3.
In those days belief in the imminent appearance of a Divine Messenger was especially prevalent among a sect known as the _Sh_ay_kh_is, and it was to a distinguished divine belonging to this sect, called Mulla Husayn Bu_sh_ru'i, that the Bab first announced His mission.

The exact date of this announcement is given in the Bayan, one of the Bab's Writings, as two hours and eleven minutes after sunset on the eve preceding the fifth day of the month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval 1260 A.H.( 8) 'Abdu'l-Baha was born in the course of the same night, but the exact hour of His birth has not been ascertained.

After some days of anxious investigation and study, Mulla Husayn became firmly convinced that the Messenger long expected by the _Sh_i'ihs had indeed appeared.

His eager enthusiasm over this discovery was soon shared by several of his friends.

Before long the majority of the _Sh_ay_kh_is accepted the Bab, becoming known as Babis; and soon the fame of the young Prophet began to spread like wildfire throughout the land.
Spread of the Babi Movement The first eighteen disciples of the Bab (with Himself as nineteenth) became known as "Letters of the Living." These disciples He sent to different parts of Persian and Turkistan to spread the news of His advent.
Meantime He Himself set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where He arrived in December 1844, and there openly declared His mission.