Beginning in 1844, the earliest years of the Bahá'í Faith were spectacular, tragic and eventful. At the centre of these events was the Báb, a young man who prophetically announced such challenging concepts and who rapidly gained such a wide following that the religious establishment of Persia (Iran) was shaken to the core.

The Bahá'í Faith traces its beginnings to those times, but the followers of the Báb were known as "Bábís". The name "Bahá'í" was to come later.

In his history of the first century of the Bahá'í Faith, "God Passes By", Shoghi Effendi wrote of the Báb:

We behold... the Báb, arise meteor-like above the horizon of Shiraz, traverse the sombre sky of Persia from south to north, decline with tragic swiftness, and perish in a blaze of glory. We see His satellites, a galaxy of God-intoxicated heroes, mount above that same horizon, irradiate that same incandescent light, burn themselves out with that self-same swiftness, and impart in their turn an added impetus to the steadily gathering momentum of God's nascent Faith.

An earnest, courageous group of 17 men and one woman were the first to believe in the Báb, and immediately set out to spread his message throughout the country. They and others who joined them were soon to become the "God-intoxicated heroes" referred to in the above quotation.

At the centre of the Báb's message was that he, himself a Messenger of God, was preparing the way for a great Divine Messenger who would unify all the peoples of the world. The teachings of this great Messenger would show the way for mankind to eventually create an age of universal peace, when the nations "shall beat their swords into ploughshares", as foretold by the Prophets of old.

The Báb's writings and the actions of his followers severely upset orthodox opinion. A celebrated example was his promotion of the principle of the equality of men and women, and the action of his leading woman disciple, Tahirih, in discarding the traditional veil. Just before this indomitable woman met a martyr's death, she is reported to have said: "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women."

A few among the Persian Shi'ah clergy of the time, including some who were leading theologians, accepted the message of the Báb. However, the majority, anxious to safeguard their leading position in society, saw his message as a grave threat. The outcome was a bloodbath in which at least 20,000 followers of the Báb were put to death in a wave of brutal persecution, brought about by the clergy and the government together.

The Báb himself was first jailed and ultimately put to death by a firing squad of 750 rifles, just nine years after he had inaugurated his mission.

A period of deep discouragement began not long afterward for the body of the Báb's followers. However, in years to come the strength and confidence of the Bábís were revived by Bahá'u'lláh, who was accepted by the great majority of them as the great Messenger the Báb had foretold.

Under Bahá'u'lláh's leadership, the Bábí community evolved and became the Bahá'í community. This story is told under Historical developments — Bahá'u'lláh.

Further information about the Báb

"The Báb, Forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh", on the Bahá'í World website at http://www.bahai.org/article-1-3-0-1.html

Quotations in context

Click on links below to search for quotations from this page, in the Bahá'í reference library.

• "We behold... the Báb, arise meteor-like above the horizon of Shiraz, traverse the sombre sky of Persia from south to north, decline with tragic swiftness, and perish in a blaze of glory."
• "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women."