Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh (MajzoobAliShah)1: Sey-yed Nourod-din Shah Nematollah Vali

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I am very delighted that a group of scholars are assembled in this spiritual and academic

gathering to honor one of Iran’s greatest men of literature, ‘irfan (Sufism) and Islam.

For my

part, I appreciate and admire the efforts of all, especially Dr. Azmayesh, the founder and

organizer of this gathering.

Wherever our great men are honored and accordingly a gathering is organized, we are

obliged to take part as ones who have views on the matter. Thus, when I found out about the

good intention of the Symposium on Shah Ni’matullah Vali, I approved it and viewed the request

for a paper favorably. I hereby respectfully offer a green leaf from the ever-living tree of

walayah.2

Hazrat Shah Ni’matullah Vali was one of the greatest Sufis. His name is mentioned in the

pages of Iranian history for various reasons. In fact, history’s pages are adorned by the existence

of such men. The works and opinions of this great Sufi can be analyzed and researched from

many different angles. From the literary point of view he has produced multiple articles in prose,

in which he has argued mystical issues along with pure Islamic beliefs, and has explained these

very clearly. Of course, I don’t intend to enter into details here, for I am informed—praise and

thanks be to Allah—that the very knowledgeable participants have written articles on the

occasion of this Symposium or will give speeches, such that the above subjects will be explored

in detail. I only mention how the subject matter of his work ranks among the intricacies and

positive aspects of the history of Iranian spiritual development.

Also in terms of poetry he has an abundance of poems in which instead of devising

panegyrics, again he has put his efforts in explaining the spirituality of Islam and its mystical

points. Of course, in Iran’s history of literature there have been many great poets like

Manuchehri, Asjudi and Anwari and the likes, who wrote panegyrics. From a literary point of

view they are all highly valued and hold a distinguished position, and we shouldn’t forget them.

But the enormous rank of Shah Ni’matullah Vali is as high as that of Ferdowsi, Sa’di, Mawlavi

(Rumi), and Hafiz. There will definitely be articles about his poetry, and the important points

will be mentioned.

However, the most important aspect of his life, which is also what he is renowned for, is the

mystical aspect, and the fact that during a period of time, he has been the qutb3 of Sufism and the

dervishes, so that his followers after him became famous as the “Ni’matullahi Order”.

Regarding the issue of silsilah (order)4 and the understanding of the meaning of it within the

domain of Sufism, we should return to the beginning of Islam. During the time of the Messenger

himself, [may Allah’s blessings and greetings be upon him and his family], there may have been

differences in regard to style, taste and opinions among Muslims, but they never became cause

for major disagreement, because the final decisive word, regarding every single subject, was

what the noble Prophet himself would say, or what was divulged in the form of revelation.

However, immediately after his death a dispute arose; in that a group of Muslims and great [menof God] such as Salman Farsi, Abu Dhar, and ‘Ammar who had heard the holy words of the

Messenger directly, from his own tongue, or indirectly, knew that ‘Ali, peace be upon him, had

been assigned by the Messenger to succeed him.

Regarding the issue of risalat (being the Messenger of God), everyone believed that the

Messenger was the last Prophet of God—the “Seal of the Prophets”—and after him there would

be no other messenger. Therefore, the issue of succession of ‘Ali was regarded as one within the

internal domain of Islam. A verse of the Noble Qur’an says: O Messenger! “You are but a

warner and to every nation [there is] a guide.” (13:7) Of course, this verse applies more to

future times, after the Prophet. The Messenger had two aspects; one was the warner and one was

the guide. The warning aspect, which pertains to prophethood, ended with the death of the

Messenger. However, the guiding aspect remains until the Day of Resurrection. God ordered the

Messenger to hand over to ‘Ali the duties of walayah and guidance. Consequently, in contrast to

the Companions of the Messenger who had dedicated their bay’at5 specifically to ‘Ali, another

group did not take the precious words of the Messenger as determination of his successor as

being ‘Ali; and said that the purpose of his words was to show the position and rank of ‘Ali and

not his assignment. They said we also accept these ranks and we regard ‘Ali as being in

possession of high rank in Islam; and since the Messenger has not specified anyone for

leadership of the Muslim community (ummah), we among ourselves must specify someone for

leadership. Thus, they specified one of the special companions of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, for the

position of Caliphate. They said whatever the ummah has decided is valid and should be put into

practice.

