Section 1: Spring Time
The Divine Promise!
Whether I’ll be or be not, spring is on the way
Spring, the soul of Dhul-Fiqar is on the way
The view of the waiters’ love makes it sing
As the sunrise from the night of waiting is on the way
To the paths of weariness, to the roads of emptiness
Give the tidings of that the lonesome knight is on the way
Which Friday I did not know but its evident
That the divine promise is on the way
Spring Time!
The present book we have named “Spring time”. The reason is because the re-appearance of the friend is the spring time of mankind. With the coming of the friend, we will behold the joyful spring time of the creation. A spring time of religion, knowledge, perfection, natural life and creation revived at the hands of the eminent friend.
As the command of realizing the creation from the Merciful’s throne of Lordship was issued to the celestial beings, and the life-giving call off :
“I am going to place a khalif on the earth” (2:30),
tingled in the ears of the heavenly creatures; those who knew nothing but loftiness regretfully cried out and brought forth the dark side of mankind by exclaiming:
“What! Will You place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood” (2:30)
and mentioned all their gracious interior saying:
“and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness” (2:30).
But the All-Wise, who sits upon the Throne of the world of creation, revealed about the most sophisticated creature around Throne and on the carpet of the creation’s foundation, which is elegantly flawless, naming it man and human, by giving a fine and deep answer and splendidly calmed their worry by stating:
“Surely I know what you do not know!” (2:30).
And when the first link in the chain of the bringers of the spring received the science of spring with the words:
“He taught Adam all the names” (2:31),
his intellect's capacity was shown like a shining shooting star for the unwitting in such a way that the gazes dazzled in amazement; the divine deputy was placed in his final station as “...a drop of seed...” (22:5) and so everyone honoured and praised the Eminent Friend and the Almighty Creator's pearl of creation and honestly confessed:
“Blessed be God, the best Creator!” (23:14).
The climax and peak of this spring must be sought in the time of the re-appearance of the creation's spring. And when the re-appearance occurs the realization of the spring time of the Eminent Friend's wise creation will be clearly beheld for as far as the eye can see, as well as how the spring will blossom man's and the creation's heart and soul in the splendid unique civilization through the coming friend, Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his re-appearance).
And this spring, full of elegance, prosperity and light, will soon scatter the autumn's winter like coldness and frost, and the heavenly promise mediated by the revelations enlightened messenger will by a near future bring fruit; and how beautiful, celestial and divine the creation's final grandness will shine, and how overwhelming and enchanting it will make the soul and heart of the creation's pearl and its foremost purpose!
Beautiful are also those guiding statements and enlightening words of the wise sage, the leader towards the inn of love and the intellect's and soul's maturity, who grants the souls cold by the autumn a gnostical intoxication and enriches these aspirant seeker's preparation and ability in the classroom of spring, and promotes the light through his bright and learning deeds and words. Be it so!
That which is written in this book, which lays in the sight of hopeful eyes fixed upon the fortunate horizon of the friend's return, are sublime thoughts of mind and reason and words by the contemporary '‘Arif and gnostic, the jurisprudent, philosopher and ascetic, the God witnessing servant, the representative of the Eminent Friend's mercy, follower and righteous representative of the returning friend; Ayatollah Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Behjat Fomani, may God the Almighty protect and preserve him, and this is the smallest way to show gratitude and honour him whom with God's support have realized this work.
May it shine in your soul!
The Peak Of Ascension
‘Ibad Ibn Basri narrates that he asked Imam Baqir (A): “What is the right of the believer on Allah?”
However, Imam turned away his face and did not answer. I repeated my question thrice until he answered: “Among the rights of the believer on Allah is that if he tells that date tree, “come!” the tree should come.”
‘Ibad says: “I swear on Allah that date tree which the Imam pointed at started moving towards him. In that moment Imam pointed at the date tree and said, “Stay where you are as I did not mean you!”1
In the explanation of this tradition there are a few points worth considering:
1) His eminence said: “right of the believer”, not “right of the Imam”, which means that this incident does not exclusively belong to the high station of Imamat and it includes whoever has faith in it.
