Bábism, also known as the Bábi Faith, is a monotheistic religion which professes that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible God who manifests his will in an unending series of theophanies, called Manifestation of God. It has no more than a few thousand adherents according to current estimates, most of whom are concentrated in Iran. It was founded by ʻAli Muhammad Shirazi who first assumed the title of Báb from which the religion gets its name, out of the belief that he was the gate to the Twelfth Imam. However throughout his ministry his titles and claims underwent much evolution as the Báb progressively outlined his teachings.
Sayyid Kāẓim bin Qāsim al-Ḥusaynī ar-Rashtī (1793–1843), mostly known as Siyyid Kázim Rashtí, was the son of Siyyid Qasim of Rasht, a town in northern Iran. He was appointed as the successor of Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i, and led the Shaykhí movement until his death.
Tahereh (Ṭāhira) (Persian: طاهره, "The Pure One," also called Qurrat al-ʿAyn are both titles of Fatimah Baraghani/Umm-i Salmih, an influential poet, women's right activist and theologian of the Bábí faith in Iran. She was one of the Letters of the Living, the first group of followers of the Báb. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion. The daughter of Muhammad Salih Baraghani, she was born into one of the most prominent families of her time. Táhirih led a radical interpretation that, though it split the Babi community, wedded messianism with Bábism.
Ṣubḥ-i-Azal was an Iranian religious leader of Azali Bábism, known for his conflict with Baháʼu'lláh over leadership of the Bábí community after 1853. By 1904, Azal's followers had dwindled to a small minority, and Baháʼu'lláh was almost universally recognized as the spiritual successor of the Báb.
The following is a basic timeline of the Bábí and Baháʼí religions emphasizing dates that are relatively well known. For a more comprehensive chronology of the timeline, see the references at the bottom.
Mullá ʻAlí-i-Bastámí was the second Letter of the Living in the Bábí movement. He is also probably the first and one of the best known martyrs of the early Bábí period.
Mullá Hádí was the fifteenth Letter of the Living in the Bábí movement and also the son of Mullá Abdu'l-Vahhab-i-Qazvíni who was a close companion of Shaykh Ahmad with whom he shared the message of fast approaching Revelation. Mullá Hádí was initially a Shaykhi a student of Siyyid Kázim. He did not get involved in the Battle of fort Shaykh Tabarsi and shielded his life through the practice of Taqiyya. He was also the brother of another letter of the living Mullá Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Qazvini.
Mullá Husayn, also known by the honorific Jináb-i Bábu'l-Báb, was a Persian religious figure in 19th century Persia and the first Letter of the Living of the Bábí religion. He was the first person to profess belief in the Báb as the promised Mahdi of Islam and a Manifestation of God, founding a new independent religion. The title of Bábu'l-Báb was bestowed upon him by the Báb in recognition of his status as the first Bábí.
An Azali or Azali Bábí is a follower of the monotheistic religion of Subh-i-Azal and the Báb. Early followers of the Báb were known as Bábís; however, in the 1860s a split occurred after which the vast majority of Bábís followed Mirza Husayn ʻAli, known as Baháʼu'lláh, and became known as Baháʼís, while the minority who followed Subh-i-Azal came to be called as Azalis.
The Baháʼí/Bábí split occurred when most Bábís accepted Baháʼu'lláh as the promised one of the Báb's writings, leading them to become Baháʼís, and leaving a remnant of Bábís who became known as Azalis. The split occurred after Baháʼí founder Baháʼu'lláh made his public claim in 1863, leading to expressions of support from the majority of the Bábí community, and opposition from Subh-i-Azal, who became the leader of the remaining group.
Muhammad Salih Baraghani was one of three or four brothers from Baraghan who all established themselves as leading mujtahids in Qazvin. Muhammad Salih was an Usuli Twelver Shi'i mujtahid. He opened the Salehiyya Madrasa in Qazvin in 1817; it soon gained prominence. As many as 700 students attended it. The madrasa also had a women's section.
Shaykh Ahmad bin Zayn al-Dín bin Ibráhím al-Ahsá'í (1753–1826), commonly known as Shaykh Ahmad or al-Ahsá'í, was a prominent 19th-century Shia Muslim theologian and jurist, founded the influential Shaykhí school of Twelver Shiism, which attracted followers from throughout the Persian and Ottoman Empires.
The history of the Baháʼí Faith is often traced through a sequence of leaders, beginning with the Báb's declaration in Shiraz on the evening of May 22, 1844, and ultimately resting on an Administrative Order established by the central figures of the religion. The Baháʼí Faith had its background in two earlier movements in the nineteenth century, Shaykhism and Bábism. Shaykhism centred on theosophical doctrines and many Shaykhis expected the return of the hidden Twelfth Imam. Many Shaykhis joined the messianic Bábí movement in the 1840s where the Báb proclaimed himself to be the return of the hidden Imam. As the Bábí movement spread in Iran, violence broke out between the ruling Shiʻa Muslim government and the Bábís, and ebbed when government troops massacred them, and executed the Báb in 1850.
The Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh were nineteen prominent early followers of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, head of the religion in the earlier half of the 20th century, and the list was included in The Baháʼí World, Vol. III (pp. 80–81).
Shaykhism is a Shi'a Islamic school founded by Shaykh Ahmad in early 19th-century Qajar Iran. While grounded in traditional Twelver Shiʻi doctrine, Shaykhism diverged from the Usuli school in its interpretation of key ideas such as the nature of the end times and the day of resurrection, the source of jurisprudential authority, and the proper hermeneutic to be employed in interpreting prophecy through the mystical writings of the Twelver Imams. These divergences resulted in controversy and ongoing accusations of heresy from Usulis and Akhbaris.
S͟hayk͟h Káẓim-i-Samandar, known as Samandar, was an eminent follower of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to a prominent Baháʼí family of Qazvin of Bábí and Shaykhi background. Favored by Baháʼu'lláh, he was identified as one of his nineteen Apostles.
Kirmani or Kermani is a locational surname of Persian origin, which originally meant a person from the city of Kerman, Iran. Notable people with the surname include:
The Báb, born Sayyed ʻAlí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith.
Seyed Karim Amiri Firuzkuhi with the nom de plume "Amir," was a renowned Iranian poet.
Alphonse Louis Marie Nicolas (1864-1939)—better known by his pen name A. L. M. Nicolas—was a Persian-born French historian and orientalist who is best known today for his early work on Shaykhism and Bábism. Although primarily remembered for his academic contributions, Nicolas worked as an interpreter and diplomat with the French Consular Service in Persia for most of his life. Nicolas was among the first Western Orientalists to devote substantial attention to the life and teachings of the revolutionary Persian religious figure known as the Báb, and his work continues to serve as an important source for the study of the early history of Shaykhism, Bábism and the Baháʼí Faith.
