The Báb was the title assumed by Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, who was the Founder of the Bábí Faith and the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh. He was born in Shiraz in 1819, and later worked as a merchant, where he gained a high reputation for fairness. On 22 May 1844 he announced himself to be the Promised One of Islam. As the Báb’s message spread throughout the region, attracting many followers, his doctrines inflamed the Shia clergy, and his followers were subjected to brutal persecution and massacres. The Báb was imprisoned from 1847 to 1850. Finally, he was brought before a firing squad on 9 July 1850, and was executed along with one of his followers.