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Execution of the Báb

The Execution of the Báb was the state-ordered killing by firing squad of Siyyid

Alí Muḥammad Shírází (1819–1850), a [Persian](/page/Persian) merchant and religious leader who proclaimed himself the Báb ("Gate" to the Twelfth Imam) and founded [Bábism](/page/Bábism) in 1844 as a messianic offshoot challenging Shí

a Islamic orthodoxy, carried out on 9 July 1850 in the barracks square of Tabriz, Qajar Iran.^[1]^[2] Charged with apostasy and sedition amid fears of his followers' uprisings that disrupted Qajar authority, the 30-year-old Báb was suspended alongside disciple Áqá Ján-i-Káshání (Anis) before an initial volley from approximately 750 Armenian Christian riflemen, whose shots reportedly severed their ropes without harming them, allowing the Báb to resume dictating a final prayer before recapture and execution by a second Muslim detachment.^[2] Contemporary reports from Persian officials, Russian consul Anitchkov, and British envoy Justin Sheil document the event's public spectacle and the government's intent to quash the sect's growth, though Bábí accounts emphasize a providential survival in the first barrage while non-Bábí sources vary on details like the shots' precision amid 19th-century musket limitations.^[2] The mutilated remains were initially discarded in a moat before secret retrieval by adherents, later interred at Mount Carmel in Haifa, symbolizing for Bábí and subsequent Bahá'í traditions the dawn of a new prophetic dispensation despite intensifying persecutions that claimed thousands more lives.^[1]^[2]

Historical Context

Origins of the Bábí Movement

The Bábí movement arose in 1844 within the Twelver Shīʿī Islamic milieu of Qajar Iran, building on the esoteric and millenarian currents of Shaykhism, a heterodox school that anticipated the imminent return of the Twelfth Imam (the Qāʾim). Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī (1753–1826) had founded Shaykhism by promoting allegorical interpretations of Shīʿī hadith and emphasizing the role of spiritual intermediaries (nuqabāʾ) between the Hidden Imam and believers, fostering heightened eschatological expectations amid socioeconomic strains in Iran. After al-Aḥsāʾī's death, his disciple Sayyid Kāẓem Raštī (d. 1843) led the group, dispatching students like Mullā Ḥusayn Bušrūʾī to search for the promised one, which created doctrinal receptivity for prophetic assertions.^[3]^[4] Siyyid ʿAlī-Muḥammad Shīrāzī, a merchant born on October 20, 1819, in Shiraz, had engaged with Shaykhī teachings during his education in Karbala and Shiraz, where he displayed precocious religious insight. On the evening of May 22–23, 1844, at age 24, he disclosed his mission privately to Mullā Ḥusayn in Shiraz, proclaiming himself the Bāb ("Gate" to the Hidden Imam) and initiator of a new divine dispensation to renew Islam in preparation for the Imam's advent. This declaration, documented in early Bábī texts like the Persian Bayān, instructed initial secrecy to avoid immediate persecution, though the Bāb soon authored the Qayyūm al-Asmāʾ, a Qurʾān-commentary-style work expounding his authority and abrogating certain Islamic laws.^[5]^[3] The movement's foundational cadre, termed the Ḥurūf al-Ḥayy ("Letters of the Living"), consisted of eighteen figures—the Bāb himself, Mullā Ḥusayn (titled Bāb al-Bāb), and sixteen others—who recognized his claim independently between May and October 1844 without mutual consultation. Prominent members included Quddūs (Ismāʿīl of Tabriz), the sole non-Shaykhī cleric, and Fāṭimeh Baraghānī (Ṭāhira), the only woman, a poet from Qazvin. These apostles, dispatched from Shiraz, propagated discreetly across Iran and Iraq, attracting converts primarily from ʿulamāʾ, merchants, and urban youth; by mid-1845, adherents numbered in the hundreds, concentrated in Shiraz, Najaf, and Isfahan, amid growing clerical suspicion over the Bāb's evolving self-identification toward full mahdi status.^[3]^[5]

Escalation of Conflicts with Qajar Authorities

Following the Báb's declaration of his mission in Shiraz on May 23, 1844, local Qajar officials under Governor Husayn Khán arrested him within months, confining him initially under house arrest and later in stricter imprisonment to curb the spread of his teachings, which rejected key tenets of Twelver Shi'ism.^[6] Despite a conditional release in September 1846 requiring cessation of public preaching, the Báb persisted in corresponding with clerics and attracting adherents, prompting authorities to escort him to Isfahan later that month.^[6] There, under the protection of Governor Manúchihr Khán, he converted prominent figures, including the governor's sister and sister-in-law, further alarming religious leaders who petitioned Tehran for intervention.^[6] Manúchihr Khán's death in April 1847 ended this respite, leading to the Báb's transfer northward; he arrived at the remote fortress of Mákú in July 1847, where warden 'Alí Khán attempted isolation but could not prevent the influx of visitors and the dissemination of his writings, such as the Persian Bayán.^[6] Relocated to the Chihriq fortress in spring 1848 amid reports of growing unrest, the Báb's captivity failed to quell the movement, as his followers organized independently, interpreting his prophecies as calls for upheaval against perceived corruption in state and clerical institutions.^[7] Qajar officials, viewing these activities as heretical agitation, intensified surveillance, with Prime Minister Hájjí Mírzá Áqásí ordering interrogations, yet the regime under Muhammad Sháh hesitated on execution, opting instead for containment until his death on September 4, 1848.^[8] Tensions escalated dramatically in mid-1848 with the Badasht conference in June–July, hosted by Bahá'u'lláh near Semnan, where approximately 80–81 leading Bábís, including the poetess Táhirih, convened to deliberate strategy amid apocalyptic expectations.^[9] Táhirih's symbolic rejection of the hijab and proclamation of the abrogation of Sharia marked a decisive break from Islam, radicalizing participants and signaling to authorities a movement intent on supplanting the religious order underpinning Qajar legitimacy.^[9] This gathering preceded immediate clashes, as delegates like Quddús proceeded to Mázandarán, where local disputes with Prince Abbás Qulí Khán Mu'tamidu'd-Dawlih erupted into violence; on October 13, 1848, Bábís numbering around 300–400 fortified the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí after defending against an initial attack, initiating a seven-month siege by state forces under multiple commanders.^[10] The Tabarsí conflict, ending May 9, 1849, with Quddús's execution, exemplified Bábí militancy—initially defensive but rooted in messianic fervor—as survivors dispersed, inspiring parallel uprisings.^[10] In Zanjan, from May 5, 1850, to January 1851, Mullá Muhammad-'Alíy-i Barfurúshí (Hujjat) led 2,000–5,000 adherents in armed resistance against government troops after clerical incitement and conversion of much of the populace, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.^[11] Similarly, in Nayriz from June 1850, Vahíd's followers clashed with provincial forces, fortifying positions before suppression.^[7] Under the new monarch Násir al-Dín Sháh and reformist Prime Minister Mírzá Taqí Khán Amír Kabír, these revolts—totaling four major confrontations from 1848 to 1853—were framed as sedition threatening dynastic stability, justifying escalated military mobilization and the shift toward executing the Báb as the perceived instigator.^[10]^[8]

