Annunciation of Baba, the day when Bab — prophet-forerunner of the Bahá'í faith — proclaimed His Mission in 1844 in the city of Shiraz (Persia). This is the day of the birth of the Bahá'í faith. The exact date is known when this happened — 2 hours 11 minutes after completion on May 22, 1844. On this day, the young Persian merchant Siyyid Ali Muhammad, who later took the name «Bab» (translated from Arabic as «Gate»), proclaimed that He was called to announce to the world the impending coming of the Promised of all religions and prepare people for His coming.
The main theme of His Scriptures was the imminent coming of the One whom God will reveal« » Messenger, promised in all the Holy Books of the past. It is with the arrival of this Messenger, Bab said, that the long-awaited Kingdom of God will come on earth. Baha'is revere Bab along with all other great Messengers of God in human history — Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad and others.
Bab first announced His Mission to a young theological scholar, whose name was Mullah Hussein Bushrui. Mullah Hussein, filled with the expectation of the imminent fulfillment of the prophecy about the coming of Caim (the Promised One in Islam), went with several of his friends in search of Him. Having no idea where this Man might appear, Mullah Hussein relied entirely on Divine Providence.
Providence brought him to Shiraz. At the gates of this city, Mullah Hussein met a young man who amazed him by addressing him as if they had known each other for a long time, and then invited Mullah Hussein to his home. Having asked Mullah Hussein about the purpose of his journey, the young man asked him by what signs he was going to look for the Promised One. When Mullah Hussein listed these signs, which he drew from the prophecies of his spiritual teachers, the young man suddenly exclaimed: «Look! All these signs are revealed in me!». Mullah Hussein was shocked by such words, and, naturally, he was immediately overwhelmed by doubts.
During His conversation with Mullah Hussein, Bab provided convincing evidence. He fulfilled two mandatory conditions to prove His correctness. The first condition was that He must be able to explain the complex points in the teachings of Sheikh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim, who were the spiritual teachers of Mullah Hussein. After this, according to Mullah Hussein, Bab «... began to present some truths that could not be found either in the sayings of the Imams or in the works of Sheikh Ahmad or Siyyid Kazim. These were truths that I had not heard of at all until this time, and they seemed to have some kind of reviving power and revitalizing influence».
The second condition was to ask Him, without the slightest hesitation or prior reflection, to write a commentary on the surah (chapter of the Koran) «Joseph» in a style superior to everything written up to that time. Immediately after his words, Bab took the pen and with incredible speed discovered the surah of the Lordship, that is, the first part of His commentary on Surah «Joseph». Here's what Mullah Hussein himself says about that night: «The stunning impact of His writing style was further enhanced by the gentle intonations of His voice that accompanied the writing process. Not for a moment did He interrupt the flow of poems rushing from under His pen. He never stopped until he completed the entire sura...».
Bab himself spoke about this time in the following words: «This night, this very hour, will be celebrated in the coming days as one of the greatest and significant holidays».