´¡&³§³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;¸é´¡¹óĪ, ḤOJJAT-AL-ESLÄ€M ḤĀJJĪ MOLLÄ€ MOḤAMMAD B. MOLLÄ€ MOḤAMMAD MAHDĪ, religious leader, born sometime before 1235/1819 and died 1315/1897-98. The only information about him comes from fragmentary accounts given by some of his contemporaries such as Moḥammad TonokÄbonÄ« (²Ï±ðá¹£aá¹£ al-Ê¿olamÄʾ, Tehran, 1304/1886-87, pp. 118ff.), and Moḥammad Ḥasan Khan EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana (al-MaʾÄṯer wa’l-ÄṯÄr, Tehran, 1306/1888-89, pp. 143-44), who refer to him as a well-recognized religious leader, an authority in Islamic mysticism, and an excellent orator.
Originally from Ašraf (the present-day Behšahr in MÄzandarÄn), he spent most of his life in BÄrforÅ«š (the present-day µþÄå²ú´Ç±ô), also in MÄzandarÄn; see M. QazvÄ«nÄ«, “WafayÄt-e moÊ¿Äá¹£erÄ«n,” ³ÛÄå»å²µÄå°ù 3/3, 1325 Š./ 1946-47, p. 35). Concerning AšrafÄ«’s advanced education, we do not have any solid information. According to M. TonokÄbonÄ« AšrafÄ« studied under MollÄ Moḥammad SaÊ¿Ä«d-al-Ê¿olamÄʾ (d. 1270/1853-54), a former colleague of Shaikh MortaÅ¼Ä Aná¹£ÄrÄ« (d. 1281/1864-65, q.v.) and then a distinguished religious leader residing in BÄrforÅ«š (²Ï±ðá¹£aá¹£, p. 124; M. A. Modarres, RayḥÄnat al-adab III, TabrÄ«z, n.d., p. 38; P. ḤosaynzÄda, Šahr-e µþÄå²ú´Ç±ô, Tehran, 1343 Š./1964-65, p. 120 and passim). AšrafÄ«’s name is also mentioned among the disciples of Shaikh Moḥammad-Ḥasan á¹¢Äḥeb-al-Ç°awÄher (d. 1266/1849-50) by M. Ḥerz-al-dÄ«n (MaÊ¿Äref al-reÇ°Äl fÄ« tarÄÇ°em al-Ê¿olamÄʾ wa’l-odabÄʾ II, NaÇ°af, 1384/1964-65, p. 227). This report, however, is hard to substantiate because we do know (ibid., II, pp. 225) that á¹¢Äḥeb-al-Ç°awÄher had lived in NaÇ°af since the beginning of the 13th/18th-19th century, but we do not know of any period of AšrafÄ«’s life to have been spent in NaÇ°af. TonokÄbonÄ« (p. 124) adds that AšrafÄ« had not had much education and attributes his distinction to his asceticism and his extreme fear of God, and asserts that he had the power to perform saintly miracles (°ì²¹°ùÄå³¾Äå³Ù). His lack of systematic training under distinguished religious authorities of the time is also clearly referred to by Sayyed Moḥammad-MahdÄ« MÅ«sawÄ« Eá¹£fahÄnÄ« KÄẓemÄ« (Aḥsan al-wadÄ«Ê¿a fÄ« tarÄÇ°em mašÄhÄ«r ³¾´ÇÇ°³Ù²¹³ó±ð»åÄ«n al-šÄ«Ê¿a I, NaÇ°af, 1388/1968, pp. 100-01). However, AšrafÄ« proved to be a highly respected religious authority and it is believed that he reached the rank of ±ðÇ°³Ù±ð³óÄå»å (independent judgment in Islamic jurisprudence) at the age of twenty-one and received the title of ḥoÇ°Ç°²¹³Ù-²¹±ô-±ð²õ±ôÄå³¾ from the then great religious leader of Iran, Sayyed Moḥammad-BÄqer ŠaftÄ« (ḤosaynzÄda, µþÄå²ú´Ç±ô, pp. 125-27). The fact that he wrote a Persian resÄla-ye Ê¿amalÄ«ya (a guidance for the individuals wishing to follow the instructions of a specified ³¾´ÇÇ°³Ù²¹³ó±ð»å) confirms the report of EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana that AšrafÄ« had a certain number of followers (A. Hairi, ShÄ«Ê¿ism and Constitutionalism in Iran: A Study of the Role Played by the Persian Residents of Iraq in Iranian Politics, Leiden, 1977, pp. 62-65, 194, 201). It deals with matters related to this world (³¾´ÇÊ¿Äå³¾²¹±ôÄå³Ù) and with religious observances (Ê¿±ð²úÄå»åÄå³Ù); it was published in Tehran first in 1312/1894-95 and again in 1316/1898-99 (a year after AšrafÄ«’s death), but this time footnoted by and adjusted to the ´Ú²¹³Ù·ÉÄås (legal rulings) of Shaikh Ê¿AbdallÄh MÄzandÄrÄnÄ« (d. 1330/1912, q.v.).
