BABISM. A religious movement in modern Persia. Biibism is an offshoot of Shiism (q.v.), the Persian state religion. The Shiites recognised, after Mohammed, twelve Imams or vicars of God on earth. The last of these, Imam Mandi, disappeared mysteriously A.D. 940. He communicated with the faithful, however, through privileged persons, each of whom was called Bab or Gate. There were four of these in succession, and their period was called the " Lesser Occultation." The succeeding period was called the " Greater Occultation." The Shiite school known as Shaykhism maintained that between the Hidden Imam and his followers there must always be a " perfect man" to act as a channel of grace. Sayyid Kazim, one of these perfect men, died with out naming a successor. Thereupon Mirza All Moham mad declared that he was the new Bab or Gate, and Mulla Husayn soon became his devoted disciple (May 23, 1844). They were joined by followers of Sayyid Kazim and others, to whom the Bab inveighed against the worldliness of the Mohammedan clergy and the in justice of the government. On a pilgrimage to Mecca he seems to have broken definitely with the faith of Mohammed, and in consequence his followers were soon made to suffer. He himself was next arrested, taken to Shiraz, and found guilty of heresy. In 1846 he made his escape to Ispahan, whence he was afterwards banished, first to Maku, and then to Chibrik, where be was closely confined, though he still contrived to send messages to his disciples. After this he gave out that he was the Imam Mandi himself, and prophesied that there should come after him " He whom God shall mani fest," one greater than himself. In his teaching he attached a peculiar sanctity to the number 19. He chose 18 disciples as " Letters of the Living," and called him self, as the nineteenth person, the " Point of Unity."
His chief work, which became the Bible of Babism, was called the " Bann." His disciple Mulls Husayn was very active in spreading the faith, but was killed in 1849 while fighting with his co-religionists against the royal troops. There were several such Bahl risings In which the Bab's followers were mercilessly dealt with. The authorities now turned their attention once more to the Bab himself. After a mock trial at Tabriz he was con demned to death, and died a martyr at the age of twenty seven. Other martyrdoms followed, especially in the year 1850. The movement tended to become more political. This, and an attempt on the life of the Shah, led to voluntary exile in Bagdad. In 1864 another move ment had to be made first to Constantinople, and then to Adrianople. From 1850 until this time Subh-l-Ezel had been head of the Blibis. In 1866-67 an elder half brother Beha gave out that he was " He whom God shall manifest." Subh-i-Ezel would not allow this. Thus a schism was caused, and the Behais, whose headquarters were moved in 1868 to Acre, became the more numerous and more powerful division. Amongst his other works, Beha produced one, the Kitab-i-Akdas, which became a new Bible and took the place of the Bayan. Beha, who came to be reverenced as God Almighty, died in 1892, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Abbas Efendi. The Babis, who are said to number now one million, " have no places of worship of their own, but hold their meetings, generally after sundown, In the houses of various members of the community " (E. Denison Ross). The movement has spread to America. See E. Denison Ross in G.R.W.; E. G. Browne, New History of the Bdb, 1893