Due to the fact that the subject is extensive, and during the course of history hundreds of

books have been written about it, I do not intend to argue the point here. The purpose is to show

how these two groups were formed: the first group was called the Shi’ites [followers] of ‘Ali.

During the history [of Islam] this group has been given various names. For a period of time they

were even called rafidi. Rawafid is the plural of rafidi, meaning someone who has abandoned the

religion. In other times they were called shu’ubi (nationalist), since this group referred to this

verse of the Qur’an: “O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you

nations (shu’ub) and tribes that ye may know one another. Verily, the most honored of you with

God is the one with the most taqwa (God-wariness). Lo! Allah is the Knower, Aware.” (49:13),

and their motto was: “Verily, the most honored of you with God is the one with the most taqwa

(God-wariness).”

These names were coined later, however the core of Shi’ism comes from the Messenger’s

word, who said: “For whomever I am the mawla [leader], truly, this ‘Ali is his mawla .” If

historians and orientalists are to discuss the issue of the dates that Shi’ism started, they should

not mistake the origin of the word “Shi’ite” with the origin of the faith itself. Of course, the word

“Shi’ite” and other terms for them developed during the course of history, but the root of Shi’itebelief was the holy words and the rulings of the Messenger of God. ‘Ali, peace be upon him, also

according to the Messenger’s recommendation and order, gave Imam Hasan the position of

Imamate (leadership); also Imam Hasan [transferred this position] to Imam Husayn, and Imam

Husayn to Imam Sajjad, [and so on] to the end.

Considering the fact that God in the Qur’an said: “Verily, We sent down the reminder, and

verily, We are its protector.” (15:9), the Shi’ites have assumed that the survival of the religion [is

based] on the continuation of this chain of spiritual authorization [succession]. They have

believed that there is continually a guide and a leader present in the world, who is assigned to

this position by the “previous hand.” Of course, the continuation of the chain of authorization for

spiritual guidance is one of the instances of the above verse: “Verily, We sent down the reminder,

and verily, We are its protector.” (15:9), although the wording of this verse refers to the Qur’an

itself, which is the only heavenly book that, praise be to God, has remained guarded from the

tampering of enemies.

The issue of Imamate continued until the time of the twelfth Imam who disappeared from

view. His occultation [disappearance] was also in accord with divine wisdom. There is certainly

wisdom for us to fathom in the occultation. Although we do not believe in reasons or causes for

divine decrees and commands, we can try to comprehend the wisdom. One aspect of the wisdom

behind the occultation was that the Imam went out of the reach of the oppressive caliph. In the

future too, spiritual leaders wouldn’t be within the reach of governments that would cause them

trouble or would destroy them. Another aspect of this wisdom one may consider is that during

the time when the Imam was present, the Shi’ites and their sincere followers would bring all

their inquiries and refer whatever problem they had to the Imam, without using their minds

themselves or giving themselves the trouble of problem solving. Whatever the Imam would say

would be taken as valid and to be acted upon. And thus this matter could have prevented the

intellectual growth of the Shi’ite community and Shi’ism. But once the Imams said that all

religious problems were propounded and stated in the Qur’an and sunnah, and we have

previously explained them too, the Shi’ites became certain that the solution to all of the religious

problems, until the Resurrection Day, could be found in previous reports about the Imams.

Hence, they should find the answers to their problems by thinking on their own. Accordingly, the

subject of ijtihad came about and the Usuli School of jurisprudence was formed along these

lines.6

Here a question is posed. Since contacting the Imam is not available for all Muslims and the

Shi’ite community, what duty do people have? For example, during the occultation, what is the

duty of the Muslims regarding bay’at ma’navi (spiritual) or bay’at walayati,7 which was one of

the fundamentals of the holy shari’ah (divine law) of Islam and was made part of shari’ah at the

time of the Messenger and became a rule for which no verse of the glorious Qur’an, and forwhich no order has been reported regarding its cancellation, considering that early on the Imams

also used to personally take bay’at [initiating followers], and even the oppressive Caliphs used to

take bay’at?

