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Mullá Husayn (1813–1849) ( Mullah Hossein Boshru'i), also known by the honorific title Jináb-i Bábu'l-Báb ("Gate of the Gate"), was a Persian religious figure and the first Letter of the Living of the Bábí movement. The title of Bábu'l-Báb was bestowed upon him by the Báb in recognition of his status as the first person to independently recognize the Báb as the promised Mahdi of Twelver Shi'ism.

As a prominent Bábí he is highly regarded by Bahá'ís and Azalis and often mentioned in Bahá'í literature as an example of courage and spiritual excellence.{{Citation needed} He died at the Battle of Fort Shaykh Tabarsi, on February 2, 1849 and is regarded as a martyr in the Bahá'í Faith.

Early Life
Mullá Husayn was born in Boshruyeh in South Khorasan to a wealthy and established family of the town. His father Hajji Mullah Abdullah was a dyer; his mother was a poet and known for her piety and knowledge. Like most young boys of the era he received a haphazard education, learning a little scripture, reading, writing and basic mathematics. At the age of 12 he left school and pursued higher education, which included lessons in Persian literature and the Qur'an, whilst mastering the art of debate. By 21, he was already a mujtahid and whilst studying in Mashhad he became attracted to the teachings of Siyyid Kázim and Shaykhism.

Siyyid Kázim taught his students to expect the fulfillment of the messianic expectations of Twelver Shi'ism in theirs lifetimes, particularly emphasizing that the Qa'im was already living. Near the end of his life, Siyyid Kázim repeatedly instructed his followers to disperse throughout Persian and surrounding lands in search of the Qa'im. In the days following Siyyid Kázim's death, a significant number of Shaykis recognized Mullá Husayn as the only worthy successor to Siyyid Kázim and he decided to take up the challenge to search out the promised Qa'im. Nabil's Narrative states that some among the followers of Siyyid Kázim expected that Mullá Husaynwould declare himself to be the Qa'im, a suggestion he forcefully refuted.

Declaration of the Báb
According to Mullá Husayn, the Shaykhi leader Sayyid Kazim Rashti, instructed his followers to spread out in search of the Qa'im. On Siyyid Kázim's death, Mullá Husayn spent forty days secluded in prayer, after which he traveled to Bushehr and then to Shiraz. There, on 22 May 1844, he encountered the Báb, who declared to Mullá Husayn that he was the expected Qa'im. Nabil's Narrative records Mullá Husayn's account of the signs he had been given by the dying Siyyid Kazim to recognize the Qa'im and indicates that Mullá Husayn was quickly convinced that the Báb satisfied these conditions.

While the Báb had already revealed his religious mission to his wife and servant, Mullá Husayn became the first person to independently recognize him as the Qa'im, and was appointed the first member of the Báb's Letters of the Living (Ḥurúfu'l-ḥayy in Arabic). The anniversary of this declaration is observed as a holy day by Bahá'í communities around the world and marks the beginning of the Badi' calendar used by Bábi's and Bahá'ís to this day.