Two other books are known to have been written by AšrafÄ«, both evidence of his mastery in the field of the ShiÊ¿ite tradition and jurisprudence. AšrafÄ«’s most important and often quoted book is a catechism called ŠaÊ¿Äʾer al-eslÄm fÄ« masÄʾel al-ḥalÄl wa’l-ḥarÄm (Tehran, 1312/1894-95, 1316/1898-99), which has earned him the admiration of his biographers (e.g., MÅ«sawÄ« KÄẓemÄ«, Aḥsan al-wadÄ«Ê¿a I, p. 100). MollÄ Ê¿AlÄ« WÄÊ¿eẓ ḴīÄbÄnÄ« also admired AšrafÄ« and his books, but the fact that AšrafÄ« was reputed both as a marÇ°aÊ¿-e taqlÄ«d (religious authority) and as a Sufi astonished him (KetÄb Ê¿olamÄʾ moÊ¿Äá¹£erÄ«n, TabrÄ«z, 1366/1946-47, pp. 62-64). AšrafÄ«’s other book, also in Persian, is entitled AsrÄr al-šahÄda and was published twice, once in 1315/1897-98 and another time in 1322/1904.
AšrafÄ« was also respected by the then shah of Iran, NÄá¹£er-al-dÄ«n (r. 1265-1314/1848-96). They exchanged visits during the shah’s two trips to MÄzandarÄn in 1282/1865-66 and 1292/1875 (M. Ḥ. EÊ¿temÄd-al-salá¹ana, MerʾÄt al-boldÄn-e nÄá¹£erÄ« I, Tehran, 1294/1877, pp. 156-59; E. MahÄ«Å«rÄ«, °ÕÄå°ùīḵ-±ð²ÑÄå³ú²¹²Ô»å²¹°ùÄå²Ô II, SÄrÄ«, 1345 Š./1966-67, p. 180). The shah is said to have personally taken photograph of AšrafÄ« (ḤosaynzÄda, µþÄå²ú´Ç±ô, pp. 126, 127; the same picture is claimed to belong to MollÄ Moḥammad FÄżel ŠarabÄ«ÄnÄ« (d. 1322/1904; cf. Modarres, RayḥÄnat al-adab III, p. 185; KÄẓemÄ«, Aḥsan al-wadÄ«Ê¿a, end of vol. II).
AšrafÄ« died in 1315/1897 and was buried in the quarter of the JÄmeÊ¿ Mosque in BÄrforÅ«š.
Bibliography:
See also ²¹±ô-Ḏa°ùÄ«Ê¿²¹ II, p. 46; XI, p. 218; XIV, p. 191.
µþÄå³¾»åÄå»å, ¸é±ðÇ°Äå±ô III, p. 223.
M. Ê¿A. Modarres, RayḥÄnat al-adab I, TabrÄ«z, 1346 Š./1967-68, pp. 128-29.
Ḵ. MošÄr, MoʾallefÄ«n-e kotob-e ÄÄpÄ«-e fÄrsÄ« o Ê¿arabÄ« V, Tehran, 1343 Š./1964-65, cols. 849-50.
NÄá¹£er-al-dÄ«n Shah QÄÇ°Är, Safar-nÄma-ye nÄá¹£erÄ« ba MÄzandarÄn, Tehran, 1294/1877.
Ê¿A. QomÄ«, FawÄʾed al-rażawÄ«ya fÄ« aḥwÄl Ê¿olamÄʾ al-maá¸hab al-Ç°aÊ¿farÄ«ya, Tehran, 1364/1947-48, p. 628.
Ḥ. Š. GÄ«lÄnÄ«, TÄrīḵ-eÊ¿olamÄʾ wa šoÊ¿arÄ-ye GÄ«lÄn, Tehran, 1328 Š./1949-50.
Search terms:
| &²Ô²ú²õ±è;اشرÙÛŒ | ashrafi | ashrafy |
(A. Hairi)
Originally Published: December 15, 1987
Last Updated: August 17, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. II, Fasc. 8, pp. 798-799
