I thought of writing an article and my intuitive mind keeps on telling me to share the story of His Holiness The Bab and it seems to be a very productive story that is worth sharing.

The Bab was a messenger of God in a succession of divine educators over the centuries that includes Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad.

The Bab appeared at a moment in history in which cultures and peoples of the world were coming together as never before. The nineteenth-century witnessed a series of changes in the economic, political, scientific, and cultural spheres so profound that one eminent historian has characterized it as the century of the transformation of the world.

Bab's teaching called for purity of heart and manner of deeds that transcends mere words and beliefs. He directed His followers to an exacting pattern of prayer, meditation, self-discipline, and solidarity of community life.

In one of the writings of The Bab, He wrote:

Purge your heart of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your adorning... Beseech the Lord your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweeter, of that grace which flows through you.

The most acceptable is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance, it's a prolongation that hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and purer the prayer, the more acceptable it is in the presence of God.

These words reflect something of the nature of Bab's standard and vision. His teaching upheld the importance of science and praised the cultural and scientific development in the West, so long as they could avoid extreme materialism. He raised the social status of women, powerfully represented by one of His pre-eminent followers, Tahirih, who has been called the leader of emancipation for women of the orient.

The Bab set aside animosity between religions and address the coming unity of the human race in a manner that responded to the dreams and ideals of philosophers, poets, and previous prophets of God down through the ages.

The Bab summoned humanity to embrace a new vision commensurate with the forces and powers being released in society by science and industry, and changes in political and economic systems. His teachings include insights into the nature of humanity's destiny on earth that met the hopes and aspirations of those who recognize the nineteenth century as the beginning of the modern age with its distinctive spirit and dynamics.

While initially thought to be religious reformers, the Bab made it clear that His religion was independent of Islam and its laws. So remarkable became the fervor among Bab's followers that the Persian Shah grew alarmed by the rapid spread of the new religion. While several prominent Muslim clerics accepted the Bab, many more denounced Him, joining with the government in their efforts to destroy the vibrant, youthful Babi movement. The Bab was arrested and moved to an increasingly remote prison in an unsuccessful attempt to limit his steadily growing influence. A mere four years after the beginning of His mission, the Bab was called to Tabriz for interrogation by religious and political authorities.

Bab's life and teaching mark a turning point in human history. Born Sayyid Ali Muhammad in 1819, He took the name of the Bab, meaning the Gate in Arabic. His public mission, from 1844 to 1850, represented a spiritual revolution that upended the prevailing social, political and religious order in Persian, opening the door to Baha'u'llah's new, unifying vision.