Baha'u'llah – Mirza Husayn Ali

Mirza Husayn Ali, who becomes known as Baha'u'llah ("Glory of God"), was an early follower of the Bab, joining his mission in 1844. He introduced his younger half-brother, Mirza Yahya Subh-I-Azal, to the movement, and Subh-I-Azal embraced the teachings around 1847.

It was was Subh-I-Azal, however, who was appointed by the Bab to be his successor in the Babi movement. The conflict over leadership eventually culminated in a failed assassination attempt by poisoning on at least one of the brothers, although sources differ as to who did the poisoning and who was poisoned.

In 1852, Baha'u'llah was one of several Babis arrested after an attempted assassination of the Shah. While in prison, he received a vision that eventually convinced him that he was a Manifestation of God. Because of high birth and political connections, Baba'u'llah was spared from execution. Instead, he was exiled to Baghdad in the Ottoman Empire.

It was not until 1863, however, that he shared his revelation with anyone. This sharing of his revelation is celebrated every year as Ridvan.

Like the Bab, Baha'u'llah taught that his appearance marked a new dispensation from God, and that he was revealing new divine decrees meant to be put in place of old ones. Unlike the Bab, however, Baha'u'llah stressed religious tolerance and the commonalities between world religions.

Baha'u'llah also appealed to the world for peace. He wrote letters to both secular and religious leaders around the world praising their individual humanitarian efforts and encouraging them to abandon war.