The successors of the Messenger, the holy Imams, were always under pressure and were

silenced. As such, numerous stories have been mentioned in historical works about the severe

suppression during the time of the holy Imams, particularly after the time of Imam Reza (peace

be upon him). For example, from the time of Imam Ja’far Sadiq (peace be upon him) whose

“akhbar-e ‘irfani” [reports related to Sufism] and ahkam-e shari’ati [rules concerning Islamic

law] have been amply reported, it is believed that in response to one of his Shi’ite followers who

called him “Amir al-Mu’minin” [Commander of the Faithful], he said: “Do not call us ‘Amir al-

Mu’minin’, this title is specifically for our forefather, Imam ‘Ali.” But this same Imam, due to

the extreme oppression of the times, and the fact that Mansur, the Abbasid caliph, summoned

him several times in order to kill him, found no choice but to call Mansur “Amir al-Mu’minin.”

Even if you refer to the stories written in Mafatih al-Jinan,8 you will find the evidence of this

extreme oppression. For example, in the time of Imam ‘Ali Naqi (peace be upon him), one of the

Shi’ite followers who was enthusiastically waiting to visit with him said, “The Imam was under

surveillance in his own home. I reached him in a hurry. Only a minute had passed, when he told

me to leave immediately because [by staying there] I would get in trouble.” Numerous stories

such as this have been reported.

Thus, if the caliphs were to find out that the Imams were taking bay’at with their followers,

the life of the Imam, and even the lives of all the Shi’ites around them would be in danger—

regardless of the fact that the bay’at was not for governance or gathering supporters. Hence, the

caliphs were constantly watching the Imams. And accordingly, the Imams had to specify

representatives to take bay’at on their behalf, and these representatives in turn were also often

authorized to assign representatives [of their own]. Similarly, Imam Ja’far Sadiq assigned

Bayazid Bastami as his agent for taking bay’at. Shaykh Ma’ruf Karkhi, who was the disciple of

Ja’far Sadiq, obtained his authorization and permission later on during the time of Imam Reza.

Due to the oppression at that time and lack of access to the Imam, Ma’ruf Karkhi obtained

authorization to specify a successor for himself, as well. It is quite obvious that, the successor

had to be verified by the Imam of the time. Thus, with the approval of the Imam, Shaykh Ma’ruf

Karkhi appointed Shaykh Sarri Saqati. Also Sarri Saqati, again with the approval of the Imam,

appointed Junayd Baghdadi. Junayd was authorized by the living Imam, the twelfth Imam, for

bay’at manavi. He had authority and permission to specify a successor during the time of the

Occultation. Thus, he specified a successor who was Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Rudbari.

The issue of specifying the successor in Sufism is a fundamental principle, that is, no one

without being authorized by the previous pir ,9 can reach the stage of guidance, and even the

training of each salik [traveler on the path] depends upon the fact that he or she submitswholeheartedly10 to the pir . This succession and sequence of authorization of masters and

spiritual guides in Sufism has been commonly termed silsilah. Of course, during the course of

history, these spiritual representatives, who take bay’at have been called by different names,

such as, qutb, shaykh, pir , murshid, and others.

In this chain of spiritual authorization or silsilah, whenever one of the shaykhs has had a

prominent characteristic, the silsilah has become popular through his name. For example, the

salasil-e Ma’rufiyah are those orders that originated from Shaykh Ma’ruf Karkhi. Or since Shah

Ni’matullah Vali found a prominent position and significance in the history of Sufism, the

Ma’rufiyah silsilah came to be called the silsilah Ni’matullahi. Similarly, along the same lines,

towards the end of the thirteenth century (A.H.) [approximately early twentieth century], the late

Hajj Mulla Sultan Muhammad Baydukhti Gonabadi, titled “Sultan ‘Ali Shah,” held a special

social, spiritual, and scholarly position. Thus, the silsilah after him was called “Ni’matullahi

Gonabadi.”

