiduous attention to His prayer that had brought this vision to me. He was 17 at that time. After He returned from Buchir to live in Shiraz again, I had another dream which puzzled me. I dreamed that Fatimeh, the daughter of Mohammad, had come to ask for my hand in marriage to her son, the Imam Hussein. When I woke up, I told my mother, and she said that this dream foretold good fortune for me. That same day the Báb’s mother and grandmother came to visit my mother. I served them some fruit and tea, and then I left the room. Before our company left, the Báb’s mother kissed my forehead. My mother told me that this kiss signified that the Báb’s mother was asking for my hand in marriage to her son. She said, “you see, the dream you had last night came true.” From that day I felt a great stirring in my heart. I felt immeasurably proud of my coming union. We were married in His home two months later. It was August 1842. I remember the first few months as the happiest days of my life. His care and kindness towards me were indescribable. Both He and His mother showered me with kindness and consideration. Not long after, however, I dreamt one night, that a fiercesome lion was standing in the courtyard of our house and I had my arms around His neck. The beast dragged me twice around the entire perimeter to our courtyard and once again around half of it. I woke up alarmed and trembling with fright. I told my husband about it. He said, “You awoke too soon. Your dream foretells that our life together will not last more than two and a half years.” I was greatly distressed, but His affection and words of comfort consoled me. It must have helped to prepare me to accept the adversity which lay ahead. . . . One day in the late afternoon He came home earlier than usual. That evening He said He had a particular task to attend to, so we had an early dinner with the family in His mother’s room and He retired for the night. An hour later, when the house was quiet and all were asleep, He rose from His bed and left the room. At first, I took no particular notice to His absence, but when it lengthened to more than an hour, I felt some concern. I looked for him, but He was nowhere to be found. Then I walked to the western side of the house, looked up at the roof top, and saw that the upper chamber was well lit. So with some trepidation, I went up the steps at the northern side of the courtyard. There I saw him standing in that chamber, His hands raised heavenward, intoning a prayer in a most melodious voice, with tears streaming down His face. And His face! His face was luminous. Rays of light radiating from it. He looked so majestic and resplendent, that fear seized me and I stood transfixed where I was, trembling uncontrollably. I could neither enter the room nor retrace my steps. My willpower was gone and I was on the verge of screaming when He made a gesture with His blessed hands, telling me to go back. This movement of His hands gave me back my courage and I returned to my room and my bed. Sleep was impossible and the coming dawn was foreboding. At sunrise, He went to His mother’s room for tea. I followed Him there, and as soon as my eyes fell on Him that same attitude of majesty that I had seen the night before took shape before me. He raised His face to me and with great kindness, asked me to sit beside him. Then He passed to me what was left of the tea in His own cup, which I drank. He gently asked what was troubling me, to which I replied, “You are no longer the same person I knew in our childhood. We grew up together and we have been married for two years, living in this house and now I see a different person before me. You have been transformed and it makes me anxious and uneasy.” He smiled at me and said that although He wished I had not seen him in the previous condition of last night, God had ordained otherwise. It was the Will of God, He said, that you should have seen me in the way you did last night, so that no shadow of doubt should ever cross your mind. And you should know with absolute certitude that I am the Manifestation of God, whose advent has been invoked for a thousand years. This light radiates from my heart and from My being. As soon as I heard Him speak these words, I believed in Him and my heart became calm and assured. From that moment, I lived only to serve Him. . . .
Remover of Difficulties, in Arabicand/or other languages
Music: Remover of Difficulties, sung or from CD
Reader 2: The following is from a Tablet by Bahá’u'lláh in honor of the anniversary of the Báb’s birth:
(music will start: Smith & Dragoman #3; Reader 9 to come in and read over it; music to play out)
Reader 9:All praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast adorned the world with the splendour of the dawn following the night wherein was born the One Who heralded the Manifestation of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the Dayspring of Thy divine Essence and the Revelation of Thy supreme Lordship. I beseech Thee, O Creator of the heavens and Fashioner of names, to graciously aid those who have sheltered beneath the shadow of Thine abounding mercy and have raised their voices amidst the peoples of the world for the glorification of Thy Name. . . . I implore Thee by the glory of Thy Manifestation and by the power of Thy might, Thy sovereignty and Thine exaltation to render victorious those who have arisen to serve Thee, who have aided Thy Cause and humbled themselves before the splendour of the light of Thy face. Make them then, O my God, triumphant over Thine enemies and cause them to be steadfast in Thy service, that through them the evidences of Thy dominion may be established throughout Thy realms and the tokens of Thine indomitable power be manifested in Thy lands. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou willest; no God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
(Music will continue to end)
Reader 6:There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God's Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness.” —The Báb
Reader 4: O Lord! Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree of Thy divine Unity; water it then, O Lord, with the flowing waters of Thy good-pleasure, and cause it, before the revelations of Thy divine assurance, to yield such fruits as Thou desirest for Thy glorification and exaltation, Thy praise and thanksgiving, and to magnify Thy Name, to laud the oneness of Thine Essence and to offer adoration unto Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and in that of none other. —The Báb
O God, My God, my Beloved, My Heart’s Desire (singers)
MC Thank you for coming, and a large thanks to all who helped with the program and to that One whose Birth we celebrate tonight. Now we invite everyone to join us for refreshments! (Persian, translation)
Walk out music: Smith & Dragoman, Open the Gates, #5 “Break of Dawn”
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