2) The question of the narrator was a summarization: “the right of the believer”, that is, the right is upon Allah. However the answer of the Imam was: “among the rights of the believer”, as in a part of the rights of the believer upon Allah is this... which means that the right of the believer upon Allah is far higher then this and he has mentioned only a branch and fraction from among the rights of the believer, but as the level of understanding and spiritual capacity of the asker was not deeper then this, an answer like that was given. If a man like Salman al-Farsi or Kumayl Ibn Ziyad put forth such a question it would not be known what answer would be given!
3) The effect of words and the power of ruling upon nature, in mystical (Irfani) and philosophical terminology; the authority upon nature - which is among the gifts of a true gnostic (‘‘Arif) - is not a divine gift to the believer so that debates regarding disparity and the like should be made, but is rather the fruit of pains, spiritual training, self-building, struggle (jihad) against the ego and resisting carnal desires.
God-consciousness (taqwa) is the most vital factor to reach such an elevated rank. That is why He said:
“Have fear for Allah and Allah will teach you” (2:282),
in other words develop God-concioussness (taqwa) so that Allah will make you aware of the mysteries of the world and the secrets of nature, which will result in having authority over the creation.
And the remarkable point in the continuation of this delicate divine verse is that He says:
“and He has knowledge of all things” (2:282).
So reflect and act!
4) When it is said that the right of the believer upon Allah is such and such, it doesn’t mean that Allah is indebted to the believer! As He is the Creator and the Supreme Giver of blessings and all creatures are completely dependent upon Him. Rather it means that the bounties and generosity of His lordship demands that He bestows rewards upon every (good) deed, and through His wisdom He certainly bestows rewards generously. This is just as when He says:
“God has purchased the souls and property of the believers in exchange for Paradise” (9:111).
This is said despite the fact that the life and property of the entire humanity unconditionally belongs to the kingdom of Allah, and nobody has anything of his own:
“People, you are always in need of God and God is Self-sufficient and Praiseworthy” (35:15).
And in the words of the divine sage Mullah Sadra Shirazi, the poverty of man is not something accidental upon him; meaning it is not an accidental thing upon his essence but rather poverty is a part of man’s essence.
My heart I cut from the creations as all are in need
You are without need and I seek refuge with You
In our essence we are poor while You are wealthy
This weakness of mine makes me show repentance
What is important is that if man feels wealthy and without need, proud, rebellious and ego-centred he will cross the boarders of suffering. The Holy Quran says regarding this:
“Despite this, the human being still tends to rebel because he thinks that he is independent” (96:6-7)
5) Those that have reached this lofty spiritual station and have been blessed with such an astonishing power, would never reach there though their self-centredness and egoism. Because the meaning of “have fear for Allah”, which is the first step and station in this celestial wayfaring, is the killing of carnal desires and passing by self-centredness. These wayfarers give no importance to anything but Allah and His pleasure – such as disciplining the soul, rescuing those in calamity or the like – and are only concerned with tasting the sweetness of Allah’s proximity.
My father (Sayyid Sadiq Shams), may Allah have mercy upon him, narrated the following story whose source I am unaware of:
There was a man who was in desperate search for learning Allah’s greatest name (Ism al-Adham), which is the key that opens the gates of the entire universe. After years of research and seeking he found a sage of high rank who knew the Great Name (Ism al-Adham). He approached the sage and put forth and explained his desire to learn Allah’s greatest name.
But sage did not accept to teach him. He however insisted for a long time until that sage told him to go to the city gate tomorrow at sunrise, observe anything he sees and then return and relate what he has seen.
The man did as was told and at sunrise stood at the city gate, busy watching as he saw an old man leave the city to collect some firewood in the desert, packing it on his back and returning to the city to sell it. By the entrance to the city, the old man met one of the oppressive bullies who imperiously told him to hand over the firewood. The old man said: “My livelihood is from these firewoods, give me its worth in money and take them.”
