The Babi and Baha'i Religion — Page 10
THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION 10 It is to be carefully noted that neither Ahmad al- A h s a ’ i nor K az im Rasht i laid any claim to be recipients of Divine Revelation. Both had been emphasising the near approach of the time when the Hidden Imam was to reappear, and it was no matter for surprise that a large number of their followers were on tip-toe, so to say, to hear his call. In fact many zealots among them wandered about in the jungles and wastes in the hope of coming across him by good luck. Claim of B a b As to the time when ‘Al i Muhammad put forth his claim to being the B a b, and the precise nature of this claim, we come across the following in Bah a ’ i sources: (i) One day in a mosque in B u shaihar he claimed that he was the B a b for reaching the concealed personage who was expected to appear soon. (ii) In the presence of mullah H usain Bashr u ’ i , who was a prominent follower of the Shai- kiyyah sect, ‘Al i Mo h ammad first declared his mission as B a b. In B a b’s book entitled Bay a n the exact time of this declaration is given as 1260