Editing Bábism (section)

===Antecedents===
[[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shia Muslims]] regard the [[Imamate in Twelver doctrine|Twelfth Imam]], [[Muhammad al-Mahdi]], as the last of the Imams.{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=312}} They contend that Muhammad al-Mahdi went into [[The Occultation#Minor Occultation|the Occultation]] in 874 CE, at which time communication between the Imam and the Muslim community could only be performed through mediators called {{transliteration|ar|[[Bab (Shia Islam)|bābs]]}} ('gates') or {{transliteration|ar|nā'ibs}} ('representatives').{{sfn|Saiedi|2008|p=15}} In 940, the fourth {{transliteration|ar|nā'ib}} claimed that Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi had gone into an indefinite "[[Major Occultation]]", and that he would cease to communicate with the people. According to Twelver belief, the Hidden Imam is alive in the world, but in concealment from his enemies, and will only emerge shortly before the [[Last Judgment]]. At that time, acting as [[Qa'im Al Muhammad]] ("He who will arise"), a messianic figure also known as the [[Mahdi]] ("He who is rightly guided"), the Hidden Imam will start a holy war against evil, would defeat the unbelievers, and would start a reign of justice.{{sfn|Saiedi|2008|p=15}}

In 1830s [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar Persia]], [[Kazim Rashti]] was the leader of the [[Shaykhism|Shaykhis]], a sect of Twelvers. The Shaykhis were a group expecting the imminent appearance of al-Qāʾim. At the time of Kazim's death in 1843, he had counselled his followers to leave their homes to seek the Lord of the Age whose advent would soon break on the world.<ref name="EoI">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam |year=1999 |article=Bāb |publisher=Koninklijke Brill NV |location=Leiden, The Netherlands |first=A. |last=Bausani}}</ref>