Hamidah was the daughter of Mawlana Sharif Ibn Shams al-Din Muhammad Rawidashti1 Isfahani. Her father was one of the students of Shaykh Baha'i. He didn't find a suitable husband for her and therefore married her to an ignorant man in their family from their own village.2 She passed away in the year 1087 A.H.

Her Merits

She was knowledgeable, scholarly, and a teacher of the women of her time. She has written marginal notes for the book Istibsar by Shaykh al-Tusi. Mirza Afandi said, "My father often quoted from her marginal notes in the book of traditions." She learned the sciences from her father; and, her father praised her and said, "Hamidah is very knowledgeable in the science of the biography of traditionists." And, sometimes he jokingly called her 'Allamatah3 (a female 'Allamah).

Mirza Afandi said, "May God have mercy on her. She was scholarly, knowledgeable, a Gnostic, and a teacher of the women of her time. She knew the science of the biography of traditionists well. She was truthful and renowned as scholarly and pious among the people."4

Shaykh Agha Buzurq Tehrani5 said, "Hamidah had a book on the science of the biography of traditionists called The Science of the Biography of Traditionists by Hamidah. She has also written marginal notes for the book Istibsar by Shaykh al-Tusi."6

• 1. Rawidashti is an area in Isfahan.
• 2. Riyad al-'Ulama', vol. 5, p. 404.
• 3. Riyad al-'Ulama', vol. 5, p. 404.
• 4. Riyad al-'Ulama', vol. 5, p. 404.
• 5. Shaykh Muhammad Muhsin al-Razi was renown as Shaykh Agha Buzurg. He was one of the modern religious authorities. He was born in the year 1292 A.H.L. He was a jurisprudent, researcher, exact, principled, biographer, and knowledgeable in various sciences. He was a student of Akhund Mulla Kazim Khurasani, and the author of many Shi'ah books. [Rayhanat al-Adab, vol. 1, p. 52].
• 6. Al-Dhari'ah, vol. 10, p. 114; vol. 2, p. 15; vol. 6, p. 18.