In rage, the bully attacked the old man and with force took the firewoods from him as well as hitting and punching him – probably wounding the old man – and then left.
With sobs and moans the old man stood up, shook his clothes, wiped off the dust and went his way.
The man who was present, told himself that if that sage had taught him the Great Name (Ism al-Adham), he would have used it to uphold justice and defend the rights of that old man.
Anyhow, according to the agreement the man returned to the sage and as he was giving account of what he had seen, also complained: “If you had taught me the Great Name (Ism al-Adham), I would have saved an oppressed!”
That great sage smiled and replied; “The old man who you saw is the same one who has taught me the Great Name! But he did not use it for his own prosperity! And you, who have little patience, how are you to store this great divine secret!”
If we have heard that some of the friends of Allah (Awliya), apart from the Infallibles (A), have reached stations where they have access to “travelling through earth” (Tay al-Ardh) and “travelling through time” (Tay al-Zaman), it fits in the mentioned category.
The great Allamah Tabatabai, may Allah be pleased with him, said regarding his master: “Sayyid Qazi (RA) always had the honour to travel from Najaf al-Ashraf to Karbala for Ziyarat. Never did anyone see him travel by or sit in a car! And how this could be no one knew! Except one person, a tradesman, who had travelled to Mashad al-Muqaddas and saw Sayyid Qazi in Mashad. The tradesman put forth a problem with his passport which he had whereupon Sayyid Qazi fixed it and solved his problem.
When the tradesman returned to Najaf, he revealed that he had seen Sayyid Qazi in Mashad. Sayyid Qazi became very angry upon hearing this and said: “Everybody knows that I have been in Najaf and have not travelled anywhere!”2
Ayatollah Muhammad Husayn Tehrani, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “In Najaf al-Ashraf I heard from an Arab who was a wayfarer in the way of Allah and truly a lover who said: In those times when I was contemplating on the fascinating worlds, there was at times when a month or even more was spent with barely any food to eat. And we never felt this as time passed by! I and my family were never aware that such a long time had passed and instead we lived through it with much joy and happiness!3
In any case, the proof for reality of the spiritual powers which shines forth from a true gnostic (‘Arif), is nothing but this luminous truth.
It is reported from one of the senior scholars (Ulema) and high ranked teachers of Najaf al-Ashraf that he said: “I was in doubt regarding if the unveilings (kashf) and spiritual powers which was narrated regarding Ayatollah Hajj Mirza Ali Qazi Tabatabai (RA) was true or fabricated. Long periods I contemplated upon this and no one was aware of my thoughts.
One day I went to Masjid Kufah for worship. Sayyid Qazi (RA) used to visit Masjid Kufah a lot and had a personal room there. He also had a special bond with Masjid Sahla where he used to spend many of his nights worshipping until dawn.
That day I met Sayyid Qazi (RA) on my way to the mosque. After greetings we proceeded together until we reached the backside of the mosque. Once there, we sat down on the ground in the direction of Qiblah while leaning upon the mosque walls for some rest before we would enter the mosque.
We entered a deep conversation where Sayyid Qazi (RA) spoke about divine secrets and signs, the station of Tawheed and that unity is the reason for the creation of man. In my heart I was saying to myself that if there truly is a reality and we have not reached there then woe upon us! However I was still in doubt as to whether there is a reality in this sense or not.
Suddenly a large snake (snakes were common in those areas) crept out of a hole and started to crawl beside the wall towards us. As it reached us I started to feel a tremendous fear in my heart. Sayyid Qazi (RA) pointed at the snake and sad: “Die through the might of Allah!”, and the snake became lifeless on the spot!
Sayyid Qazi (RA) proceeded with the conversation as if nothing had happened, until we finally got up and entered the mosque.
He performed a two-unit prayer and then entered his personal room and I was occupied with my worship. Between my prayers the thought, whether what had happened was real or fake and mere magic, swiftly enter my mind and I decided its best to examine if the snake is dead or has been brought back to life and crept away!
