(pseudonym of Sajyd Ali Muhammad). Born Oct. 20, 1819; died July 9, 1850. Founder of the Babi sect, which headed the Babi uprisings of 1848 to 1852 in Iran. A follower of the Shiite sect of Shajkhi, which preached the idea of the speedy advent of a Muslim messiah, the Mahdi, Bab proclaimed himself in 1844 the “gate” (bab) through which the Mahdi would transmit his will to the people. He was arrested in 1847. While in jail he wrote the book Bayan (Revelation) in which he set forth the tenets of his teaching. During the Babi uprisings he was shot by the shah’s troops in Tabriz.