The true salasil, which were numerous in the past, all trace their authorizations back to Imam

‘Ali. This is due to the fact that the principle of Sufism is based on the fact that each successor

must be authorized by the previous hand. This chain of authorization of the shaykhs, according

to the beliefs of the true followers of Sufism, continues until the day of resurrection. However,

only the orders that are traced to an Imam are valid, and these orders all trace back to ‘Ali (peace

be upon him), because all the orders have originated from ‘Ali who had permission from the

Messenger himself. Basically, no one after the Messenger made any claim regarding a special

authorization from the Messenger. Even Abu Bakr, with all his greatness and the high position

he held among Muslims, never claimed that the Messenger appointed him as his successor.

However ‘Ali (peace be upon him), from the beginning announced that he was the true successor

and caliph of the Messenger.

Thus, in regard to Shah Ni’matullah Vali a question is posed that requires much discussion

and analysis, as to whether he was a Shi’ite or a Sunni.

First we should consider who is a Shi’ite? Who is a Sunni? During the course of history in

every dispute among people—whether religious, political, or social—always the group that for

whatever reason was more powerful and overcame it’s opponents found pejorative titles and

nicknames for the defeated side; and every possible negative characteristic that could be thought

of is normally is summed up in these names. For example, in the history of Islam the words

mulhid11 and malahida were taken to signify all of the negative qualities that people could

associate with a word, so that they could easily and at once defeat a person or a group of people

by calling them “mulhid.” Of course, there might have been some characteristics that fit, but they

were not certain and should not have been generalized.The words “Shi’ite” and “Sunni” were also coined on the basis of the disputes between the

two groups. Every day they increased the differences between them, they even added issues that

are irrelevant to being Shi’ite or Sunni. For example, while at the beginning there were no

disputes about the date of birth, death, and migration of the Messenger, and even in the book

Usul al-Kafi12 regarding the Messenger’s biography it is stated that the birth and death were on

the twelfth of Rabi’ al-Awwal, but later on, in the course of history, other differing narrations

were reported, so that the Shi’ites, since then, have taken note and acted upon those reports,

which called the birth on the seventeenth of Rabi’ al-Awwal, because they considered these

reports more credible. Of course, there is nothing to prevent different historians from reporting

the dates of historical events differently; this has been a feature of history writing, at least among

the early historians. For example, if you refer to books on the history of literature, you will find

many disputes among historians regarding the birth and death of poets as well, although the

dispute is irrelevant to the character of the poets themselves or their poetry. Accordingly,

believing in the birth of the honorable Messenger to be the seventeenth of Rabi’ al-Awwal does

not necessarily classify one as a Shi’ite, or if someone says it is the twelfth of Rabi’ al-Awwal,

he does not necessarily become a Sunni—this argument has no relevance to being a Shi’ite or a

Sunni. The main and primary difference between Shi’ite and Sunni is what Shi’ites believe: the

successor of the Messenger, and essentially, the successor of the representative of God is always

assigned. That is, succession is based on the selection of the prior representative, whereas Sunnis

say the leadership of the ummah must be left for the review and election of experts and

influential people. In any case, whoever believes in ‘Ali as the successor of the Messenger, even

though he has no choice but to accept the historical fact that Abu Bakr became the Caliph, is

regarded a Shi’ite, for although ‘Ali did not oppose the government openly, he was against this

kind of practice.

Of course, later on with regard to issuing of religious precepts and rulings on matters of

jurisprudence there were disagreements among the Shi’ites and the Sunnis and even

occasionally, among the Shi’ite mujtahids13 or among the Sunni mujtahids. In the early centuries

there were more differences of opinion among the Sunni jurists about matters pertaining to

religious precepts. As history books indicate, at one time there were five hundred mujtahids in

Baghdad each of whom would issue his own legal opinion. Hence, the caliphs of the time

decided to reduce or eliminate these widespread differences. Accordingly, among the greatest

jurists who had larger numbers of followers, six were accepted as mujtahids: Abu Hanifa,

Shafi’i, Malik, Ahmad Hanbal, Tabari, and Abi Dawud. It was announced that every one should

only follow them. Gradually, Tabari and Abi Dawud were cast aside and the leaders of the

Sunnis were limited to these four persons. However, Islam is not just precepts and is not limited

to them. Islamic law is one of the pillars of Islam, but another important pillar is dogma.

