May 22 or 23. On this date in 1844, the Báb declared to Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i his perceived fulfillment of Shaykhi expectations. Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i accepted the Báb's claims and became the first Bábi.

May 22 or 23. On this date in 1844, the Báb declared to Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i his perceived fulfillment of Shaykhi expectations. Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i accepted the Báb's claims and became the first Bábi.

1542. The Declaration of the Bab and the Birthday of Abdu'l-Bahá

"...regarding the declaration of the Bab and the birthday of the Master: The Bab declared His Mission on the fourth day of the month of Jamadi I, two hours and eleven minutes after sunset, corresponding with the evening of May 22nd. But as the Bahá'í day begins after sunset, and not after midnight as in the West, the Bab's declaration is celebrated on the fifth day of Jamadi I, corresponding to the 23rd of May. Abdu'l-Bahá was born in the course of that same night, but the exact hour of His birth has not been ascertained."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, November 25, 1936)

Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i would later play a key role in the Bábi uprisings. On March 20, 1848, Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i visited the Báb at Maku prison, where the Báb was incarcerated. Under instructions from the Báb, Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i unfurled a Black Standard in Mashhad, fulfilling an Islamic prophecy, and began a march with other Bábis.

 

They were rebuffed at Barfurush and therefore made defensive fortifications at the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí. Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushru'i would die at the battle of Shaykh Tabarsí on February 2, 1849, but siege itself would last until May 10, 1849. The Báb was later executed on July 9, 1850. Bábi uprisings would continue elsewhere, notably in Zanjan and Nayriz.