- Byname of:
- Mīrzā ʿAlī Moḥammad of Shīrāz
- Born:
- October 20, 1819, or October 9, 1820, Shīrāz, Iran
- Died:
- July 9, 1850, Tabrīz
- Subjects Of Study:
- Bābism
the Bāb
-
Who was the Bāb?
Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad (born in Shíráz, Iran, on either October 20, 1819, or October 9, 1820, and died in Tabríz on July 9, 1850) claimed to be the Báb (meaning "Gateway"). This claim led to the rise of the Bábí religion, and he became one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith.
The Báb's teachings spread throughout Iran, which caused opposition from the Shi'i Muslim clergy and government. After being arrested, he was executed in 1850, followed by large persecutions of his followers, the Bábís.
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Where and when did the Bāb live?
The Báb (Mírzá ʿAlí Muḥammad) was born in Shíráz, Iran on either October 20, 1819, or October 9, 1820. On May 23, 1844, he declared himself the Báb, meaning "the Gateway" to the hidden imam, in an effort to renew religion and guide the faithful.
His claim and teachings spread throughout Iran, but they provoked strong opposition from the Shiʿi Muslim clergy and government, resulting in his imprisonment in the fortresses of Máhkú (1847) and Chehríq (1848). The Báb was executed in Tabrīz on July 9, 1850. Later, his remains were moved to a mausoleum on Mount Carmel in Palestine.
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What was the main message or teaching of the Bāb?
The Báb, whose name was Mírzá Ali Muhammad, founded the Bábí faith in Iran in 1844. His core teaching was the imminent arrival of a new prophet or messenger of God who would usher in a new era by overturning old beliefs and customs. The Báb saw himself as the "gateway" to this new divine manifestation. Later in his active period, the Báb claimed to be the imam himself, or the qáʾim, and eventually a divine manifestation.
Bábí doctrine affirmed the progressiveness of revelation, held that no revelation was final, and forbade concubinage and polygamy, mendicancy, the use of intoxicating liquors and drugs, and dealing in slaves.
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How did people react to the Bāb’s teachings in Iran?
The Báb's teachings quickly spread throughout Iran, but they faced strong opposition from the Shiʿi Muslim clergy and the government. The Báb was arrested and, after several years of imprisonment, executed in 1850, and large-scale persecutions of his followers, the Bábís, followed. Some followers engaged in bloody uprisings, leading to his suspicion of fomenting insurrection. The religious class, unreceptive to the idea of a Báb superseding their authority, arrested and expelled his missionaries. Despite some officials being won over by the Báb's personality, a committee of religious leaders decided he was dangerous and demanded his execution.
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How did the Bāb’s movement influence other religions, such as the Baháʼí Faith?
The Báb’s movement deeply influenced the Baháʼí Faith. The Baháʼí religion grew out of the Bábí faith, which was founded in 1844 by Mírzá ʻAlí Muḥammad of Shíráz in Iran, who later assumed the title of the Báb.
The Báb proclaimed a spiritual doctrine that emphasized the forthcoming appearance of a new prophet or messenger of God who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a new era. Mírzá Ḥosayn ʻAlí Nūrí, known as Bahāʾuʾllāh, was one of the Báb’s earliest disciples. Bahāʾuʾllāh declared that he was the messenger of God foretold by the Báb. The Báb is thus considered one of the three central figures of the Baháʼí Faith.
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Why is the Bāb still remembered and respected by people today?
The Báb, born Mírzá 'Alí Muhammad (1819 or 1820–1850), is remembered and respected for founding the Bábí religion and for being a central figure in the Baháʼí Faith.
As the Báb (meaning "the Gate"), he proclaimed a spiritual doctrine in 1844, emphasizing the coming of a new prophet who would bring a new era, which challenged old customs. His teachings spread quickly, drawing strong opposition, which led to his arrest and execution in 1850. The Báb is also hailed by Baháʼís as a forerunner to Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, and as a prophet in his own right.
