…most of the favoured ones of God offered up their lives as
martyrs in the field of sacrifice. He Who is the resplendent Morn of divine
guidance, the Exalted One [the Bab] sank below the horizon of sacrifice. Quddus
sought companionship with the Beloved through glorious martyrdom. Mulla Husayn
opened a new gate to the field of martyrdom. Vahid distinguished himself as a
peerless figure in the arena of sacrifice. Zanjani [Hujjat] offered up his life
as a martyr upon the plain of tribulation. The King of Martyrs hastened forth
to the place of sacrifice. The Beloved of Martyrs was enraptured with ineffable
gladness when he offered up his life for the sake of God. Ashraf attained the
heights of honour as he unflinchingly set his face towards the arena of
sacrifice. Badi, as he breathed his last, exclaimed: 'Magnified be my Lord, the
Most Glorious!' The martyrs of the land of Ya [Yazd] drank their fill with
relish from the draught of glorious martyrdom, and the martyrs of Shiraz laid
down their lives in the arena of ardent love to the tune of sweet and wondrous
melodies. Those massacred in the land of Nayriz were inebriated with the
brimful cup of sacrifice, and the martyrs of Tabriz were seized with ecstatic
joy and unleashed new energies in the field of sacrifice. Those who renounced
their lives in Mazandaran exclaimed: 'O Lord! Destine for us this cup that
brimmeth over with the choice wine'; while the martyrs of Isfahan laid down
their lives with utmost joy and radiance.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet;
compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared by the Baha’i World Center; The Baha’i World
1979-1983)
