Bahai 101
Lesson 1: The Beginning Of The Bahai Faith
The Bab's Mission
A young man by the name of Mulla Husayn was a devoted believer in Shaykh Ahmad. He listened to the interpretations about the return of the 12th Imam closely, and then set out on a specific mission to Shiraz in the year 1844. He fasted and prayed for days, then entered a mosque close by the town. A friend then led him to a home in Shiraz where he met a young merchant named Siyyid Ali Muhammad.
On May 22, 1844, Siyyid Ali Muhammad, now known as "The Bab", meaning "the Gate", proclaimed a message that would change the world to Mulla Husayn. He revealed tablets and spoke to him throughout the entire night about his mission. His message was that the time had now come for the Promised One. He was the Qaim, and was sent to speak of another Revelation from God that would soon appear and in which would change the entire face of the earth.
"The purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest." (The Bab)The Bab is often referred to as the forerunner of Baha'u'llah, the same as John the Baptist was. His main duty was to tell the people in that land to prepare for a prophet from God. At the same time, The Bab is considered to have started his own religion, known as the Babis.
Because of this, the Bahai Faith holds the unique position of having a twin prophecy. Even though his main mission was to prepare for "one greater than Him", he also reminded society of the morals that they should uphold. These included equality of men and women, upliftment of the poor, education, and using the sciences as a means for uplifting society in general. Because of the proclamation from The Bab of a new religion, His believers were able to not only prepare for a new religion, but also to belong to an independent religion that was not of Islam.
"The greatness of the Báb consists primarily, not in His being the divinely-appointed Forerunner of so transcendent a Revelation, but rather in His having been invested with the powers inherent in the inauguration of a separate religious Dispensation, and in His wielding, to a degree unrivaled by the Messengers gone before Him, the scepter of independent Prophethood." (Baha'u'llah)The Bab had one major work, written by him, known now as The Babis Holy Book. It is called The Bayan, and in it are clues and warnings towards the coming of Baha'u'llah.
What happened in the next six years of The Bab's ministry is an event that is looked at by Bahais as historical and revolutionary. Thousands of Persians found The Bab through other believers or through Him, and became devoted believers. Because of the rapid change in society, it caused fear in the leaders of Persia. They at once began to react. Massacres, torture, and murder took place because of The Bab's mission. Over 20,000 believers were put to death.
The Bab was constantly brought to the government and to the religious leaders for questioning and disapproval about his religious movement. They knew him as a heretic and a rebel. The more bold he became in his proclamation, the more the leaders would oppose his word. He was eventually imprisoned in one of the worst cells in the area.
On July 9, 1850, they planned his execution. An army of 750 American soldiers lined around him, while thousands of people watched. The soldiers fired their guns, but when the gun smoke cleared away, The Bab was missing. They found him later in his prison cell, instructing a young Babi. The next day he was taken to the courtyard again. The Bab announced that they could not kill him until he had secured his mission. He then stated that they could now fulfill their mission.
"Behold what steadfastness that Beauty of God hath revealed. The whole world rose to hinder Him, yet it utterly failed. The more severe the persecution they inflicted on that Sadrih [Branch] of Blessedness, the more His fervor increased, and the brighter burned the flame of His love. All this is evident, and none disputeth its truth. Finally, He surrendered His soul, and winged His flight unto the realms above." (Baha'u'llah)In The Bahai Faith, the Bab is looked at as the Primal Point for which all things began, and for a new revelation.
"The Báb, the Exalted One, is the Morn of Truth, the splendor of Whose light shineth throughout all regions. He is also the Harbinger of the Most Great Light, the Abhá Luminary (Bahá'u'lláh). The Blessed Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh) is the One promised by the sacred books of the past, the revelation of the Source of light that shone upon Mount Sinai, Whose fire glowed in the midst of the Burning Bush. We are, one and all, servants of their threshold, and stand each as a lowly keeper at their door." (Abd'u'lBaha)
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