Trial, Interrogations, and Imprisonment Leading to Execution

Following his declaration in Shiraz on May 23, 1844, Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, known as the Báb, faced escalating scrutiny from Qajar officials due to his claims of divine authority and the growing influence of his followers. He was first arrested in early July 1845 en route from Bushihr to Shiraz after a disciple publicly proclaimed a new call to prayer, prompting local unrest; the governor, Mirza Husayn Khan, interrogated him and imposed house arrest in Shiraz from July 1845 to September 1846, during which the Báb continued composing religious texts and corresponding with adherents.^[12] In late September 1846, amid a cholera outbreak that displaced the governor, the Báb was released on condition of departure and traveled to Isfahan, where he resided as a guest of Governor Manuchihr Khan until March 1847, producing further theological works.^[12] In late summer 1847, Prime Minister Haji Mirza Aqasi ordered the Báb's transfer to the remote fortress of Mah-Ku in Azerbaijan to curb his influence near the Russian border, where he remained imprisoned for nine months until early April 1848, authoring key texts such as the Dala'il-i Sab'ih.^[12] Concerns over Bábí agitation and foreign interests prompted his relocation in early May 1848 to the stricter Chihriq fortress near Urumiyya, where he endured harsher confinement for approximately two years, composing works including the Kitab al-Asma' and the Persian Bayán while attracting additional converts.^[12] During this period, reports of Bábí militancy, including conflicts in Mazandaran, heightened state alarm, setting the stage for formal proceedings.^[13] The pivotal interrogation occurred in Tabriz in Sha'ban 1264 (July 1848), convened by Crown Prince Nasir al-Din Mirza, with prominent Shi'ite clerics including Nizam al-'Ulama', Mulla Muhammad Mamaqani, and Shaykh 'Ali Asghar (Shaykh al-Islam).^[13] Questioning centered on the Báb's writings, his assertion of Mahdihood, grammatical and astronomical knowledge, and calls for jihad, with the Báb affirming his role as the awaited Qa'im/Mahdi—"I am that person you have been awaiting for one thousand years"—while offering to produce revelatory verses, though accounts differ on the coherence and impact of his replies.^[13] Muslim clerical sources, such as Rawdat al-Safa-yi Nasiri and Namus-i Nasiri, portray his responses as evasive or erroneous, leading to fatwas from Shaykh 'Ali Asghar and others deeming him sane and thus liable for execution on charges of heresy and sedition against Islam; Bábí narratives emphasize his doctrinal firmness.^[13] Two days post-interrogation, the Báb received 200 lashes of bastinado, examined by British physician William Cormick who confirmed his sanity, and was returned to Chihriq under intensified guard.^[13] He remained there until mid-1850, amid Bábí uprisings that prompted Prime Minister Amir Kabir to order his final transfer to Tabriz for re-examination by ulama, culminating in condemnation without appeal; this phase of imprisonment isolated him but allowed continued theological output, though under worsening conditions reflecting Qajar fears of messianic revolt.^[13]^[12] Scholarly analyses, drawing on interdependent Persian and Bábí accounts, highlight discrepancies in response details attributable to partisan recording, underscoring the trial's role in legitimizing suppression rather than theological resolution.^[13]

