How did Ali Muhammad Bab become Bab?

Bahaismiran: The beginning of Ali Mohammad Bab’s illusion to be Imam Zaman (P.H.) and his claim thereafter have written by the historians. Of course, what is written by the Muslim and European scholars isn’t acceptable by the Baha’i community. But Kiniaz Dalgorki’s memoirs as a professional spy who was responsible for educating and guiding Ali Mohammad Bab and then Bab’ism and Baha’ism movements can’t be doubted. The following is a brief selection of Kiniaz Dalgorki’s memory book.

Attention, attention, attention

Prince Kiniaz Dalgorki speaks about his familiarity with inculcating his materials and teachings to Ali Mohammad Bab:

“I thought… How is it possible for the small number of Shiite people to overcome a government like the Ottoman one? And how is it possible for these people to fight with Russia and to make it defeated? Then, I understood that (these victories) are due to the religious unity and the firm belief to Islam … I decided to create another new religion without having any hometown. Because Iran’s conquests have been due to being patriot and religious unity… (After being familiar with Ali Mohammad in the holy Shrines in Iraq) Ali Mohammad continued his friendship with me and he was inviting me as his guest and we were smoking hookah… (He) was too opportunist and weak in his beliefs. He believed in talisman, prayers and mortification. When he felt that I am skillful in mathematics, geometry and so on, he started learning the calculus with me. He leaned the rudiments with difficulty and eventually he said he couldn’t learn math. Friday nights, he was smoking something like wax with hookah… and was offering me. I said to him: “why don’t you give the hookah to me to smoke?” he said: “You haven’t become merited to be confidant to smoke this hookah. I insisted. I gave it to me … I laughed a lot… One day, I asked him: “what was that?” He said: “learned people call it secrets and ordinary people call it hemp juice. I understood that it was cannabis and it is just good for laughing and eating much. But Seyyed was saying: The secrets will be discovered by smoking it. I said… It was better for you to smoke it before learning calculus to learn sooner…

Because of smoking cannabis, I wasn’t interested to study and was bored to study. One day, a scholars from Tabriz asked Seyyed Kazem (Rashti) in his class: sir, where is the Excellency promised Mahdi (P.H.)? The sir answered: “I don’t know. He may be present here; but I don’t know him.” I thought of a new thing. When Seyyed Ali Mohamamd had recently become ambitious because of smoking … a night when he had smoked cannabis and I hadn’t smoked I said to him with courtesy: The Excellency owner of lord of time! Have mercy on me. It is clear for me that you are the owner of lord of time. Yes, you… I was determined to create the third difference and disunity in the Shiite religion. Sometimes, I was asking simple questions and he was answering according to his taste. I was immediately bending him and saying: “You are the science gate or the owner of lord of time? Stop secrecy and don’t hide yourself… (One day) I went to his house again and … I asked him to interpret Naba’Suah. Seyyed accepted. He smoked cannabis and started (when Seyyed was smoking, he was writing really fast). But most of his materials were being corrected by me and then I gave them to him to believe that he is the knowledge gate. Yeah, Seyyed was the best case. Whether he like or not, I enticed Seyyed to start the way; albit he was of little faith. Smoking cannabis help me too … (Seyyed Ali Mohammad ) was always in doubt and he afraid of claiming to be owner of lord of time. I was telling me that my name isn’t Mehdi. I said: I call you Mehdi. Move toward Iran… I promise you to help you so much that all Iranian people turn to you. You just keep away from doubt and fear… Everything that you say, people will obey even if you legitimize the marriage of sisters and brothers… Seyyed had been extremely enthusiastic to claim; but he didn’t dare. I went to Baqdad to find to bottle of good Shirazi wine. I gave it to him for several nights. I gradually became confidant with each other and I made him understand (the materials)… By any means I found his manner of being overambitious. I enticed him so much that it became easy for him to claim… I said to Seyyed I’ll give you money to claim Bab’ism and being the owner of lord of time. I made him satisfied. He went towards Basra and then toward Boushehr. In letters exchanging between each other, he was calling himself as the deputy of Imam and knowledge gate and I answered his letters by writing the Imam of the time… when he left I said the Excellency Imam of the time has emerged and this Shirazi Seyyed was the imam of the time and he has presented in Mr. Rashti classes anonymously…

Generally, Baha’is consider Friday night Jamadi-al-Ula, 5, 1260 Hijra or May 23, 1844 as Mab’ath night or “Noqteh Ula” and have appointed it as their Badi’a era. Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri has announced this day as one of important Baha’i feasts and has considered working as illegal.

At this time and after claiming by “Seyyed Ali Mohammad Bab, the agents of Russian colonialism tried to attract Seyyed Kazem Rashti’s disciples and followers’ views through different tricks; but they weren’t successful and only 18 people – who thereafter became known as “Hayy” in Bab’ism and Baha’ism cults according to numerical values - came along with him and were sent to different areas of the country specially to the great Khorasan and the east areas of the country; that is, the areas dominated by England and the areas next to Indian borders and the regions dominated by eastern India company.