When religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were…
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When in Bahá'í history
When religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were accused of being infidels, as was now the case with the Bábís, it was customary not simply to condemn them to death and have them executed by the State executioner, but to hand the victims over to various classes of the populace. The butchers had their methods of torture; the bakers theirs; the shoemakers and blacksmiths yet others of their own. They were all given opportunities of carrying out their pitiless inventions on the Bábís. The fanatics became more and more infuriated when they failed to quench the amazing spirit of these fearless, devoted ones, who remained unflinching, chanting prayers, asking God to pardon and bless their murderers, and praising Him, as long as they were able to breathe. The mob crowded to these fearful scenes, and yelled their execrations, whilst all through the fiendish work, a drum was loudly beaten.
Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 40-41
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: bullying).
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- How does this story complicate or deepen your understanding of bullying?
- Where do devotion and patience meet in this story?
For teens
- If you were in the Báb's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about devotion?
Reflection
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- How does devotion show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "When religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying
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