CCWV.LIFE Support This Site

Birth of the Báb

1819 · Shiraz (Iran)

Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad, later the Báb, the Gate, is born in Shiraz on 20 October 1819 to a merchant family. Raised in the Shaykhi expectation of the promised Qá'im, in 1844 he declares himself the bearer of a new revelation, and the Bábí movement begins.

Tagged: Bahá'í Bábí Faith

The Event

Date
1819 (exact)
Also called
Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad
Era
The Bábí Era; Standard periodization of Bahá'í history
Location
Shiraz; today Iran
Traditions
Bahá'í
Streams
Bábí Faith
Key figures
The Báb

Primary Sources

  • The tradition's own record of the event.

Secondary Sources

  • MacEoin, Denis. The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism. Leiden: Brill, 2009.
  • Momen, Moojan. The Baha'i Faith: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2008.
  • Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1944 (the community's own history, cited as such).
  • Smith, Peter. An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
  • Warburg, Margit. Citizens of the World: A History and Sociology of the Baha'is in Britain and North America. Leiden: Brill, 2006.

Provenance: HIST-1102; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-28.

Related on This Site

A Bahá'í devotional gathering in East Kanchanpur, Nepal, with prayers read together. Devotion The Nineteen Day Feast Every nineteen days, at the opening of each Bahá'í month, the community gathers for devotion, consultation, and fellowship; the basic unit of Bahá'í communal life. The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí, near Acre. Devotion The Obligatory Prayers Each day the Bahá'í chooses one of three revealed obligatory prayers; short, medium, or long; the fixed point of Bahá'í devotion. Illustration for Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment History Event Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment 1852 Illustration for Birth of Bahá'u'lláh History Event Birth of Bahá'u'lláh 1817 Illustration for Declaration of the Báb History Event Declaration of the Báb 1844 Illustration for Martyrdom of the Báb History Event Martyrdom of the Báb 1850 The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahji Prayer or Creed Bahá'í Obligatory Prayers Three prayers revealed by Bahá'u'lláh; Short, Medium, and Long; of which each Bahá'í chooses one to recite daily. The Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, at dusk Prayer or Creed Bahá'í Prayers Revealed prayers of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá for occasions, needs, and gatherings of every kind.