|
Only three years after His declaration, the Bab was imprisoned for espousing and preaching His beliefs. He remained a prisoner for the last three years of His ministry. During this time, His followers came under siege from the government and clergy. Thousands died, including many of His disciples, foremost of whom was Quddus. (15:3) It was not long before many came to believe that the Messenger the Bab had spoken of and alluded to so frequently was Baha'u'llah, whose name means 'the glory of God'. Baha'u'llah openly supported the Cause of His predecessor the Bab, and during the severe persecutions of the years following the Bab's execution He was imprisoned and later exiled. The period of this first imprisonment in Tehran marks the beginning of Baha'u'llah's active ministry, but it was only after several years of withdrawal to the mountains of Kurdistan that He formally announce that He was the one whose advent the Bab had anticipated. In the course of His ministry He was exiled repeatedly and was eventually imprisoned in the city of 'Akka,
(15:4)
|