Story 1
Classes of philosophy were looked
down upon when ‘Allāma first came to Qum, and much effort was put into
closing his philosophy classes. However his gracious and wise manner and his
kindly interactions with Ayatullah Al-Uzma Burūjredī won over some of
his critics and decreased the influence of others.
‘Allāma did not confine
himself to the study of general philosophy. With the establishment of private
sessions with prized students such as Shahīd Mutahharī, he began to
study Western philosophies, in particular Dialectic Materialism. Together they
[‘Allāma and Shahīd Mutahharī] wrote one of the best books
available in this field.
‘Allāma’s invaluable role in
making the world aware about Islam, the teachings of Shi’ism, Islamic
Philosophy and Gnosticism (‘Irfān), and in presenting in writing
the original ethos of Shi’sim, was a great and invaluable service that could
only have been accomplished by such a man.
An indication of his valuable
services is that it would be hard to find a single scholar in all of Iran and
in many parts of the world [today] who has not taken from the harvest of
knowledge and character of ‘Allāma, and who has not directly or indirectly
benefited from him.
Ayatullah Misbāh
Yazdī
Story 2
‘Allāma Tabātabā’ī is an exemplar of men of
worth and greatness. This man is so very remarkable and worthy that even after
100 years it will be necessary to sit and ponder and analyze his thoughts in
order to fully understand his worth.
This man is truly among the most
valuable servants of Islam. He is genuinely an embodiment of God-consciousness
(taqwa) and spirituality. He has traversed exceptionally high levels of
self-purification and taqwa. For many long years I have benefited from
the blessed presence of this great individual.
To honor the likes of this great
man is to honor knowledge itself, and to honor society… He is known as a
distinguished intellectual, not only in the Islamic world but in the
non-Islamic world as well.
Shahid Mutahharī
Story 3
One of ‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī’s students describes the way in which he met his
teacher and began to study under him:
It was the year 1364 S (1985). I
had moved to Qum in order to pursue my studies. I took up residence in
Ayatullah Hujjat’s school (Hujjatiyya), and was busy with my studies and
discussions. The school building was very small and as a result the late
Ayatullah Hujjat had bought the adjacent land in order to expand his school and
build a new and spacious building; one that which, in accordance with the
Islamic style of school, would take care of all the needs of its students.
Many engineers from Tehran and
elsewhere came and presented various plans, but every one of them had some flaw
and was rejected by Ayatullah Hujjat. This situation carried on for some time.
Finally we heard that a Sayyid from Tabriz had come and drawn up a
comprehensive and complete plan that was approved by Ayatullah Hujjat.
We were very curious to meet this
Sayyid. Afterwards we heard that he had arrived in Qum from Tabriz, that he was
known by ‘Qādhi’[1],
that he was very knowledgeable in mathematics and philosophy, and that he had
begun philosophy classes at the Hawza. We went to his house and realized that
this celebrated and well-known man was the same Sayyid that we used to see
walking everyday in the alleys. Never did we assume that he was an intellectual
(let alone a scholar of many sciences). With a tiny burlap turban (emama)
blue in color, without socks and with clothes simpler than average, he used to
go back and forth in the alleys of Qum and live in an extremely small and
simple home.
We were so enamored by
‘Allāma Tabātabā’ī, and our desire to study with him so
great, that we requested a private philosophy class with him. He magnanimously
agreed and thereafter we were fortunate to be able to study both hayāte
qadīm and Qur’ānic exegesis (tafsīr) with him.
Every day that passed our love
for, and our relationship with ‘Allāma, deepened, because he was a
straightforward, noble, polite, and moral man free of any corruption. At the
same time he was like a kind brother and compassionate friend to us. In the
evenings when he would come to his room, in addition to the regular lesson, he
would speak about the Qur’ān and knowledge of God Almighty.
Greatness and presence,
tranquility and dignity, all manifested themselves in his existence. He was an
ocean of knowledge that when penetrated, could provide the answer to every
question. He would answer questions gently yet firmly, and with propriety and
seriousness. Despite the fact that our debate and our impudence would
occasionally reach high levels, never once did he raise his voice, always
maintaining his patience and composure.
‘Allāma Sayyid Muhammad
Husayn Tehrānī
Story 4
‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī’s knowledge was so wide that he used to say:
“If the opportunity arose, I
could explain all the issues of the Qur’ān from a single small sūra”.
