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Two hours and eleven minutes after sunset Siyyid 'Alí-Muḥammad makes His declaration to Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú'í.

• See SI231 for information on the anticipated return of the Hidden Imám. See BBR2pg42-3 and DB57 for a list of signs by which the Promised One would be known.
• See BW5p600-4 for a brief biography of William Miller the founder of the Adventist sect who, after intense study of the Bible, had predicted the return of Christ on March 21, 1844. See BW5p604 for mention of other Christians who made similar predictions.
• See DB383 and BBR2pg25 for information on Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bus̲h̲ru'i. See CoB110 for the significance of the first believer.
• See SBBH1:14 for a possible explanation for Mullá Ḥusayn's presence in S̲h̲íráz at this time.
• Nabíl-i-A'ẓam relates that Mullá Ḥusayn was welcomed at the Báb's mansion by Mubárak, His Ethiopian servant. [DB53]
• He reveals the first chapter of the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá', the Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. The entire text will later be translated by Ṭáhirih. [B19-21; BBD190-1; BBRSM14-15; BKG28; BW12:85-8; BWMF16; DB52-65, 264, 216, BBR2pg14-15, GPB23, 73; MH56-71; SBBH17, HotD30]
• Bahá'u'lláh has described this book as being 'the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books' in the Bábí Dispensation. [GPB23]
• See SBBH5pg1 for discussion on the Qayyumu'l-Asma'.
• This text was the most widely circulated of all the Báb's writings and came to be regarded as the Bábí Qur'an for almost the entirety of His mission. [BBRSM32]
• This date marks the end of the Adamic Cycle of approximately six thousand years and the beginning of the Bahá'í Cycle or Cycle of Fulfilment. [BBD9, 35, 72; GPB100] Shoghi Effendi is quoted as saying that this is the second most important anniversary on the Bahá'í calendar. ZK320
• The beginning of the Apostolic, Heroic or Primitive Age. [BBD35, 67]
• See MH86-7 for an explanation of the implication of the word 'Báb' to the S̲h̲í'í Muslims.
• Three stages of the Báb's Revelation:
  1. He chooses the title 'Báb' and Mullá Ḥusayn is given the title Bábu'l-Báb (the gate of the Gate).
  2. In the second year of the Revelation (from His confinement in the house of His uncle in S̲h̲íráz) He takes the title of Siyyid-i-d̲h̲ikr (d̲h̲ikr means 'remembrance of God') and gives the title 'Báb' to Mullá Ḥusayn. At Fort Ṭabarsí Mullá Ḥusayn is called 'Jináb-i Báb' by his companions.
  3. At His public declaration the Báb declares Himself to be the promised Qá'im. [MH87-8]

• He is known as 'Abbás Effendi outside the Bahá'í community.
• Bahá'u'lláh gives Him the titles G̲h̲usn-i-A'ẓam (the Most Great Branch), Sirru'lláh (Mystery of God) and Áqá (the Master). [BBD2, 19, 87, 89]
• Sarkár-i-Áqá (the Honourable Master) is a title of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [BBD201]
• He Himself chose the title 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Servant of Bahá) after the passing of Bahá'u'lláh. [BBD2]

• See RB2:145-6 for the fate of the Letters of the Living.
• See B26-7, BBD138, DB80-1, MH81 for a list of the Letters of the Living.
• See BBRSM24-5 for more on the Letters of the Living.
• See BBRSM24-5 for a discussion of the special places occupied by Quddús, Mullá Ḥusayn and Ṭáhirih.