Legal and Political Basis for Execution

Charges of Apostasy and Sedition

The Báb, Siyyid ʿAlī Muḥammad Shīrāzī, was formally charged with apostasy during his trial in Tabrīz in Shaʿbān 1264 AH (July 1848 CE), where he affirmed claims of Mahdihood and a divine mission independent of established Shīʿī doctrine, including statements in his writings such as "I am that person you have been awaiting for one thousand years."^[13] These assertions were deemed heretical by interrogating ʿulamāʾ, as they positioned the Báb as a prophetic figure abrogating aspects of Islamic law and challenging the finality of Muḥammad's revelation, warranting execution under Twelver Shīʿa jurisprudence for ridda (apostasy).^[13] The tribunal, presided over by Crown Prince Nāṣir al-Dīn Mīrzā, involved prominent clerics such as Ḥājī Mullā Maḥmūd Tabrīzī (Nizām al-ʿUlamāʾ) and Mullā Muḥammad Mamāqānī, who questioned the Báb on his theological positions and produced writings evidencing his self-proclaimed role as the Qāʾim (Riser).^[13] A fatwā condemning the Báb to death—contingent on confirmation of sanity—was issued by Shaykh Abū l-Qāsim al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusaynī (Qummī) and Shaykh ʿAlī Aṣghar al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusaynī, framing his doctrines as a direct assault on religious orthodoxy and social order.^[13] Although the 1848 proceedings resulted in imprisonment rather than immediate execution, the apostasy verdict provided the religious basis later invoked for his 1850 death sentence.^[13] Charges of sedition arose from the Bábī movement's broader implications, including references in the Báb's texts to jihād and division of spoils, interpreted as incitements to rebellion against Qajar authority, compounded by armed resistances by his followers in locales such as Māzandarān and Zanjān.^[13] Prime Minister Mīrzā Taqī Khān Amīr Kabīr, seeking to suppress perceived threats to state stability amid these uprisings, authorized the Báb's transfer to Tabrīz for re-examination in 1850, where sedition was emphasized as a political justification overlaying the prior religious condemnation.^[14] Official reports, such as that from Amīr Aslan Khān to Muḥammad Shāh, highlighted the disruptive potential of the Báb's following, portraying him as a catalyst for unrest rather than merely a theological deviant.^[13] This dual framing—apostasy by clerical fiat and sedition by state prerogative—reflected the intertwined religious and political dimensions of Qajar suppression, with the execution proceeding on July 9, 1850, despite the Báb's non-involvement in direct violence.^[13]

Role of Religious and State Authorities

The execution of the Báb on July 9, 1850, in Tabriz was orchestrated by Qajar state authorities under Prime Minister Amir Kabir (Mirza Taqi Khan), who served as chief minister to Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848–1896). Following Bábí uprisings in regions such as Mazandaran, Neyriz, and Zanjan between 1848 and 1850, which posed threats to central authority, Amir Kabir sought to eliminate the movement's founder to prevent further instability. He ordered the Báb's transfer from Chehran to Tabriz specifically for execution, viewing the suppression of Bábism as essential to state security amid broader reforms aimed at modernizing Persia.^[15]^[13] Religious authorities, primarily Shia ulama in Tabriz, provided the theological justification through a fatwa declaring the Báb guilty of apostasy (irtidad) and heresy, aligning with Twelver Shia jurisprudence that prescribes death for such offenses when corroborated by civil power. Leading clerics, including Mulla Muhammad Mamaqani, played a prominent role in the brief re-examination prior to execution, signing the fatwa that framed the Báb's claims—as the promised Mahdi and initiator of a new prophetic dispensation—as a direct challenge to Islamic orthodoxy. This clerical endorsement was solicited by the state to legitimize the act under sharia, reflecting the intertwined nature of religious and political power in Qajar Persia, where ulama often influenced or ratified governmental actions against perceived threats to the faith.^[13]^[16] The collaboration between state and religious figures underscored a pragmatic alliance: Amir Kabir prioritized political control, while ulama defended doctrinal purity against the Báb's repudiation of the established clergy's interpretive monopoly. No independent judicial trial occurred; the process bypassed formal legal appeals, with the governor of Azerbaijan initially hesitating but ultimately complying under central orders. This dual authority ensured the execution's implementation by a state-organized firing squad of 750 Armenian Christian soldiers, detached from Muslim troops to avoid ritual impurity concerns raised by some ulama.^[15]^[13]

Details of the Execution

Preparations and Logistics in Tabriz

The execution was arranged for the morning of July 9, 1850, in the barracks square of Tabriz, a spacious public area adjacent to military facilities that allowed for the assembly of spectators and troops.^[17] This location facilitated oversight by local authorities, including the prince Hishmatu'd-Dawlih, who reportedly declined direct involvement in the proceedings despite his oversight role..doc) The order originated from Prime Minister Mírzá Taqi Khán (Amír Kabír), who sought to publicly demonstrate the suppression of the Bábí movement amid ongoing unrest.^[18] Logistical preparations included the mobilization of a Christian Armenian regiment to avoid potential reluctance among Muslim soldiers, with approximately 750 troops divided into three files of 250 riflemen each under Colonel Sám Khán's command.^[19] The Báb, held in a cell within the barracks, was escorted to the site along with his companion Áqá Ján-i-Khurasání (Anís), who had insisted on sharing his fate after a nighttime visit.^[20] They were bound with ropes and suspended about three meters above the ground against a barrack wall to expose them fully to the firing line.^[19] A substantial crowd gathered, drawn by announcements of the event, though estimates vary and primary accounts emphasize the public nature without precise figures.^[2] Security measures focused on containing potential Bábí sympathizers, with no reported disturbances during the setup, as confirmed in contemporaneous Persian dispatches noting the execution's completion without incident..doc) The arrangement prioritized rapid execution by volley fire, reflecting standard Qajar military protocol for capital punishment amid fears of the Báb's influence.^[19]

The Firing Squad Deployment

The firing squad was assembled from the Nasiri Regiment, deliberately comprising Christian (Armenian) soldiers to avoid refusals by Muslim troops who viewed executing the Báb as potentially sacrilegious.^[2] According to Nabil's Narrative, the earliest detailed Bábí historical account compiled from eyewitness testimonies, 350 such soldiers were positioned in the Tabriz military barracks square, arranged in three files facing a wall roughly 10 meters distant, to which the Báb and his disciple Áqá Ján (Anis) were suspended by ropes.^[2] The French orientalist Comte de Gobineau, drawing on reports from Persian sources in his 1865 work Religions et philosophies dans l'Asie centrale, similarly describes 250 Nasiri Regiment soldiers in this formation.^[2] The official Qajar chronicle Nāsikh al-Tawārīkh confirms the use of the Nasiri Regiment but omits a specific count.^[2] Later Bahá'í historiographical traditions, such as Shoghi Effendi's God Passes By (1944), expand the figure to 750 soldiers divided into three ranks of 250, a detail absent from Nabil or Gobineau but consistent with embellishments emphasizing the scale of the event.^[19] The square was enclosed by buildings whose rooftops and walls were crowded with spectators, estimated in some accounts at up to 10,000, underscoring the public nature of the deployment.^[2] Each file was instructed to fire in succession upon command from the regiment commander, Sám Khán, using muskets loaded with standard ammunition.^[2]

