The Babi and Baha'i Religion — Page 20
THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION 20 Life of ‘Al i Muhammad B a b prior to his Claim ‘Al i Muhammad B a b was born in a family of businessmen and traders. When he was about fifteen years of age he went into business with his uncle. As regards his education, "since he was born in a trader family, his education had been mainly confined to arithmetic necessary for book-keeping, as was the case in India for some time, and as continues to be the case in Iran even now. It is likely that this education also included the learning of the Holy Qur’an by heart, as was usually the case in most old-fashioned families. " 15 Right from the start ‘Al i Muhammad was a fol- lower of the Shaikhiyyah sect, having been brought up by his uncle who was a zealous member. Thus the atmosphere in which he spent his childhood was one that was permeated by a great hope and expectation in regard to the appearance of the Hidden Imam. The effect of this atmosphere on the mind of ‘Al i Muhammad was so deep that as soon as his uncle set him up in business in partnership with a son of his own, he began to show signs of an inner agitation and mental absorption. "He did not appear to be happy with the claim the business made upon his time and mind. He began to show a preference for spending his 15 Bah a ’ull a h k i Ta‘1im a t , page 4 and Ris a latul Tis‘a ‘Ashar i ‘a , page 28.