Story 1
‘Allāma’s nights like his
days were spent in studying, researching and writing. Only on the day of Ashura
[the 10th of Muharram] would he take a break.
He stayed away from useless
discussions, futile night gatherings and fruitless visitations, and grieved
deeply for lost time.
Sometimes when in the process of
researching a topic he would lock himself in a room and not meet anyone unless
it was necessary. He considered every moment in a man’s life to be his capital.
As a result when ‘Allāma was in Tabriz, he was away from nearly everyone,
and spent one season of the year in a village near Tabriz by the name of
Shādgān. Preparations for Tafsīr al-Mīzān, reading
once through Bihārul Anwār of the late Majlisī (r), and many
other research projects in the subject of hadīth and other intellectual
problems were carried out during this time.
Ayatullah Ja’far
Subhānī
Story 2
Occasionally Aghā
Quddūsī [Allāma Tabātabā’ī’s son-in-law] and I
would discuss the cause of [my father’s] success, and the reason behind his
progress. He would say, “Aptitude is a very important factor in the progress
of an individual. However perseverance also plays a very important role”.
‘Allama had astounding
perseverance. He spent many years working hard at his tafsīr, but he never
got tired of it. [During this time] he wouldn’t differentiate night from day.
From early morning until noon he was occupied with researching and writing.
Then after his prayers, a meal, and a short rest, he would once again busy
himself with work and activity. This was despite the difficult conditions life
dealt him - the spiritual and mental blows one upon the other, the unremitting
emotional bereavements, and the family tragedies and difficulties on top of all
this. At five years of age his mother, and at nine his father both passed away,
and the dust of grief of being an orphan settled deep into his spirit and soul
… [not to mention] the difficulties he faced in Najaf and in Tabriz…
Yet when a path is chosen and
perseverance is there to help, a man’s weighty duties become easy and simple.
‘Allāma narrates:
When I was in
Najaf I found a math teacher who was only free to teach at 1 in the afternoon.
I would walk from one side of the city to the other side in the exhausting
afternoons of Najaf. When I arrived at his location my clothes would be so
drenched in sweat that I would enter the fountain [to shower], and after some
time I would go near the teacher and study math.
Truly heat and cold, fatigue and
distress had no meaning for him. This is because he took his work very
seriously and had strong determination.
‘Allāma’s daughter
