When Mohamud died Islam spit in two. One side said, we choose the successor though blood line, the other side said, we choose our successor by election. These were the two original spilts in Islam.
Each time a successor was born from the blood line, that infant would be killed by the oppossing successors. Finally, when it came the 12th infant born to be successor, that infant was hidden away,(most likely), and that is how the, 'hidden Imam', 'Imam Mahdi', or Qaim, began.
During the latter part of the 18th century a great expectation began for the Hidden Imam to return, which this then became a prophecy. There were also ties in the Koran to this prophecy.
A man by the name of Siyyid Ali-Muhammed took the title, 'the Bab', which means, 'the Gate', or 'the Door'. Siyyid Ali-Muhammed did this because he was beginning to recieve visions from God. At first, he said that a great universal prophet was going to come, and he called that, "the one whom God shall make manifest", and he would be the Gate or Door.
Bab, then, changed his position and said that he, was a major prophet, and had some teachings for mankind from God, but continued to preach also about, "the one whom God shall make manifest"
Bab taught universalism. He gathered many followeres, probally because his teachings were so open, and did not separate people because of their religion; all the religions came from God.
At the time of Bab, Iran was a very violent place, because Islam had become very strict, and closed minded. Bab's teachings, although universal in nature,also, demanded violently, that you follow it, as was the atmostphere, in 18th century Iran.
Eventually, Bab was executed by firing squad, because the islamic priests could not understand his message, or see the truth in his teachings.
Each time a successor was born from the blood line, that infant would be killed by the oppossing successors. Finally, when it came the 12th infant born to be successor, that infant was hidden away,(most likely), and that is how the, 'hidden Imam', 'Imam Mahdi', or Qaim, began.
During the latter part of the 18th century a great expectation began for the Hidden Imam to return, which this then became a prophecy. There were also ties in the Koran to this prophecy.
A man by the name of Siyyid Ali-Muhammed took the title, 'the Bab', which means, 'the Gate', or 'the Door'. Siyyid Ali-Muhammed did this because he was beginning to recieve visions from God. At first, he said that a great universal prophet was going to come, and he called that, "the one whom God shall make manifest", and he would be the Gate or Door.
Bab, then, changed his position and said that he, was a major prophet, and had some teachings for mankind from God, but continued to preach also about, "the one whom God shall make manifest"
Bab taught universalism. He gathered many followeres, probally because his teachings were so open, and did not separate people because of their religion; all the religions came from God.
At the time of Bab, Iran was a very violent place, because Islam had become very strict, and closed minded. Bab's teachings, although universal in nature,also, demanded violently, that you follow it, as was the atmostphere, in 18th century Iran.
Eventually, Bab was executed by firing squad, because the islamic priests could not understand his message, or see the truth in his teachings.
