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I renewed my ablutions and prepared for prayer. He, too, stood beside me and prayed. ... It was about an hour after sunset when my youthful Host began to converse with me. 'Whom, after Siyyid Kázim,'

He asked me, 'do you regard as his successor and your leader?' 'At the hour of his death,' I replied, 'our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved.

I have, accordingly, journeyed to Persia, have arisen to accomplish his will, and am still engaged in my quest.' 'Has your teacher,' He further enquired, 'given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the Qá'im?' 'Yes,' I replied, 'He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fátimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty.

He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.'

He paused for a while and then with vibrant voice declared: 'Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!'"

ibid., p55-7

The young man, whose name was Siyyid Alí Muhammád, proceeded to demonstrate that each of the signs given by Siyyid Kázim were indeed applicable to Him. Yet Mullá Husayn was unsure. He had prepared two tests for anyone claiming to be the Qá'im, and decided to place them before Siyyid Alí Muhammád in order to prove the matter one way or the other.

From that day forward, Siyyid Alí Muhammád referred to Himself as the Báb (the Gate) and Mullá Husayn became his first disciple. Although the Báb was indeed the Qá'im foretold by Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, He taught that He was but the Herald of another Messenger who would appear very soon after Him and the power of whose revelation would far exceed any previously sent down by God.

It was the beginning of six tumultuous years that would see Persia turned upside down, thousands of the Báb's followers put to death and the Báb Himself executed by firing squad in 1850. Mullá Husayn would be killed when the army besieged a group of Bábís at Fort Tabarsí in 1849.

The day the Báb declared His mission is now, as He had promised, celebrated by Bahá'í’s around the world as "one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals."

All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions

Fillmore CommUnity

1st Saturday of the Month, May 6th Call Luanne at 524-0683 for details

Oxnard CommUnity

1st Sunday of the Month, May 7th 10:30 AM. Locations May vary. Call Barbara at 984-4390

Camarillo CommUnity

3rd Sunday of the Month, May 21st Call Renee at 383-3904 for details.

Dawn Prayers

Ongoing every Wednesday morning, 7 am, at the beach at San Jon and Harbor in Ventura.  Bring your favorite prayer.  Followed by a quick trip to the coffee shop.

To learn more about the Bahá’í Faith, contact the Bahá’í House of Worship or the Bahá’í community in your area. Further information is also available at www.us.bahai.org and www.bahai.org.

Visit the Ventura Bahá’i Website located at: www.venturabahai.org

 

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