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the Bāb (born October 20, 1819, or October 9, 1820, Shīrāz, Iran—died July 9, 1850, Tabrīz) was a merchant’s son whose claim to be the Bāb (Gateway) to the hidden imām (the perfect embodiment of Islamic faith) gave rise to the Bābī religion and made him one of the three central figures of the Bahāʾī Faith.
At an early age, ʿAlī Moḥammad became familiar with the Shaykhī school of the Shīʿite branch of Islam and with its leader, Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī, whom he had met on a pilgrimage to Karbalāʾ (in modern Iraq). ʿAlī Moḥammad borrowed heavily from the Shaykhīs’ teaching in formulating his own doctrine, and they, especially Sayyid Kāẓim’s disciple Mullā Ḥusayn, seem to have encouraged his proclamation of himself as the Bāb. Traditionally, the Bāb had been considered to be a spokesman for the 12th and last imām, or leader of Shīʿite Islam, believed to be in hiding since the 9th century; since that time, others had assumed the title of Bāb. Such a proclamation fit in well with the Shaykhīs’ interest in the coming of the mahdī, or messianic deliverer.
It was on May 23, 1844, that ʿAlī Moḥammad, in an inspired fervour, wrote and simultaneously intoned a commentary, the Qayyūm al-asmāʾ, on the sūrah (“chapter”) of Joseph from the Qurʾān. This event prompted ʿAlī Moḥammad, supported by Mullā Ḥusayn, to declare himself the Bāb. The same year he assembled 18 disciples, who along with him added up to the sacred Bābī number 19 and were called ḥurūf al-ḥayy (“letters of the living”). They became apostles of the new faith in the various Persian provinces.
The six-year career of the Bāb, who had popular support, was marked by a struggle for official recognition and by a series of imprisonments. He was suspected of fomenting insurrection, and some of his followers engaged in bloody uprisings. He had to do battle with the mujtahids and mullahs, members of the religious class, who were unreceptive to the idea of a Bāb who would supersede their authority and provide another avenue to the Truth. Accordingly, his missionaries were arrested and expelled from Shīrāz, and the Bāb was arrested in Shīrāz and imprisoned in the fortress of Māhkū (1847) and later in the castle of Chehrīq (1848), where he remained until his execution. Assembling at the convention of Badasht in 1848, the Bāb’s followers declared a formal break with Islam.
The personality of the man was such that he could win over the shah’s envoy who was sent to investigate the movement, as well as the governor of Eṣfahān, who protected him in that city, and even the governor of the fortress of Māhkū, where he was first confined. Nonetheless, a committee of mujtahids decided he was dangerous to the existing order and demanded his execution. On the first volley from the firing squad he escaped injury; only the ropes binding him were severed, a circumstance that was interpreted as a divine sign. On the second volley he was killed and his body disposed of in a ditch. Several years later it was buried by the Bahāʾīs in a mausoleum on Mount Carmel, in Palestine.
Late in his active period, ʿAlī Moḥammad had abandoned the title Bāb and considered himself no longer merely the “gateway” to the expected 12th imām (imām-mahdī) but to be the imām himself, or the qāʾim. Later he declared himself the nuqṭah (“point”) and finally an actual divine manifestation. Among his followers, Bābīs and later Azalīs, he is known as noqṭey-e ūlā (“primal point”), ḥazrat-e aʿlā (“supreme presence”), jamāl-e mobārak (“blessed perfection”), and even ḥaqq taʿālā (“truth almighty”). The Bahāʾīs identify him both as a forerunner of Bahāʾ Allāh—the founder of the Bahāʾī Faith—and as a prophet in his own right. He is generally referred to as the Bāb by Bahāʾīs, but some Bahāʾīs also use the names adopted by the Bābīs and Azalīs.
The Bāb wrote a great many works not only in his native Persian but also in Arabic. Among the most important and most sacred are the Arabic and the longer Persian versions of his Bayān. Although these are the holy books of Bābī revelation, all the writings of the Bāb and his successors are considered divinely inspired and equally binding.
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