Therefore, these differences in juridical precepts do not cause differences in the religion of

the faithful—as to make one a Muslim and the other a non-Muslim. Thus, when the Shi’ites are

called “rafidi,” meaning those who have abandoned religion; certainly if those who were knownas rafidi were truly rafidi, they would not be accepted by the Shi’ites or the Sunnis. The truth of

the matter is that this word was coined in order to label the Shi’ites, and declare a Shi’ite as a

rafidi, although the person had never abandoned religion.

Shah Ni’matullah Vali was also in such social circumstances. Among the poetry from his

youth or the times of “irshad” [guidance] there are many verses in praise of ‘Ali (peace be with

him). Of course, the present scholars will certainly talk amply about these poems; and in order to

avoid a lengthy speech I will not mention them here. However, during the time that he lived near

Haramayn Sharifayn [Mecca and Medina] and he was under the training of his master, Shaykh

Abdullah Yafi’i, the Muslim community there required that he formally condemn the rafidis.

This is the reason he has expressed odium toward the rafidis in some poems. Of course, he was a

Shi’ite, but he was not a rafidi with the connotation that their opponents used to state. The reason

being, that hostility with Caliphs, which according to adversaries was among the characteristics

of rafidis, is not among the pillars of Shi’ism.

We all consider Ali’s enemy as our enemy, and we definitely do not accept anyone who has

enmity for him. Shi’ites, and possibly the entire Muslim population of the world, would not

accept him. However, the dispute is over who is really an enemy. For example, some people say

Abu Bakr was hostile to ‘Ali, and forcefully took away the right of caliphate from him.

However, the caliphate was the duty of ‘Ali, not his right. The issue of right exists in our minds

when we become worldly and consider material belongings and positions as our right. It is then

that we would say the caliphate is the right of ‘Ali, which was taken away from him.

Nonetheless, ‘Ali (peace be with him) says, “To me your caliphate is not worth as much as this

torn shoe.”14 Such a person would not fight for that right, which is worth as much as an old torn

shoe.

Caliphate was not the right of ‘Ali; it was the nation’s right and was ‘Ali’s duty. That is, after

the Messenger, we as Muslims had the right to have ‘Ali as the caliph and successor. Others

barred this duty from being performed. Imam ‘Ali did not pay attention to this for years, as well.

When the obligation of government was brought up and people persistently pleaded with him to

take it up, and to accept the delayed duty, having no other choice, Imam accepted. Thus, one

cannot say that caliphate is the right of ‘Ali.

Some historians from the opposing side also say that had ‘Ali become the [first] Caliph, the

Muslim community would have fragmented, and others—God willing with good intention—tried

to prevent this division. It is obvious that, quite possibly, love of position, or for example, family

problems may have also been involved. It is incumbent upon scholars to clarify these issues. In

any case, the caliphates of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman have been verified in history, and this

was the realization of what was written by the pen [of God]. That is how it has been reported in

the history books. And we have nothing to do with the goodness or wickedness of others.

However, among the companions of the Prophet, we prefer ‘Ali and we follow him. Shah

Ni’matullah Vali was also a follower of that same Imam.Unfortunately in recent times, many great misunderstandings along with biased judgments

have been expressed against Shah Ni’matullah, although he was one of the greatest men of

knowledge and Sufism in Iran. Among them is prejudice against the word “shah” in his title,

such that in many of the written and spoken material, including books, and at Iranian gatherings

held outside of Iran, the word “shah” is omitted, and he is called: “Sayyid Ni’matullah Vali”. It is

true that he was also a sayyid,15 and in his poetry, he takes pride in this. However, he is known

throughout the history as Shah Ni’matullah Vali. Eliminating the word shah, when it is part of a

name, is not correct. Now if we want to know the true meaning of shah, in this context, it is

better to study the third volume of the book Tara’iq al-Haqayiq in the part regarding the meeting

of one of Shah Ni’matullah Vali’s later devotees, Nur-‘Ali Shah the First, with the famous jurist

of the time, Ayatollah Sayyid Mahdi Bahr ul-Ulum. And I refer our friends to that.16

Another point, which has been posed as a criticism, although it is not that much related to

Hadrat Shah Ni’matullah, and yet there is room for it to be discussed, is the issue of the implicit

objection of Hafiz to Shah Ni’matullah. Hadrat Shah says:

We alchemically transmute the dust of the path with a glance

We cure one hundred ills with a glimpse.