With these thoughts I finished my worship at returned to the same spot outside the mosque and saw that the snake is laying on the ground lifeless! I kicked it but it didn’t move! Upon this I became very ashamed and all my doubts disappeared. I returned to the mosque and continued my worship. After concluding my worship I went to Masjid Sahla and once again met Sayyid Qazi (RA) there. He smiled at me and said: “So dear fellow, did you examine as well?!”4
In The Friend’s Orbit
Imam al-Asr (AJ) said: “We are aware of your situation and nothing from your affairs is hidden from us.”5
He who has constant control over all our affairs, is “the watching eye of Allah” (eyn Allah nadhira) and is present among us, always sees us and witnesses our deeds. Now, how should we be?!
A Sayyid narrated the following to the scholar of Qom, Sayyid Murtadha Husayni: “In the night of a Thursday in the winter, when the weather was very cold and it had snowed a lot, it suddenly came to my mind that it is the time when Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Bafqi goes to Masjid Jamkaran. I thought for myself that oh if only he could cancel his program for tonight and don’t go to Jamkaran!
My heart was really worried. At last I could not endure any longer and went to his home, but no one was there, so I proceeded headlong to Masjid Jamkaran. On the way there was a bakery. When the baker saw me he said: ‘Why are you restless?’ I replied: ‘I am worried for the Shaykh!’ He said: ‘Hours ago I saw him proceed along this way, and you will certainly not reach him as he should be near Jamkaran by now!’
I returned home and was even more restless. I occupied myself with prayers and invocations and couldn’t sleep until dawn. My eyelids could barely stay open so I closed them. I saw my master Wali al-Asr (AJ). He said to me: ‘Murtadha! Why are you restless? Do you think I am unaware of the Shaykhs condition?! I was just in Masjid Jamkaran and prepared his resting place!’”
The Friend’s beauty has no veil and cover but
cast away the dust so you may see
O heart, if you open your eyes to the light of guidance
like a laughing candle you will abandon the head (Hafez)
Any present-day industrial device and tool which works correctly and has its described usefulness and value and is in movement in its specified orbit will undoubtedly lose its efficacy and might even be harmful if it is moved out of its orbit.
If we want to be secure in our movement towards perfection, the purpose of the creation, and not walk astray or be harmful, then we must remain in “the Friend’s orbit”. He himself said,
“We, the Ahl al-Bayt, are disciplined and polished by God and rest of people are trained and disciplined by us.”6
The disciple of God, in accordance with the divine wish and will, is in movement. Thus the disciple of Imam al-Asr (AJ) must move in his orbit so that he wont be lost or rendered harmful by going out of the orbit.
The only criteria and basis to be in the orbit is to stay inside the circle of humanity, period! This is so because it is the human who circles around the orbit of the perfect man of creation (insan al-kamil) and acts according to the will and satisfaction of him. It is the human who distances himself from egoism, carnal lusts, satanic desires and whatever is in conflict with the spirituality of his Imam az-Zaman (AJ).
As a result, he remains on the path of guidance and prosperity and continuously progresses on it to such heights that his potentiality completely connects to the peak of the orbit of guidance and reaches the climax of spiritual powers and perfections, and establishes a bond with the Occulted One (may Allah hasten his re-appearance) as well as attracts his complete satisfaction and is counted among the followers and friends or even counted as one pf his close companions.
Thus one must find out his wants and move towards his satisfaction and will; so it could be said that one is successful and honoured in observing and adhering to the divine command, that very prosperous command which is:
“Believers, have fear of God and always be friends with the truthful ones.” (9:119).
With the remark that in traditions it has been narrated that the correct meaning of “the truthful ones” (sadiqin) in this verse is the pure Imams (A).