Ayatullah Jawādī
Āmulī
Story 5
In the year 1350 S (1970), we
wanted to visit Makkah. It was winter, snowy and cold. We went to see
‘Allāma Tabātabā’ī
to convey our greetings and say our goodbyes. When our conversation came
to an end, I said to him, “Give us some advice that we can use during our
travel, and that can be a provision for our journey!”
He read this verse in which God
says: Therefore remember Me, I will remember you (Sūra Baqara:
152). ‘Allāma said
“Remember God so
that God might remember you as well. When God remembers a human being, He
delivers him from ignorance. When God the All-Powerful remembers a human being
who is in the midst of some work, he will never find himself incapable of doing
something. And if a human being were to have a moral problem, God, who
possesses the Divine and Beautiful Names and is described by these great Names,
would most definitely remember him, removing the difficulty and freeing him of
that problem”.
Ayatullah Jawādī Āmulī
Story 6
‘Allāma once told us that he
visited the outskirts of Tehran one summer, where ideas of Communism and
Materialism were prevalent. Some of those who held materialist views wanted to
freely discuss their thoughts with him. He went to them and participated in a
discussion from morning until evening, that may have lasted 8 hours.
He said, “I discussed with
this one individual using the view point of burhāne sidīdqiyīn
(a Shi’ite philosophical proof of the existence of God)”. Thereafter, this
individual who was a Marxist saw one of his peers on a street in Tehran who
asked him, “where did you reach in your visit and discussion with Agha
Tabātabā’ī?” He replied,
“Agha
Tabātabā’ī has made me a monotheist. He spent eight hours in
discussion with us, and in the process he made one communist a believer in God
and one Marxist a monotheist. He listened to every non-believer’s insult yet
never took offense and never quarreled”.
Ayatullah Jawādī
Āmulī
Story 7
Once ‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī was informed that the Shah had decided to give him a
PhD in philosophy. He became very upset and announced that under no
circumstances would he accept such a thing. The head of the faculty of theology
approached ‘Allāma and insisted a great deal, but he continued to decline.
In the end, after a great deal of persistence, the head of the faculty said, “If
you don’t accept, the Shah will become angry and displeased…”! ‘Allāma
responded explicitly, “I have absolutely no fear of the Shah, and am not
ready to accept this doctorate”.
‘Allāma’s daughter
Story 8
‘Allāma Tabātabā’ī’s Nastalīq and
Shekaste handwriting [forms of Persian Calligraphy} were one of the best and
most beautiful examples of calligraphy. Even though his hand was unsteady and
his handwriting shaky towards the end of his life because of an illness of the
nerves and tremors in his hand, the essence of the handwriting indicated that
he was an expert in this art. He himself used to say, “Samples of my
handwriting remain from my youth and when I look at them I am amazed that this
is my writing!”
‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī used to say:
Many days my
brother and I would go to the outskirts of Tabriz near the foot of the mountain
and the green hills, and spend the entire day from morning till dusk writing
calligraphy… We used to spend all our money and time in buying paper and
practicing calligraphy on it.
Story 9
During the days when ‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī was a learned scholar, a shining light, and a
gathering place of knowledge and insight…in the days when he would walk the
streets of Qum with clothes made of burlap, his outward appearance simpler than
normal, staff in hand, going to and from the sacred shrine of Hazrat Ma’suma
(a), the gaze of Orientalists and Western thinkers fell on the clear intensity
of his thought and depth of his insight. His careful scrutiny, innovation,
originality and resolute thought resulted in a growing suggestion in their
minds.
The American government requested
the Shah of Iran (Muhammad Reza Pahlavi) that ‘Allāma be invited to teach
Eastern philosophy in American universities!
In order to carry out this
important request, Muhammad Reza sought help from Ayatullah al-Uzma
Burujerdī – May God be pleased with him – informing him of the American
request. Ayatullah Burujerdī in returned conveyed the Shah’s message to
‘Allāma. But ‘Allāma’s profound insight and sound judgment caused him
to prefer a simple life, closeness with eminent scholars, a role in the
spiritual atmosphere of Qum, and in training scholars in the hawza. As a result
of all this, he rejected the request of the American government.
‘Allāma Tehrānī
Footnotes:
[1] When he
first arrived in Qum, ‘Allāma Tabātabā’ī was known as Qadhi
because from among the lineage of Sādāt Qadhi was more well known in
Azerbaijan. However he himself showed preference for the name
‘Tabātabā’ī’.