Two of Siyyid Muḥammad-Riḍa's paternal cousins rose to eminence in the ranks of the [_Sh_]í`ah divines, and both bore allegiance, in strict secrecy, to their kinsman when His claim to be 'the Qá'im of the House of Muḥammad' became publicly known. Of the two, the more famed and distinguished was Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan (1815-95), known as Mírzáy-i-[_Sh_]írází, who, like all the leading [_Sh_]í`ah divines, resided in `Iráq. He was the most influential ecclesiastic of his time, powerful enough to wreck the Tobacco Régie, the monopoly concession which Náṣiri'd-Dín [_Sh_]áh (reigned 1848-96) gave to Major Gerald F. Talbot, a British citizen, in the summer of 1889.[2] Mírzáy-i-[_Sh_]írází put the use of tobacco under an interdict and the people of Írán, even the women in the [_Sh_]áh's harem, ceased to use it. Náṣiri'd-Dín [_Sh_]áh was forced early in 1892 to cancel the concession and pay the Tobacco Corporation an indemnity of £500,000. The father of Mírzáy-i-[_Sh_]írází, named Mírzá Maḥmúd, was a noted calligraphist, and was uncle to the father of the Báb. The other celebrated ecclesiastic, cousin to Siyyid Muḥammad-Riḍá, was Ḥájí Siyyid Javád, the Imám-Jum`ih[AI] of Kirmán. It was Quddús who gave this dignitary the news of the advent of the Báb. Ḥájí Siyyid Javád extended his protection to Quddús, despite the clamour of his adversaries. [Footnote AI: Literally, 'The Leader of Friday'--the leading imám (he who leads the congregation in prayer) in a town or city.] The mother of the Báb was Fáṭimih-Bagum. She was the daughter of Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥusayn, a merchant of [_Sh_]íráz, and had three brothers. Of these, Ḥájí Mírzá Siyyid `Alí became the guardian of the Báb, while Ḥájí Mírzá Siyyid Muḥammad and Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥasan-`Alí, although not enlisted in the ranks of the followers of their illustrious Nephew, feature in His story.