Sequence of Events: First Volley and Immediate Aftermath

The Báb, suspended alongside his disciple Áqá Ján-i-Kashání (also known as Anís) by ropes attached to a spike projecting from the wall between two barracks buildings in Tabriz's military square, faced a firing squad of approximately 750 Armenian Christian soldiers arrayed in three ranks of 250 each on the morning of July 9, 1850 (28 Sha'bán 1266 A.H.). These troops, drawn from the Christian regiment to circumvent potential hesitation among Muslim soldiers, received the order to fire simultaneously upon the order of the execution's overseer. The volley produced a dense pall of smoke that shrouded the area, momentarily obscuring visibility.^[21]^[22] When the smoke cleared, the Báb was no longer visible at the suspension point; the ropes had been severed by bullets, and Áqá Ján's body lay at the foot of the wall, riddled with over 750 projectiles. Early non-Bábí accounts, such as that recorded by the Russian orientalist Mirza Kazem-Beg based on Persian reports, describe the initial discharge as cutting the Báb's bonds, causing him to drop behind the wall structure. Bábí narratives assert his unharmed reappearance in an adjacent cell, where he completed dictating a final missive to his secretary before calmly submitting to recapture.^[19]^[22]^[21] The incident prompted the resignation of the squad commander, Sám Khán, who cited a foreboding dream and refused further involvement, leading to the withdrawal of his regiment; a replacement contingent under new oversight was promptly assembled to resume proceedings. No contemporary Qajar official dispatch details this phase, though European consular observations confirm an execution attempt followed by adjustments due to the incomplete result.^[21]^[19]

Accounts from Primary Sources

Bábí and Later Bahá'í Narratives

The primary Bábí narratives of the Báb's execution derive from oral testimonies of survivors and early adherents, later compiled by Nabíl-i-Aẓam in his 1888–1890 Persian manuscript, The Dawn-Breakers (Naráqi az al-Ayyám-i-Dawhí), which draws on interviews with eyewitnesses including the Báb's amanuensis, Siyyid Ḥusayn, and other believers present in Tabriz.^[23] These accounts portray the events of July 9, 1850 (28 Sha'bán 1266 AH), in Tabriz, where the Báb, accompanied by his devoted follower Mírzá Muḥammad-ʿAlíy-i-Zunúzí (known as Anís), was led to a barrack square for execution by firing squad under orders from Prime Minister Mírzá Taqi Khán (Amír-Nizám).^[20] According to these sources, Colonel Sám Khán, an Armenian Christian commanding the Násirí Regiment of 750 Muslim riflemen, initially prepared the squad but refused to proceed after the Báb affirmed his prophetic claims, citing a premonition of divine retribution; Sám Khán was subsequently replaced by another officer.^[20] In the Bábí tradition, the Báb and Anís were suspended by ropes against the barracks wall, with the Báb positioned higher.^[20] The first volley from 250 pairs of rifles (500 shots total, per some variants) produced dense smoke, after which the Báb was discovered unharmed in his adjacent cell, having resumed dictating final instructions to his scribe—a task interrupted by the guards earlier that morning.^[20] Only the ropes binding the pair were reportedly severed by the bullets, interpreted in these narratives as a supernatural intervention shielding the Báb until his revealed work was complete.^[20] A second squad then fired, striking both with multiple bullets; the bodies were described as riddled yet with faces serene and unstained, symbolizing spiritual triumph over physical death.^[20] Later Bahá'í elaborations, particularly in Shoghi Effendi's God Passes By (1944), reaffirm and systematize these Bábí reports, framing the execution as a pivotal martyrdom demonstrating divine protection and the inexorability of the Faith's propagation despite persecution.^[21] Shoghi Effendi incorporates details from Nabíl, such as the Báb's pre-execution declaration to the guards that no earthly power could interrupt his divine utterance until fulfilled, and notes the immediate concealment of the remains by believer Hájí Sulaymán Khán in a silk factory to prevent desecration, with eventual interment on Mount Carmel.^[21] These accounts emphasize the Báb's composure, the failure of the initial execution attempt as empirical vindication of his claims, and the event's role in galvanizing Bábí resolve, though they rely on faith-community transmissions rather than independent corroboration.^[20]

Official Persian Eyewitness Reports

Official Persian accounts of the execution, conveyed through government dispatches to foreign outlets, portray the event as a routine enforcement of capital punishment without complications or supernatural elements. A report published in the Journal de Constantinople on July 20, 1850, relaying Persian official communication, states: "The Bab has been put to death in Tabriz. One of his principal followers, named Mirza Muhammad-'Ali, partook of his fate. During this punishment, no disturbances occurred."^[24] This summary aligns with the Qajar regime's interest in presenting the execution—carried out on July 9, 1850, by a firing squad under state orders—as decisively concluding the threat posed by the Báb's movement, emphasizing order and finality over any irregularities.^[24] Such reports, originating from eyewitnesses among military and administrative personnel in Tabriz, including the Nasiri Regiment's deployment, omit details of the Báb's positioning or the sequence of volleys, focusing instead on the outcome: the deaths of Siyyid Ali Muhammad (the Báb) and his disciple, with bodies subsequently handled per official directives for burial by the local Jewish community to prevent veneration. These accounts, preserved in diplomatic correspondences and chronicles of the period, reflect a causal emphasis on state authority suppressing apostasy and sedition, consistent with the charges formalized by religious and civil leaders. No primary Persian official document publicly acknowledges a failed initial volley or the Báb's temporary disappearance, elements central to proponent narratives, suggesting either suppression to discredit miracle claims or absence of such events from the perspective of non-adherent observers.^[15] Historians drawing from Qajar-era records, such as administrative logs and ministerial reports under Prime Minister Mirza Taqi Khan (Amir Kabir), corroborate this view of a completed execution amid routine logistics, with 750 soldiers involved but no reported mass defection or unrest beyond the act itself. The brevity serves a political function, minimizing the Báb's symbolic elevation while confirming empirical success: the targets were struck and killed by musket fire, averting further upheaval in Azerbaijan province.^[25]