Similarly, the following is in the poetry of Hafiz:

Those who alchemically transmute the dust of the path with a glance

Would it be to turn a glimpse toward us?

My illness is better hidden from those who claim to be physicians

May its cure come from His hidden treasure.

Some in the position of criticism say that; the second verse of Hafiz’s ghazal in which he has

mentioned “those who claim to be physicians,” refers to Shah Ni’matullah Vali. However, this

criticism would be true only if Hafiz had already heard that poem of Shah Ni’matullah Valibefore, and basically if Shah Ni’matullah had composed this first, before the time that Hafiz had

written this poetry. However, this matter cannot be substantiated at all. Shah Ni’matullah Vali

had composed a lot of poetry about his own spiritual stations, and there was no reason to

suddenly make such a claim. Thus, it is possible that Hafiz may have written this poem first, of

course, after he had been disappointed by all those who merely claimed to be Sufis, who were

famous as “Sufi” only in name, and about whom he wrote where he speaks negatively about

Sufis. However, since Hafiz knew that there are definitely people who alchemically transmute

dust with a glance, he asked God, “O God! Is it possible that those who can do so might glance

toward us?” In the following verse of the same poem, there is a hint that he regrets his own past,

as well. He comes to the conclusion, with a view to his past, that those he imagined to be Sufi

were in reality pretenders, or in his words, “those who claimed to be physicians.” Thus, he says it

is better for his illness to be hidden from all these pretenders, so that it may be cured by the

treasure of the Unseen. In fact, after receiving this poem, Shah Ni’matullah Vali invites Hafiz to

come to him by saying: “We alchemically transmute the dust of the path with a glance.”

Now, suppose that is not even the case. It is true that Hafiz was a great man and held a

distinguished position in Sufism. But the Hafiz that most people know, including critics of

Sufism, is a rend17 and a man of literature who only speaks poetry. The adherence of such a

person to Shah Ni’matullah Vali is no honor to the Sufi Order, regardless.

If all the universe became disbelievers,

Not a speck of dust would fall on the skirt of His grandure.

Maybe it has been for the same reason that Shah Ni’matullah gave new instructions to his

order that were appropriate to his times. These instructions were in consideration of the fact that

in those times some people had been known as “Sufis” who were notorious and whose conduct

was not in accordance with “faqr “18 and being a dervish. Of course, each qutb and leader of

faqr , according to the requirements of the time, can issue fresh and new instructions. He can

even reverse the prior instructions temporarily or permanently.

Among the instructions Shah Ni’matullah had given was that the dervishes of the

Ni’matullahi Order should not be without employment and should not beg. Another one was that

they should not wear any special Sufi clothing. Of course, this instruction regarding prohibition

of dervish vestment was cancelled several centuries later, by one of his successors, Hazrat Reza

‘Ali Shah Deccani regarding two of his authorized shaykhs; Hazrat Mas’um ‘Ali Shah and

Hazrat Nur ‘Ali Shah I, whom he had sent to Iran. These two great men entered Iran wearingspecial dervish robes and carrying the kashkul19 and tabarzin20 ; while chanting in praise they

toured various cities. The reason had been that since the time of the Safavids there had been very

harsh treatment toward all dervish orders, and the masters of the Ni’matullahi Order had

practically all left Iran. It reached the point that in the final years of the Safavids the enemies of

the Sufis and dervishes had power in some governmental organizations and exercised influence.

Hence, among the general population no one knew what a dervish is, and in this regard everyone

was in confusion. The conduct and the unique appearance of these two Sufis attracted attention.

After investigations and inquiries they realized that there was something other than what they

had been practicing so far, another religious path, which could ensure the tranquility of their

hearts.