Visual Manifestation
The skilled mystic (‘‘Arif), the arrived wayfarer, the philosopher and jurisprudent, the prominent master, the leader of the jurisprudents and mystics (shaykh al-fuqaha wal urefa), his eminence Ayatollah al-Udhma Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Behjat Fumani, may Allah prolong his life, is without any trace of doubt one of these purified persons, and it could even be said that he is among the leaders and pioneers of this group.
He was born 1334 A.H. (1915 A.D.) in the city of Fuman (in the province of Gilan – Iran). His father, Karbalai Mahmoud Behjat, was from among the trustworthy and reliable persons, and because of this feature people turned to him as an intermediate in their conflicts and problems. Apart from this he at times composed skilled and deep poetry which often was streamed forth from his intense love for Ahl al-Bayt (A) and showed the purity of his soul.
His eminence Ayatollah Behjat, may my soul be sacrificed for him, in the year of 1348 A.H. (1929 A.D.) emigrated to the holy city of Qom after having completed his primary studies in Arabic grammar and literature. But in Qom he only stayed for a while and thereafter continued his journey to Iraq where he settled in the holy city of Karbala. There he seriously proceeded with his studies and purifying of his soul for a period of four years.
In the year of 1352 A.H. (1933 A.D.) he moved to Najaf al-Ashraf where he for years studied under the renowned teachers of that theological school (hawza) such as Dhia ‘Iraqi, Mirza Na’eini, Muhammad Husayn Gharvi Isfahani, whom he benefited from which made him reach high levels of knowledge.
His ethical and spiritual master, who had a deep influence on his soul and conduct, was none but the matchless mystic and the ocean of gnosis and Tawheed, his eminence Ayatollah Hajj Mirza Ali Qazi, may Allah be pleased with him.
His eminence Ayatollah al-Udhma Behjat, may my soul be sacrificed for him, apart from jurisprudence (fiqh) and principles of jurisprudence (usool), spent periods studying intellectual sciences and benefited from prominent scholars in this field. For example he studied Ibn Sina’s “Isharat”, Mullah Sadra’s “Asfar” and similar works under the famous philosopher of that time, Sayyid Husayn Badkobei, and became an authority in this field.
In the year of 1364 A.H. (1344 A.D.) he returned to Iran and after a short stay in Fuman, which only lasted for a few months, he went to the holy city of Qom. Once there he reached the presence of the eminent divine sign and mountain of faith Hajj Husayn Burojerdi where completed his studies. Some are of the opinion that his attendance in the lectures of the theological school (Hawza al-Illmiyyah) of Qom was mostly due to formalities. This is so because in Najaf he dived into some of the renowned scholars’ ocean of knowledge and consequently many of those who had attained the same degree as he depended upon reaping the harvest of his gnosis, jurisprudence (fiqh), principles of jurisprudence (usool) and philosophy!
His eminence Ayatollah al-Udhma Behjat, may my soul be sacrificed for him, has been busy for nearly 70 years in teaching jurisprudence (fiqh) and principles of jurisprudence (usool). He has trained leading, renowned and prominent students who are shining stars on the bright sky of the theological schools (Hawza al-Illmiyyah).
Guidance of disciples as well as polishing, reforming and preparing them, writings of deep and heavy works and helping those who are in material and spiritual difficulties are some of his other endeavours.
Worships such as recommended prayers (nawafil), daily prayers and Ziyarat, fasting, constant remembrance and chant (dhikr), prayers along with intense weeping and crying etc etc, and the like; worships which are well-known, general as well as specific, are all performed by him and are not needed to be mentioned.
Humbleness, modesty, avoidance of celebrity, restraint of desires and paying no attention the world and its vanities are from among his well-known characteristics.
The beautiful bird of his spiritual powers, unveilings and mystical visions (kashf) and heavenly miracles is so phenomenal that this short introduction does not bear to describe it. So leave this talk to another time!
May the munificent Lord prolong the blissful life of this extra-ordinary jurisprudent (faqih) and let him live for as long as the sun of creation shines, insha Allah.
Wa assalam Alaykom wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakathu
Sayyid Mahdi Shams al-Din
Spring 1384 (2005 A.D.)