Western Diplomatic and Traveler Observations

British diplomatic dispatches from Tehran, drawing on reports from Tabriz, confirmed the execution of the Báb on July 9, 1850, by a volley of musketry in the barracks square. A letter dated July 22, 1850, from the acting chargé d'affaires noted: "The founder of this sect has been executed at Tabriz. He was killed by a volley of musketry and his death was on the point of giving his religion a lustre which would have largely increased its prospects."^[26] This observation highlighted the potential for the event to bolster rather than diminish the movement's influence, reflecting a pragmatic assessment of its socio-political ramifications without reference to any anomalous aspects of the firing.^[26] The Russian consul in Tabriz inspected the execution site the morning after, on July 10, 1850, and directed an accompanying artist to sketch the remains of the Báb and his companion, Áqá Ján (Anis). The drawings depicted the bodies as severely mutilated by gunfire except for the faces, which appeared comparatively intact, with ropes severed and the forms having fallen forward onto the ground below the wall.^[20] This post-execution examination served to verify the completion of the death sentence amid Qajar efforts to quash Bábí unrest, underscoring official foreign interest in the stability of Persian internal affairs. No firsthand eyewitness accounts from Western travelers are documented for the event itself; consular officials, tasked with monitoring regional developments, provided the primary external observations. These reports, originating from politically neutral diplomatic channels, prioritized factual confirmation of the state's punitive action over interpretive or religious elements, differing from partisan Bábí descriptions by omitting claims of divine intervention or survival beyond the initial volley.^[17]

The Miracle Claim and Its Scrutiny

Description of the Alleged Supernatural Event

The alleged supernatural event, as recounted in Bábí and subsequent Bahá'í narratives, occurred during the execution attempt on July 9, 1850, in the barracks square of Tabriz. The Báb, suspended alongside his devoted follower Áqá Siyyid Husayn (known as Anís or Quddús's amanuensis), faced a firing squad composed of 750 Armenian Christian soldiers from the imperial army, organized into three equal contingents of 250 rifles each. Prior to the volleys, the Báb had requested and received permission from the fursátí-díván (military governor) to retire briefly to his cell to conclude dictating a final tablet to his secretary, Mírzá Ja'far, after which he submitted to the ropes binding him to the wall.^[20] The first contingent's discharge, according to these accounts derived from eyewitness Bábí reports compiled by Nabil-i-Azam, severed only the ropes suspending the prisoners, propelling Áqá Siyyid Husayn to the ground where he perished instantly, while the Báb remained uninjured and vanished from the execution ground amid cries from the spectators that "the Siyyid-i-Báb has gone from our sight!" A frantic search ensued, locating the Báb unharmed in his adjacent cell, where he had resumed and completed his interrupted discourse. He was then retrieved, re-suspended beside his companion's body, and subjected to the remaining volleys, which fatally struck both, reportedly sparing the Báb's face and forming a fused outline of their bodies on the wall resembling a human figure or the Persian numeral for 19.^[27]^[28] This sequence is presented in primary Bábí historiography, such as Nabil's The Dawn-Breakers (Núrayn-i-Ísalm), as divine intervention demonstrating the Báb's prophetic authority, with the bullets' precise effect on the ropes defying probabilistic expectations given the volume of fire at close range. Later Bahá'í interpretations, including Shoghi Effendi's synthesis, emphasize the event's miraculous nature without attributing it to physical impossibility per se, but as a fulfillment of scriptural prophecies in Bábí texts foretelling his protected passing. Non-Bábí contemporary reports, such as Persian official telegrams, acknowledge an initial execution failure but omit supernatural elements, attributing it instead to musket misfire or chance.^[27]^[2]

Empirical Evidence and Historical Reliability

The alleged miracle of the Báb's survival of the initial firing squad volley on July 9, 1850, lacks direct physical evidence, such as preserved bullets, ropes, or bodily remains, as the corpses were promptly discarded and later retrieved by adherents under cover of night.^[2] Empirical verification thus relies on contemporaneous textual accounts, which exhibit significant variances in detail and reliability. Non-Bahá'í sources, including Russian Consul Ivan Anitchkov's 1850 dispatch to the Foreign Ministry and British chargé d'affaires Justin Sheil's July 22, 1850, letter, confirm the execution occurred in Tabriz's barracks square via musket volley but omit any supernatural survival, describing a straightforward killing of both the Báb and his companion Ánis with bodies subsequently exposed and scavenged.^[2] These diplomatic reports, drawn from official Persian channels and local informants, prioritize factual reporting over theological interpretation, enhancing their credibility relative to partisan narratives.^[19] Some Persian and early European accounts acknowledge an initial volley's failure, attributing it to mundane factors like soldiers firing without precise aim—consistent with 19th-century musket inaccuracy rates, where smoothbore weapons deviated up to 1-2 meters at 10-15 meters' range—or stray bullets severing suspension ropes, allowing brief escape and recapture nearby rather than a full disappearance into the prison.^[2] For instance, physician Jakob Polak's 1865 recollection notes the Báb slipping through a structural gap amid the chaos, followed by a second, successful volley, framing the event as logistical mishap rather than intervention.^[2] Lady Sheil's 1856 account similarly records the public execution by a company of soldiers without anomalous survival, underscoring bodies' disposal in a ditch for canine consumption.^[2] These align on a second execution but diverge from Bahá'í elaborations of the Báb reappearing unscathed two stories above, dictating scripture, an element absent in independent records and likely a later hagiographic addition to affirm prophetic status.^[19] Reliability assessments highlight source biases: Bábí eyewitness testimonies, preserved in later compilations like Nabil-i-Zarand's 1880s narrative, emanate from committed followers incentivized to portray divine protection, with progressive amplification—e.g., early reports limit the miracle to Ánis's death and rope severance, while subsequent ones extend unharmed survival to both.^[2] Official Qajar Persian documentation, motivated to delegitimize the movement, minimizes disruptions, reporting compliance without endorsing anomalies that could fuel Bábí recruitment.^[2] Western observers, while detached, relied on hearsay absent direct presence at the square, and claims of 750 soldiers (three ranks of 250) strain logistical plausibility in a confined barracks yard, as spatial constraints would preclude effective firing lines beyond 50-100 men.^[19] Causal analysis favors natural explanations—smoke obscuration, rope positioning exposing cords over bodies, and regiment hesitation (e.g., Christian troops' reluctance yielding to Muslim replacements)—over unverified supernatural claims, as no corroborated physical impossibilities emerge beyond textual variances.^[19]

