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File:Babshrinenight.jpg
Shrine of the Báb at night from above in Haifa Israel

Siyyid Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad (میرزا علی‌محمد in Persian) (October 20, 1819 - July 9, 1850), later to become known as the Báb ("باب" meaning "Gate" in Arabic;) was seen by Bábís (and is seen by modern Bahá'ís) to be an independent Manifestation of the Cause of God, or Prophet on par with Moses, Jesus, or Muhammad (though his claim was at first understood by some of the public at the time to be merely a reference to the Gate of the Hidden Imám of Muhammad, which he publicly disclaimed, later boldly proclaiming himself, in the presence of the Heir to the Throne of Persia and other notables, to be the Promised One or Qá'im to Shí'ih Muslims). The Báb founded the Bábí religion which would become, in the days of Bahá'u'lláh and afterwards, the Bahá'í Faith. His titles included the "Herald of the Faith", the Point of the Bayan, and others.


Early Life

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Born on October 20 1819, in Shiraz to a well-known merchant of the city of Shiraz , his father died soon after his birth and the boy was raised by His uncle Hájí Mirzá Siyyid 'Ali, who was also a merchant. As a child He learned to read and write and was sent with other children to a teacher of religion. During these lessons the little boy showed uncommon wisdom and quickly attracted attention, since not only did He ask very difficult questions, but He answered them Himself. He did this so well that his teacher was dumbfounded. Upon reaching manhood, He joined his uncle in the family business, a trading house, and became a merchant. His integrity and piety won the esteem of the other merchants with whom He came in contact. He was also known for His generosity to the poor. In 1842 He married Khadíjih-Bagum and they had one son, Ahmad, who died in infancy.

proclamation

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View of the upper room of the Báb´s house in shiraz where he declared his mission

In the 1830's in Persia, Siyyid Kázim of Rasht was the leader of the Shaykhis, a sect of Shiite Moslems. The Shayhkis were a millenialist group expecting the eminent appearance of the promissed one, the "Lord of the Age" (Sáhibu'z-Zamán), the Qá'im of the House of Muhammad, also called the Míhdi.

At Siyyid Kázim's death in 1843, he had counceled his followers to leave their homes to seek the Lord of the Age whose advent would soon break on the world, one of them called Mulla Husayn, together with his brother and nephew travelled to Shiraz. On arrival, Mulla Husayn sent his companions on ahead and waited outside the gates of the city. He was then approached by a young man wearing a green turban, which indicated that the wearer was descended from the Prophet Muhammad. the stranger , called 'Ali-Muhammad, warmly greeted Mullá Husayn as if they had been lifelong friends and invited him to come to His home

After being asked by Ali Muhammad of what he was doing in Shiraz, Mulla Husayn told Him about his search for the Promised One. Ali Muhammad then asked how would the Promised One be recognised, wich Mulla Husayn replied "He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, is endowed with innate knowledge and is free from bodily deficiency.", and to the shock of Mulla Husayn, Ali Muhammad said "Behold, all these signs are manifest in me.". Mulla Husayn then remebered that his teacher, Siyyid Kázim‘s, told him the Promissed One would wrote a commentary on the Surih of Joseph (a chapter in the Qu'ran) without being asked. Ali Muhammad then wrote , without being asked, a commentary on the Surih of Joseph, he wrote with such speed and =>"chant"<= that Mulla Husayn believed that Ali Muhammad was the Promised One. Ali Muhammad then declared ‘O Thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily, I say, I am the Bab, the Gate of God.'‘ and so took the title the Báb, the date was May 23, 1844.

Mulla Husayn became the Bab's first disciple, within a very short time , seventeen other disciples of Siyyid Kazim had ndependently recognized the Bab as a Manifestation of God, among them was one woman, a poetess, who later received the name of Tahirih (the Pure).

To these first eighteen disciples the Bab gave the task of spreading the new Faith throughout the land, and wherever they went they told people that the Promised One had come.

martyrdom

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He died by firing squad in Tabriz, Persia (now Irán) and his shrine is on the side of Mt Carmel in Haifa, Israel on the ninth terrace of the Baha'i Gardens.


Bibliography

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Persian Bayan, Kitáb-i-Asmá (The Book of Names), Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih (The Seven Proofs). Excerpts from these and others are printed in the only English language compilation of the Báb's writings, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

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Category-Baha'i Central Figures