Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i
From Freepedia
Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i (1753 - 1826), better known as Shaykh Ahmad, was the founder of a 19th century Shi'a religious movement in the Persian and Ottoman empires, whose followers were known as Shaykhis.
He was a native of the Eastern Arabian Peninsula, educated in Bahrain and the theological centers of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, spent the last twenty years of his life in Iran, where he received the protection and patronage of princes of the Qajar dynasty, which had restored Shi`ism as Iran's state religion.
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Shaykhi teachings
The primary force behind Shaykh Ahmad's teachings is in relation to a Twelver Shi'a belief that there were twelve Imams starting with Ali ibn Abu Talib and ending with Muhammad al Mahdi. Whilst the first eleven Imams died, the twelth is said to have disappeared to return "before the day of judgement" and "fill the Earth with justice and make the truth triumphant". This messianic figure is called the Mahdi (or Mihdi).
The Shaykhis believed that since muslims required the guidance of the Mahdi, there must be an individual on Earth who is capable of communicating with the him. This personage would be described as the "perfect Shi'a", and Shaykh Ahmad was the first to adopt that position. Due to his unique capability the leader of the sect attained a quasi-devinity in the eyes of his followers.
It is not clear whether is was Shaykh Ahmad or his successor Siyyid Kázim who predicted that the coming of the Mahdi was nearing.
Successorship
Shaykh Ahmad appointed a successor, Siyyid Kázim, who led the Shaykhis until his death. Siyyid Kazim said that he would not live to see the Promised One, but, according to the Bábís, his appearance was so imminent that Siyyid Kazim appointed no successor, instead instructing his followers to spread across the land and search him out. One of his most noted followers, Mullá Husayn said:
- "Our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved... Regarding the features of the Promised One, he told us that He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fatimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency."
- (quoted in Shoghi Effendi's The Dawn-Breakers, p. 57)
Successor of Siyyid Kázim
The followers of Shaykh Ahmad spread out, and in 1844, two claimed to be the position.
Ali Muhammad Báb
- Main article: Báb
The first to take the claim was Ali Muhammad. He took the title of the Báb and - radicalising the Shaykhi movement - further claimed to be the Mahdi (return of the twelth Imam), then of being a Messenger of God. He was labeled a heretic, thrown into imprisonment and in 1850 the Báb was executed.
The Bahá'í Faith today has an estimated 6 million followers, and traces its religious history from Shaykh Ahmad, through Siyyid Kazim, the Báb, and then to Bahá'u'lláh. Several thousand followers of the Báb still exist, mostly isolated in Iran.
Haji Karim Khan of Kirman
A second claim was made shortly afterwards by Haji Karim Khan who took a more moderate approach. He attemped to bridge gaps with the mainstream Islamic ulema who called the Báb's movement heretical. It appears he did not manage a significant following and appointed no leader.