Skeptical Interpretations and Alternative Explanations

Skeptical interpretations of the alleged miracle during the Báb's execution on July 9, 1850, emphasize the absence of corroboration in contemporary non-Bábí sources, attributing the narrative to post-event embellishment by followers seeking to inspire devotion amid persecution. British chargé d'affaires Martin Sheil, reporting from Tehran on July 22, 1850, described the event succinctly as the Báb being "killed by a volley of musketry," noting its potential to enhance the movement's appeal through martyrdom but making no reference to survival, disappearance, or supernatural intervention.^[19] This diplomatic dispatch, based on official channels close to the Qajar court, contrasts sharply with later Bábí accounts that introduce the miracle, suggesting the extraordinary elements emerged in oral traditions or writings circulated among adherents after the fact, without independent verification from Persian authorities or European observers present in Tabriz. Alternative explanations grounded in historical and ballistic realities propose that the reported "survival" of the first volley resulted from human and technical factors rather than divine agency. The firing squad reportedly consisted of Armenian Christian soldiers, numbering perhaps a few dozen rather than the 750 claimed in Bahá'í narratives, who may have hesitated due to religious qualms or sympathy for a figure some viewed as messianic, leading to intentionally low or errant shots that severed binding ropes without striking flesh.^[19] Muskets of the era, smoothbore and inaccurate beyond short range, frequently produced such outcomes in executions when soldiers' resolve faltered, as documented in other 19th-century Ottoman and Persian firing squads; the Báb and his companion Ánis could then have dropped or been assisted away briefly amid the ensuing chaos before recapture and a second, more resolute volley by Muslim troops ensured completion.^[19] The specific claim of the Báb's disappearance—allegedly found unscathed in his cell completing a dictation—lacks attestation beyond partisan Bábí testimonies compiled decades later, such as Nabil's Dawn-Breakers (completed circa 1880s), and aligns with patterns of hagiographic amplification in nascent movements facing suppression. Historians note inconsistencies across accounts, including varying squad sizes and volley sequences, which undermine empirical reliability; Persian official reports, focused on quelling unrest, dismissed any irregularity, portraying a routine apostasy execution to deter followers.^[19] Such discrepancies, coupled with the Báb's own documented rejection of miracles as proof of prophethood, invite causal analysis favoring legend over literal event, where follower accounts retrofitted supernatural framing to sustain morale post-execution.^[20]

Immediate Consequences

Handling of the Remains

Following the second volley of gunfire on July 9, 1850, the bodies of the Báb and his companion Áqá Muḥammad-`Alí were reportedly riddled with additional lance and spear thrusts to confirm death, after which they were transported to the edge of a moat outside Tabriz for disposal.^[29] Official orders from the vizier directed that the remains be cast into the ditch to be consumed by stray animals, reflecting standard practice for executed apostates or rebels in Qajar Persia to deter veneration and symbolize utter degradation. Guards were posted to prevent interference, underscoring authorities' intent to preclude any ritual recovery by Bábí adherents.^[30] Despite these measures, Bábí followers, including figures like the wife of a local believer, surveilled the site and retrieved the remains under cover of darkness that same evening, bribing guards or exploiting lapses in vigilance according to partisan accounts.^[30] ^[29] The bodies, described as fused together from the fusillade and bearing over 750 bullet wounds in hagiographic narratives, were conveyed to a private residence in Tabriz for washing and shrouding in accordance with Islamic rites adapted by the sect.^[30] Primary Bábí sources claim the remains were intact in facial features despite mutilation elsewhere, though such details lack corroboration in non-sectarian reports and align with miraculous emphases in faith traditions.^[30] The remains were initially interred in a temporary grave within the precincts of the Imam-Zadeh Ḥasan mausoleum near Tabriz, selected for its obscurity to evade Qajar desecration efforts amid ongoing suppression of Bábism.^[31] This hasty burial served as a provisional safeguard, with the casket later exhumed and relocated multiple times within Persia—first to Miyándúáb in 1851, then Ūrúmiyyih, and by 1856 to Tehran under instructions from Bahá'u'lláh—to protect against confiscation or violation, as documented in Bábí chronicles.^[31] Persian governmental histories, such as those by Sipihr and Hidāyat, omit retrieval details, focusing instead on execution as conclusive suppression, highlighting discrepancies attributable to victors' archival biases.^[15]

