In the Memory of Great Mystic Personality Allama Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian

In the Memory of Great Mystic Personality Allama Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian

1st June 2010

A brief review of great scholar Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian

Organised by:

University of Kashmir, Iran Culture House, New Delhi

and Khatoon Qalam Cultural Foundation- Iran

The great scholar Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian was born in 1332 A.H. in the Holy City of Mashhad in Iran. His honorable father Haaji Seyed Mirza Aqa and his great generous mother Bi Bi Maasoumeh Khatoon were both honored in their time. As his father he was also interested in mathematics. So the father who had perceived his son’s talent and interest, introduced him to Sheik Hassan Ali Esfehani (Nokhodaki) who was living in Mashhad at the time, wishing his son to study under this great scholar’s attention. The late Esfehani accepted him and began to educate him and looked after his upbringing. Hafezian studied at the Mirza Jaafar’s school during the days and mediated and prayed in the upper chamber beside the ancient Abassi lobby at nights. Soon, with his extraordinary intellectual power, he became the dearest student in the eyes of his teacher as he was far ahead of other students. At his classes, the teacher perceived the enlightening and heartfelt modesty and also sense of liberty in the face of his student, and discovered his intelligence and brightness for which his teacher recognized that he was much more gifted than others. In his adolescence, as Seyed Abolhassan’ genius miraculously reached perfection he was getting ready for mystical theosophy. He studied Arabic Grammar, Mathematics, Medicine, Astronomy, Theology and Morals under the attention of his teachers with a remarkable progress reaching the perfection in each of these fields. He was always on the lookout for other scholars and took the advantage of socializing with philosophers and theosophists who came as pilgrims to Mashhad from Iranian cities and other part of the world.

Teachers

In addition to great theosophist, Sheik Esfahani, there have been two other great scholars of the time, Allame Seyed Mussa Zerabadi and Haaji Seyed Mozahar Hossein Hendi who had special influence over Seyed Hafezian’s perfection of spiritual abilities. He was particularly well known for his spiritual interactions and his remarkable moral, which had been inherited and godly given, and was very popular among people at large in the Holy City of Mashhad. He was recognized as an affable and caring counselor with passion to help the troubled, the ill and desperate people through his life. Many people benefited of his knowledge and prayers or blessings.

Hafezian’s journey to India and Pakistan

The master, Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian suffered chronicle pneumonia while his youth and was miraculously cured by his ancestor, Imam Reza (peace be upon him) which belongs to other category itself. The physicians advised him to spend winter times in a hot region, thus he traveled to India in A.H. 1351, and stayed there for ten and a half years for the first time. Overall he lived about half a century in India and Pakistan, where he was associated with the scientists, scholars and high ranking men of office and military. Following the declaration of independence, he was counted as a prominent scholar in Pakistan and as an Iranian citizen he was the head of Iranian community and tried with great efforts to resolve their problems. He had many followers and supporters among university teachers and students and people at large in that vast country who loved him a lot for spiritual assistance. His home was the focus of people’s frequent visit and he served them to solve their problems with humbleness. As professor Hakimi wrote: ”Hafezian was a close friend of Iqbal Lahori and knew him well and described reminiscences about him. In the last years of his life, Seyed Hafezian, decided to write a biography about Iqbal and wrote a few pages describing Iqbal’s passion for Iran and Shiite, etc.”

Professor Hakimi continues that while visiting Seyed Hafezian he had noticed a photograph of the Indian leader, Gandi attending Imam Hossein’s (peace be upon him) Ashura ceremony, in his photo album which was very interesting to him.

The famous and popular newspaper “Dawn” wrote fifty years ago about the Protected Table, (Loah Mahfooz) in which the scholar Seyed Hafezian had been recognized and titled as “The Great Scientist and Mathematician.” In those days many bookstores had a picture of him and many people, Hindu and Muslim used to keep a photograph of him at their homes.

Hafezian’s journey to India

The scholar, Atarodi has written in his book “Khorasan Culture” in chapter of Touss as followings: “He set out for India after he had benefited conventional and spiritual studies under attention of scholars like late Nokhodaki (Esfahani) and Seyed Musa Zerabadi, in Mashhad and other Iranian cities. He stayed in greater India, educating at sessions lectured by theosophists and scholars in different cities in India, researching and getting familiar with diverse classes and sects in that country. He soon became a prominent Muslim personality there and many people knew him in north India. He continued his journey towards northern India and mountainous of Kashmir where he used to meditate and acquire cognition as well as perfecting his soul.”

Hafezian’s meditations in India

His fame had spread all over the country and people were happy to have him close and get cured by him. Muslim men of ranks, university people and businessmen from Iran and India and also maharajas who ruled the different states there were among his followers and friends. His rightful behavior, warm voice and words accompanied by his Islamic methodology influenced many Hindus who converted to Islam.

He visited many cities and different regions in India all around the country among them are Haridwar, Rishikesh and Lachman Jhula on the “Ganga River bank where he met many great sadhus and had dialogues with them. In Haridwar he washed his body in the Ganga River waters like Hindus, and prayed at the Hindu temples while he faced towards Qiblah and recited Holy Quran with an elegant voice that moved many Hindus. They were influenced by the Holy Quran with his warm voice even though they could not understand meanings of the verses.

