Tahirih faced great opposition in Karbila from 1844 to 1847.Nevertheless, she persisted, speaking to large audiences from behind a curtain in Siyyid Kazim’s house. Many fervent followers gathered around her and, in turn, spread her teachings throughout the holy cities of southern Iraq.
Her groups of students, called ‘the Qurratiya’, included both male and female and Persian and Arab. They had to obey purity rules such abstaining from smoking---which was common---or drinking coffee; some even sought her blessing for their foods. One of her students, Shaykh Salih Karimi, an Arab, was the first Babi martyr on Persian soil.
The prominent conservative Shaykhi, Babi, and Muslim clerics continued their attacks on her, so she moved to the nearby town of Kazimayn, where she drew large crowds. Conservative clerics spread slanderous rumors about her. Persia was a deeply conservative society, and so these rumors had their intended effect. The Babis of Kazimayn wrote to the Bab for guidance.
The Bab’s reply unequivocally supported Tahirih’s understanding of His teachings. He approved of her leadership of the Babis in the holy cities of Iraq. She was “a proof of God” and “none of those who are my followers repudiate her.” He referred to her as “the Pure,” and “Siddiqih,” the truthful.