BABIISM, the religion of the Bab (The Gate), initiated by his proclamation at Shiraz, Persia, on May 23, The traditions of Islam had preserved throughout the Moham medan world a popular conviction that in the "year sixty" would arise the Qa'im, the Messiah, destined to establish the final and complete victory of Islam upon earth. Though the prophecies foretelling this event were interpreted differently by the two branches into which Islam had become divided, the shiah and Sunni sects, all Mohammedans agreed that Mohammed was the "Seal of the Prophets"—the final divine revelation—and that the mission of the Qa'im (or Imam Mihdi) must therefore be no other than the purification of the religion of the Qur'an and its acceptance by mankind.
It was with this expectancy, so closely parallelling that held by the Jews before the coming of Christ, that the Bab became iden tified in the eyes of the clergy and people during the early days of his mission. Had he confined his aim and effort to the reform of morals and worship within the framework of traditional Mohammedanism, the Bab might not have aroused the implacable hatred of the ecclesiastics nor awakened the fear of the govern ment itself. It was his action in revealing a new Holy Book, and in abrogating the religious laws of the Qur'an, which led to the charges that he was the destroyer of religion and the source of rebellion against the state.
The Bab made acceptance of his spiritual station the touchstone of true faith in God, and by his followers he was given the com plete devotion due to a Prophet.
The Bab's own words, however, made it clear that while his authority was equal to that of Mohammed, he was likewise the herald of a succeeding and greater Manifestation, "He Whom God Would Manifest," by whose teaching and spiritual power the diverse religions of mankind would be fulfilled in one universal Faith. "I have revealed myself for His Manifestation, and have caused my Book, the Bayan, to descend upon you for no other purpose except to establish the truth of His Cause." The civilization of Persia at that period was one of ignorance and superstition, a church-state combining materialism and tyr anny to suppress the masses of the people. The spirit of pure religion, however, had in leaders like Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i and Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti, fostered the hope that ancient prophecy would come to realization, and spread to all parts of Islam their teach ings that the appearance of the Promised One was imminent. The Bab's first disciples were known as "Letters of the Living," seven teen men and one woman, the famous martyr Tahirih, all of whom were led intuitively to recognize the truth of the Bab's claim. The Bab's charge to these disciples, as he sent them forth to spread the gospel of the new age, restored to religion a consecration and purity the church-state could not evoke nor even recall: "0 my beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His mystery. It behooves each one of you to manifest the attributes of God, and to exemplify by your deeds and words the signs of His righteous ness, His power and glory. The very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness of your purpose, the integrity of your life, the reality of your faith, and the exalted character of your devotion. . . . Such must be the purity of your character and the degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth may through you recognize and be drawn closer to the heavenly Father who is the Source of purity and grace. . . . The days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended. The time has come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stain less purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him. . . . I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day. . . . Scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming." None of these disciples survived the storm of opposition which gathered when the full implication of the Bab's religion became understood, and the Bab himself was executed by a regiment of soldiers in the public square of Tabriz on July 9, 185o, under orders given by the Vizier when the Bab's doom had been pro nounced by leaders of Islam.
The history of religion records no persecution more savage than that inflicted upon the Babis. The total slain by mobs under severest torture with civil and ecclesiastical sanction is believed to have exceeded twenty thousand men, women and children. The influence of the Bab himself upon those who saw and heard him, even his guards and jailors, was one of overwhelming spiritual radiance and beauty.
After the martyrdom of the Bab a few of his followers sought to maintain a permanent "Babi" movement, and this sect became known as Ezelis, from their leader, Subhi-Ezel. The majority, however, true to the fundamental character of the Bab's mission, became Baha'is.
The cycle of the Bab's religion was the period of nineteen years, from 1844 to 1863, when Baha'u'llah was accepted as the Mani festation heralded by the Bab. The Bab's physical remains, se cretly buried and hidden in Persia, were in 1909 transported to Haifa, Palestine, and by `Abdu'l-Baha laid away in the shrine he had prepared on Mount Carmel. The Bab and Bahs'u'llah are held by the Baha'is to be the co-founders of their faith. (See BAHA'I FAITH.)