Short-Term Reactions in Tabriz and Persia

The execution of the Báb on July 9, 1850, in Tabriz prompted Qajar officials to intensify surveillance and arrests of suspected Bábí adherents in the city and its environs, aiming to prevent any organized response or veneration of the event as martyrdom. Local authorities, under the direction of Prime Minister Amír Kabír, dispersed crowds and suppressed public discourse on the circumstances, including claims of an anomalous outcome from the firing squad, to maintain order and frame the act as decisive justice against apostasy.^[32] In Tabriz, short-term repercussions included targeted raids on Bábí households and the village of Milān nearby, where communities faced beatings, property seizures, and displacement as officials rooted out potential sympathizers; these actions reflected a policy of preemptive containment rather than widespread popular unrest. Eyewitness diplomatic reports, such as from the Russian consul in Tabriz, noted the condemned faced death with composure but recorded no immediate riots or mass defections, indicating official control held firm amid a populace divided between clerical endorsement and wary silence.^[32]^[19] Across Persia, news of the execution disseminated via travelers and couriers within weeks, eliciting approval from the Shiʿi clerical establishment as vindication of orthodoxy, while fostering trepidation among the general population regarding association with the movement; however, it inadvertently generated pockets of sympathy, as the spectacle of public execution—intended to deter—highlighted perceived injustices and spurred discreet conversions in urban centers like Tehran and Shiraz. Bábí sources claim the event galvanized followers, portraying it as prophetic fulfillment, though independent accounts emphasize heightened fear and a temporary lull in overt activities before escalated persecutions in 1852.^[32]^[33]

Broader Impact and Legacy

Effects on the Bábí Movement and Successor Faiths

The execution of the Báb on July 9, 1850, marked a turning point that accelerated the violent suppression of the Bábí movement, with Qajar authorities executing or killing an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 adherents in the following years through targeted campaigns and responses to localized conflicts.^[34] Uprisings contemporaneous with or immediately following the event, including the prolonged siege in Zanjan (late 1850 to January 1851) involving hundreds of Bábí fighters under Mullá Muhammad-ʿAlí Zunúzí (Hujjat) and clashes in Nayriz led by Vahíd, resulted in massacres that decimated regional strongholds, as government forces employed artillery and deception to overrun Bábí positions.^[35] These engagements, often framed by Bábís as defensive stands against encirclement rather than premeditated revolts, nonetheless provided pretext for broader purges, culminating in the 1852 assassination attempt on Shah Násir al-Dín by Bábí extremists, which prompted the execution of remaining leaders like Quddús's associates.^[34] By 1853, systematic persecution had dismantled Bábism as a cohesive, public organization in Persia, scattering survivors into concealment or exile and eliminating virtually all prominent apostles and theologians.^[34] This near-eradication stemmed from the movement's earlier militant rhetoric and armed defenses, which alienated potential sympathizers and justified state crackdowns, though some scholars argue the conflicts arose reactively from local power vacuums rather than centralized doctrine.^[35] The remnants coalesced around rival claimants to authority, with Ṣubḥ-i-Azal (Mírzá Yaḥyá) initially designated successor but sidelined by Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí Núrí (Bahá'u'lláh), whose 1863 declaration in Baghdad reframed Bábí eschatology into a new revelation emphasizing non-violence and global unity, thus birthing the Bahá'í Faith.^[34] This pivot from Bábí militancy to quietism enabled institutional reorganization and propagation beyond Persia, particularly after Bahá'u'lláh's exile to the Ottoman Empire, while Azalí Bábism dwindled to isolated pockets in Iran and Cyprus, lacking comparable doctrinal innovation or administrative structure.^[35] The transition underscores how persecution, while devastating organized Bábism, inadvertently facilitated adaptation through leadership schism and ideological moderation, allowing successor expressions to evade total extinction.^[34]

Official Qajar Perspective and Suppression Efforts

The Qajar regime, led by Prime Minister Amir Kabir, regarded the Báb as the primary instigator of sedition and heresy against Twelver Shiism and monarchical authority, culminating in his ordered execution by firing squad in Tabriz on July 9, 1850, explicitly intended to dismantle the Bábí movement's cohesion and prevent its spread.^[15] Religious authorities in Tabriz, including leading ulama, endorsed this through fatwas pronouncing the Báb an apostate meriting death, framing the act as a defense of Islamic orthodoxy rather than mere political expediency.^[15] Official narratives emphasized the execution's success in upholding state stability, dismissing any reports of anomalous events—such as the initial volley's failure to kill—as unsubstantiated or fabricated by Bábí sympathizers to sustain morale. Post-execution suppression campaigns targeted Bábí strongholds with military force, suppressing revolts in Zanjan (May 1850–January 1851), where government troops under Abbas Mirza Khan besieged and massacred hundreds of defenders, and in Neyriz (June–July 1850), resulting in the deaths of over 400 Bábís.^[5] These operations, numbering among at least three major uprisings quelled by mid-1851, involved systematic torture, public executions, and property confiscations to eradicate perceived threats, with Amir Kabir prioritizing the decapitation of Bábí leadership to avert broader insurrection.^[36] The 1852 attempt by Bábís to assassinate Shah Nasir al-Din Shah prompted intensified crackdowns, including mass arrests in Tehran, where over 100 were executed or flogged in a single day on January 3, 1853, alongside decrees mandating recantations and surveillance to fragment remaining networks.^[37] Qajar administrators, wary of the movement's appeal amid social discontent, enforced narrative control by censoring pro-Bábí writings and promoting clerical denunciations, though underlying grievances ensured sporadic resistance persisted into the 1860s.^[37]

