Sám Khán's Plea to the Báb
Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation, (1932), Bahá'í Publishing Trust · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
Tabríz (today: Tabríz, Iran)
A retelling based on The Dawn-Breakers, Nabíl's narrative translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi (chapter 23). Words in quotation marks are quoted from the book.
When the order came from Ṭihrán for the Báb's execution in July 1850, the regiment chosen to carry it out was the Armenian regiment of Urúmíyyih. Its colonel was Sám Khán, a Christian. The execution was to take place in the courtyard of the barracks of Tabríz.
On the morning of the execution the farrásh-báshí led the Báb to the houses of the leading mujtahids to obtain their written sanction, and then handed Him over to Sám Khán. The young Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Zunúzí, who would not deny his faith or leave his Master, was handed over with Him.
Nabíl writes that Sám Khán was "increasingly affected by the behaviour of his Captive and the treatment that had been meted out to Him," and feared that what he was about to do would bring upon him the wrath of God. He said to the Báb:
I profess the Christian Faith, and entertain no ill will against you. If your Cause be the Cause of Truth, enable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your blood.
The Báb replied: "Follow your instructions, and if your intention be sincere, the Almighty is surely able to relieve you from your perplexity."
The first volley
Sám Khán had a nail driven into a pillar in the courtyard and two ropes tied to it. The Báb and Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alí were suspended from them, the young man's head resting on the breast of his Master. The regiment formed in three files of two hundred and fifty men, and each file fired in turn. About ten thousand people were watching from the roof of the barracks and the tops of the nearby houses.
When the smoke cleared, Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alí was standing alive and unhurt, and the Báb had vanished. The bullets had cut the ropes. The crowd searched and found Him in the room where He had spent the night, completing His conversation with His amanuensis, Siyyid Ḥusayn. The farrásh-báshí, shaken by what he had seen, left and resigned his post.
Sám Khán withdraws
Nabíl writes that Sám Khán "was likewise stunned by the force of this tremendous revelation." He ordered his men to leave the barracks at once and refused ever again to let himself or his regiment take part in anything that would harm the Báb. As he left the courtyard he swore never to resume that task, even if his refusal cost him his life.
Another officer, Áqá Ján Khán-i-Khamsih, colonel of the bodyguard, volunteered to carry out the order. His regiment fired, and the Báb and His companion were killed.
This is a retelling. For the full account, see The Dawn-Breakers by Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, chapter 23.
Cite this story
Nabíl-i-A'ẓam. (1932). *The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust. https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/
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