In the ninetenth century certain segments of Christian and Islamic society were anticipating the occurance of an extraordinary event - the coming of The Promised One, the one whose coming was prophesized in the Holy Book of Islam and Christianity, and all the other religions. In Persia one teacher in particular, Siyyid Kázim, was teaching his students the imminence of this event. At the end of his life he dismissed them by sending them on the spiritual quest that would identify this Divine Being. One of his pupils, Mullá Hussayn followed a trail that took him to the southern Persian city of Shiraz. Upon his arrival there he noticed a young merchant on the street whose bearing impressed and attracted him. He was invited to join Him at His house for the evening devotions. During the encounter that lasted all night this young merchant, whose name was Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad, declared that He was the return of the Hidden Imam, long expected in the Islamic world, sent by God in fulfillment of prophecies contained in Holy books such as the Bible and the Qur'án to prepare the people for the coming of One greater than Him, "Him Whom God Will Make Manifest". Later in His Writings he repeated that the coming of this Great Universal Educator was very close. This encounter took place in May 1844 in Shiraz, Persia. The young merchant was later known as The Báb, a Persian word that means The Gate.

The Báb

The Báb was born in Shiraz in 1819 and was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. His father died when He was still a child. When He was fifteen He joined His uncle in the family business. After His declaration to Mullá Husayn He embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Arabia. While standing at the Kaaba in Mecca He declared to all who were there: "I am that Qá'im Whose advent you have been waiting."

After His return to Persia the fervent activities of His first followers to disseminate the Teachings of this new Faith, stirred the imagination of many in the population but alarmed members of the clergy. In Shiah Islam, the dominant branch of Islam in Persia, dogma accorded unlimited authority to the Hidden Imam over human society.

The opposition from the clergy, who in nineteenth century Persia exercised great power, was ferocious. A great number of Bábis were tortured and killed. The Báb was arrested, imprisoned and in July 1850 was publicly executed by a firing squad in Tabriz. His followers were left with the clear expectation that the advent of The Promised One was to take place very soon. Prominent among the Bábis was one called Mírza Husayn 'Ali, who had been instrumental in leading the persecuted followers of the imprisoned Prophet, in the face of the combined forces of the government and the clergy.

Bahá'u'lláh

Mírza Husayn 'Ali, later known as Bahá'u'lláh, was born in Tihrán in 1817. His father was a Minister at the court of the Shah of Persia. From an early age Bahá'u'lláh showed signs of extraordinary qualities and it was expected that He would follow in His father's footsteps and serve as a high ranking court official. At age twenty two when His father passed away and the government offered Him to succeed him in his functions, Bahá'u'lláh declined to pursue His own path as a protector of the oppressed and the poor. When at the age of twenty seven He received some of the Writings of the Báb, He accepted His Message immediately and became one of His most ardent followers.

The Bábis, as they were known, were severely persecuted by the authorities and Bahá'u'lláh was incarcerated in a dark dungeon known as the Black Pit. During the months spent in the Black Pit with chains so heavy around His neck that He could not raise His head, Bahá'u'lláh became aware, through a vision, of His station as a Messenger from God. After four months in these horrible conditions Bahá'u'lláh was stripped of all His possessions and exiled with His family. In the middle of the winter with insufficient clothing they travelled through the mountains to Baghdad in the Ottoman Empire.

During the next three years a small group of followers and family members gathered around Bahá'u'lláh. One of them, His half brother Mírzá Yahyá rose in opposition to Bahá'u'lláh, claiming to be the successor of the Báb, when in fact the Báb had refused to appoint a successor because of the imminent coming of "Him Whom God Will Make Manifest". In response to the confusion caused by this false claim, Bahá'u'lláh left without warning to live in seclusion in the mountains of Kurdistán. During this two year absence even His family did not know where Bahá'u'lláh was. Mirzá Yahyá demonstrated his complete lack of spiritual leadership qualities and soon the band of Bábis had fallen to a state of near extinction.

After Bahá'u'lláh returned He injected a new life among the Bábis and His influence among the population and notables grew. The Persian government feared the effect of Bahá'u'lláh's prestige and pressured the Ottoman government to exile Him further, this time to Constantinople. While preparations were underway for this exile, Bahá'u'lláh made a public announcement to His followers that He was "He Whom God Will Make Manifest" the Messenger of God promised in the writings of the Báb and the Scriptures of past religions. Three months later, in August 1863, the exiles arrived in Constantinople the capital of the Ottoman empire.

Soon new pressures by the Persian Ambassador on the Ottoman government resulted in banishment to Adrianople, in December 1863. In Adrianople Mírzá Yahyá continued his plotting against Bahá'u'lláh, going as far as attempting twice to assassinate Him. In that city Bahá'u'lláh made a formal announcement to His half-brother regarding His earlier declaration as the Manifestation of God promised by the Báb. Mírzá Yahyá made a counter-claim and was immediately rejected by the vast majority of Bábis who from then on became known as Bahá'ís. It is at this time that the Bahá'í Faith became a distinct religion from the Babí Faith. At this time Bahá'u'lláh wrote a series of letters to the kings and rulers of the world announcing to them that He had been sent by God as promised by prophecies of previous religions to guide mankind toward the establishment of a world civilization, marked by peace and unity.

The continued plotting of His enemies resulted in Bahá'u'lláh's banishment to 'Akká in Palestine. With strict orders to keep their Prisoner in complete isolation the local authorities imposed very harsh conditions on Bahá'u'lláh, His family and the small number of His followers who were sent to 'Akká, in the hope that this would lead to the ultimate and permanent extinction of this new faith. Gradually the local authorities came to realize that Bahá'u'lláh was not the common criminal that the banishment edict from the capital had referred to. His magnetic personality won the admiration and respect of many. Although the orders making Him a prisoner were never lifted, progressively their application was enforced less strictly. At the end of His life Bahá'u'lláh was able to live outside of the prison city walls. He passed away in a rented residence in the countryside outside of 'Akká.

Between His declaration in 1863 and the end of His life in 1892 Bahá'u'lláh revealed countless verses on a vast number of subjects related to the spiritual nature of man and the means to achieve unity on this planet among all the peoples of the human family. In His Will and Testament He named His eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant, the one to whom all the believers should turn to.