Building a following
The first followers
Shrine of the Báb at night ©
Mulla Husayn declared his faith in the Báb and became the first believer.
Later, in accordance with Ali Muhammad's instructions, seventeen other seekers of the faith independently accepted the Báb's claim and these first 18 believers were appointed Letters of the Living.
The Letters of the Living were sent throughout Iran to announce that the Day of God heralded in the Qur'an had finally dawned.
The threat
The Báb's teachings were a threat to the very foundations of Islam, since Muslims believe that Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets - the bearer of God's final revelation - and that no further revelation of the Divine Purpose would ever be needed.
Bahá'í scholars (and some Muslim scholars) don't agree with this - they say that this belief is based on a particular interpretation of some of the Arabic text of the Qur'an, and that the relevant texts can be interpreted in a way that does not make Muhammad the final Prophet of God.
However, the belief that Muhammad is the final Prophet of God is the orthodox Muslim view, and would have been universal in the time and place of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. According to this orthodox view the Báb (and Bahá'u'lláh) were preaching serious heresy.
Consequently, while the message of the Báb was causing great excitement in some parts of Persia, there was also violent opposition to his claims in other parts of the country.
Arrest of the Báb
The Báb sent the Letters of the Living to spread the news of his coming throughout Persia but took his favourite disciple, Quddus, to Mecca and Medina to make his mission public.
Whilst his proclamation in Mecca went largely unnoticed, his missionaries in Shiraz had added the Báb's name to the Muslim call to prayer and, as a result, he was arrested and returned to Shiraz.
The Báb was released to the care of his uncle but was required to make a public recantation of his claim to be the Báb of the Imam.
He refused to do this and he was imprisoned in Mah-Ku to the north of the country.
Such was his influence and impact on local people there that he was soon sent to an even more remote prison in Chihriq.
As in Mah-Ku, the prison officer there converted to the teachings of the Báb and a stream of visitors were soon allowed to visit him.