In the Deccan region, Hafezian visited eighteen caves which were built four thousand years ago. These caves belongs to Hindus and each has its own history. This great master having a scholar and discovering soul visited libraries, abbeys and holy shrines belonging to various religions in search of sadhus. He found scholars of most importance all over India. He made journeys around plateaus, mountains and woodlands of Kashmir in the vast country of India. It was in Kashmir where he began to compose the Protected Table which is one of scientific mysteries and enormously outstanding. He became associated with sadhus in different sections and benefited from their knowledge and discoveries about self-conscious. In return he had great influence on them and thus he propagated Islam in that area and as a result of that many Hindus accepted Islam. These events all requires expanded descriptions to reveal and write about this great scholar’s perfectionism and dignity while he lived in subcontinent of India.

Marriage and family

After many years of his staying in India and at the request of his friends and followers who encouraged him to get married, Seyed Hafezian decided to marry a Seyedda mademoiselle. This modest theosophist had overlooked marriage because of his deep involvement in the scholarly and spiritual researches. His close friend spiritually devoted, Seyed Hossein Qazvini Tab Thorah who had studied and struggled for many years in the field of science in India and Najaf and had commuted between these two regions recommended an educated Seyedda offspring and daughter of professor, Mirza Ali Naqi Sharifi, a professor at Bombay University, to him for marriage. He advised that she was offspring of the prophet (PBUH) and also granddaughter of the great theosophist in Kashmir, Mir Seyed Ali Hamedani, whose shrine attracts his followers and many people. Seyed Hafezian followed his advice and in 1945 in Bombay married this Madeline whose full name was Fatima Soltan Sharifi in a fully spiritual ceremony that many guests were theosophists, university colleagues and merchants and followers who were mostly Iranians. After the marriage he decided to go back to Kashmir from Bombay and complete the work on the Protected Table for which he had spent a lot of time and effort. After the completion of the Protected Table which is a precious work of talent and a wonderful work while fully scientific, he and his wife came back to Bombay and after a few years made their way towards Iran and Holy City of Mashhad, his native city where they settled.

The Scholar Seyed Hafezian was a very kind father and a caring husband with a real Islamic behavior and manner. His enlightened and inspired wife was managing all internal affairs of his household that included upbringing of children. As he suffered from a chronic pneumonia and while he was spending winters in warmer climates in India and Pakistan as per physicians’ advice, mainly his wife conducted the children’s upbringing during his absence. Upon his return, when all the family had gathered together he would tell about his experiences and adventures, which will be included in his fruitful life story

and biography.

Getting familiar with Hafezian (by Prof. Atarodi)

The scientist and reasearcher, Professor Atarodi, writes in his book, Khorasan Culture: “I got familiar with him, (Seyed Hafezian) in my first visit to the subcontinent in India and Pakistan, and visited him at his home in Karachi for the first time asking him for advice about Islamic researches and studies, and requested him to introduce me to the scholars and scientists or directors of libraries who were all his acquaintances and followers. In this first visit with him I conveyed the late Allame Amini’s (Allame AbdolHossein Amini author of AlQadeer) message to him and told him that Allame Amini had ordered me that I should go to Karachi and visit Mr. Hafezian, as he would be the key to India and Pakistan and etc.”

Building a mosque in Kashmir

“Hafezian has built a mosque in Kashmir in district of “Grubazar” which is frequently used by the Shiites of that region. In the region around the base of Toral mountain in Kashmir there are many villages where people did not recognize the direction towards the Qiblah. Seyed Hafezian built a square tower with a stone installed on it which points in the direction of Qiblah. In that place there is a message written advising people that they could perform two rakaat and pray to God so he may answer their prayers. This place is known as Astane and is famous among both Shiites and Sunnis. People gather there in the middle of month Shaaban every year and pray God for their wishes. One of the great achievements of Seyed Abolhassan Hafezian has been composition of Protected Table which he completed in Kashmir and is one of the scientific miracles. The other deed by him is constructing a mausoleum for the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) which now lies on his grave stone. (As of date of his writing 1379 A.H.) He has many friends and followers in many cities and regions or countries who demand him for the prayers and he answers them according to his ability.”

The Corner of Abolhassan Mashhadi

Hafezian was known as Abolhassan Mashhadi while living in India and before going to Pakistan. In the Kashmir woodland region he had chosen a quiet and secluded place which was covered with trees and far from world scrimmage where he built a tree house within the woods for meditation. He used to climb the tree using a ladder, which he would pick it up later on, so he could have peace and calamity. In the vast night of the jungle while he was busy with his meditation and prayers, the wild animals would gather around his house and made noises. By the dawn the animals would scatter and then he could come down. He composed his great scientific and innovative marvel of Protected Table in Kashmir. The scholar Mohammad Reza Hakimi has written about it: “The Protected Table is one of the scientific wonders which he has composed in Kashmir (From “The School of Tafkik” by Prof. Hakimi).” Now, this place in Kashmir is famous and called as the Corner of Abolhassan Mashhadi. Muslims come to this place and honor memories about Seyed Abolhassan Mashhadi which is regarded as a sacred place in Kashmir.

The Protected Table (Loah Mahfooz)

The Protected Table is the title of a book written by the Seyed Hafezian. This book is very complicated and technical which is used by those familiar with the techniques applied in it. The book consists of mostly numbers and calculations which are composed by applying a particular methodology.

The late Hafezian has used holy verses of Quran and holy names and their corresponding numbers in Protected Table where he puts together numbers in certain way and adds them up and draws certain conclusions. This book is used by scholars in Iran, Pakistan and India who are familiar with the subject.