The Life of the Báb

ShrineOfTheBab1 FACULTY: Moojan Momen, Peter Smith

The Wilmette Institute offers three courses focused on the Bábí movement out of which the Bahá'í Faith developed: the first on the Báb Himself; the second on His followers and the Bábí movement; and the third on the writings of the Báb. The three courses are complementary.

The course The Life of the Báb deals with the Báb's life: His childhood and marriage; the declaration of His mission; His pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, His return to Iran and His initial stay in Shiraz; His escape to Isfahan; His imprisonment in Azerbaijan; and His trial and execution in Tabriz. It ends with a brief consideration of Western academic reflections on "the Episode of the Báb."

The course will share extensive resources for studying the life and teaching of the Báb, in anticipation of conversations, meetings, gatherings, and discourse throughout the world in celebration of the bicentenary of His birth in 2019.

Join Our Online Learning Community

You may join our online learning community either as an individual or as part of a study group (2 to 20 people). In either case, you can do all your work at home at any time of the day or night. We assign mentors to individuals and to groups to advise, encourage, assist, and answer questions. Groups are expected to meet every week or two for group discussions. Web-based forums connect all learners—individuals and members of a group--to the insights and perspectives of fellow students from all over the world.

To form a group, ask some friends whether they'd like to take the course with you. If at least one other agrees, go into the registration system, establish a group, and pay for it. Be sure to select “group” rather than “individual” on the first screen. Then follow the guidance here: Study Alone or in a Group on how to add additional study group members, and to manage the payments, which can now be done individually.

Tuition support is available for all who need it. See the Wilmette Institute's Tuition Support Policy, then email learn@wilmetteinstitute.org to join the support program.

Note: All our courses are "asynchronous," which means there is no work that has to be done at a particular time. You can do everything at any time. For more information, go to http://wilmetteinstitute.org/ourcourses/frequently-asked-questions/.