References

[1]
The Origins and Practices of Holidays: The Martyrdom of the Báb
Jul 8, 2019 · On July 9, 1850 the Báb, who was thirty years old at the time, was charged with apostasy and shot by order of the Prime Minister of the Persian ...Missing: primary | Show results with:primary
[2]
Martyrdom of the Bab - Bahá'í Library Online
This document is an outline for those researching the martyrdom of the Bab, intended as an assistance to read original accounts against. It highlights ...
[3]
Bábí Movement
The Bábí movement was a 13/19th-century messianic movement in Iran and Iraq led by Sayyed ʿAlī-Moḥammad Šīrāzī, the Bāb, that attempted to establish a new ...
[4]
Religion in Iran: Bahá'í History - Iran Chamber Society
a. Shaykhism The Bábí movement had its origins in the Shaykhí movement, a heterodox school within the Twelver branch of Shí`í Islam (q.v.). Shaykh Ahmad ...
[5]
BABISM - Encyclopaedia Iranica
At the inception of the Babi movement in 1260/1844, an uprising (ḵorūj) against unbelievers was keenly anticipated; it was at first believed that this event ...
[6]
Chronology of Principal Events Related in the Dawn-Breakers
Nov 8, 2012 · Shortly after, the Bab leaves Shiraz for Isfahan. Sept. 1846-Mar. 1847, The Bab's stay in Isfahan, where he meets with a number of the 'ulama ...
[7]
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/babism-index
[8]
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Jan 29, 2009 · In the middle of the nineteenth century, Iran was shaken by a series of serious upheavals caused by the Bābī movement.<|control11|><|separator|>
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Apr 7, 2025 · The Conference of Badasht was an instrumental meeting of the leading Bábís in June–July 1848 that set in motion the radicalization of the movement.
[10]
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The Shaykh Tabarsi episode was the first of four major clashes that occurred between the Bábís and the Qájár state from 1848 to 1853.
[11]
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Jun 1, 2011 · The Bábí Uprising in Zanjan occurred on May 5, 1850, when 2,000 Babis, led by Hujjat-i Zanjani, fought against the government army. It was the ...
[12]
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A brief account of the Life and Writings of Sayyid `Alī Muhammad Shirazi, the Bāb (1819-1852 CE). ... Once again the young Siyyid was condemned to death.
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Table of the questions and statements made during the interrogation of the Bab · Table of the answers the Bab gave to these questions and their sources ...Missing: Siyyid | Show results with:Siyyid
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The Babi leader Molla Moḥammed-ʿAli of Bārforuš (known as “Qoddus”) was handed over to the leading local cleric, who had him tortured and killed in the main ...
[16]
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Another passage that has a strong air of authenticity is one in which Nasir al-Din Mirza confronts the Bab with a sphere of the heavens and asks him to explain ...
[17]
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Jul 9, 2017 · The Bab was in a cell in the barracks of Tabriz. He had already been condemned to death by the Amir Kabir, Persia's highest official.
[18]
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the handle means “ ...
[19]
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Dec 25, 2008 · In this version, Anis is executed first, with the Bab watching, then the Bab was suspended and the “regiment received orders to fire, and ...
[20]
The Execution of the Báb - Bahai.org
In this extract from God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi recounts the events surrounding the execution of the Báb. The waves of dire tribulation that violently ...Missing: primary | Show results with:primary
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God Passes By | Bahá'í Reference Library - Bahai.org
A historical review by Shoghi Effendi of the first century of the Bahá'í Faith, published in 1944 on the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of the ...
[22]
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[23]
the dawn-breakers & nabil's narrative of the early days of the baha'i ...
Motives of the Amir-Nizam for execution of the Bab 500; Order of the Amir-Nizam to Navvab Hamzih Mirza 504; Disposal by the Bab of His documents 504; Arrival ...
[24]
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Extracts from the following works reprinted by permission: By Shoghi Effendi: God Passes By ... firing-squad. The order was given and the volley rang out ...
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The Báb, therefore, was haled from Chihrík to Tabriz, and once more arraigned before judges whose sentence was a foregone conclusion. The trial which he now ...
[26]
Martin Sheil's letter of 22 July 1850... - Bahai Forums
Sep 23, 2010 · Well if we take the story as told it really took fifteen hundred riflemen to execute the Bab and His disciple.. The first 750 under and the next ...
[27]
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Four months before the Báb's martyrdom Ṭihrán in its turn was to participate, to a lesser degree and under less dramatic circumstances, in the carnage that ...
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Apr 21, 1995 · Rebuked by learned Shí'ih mujtahids at His trial in Tabríz (1848) for violations of the rules of grammar, the Báb reminded those who followed ...
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Sep 25, 2009 · This major holy day is celebrated on the 9th July at noon and commemorates the events surrounding the death of the Báb in 1850.Missing: Charles Alison dispatch
[30]
The Dawn-Breakers/Chapter XXIII - Bahaiworks
Oct 26, 2022 · On the evening of that same day, the mangled bodies of the Báb and His companion were removed from the courtyard of the barracks to the edge of ...
[31]
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To review: Immediately after the execution of the Bab and Anis, their remains were cast by the edge of a moat outside the city of Tabriz.Missing: thrown | Show results with:thrown
[32]
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/martyrs-babi-babi
[33]
The Bábí Movement - Bahai.org
The Bábí Movement, from 1845-1847, caused an upheaval in Persia with many followers, but faced opposition and the Báb's execution, leading to a devastating ...
[34]
The Babi Movement - Bahá'í Library Online
Some Bábís became militant, and several violent incidents occurred. The Báb himself was now imprisoned, and was increasingly alienated from the Qájár regime. In ...
[35]
Bábí Executions and Uprisings
Between 14 Ḏu'l-qaʿda 1264/13 October 1848 and 16 Jomādā II 1265/9 May 1849, the Babi defenders and state troops under the overall command of Mahdīqolī Mīrzā ...
[36]
BĀB, ʿAli Moḥammad Širāzi - Encyclopaedia Iranica
Conflicting accounts indicate that the Bāb's father, Sayyed Reżā Bazzāz, died either when he was in infancy or when he was aged nine and that Bāb's guardianship ...
[37]
BAHAISM i. The Faith - Encyclopaedia Iranica
The government executed the Bāb in 1850. Some Babi leaders in Tehran plotted, in revenge, the death of Nāṣer-al-Dīn Shah, but the assassination failed and large ...