The Declaration of the Báb refers to the night of May 22–23, 1844, when a 25-year-old Persian merchant named Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad proclaimed in Shiraz, Iran, that he was a Messenger of God and the promised one foretold in Islamic scripture. Taking the title "the Báb" (meaning "the Gate"), he announced that his mission was to herald the imminent arrival of an even greater prophet, Bahá'u'lláh, and to prepare humanity for a new era of peace and justice. His first follower was Mullá Husayn, who accepted his claim that very night. Bahá'ís commemorate this event as a major holy day and regard it as the founding moment of the Bahá'í Faith.