• To Mullá Ḥusayn He had given the task of delivering a Tablet to Bahá'u'lláh in Ṭihrán and going to the court of the S̲h̲áh to apprise him of the Báb's cause. Mullá Ḥusayn is not able to gain access to the S̲h̲áh. [B48-57; BBRSM15; BKG32-3; CH22-3; DB85-87, 97; MH90-2, 102]
• Mullá Ḥusayn carries to Ṭihrán a Tablet revealed by the Báb for Muḥammad S̲h̲áh. This is the first of a number of unsuccessful attempts to enlist his aid. [BBRSM20-1; MH102; SWB13]
• Note: MH118-119 and DB127-128 indicate that Mullá Ḥusayn had been in Tehran "between the months of Jámádí and Rajab". The first day of Jámádí, 1260 corresponds to 18 June, and the last day of Rajab to 15 August, 1844.
• See RB2:303, 'The Báb … sent Tablets to only two monarchs of His day — Muḥammad S̲h̲áh of Persia and Sultán 'Abdu'l-Majíd of Turkey.'
• From S̲h̲íráz he journeys north to Iṣfahán where Mullá Ja'far, the sifter of wheat, is the first to embrace the Cause of the Báb in that city. Mullá Ḥusayn then travels to Kás̲h̲án, about 130 miles from Iṣfahán. He then goes to Qum, another 100 miles from Kás̲h̲án. After Qum he goes to Ṭihrán. [MH98-101, DB99]
• See B53-6; DB104-7, MH104-110 for the delivery of the Báb's Tablet to Bahá'u'lláh. Mullá Ḥusayn does not meet Bahá'u'lláh on this occasion.
• On receiving the Tablet of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh accepts His Cause. He immediately journeys to Mázindarán, His native province, to promote the Cause of the Báb. He returns after the death of the S̲h̲ah in 1848 [BKG39-40; BW8:782; DB109; TN35, SoB6, BPP45, 48, SoG4]
• Mullá Ḥusayn leaves for K̲h̲urásán, as he had been instructed, winning supporters for the Báb's Cause while there he writes to the Báb regarding these new believers and Bahá'u'lláh's immediate response to the Báb's Revelation. [B56, DB128-9, MH118]
• See MH121-2 for a discussion of the speed of Mullá Ḥusayn's journey before the letter was dispatched to the Báb. It assumes that Mullá Ḥusayn departed after The Báb met with all the Letters of the Living (date not before 2 July, 1844.) In fact both Mullá Ḥusayn and Mullá 'Alíy-Basṭámí had been dispatched before this meeting. [DB85-86, 92, HotD46] .

• The S̲h̲ayk̲h̲'s rejection of the claim leads to violent debate. Mullá 'Alí is taken to Bag̲h̲dád and imprisoned there. After a public trial, a joint tribunal of Sunní and S̲h̲í'í 'ulamá, he is sent to Istanbul. He is the first martyr of the Bábí Dispensation. It is significant that Mullá Ḥasan Gawhar, a leading figure of the S̲h̲ayk̲h̲í school, participated in the condemnation as it marks the first major challenge to Babism from a S̲h̲ayk̲h̲í leader. [B27, 37-8, 58; BBR83-90; BBRSM17; BKG31; DB90-2; MMBA, BBR2p17, GPB10]

• DB129 says He left S̲h̲íráz during the month of S̲h̲avvál, 1260 (14October to 11 November, 1844).
• SBBH1 xxviii shows the departure date as 12 November, 1844.
• Balyuzi, B57 says "in the month of September".

• Nabíl indicates that the Báb received the letter on 9 October (26 Ramadan) and that it was a deciding factor in His decision to undertake the pilgrimage. [DB126-7, 129]
• Balyuzi says soon after the Báb received the letter, 'in the month of September' He left S̲h̲íráz'. [B57]
• GPB8-9 says He received the letter in the month of S̲h̲a'bán, 1260 (16 August to 13 September, 1844).
• See MH119 where the author speculates that if the letter arrived on 16 Ramadan (29 September) and the Báb departed from the port of Bús̲h̲ihr on the 19th of Ramadan (2 October, 1844), He had to have been in Bús̲h̲ihr when He received the letter.

• He instructs His followers to await His arrival in Karbalá. [DB86, 87; MH122; SBBH1:23]
• He has been awaiting the letter from Mullá Ḥusayn before starting on His pilgrimage. [DB123; MH117]
• The vessel taking the Báb to Jiddah is probably the Arab sailing-boat named Futúh-ar-Ras'ul. [B69]
• He joined the company of a group of pilgrims from Fárs. [DB76-77]

• See B69-71 and DB130-1 for a description of the voyage.
• Quddús walks from Jiddah to Mecca. [B71, DB132, GPB9]

• See B70 and SA107-8 for the timing, rites and significance of the pilgrimage.

• He makes an open challenge to Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥusayn-i-Kirmání, known as Muḥít, of the S̲h̲ayk̲h̲í school and sends an invitation to the S̲h̲aríf of Mecca to embrace the new Revelation. The S̲h̲aríf is too busy to respond. [B71-74; BW12:89; DB134-8; GPB9, 89]

• He reveals 'The Epistle between Two Shrines' en route. [B73-4]
• He stays 27 days. [MS2]
• B75 and DB140 indicate that the Báb arrived 10 January. The Research Department at the Bahá'í World Centre states that the date 16 January accords with the Báb's own writings. [report 20 Jan 1994]

• He disembarks at Muscat and remains there for two months, awaiting news of the outcome of Mullá 'Alíy-i-Basṭámí's trial. [MS2]
• He sends a letter to the Imám of Muscat. [MS2]
• SBBH23 says the Báb left Jiddah on 4 March.