Shaykh Ahmad,
also known as Shaykh-i-Ahsa’i (1743-1826), was the first of the two
forerunners of the Báb, and the founder of the Shaykhi School of Islam. He
authored about 96 books. He was a respected
interpreter of Islamic doctrine and attracted many followers in the Shi’ih holy
cities of Najaf and Karbala. His teachings, which emphasized the near advent of
the Promised One of Islam, and the metaphorical rather than literal
interpretation of certain scriptures (such as resurrection and Muhammad’s night
journey to heaven), prepared the way for the Báb. While traveling in Persia
near the end of his life, he chose as his successor a disciple named Siyyid Kazim, who eventually attained the
presence of the Báb.