Particularly after the martyrdom of such great men in the Ni’matullahi Order as Hazrat

Sayyidd Mas’um ‘Ali Shah, Hazrat Mushtaq ‘Ali Shah, and Hazrat Muzaffar ‘Ali Shah, people

paid more attention to appreciate this path. Thus, in Iran, during the time of these two great

Sufis, based on the needs of the time, Shah Ni’matullah’s instructions regarding clothing were

annulled. Then later, after Hazrat Nur ‘Ali Shah I, the leaders and qutbs of the Ni’matullahi

Order did not behave in this manner. It remained so until the time of Hazrat Rahmat ‘Ali Shah,

when some masters such as Hazrat Husayn ‘Ali Shah or Hazrat Majdhub ‘Ali Shah even

appeared among the exoteric ‘ulama. After the time of Hazrat Rahmat ‘Ali Shah, his successor,

the late Sa’adat ‘Ali Shah was apparently not considered as one of the ‘ulama , and did not posses

scholarly knowledge. This, on its own, indicates that Sufism has no relationship with exoteric

knowledge and education. It is an individual state and spirit. Having considered this, Hazrat

Sa’adat ‘Ali Shah was greatly respected and honored by the great philosopher of the time, Hajj

Mulla Hadi Sabziwari. In a meeting, after responding to the inquiries of Hajj Mulla Hadi

Sabziwari’s students and novices, and after they had received satisfactory answers, many

students, particularly Sultan ‘Ali Shah, conceded to Hazrat Sa’adat ‘Ali Shah and were initiated

to faqr . However, Hazrat Sultan ‘Ali Shah Gunabadi, the successor of Hazrat Sa’adat ‘Ali Shah,

was also one of the topmost ‘ulama of the time, who similar to Mawlavi (Rumi) had given his

hand of discipleship to his master [Shams Tabrizi].

In conclusion, to those who have helped with this symposium, I wish you all success,

particularly Dr. Sayyid Mutafa Azmayesh. May this symposium take place successfully, so that

those who have not known Shah Ni’matullah Vali or know little of him get to know him well,

God willing. Accordingly, I won’t speak too much and I leave the complete explanation of the

subjects to the care of the great scholars who have participated in the symposium, and have

submitted articles, or will later deliver speeches. Truly, their expertise in this field has been and

will be a lot more than mine.

Al-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

Nur ‘Ali Tabandeh

__________________________________

1 A brief biography of Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh submitted along with the paper:

His highness Dr. Hajj Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoob Alishah, the Qutb [Leader] of Nematollahi Order,

was born 21st of Mehr, 1306 Hejri Solar, (October 13, 1927). His noble great grandfather, his highness

Sultan Alishah Gonabadi (passed away 1327 Hijri lunar), was among the most famous “Orafa” and

“Olama” of his time, and accordingly after him the Nematollahi Order became famous as the Nematollahi

Gonabadi. Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh received his theological education from his father, his highness Saleh

Alishah. He later studied with the renowned religious scholars of Tehran, at University of Tehran, and

later obtained his PhD degree from the University of Paris. In Paris, he also attended the classes of the

late Islamic scholar and philosopher Professor Henry Corbin. Since Corbin was an expert in Islamic

studies, academic research, and Sufism, including Nematollahi Gonabadi Order, Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh

and Professor Corbin undertook the task of collaborating a series of articles about this order. Dr. Nour Ali

Tabandeh has held important judicial and cultural positions in Iran, including judge and legal consultant

(attorney) at the Ministry of Justice and Professorship at the University of Tehran and other Universities

around the country. He has also translated and edited several books on legal, social, and spiritual subjects,

among which we can mention “A Collection of Religious Law and Social Articles” and “Familiarity with

Irfan and Tasawwuf”. His Highness Majzoob Alishah was initiated in the path of Sufism during the time

of his eminent father. The Leadership and Guidance of the travelers of the Nematollahi Order was

bestowed upon him. In 1375 Hejri Solar (1996), after the death of His Highness Mahboob Alishah, the

Honorable leader of the order, and according to His Highness Mahboob Alishah’s command.

2 Walayah is the inner spiritual dimension of Islam which was continued after the Prophet by Imam ‘Ali

and his successors. (All footnotes are by the translators.)

3 Spiritual pole, guide, master.

4 Silsilah (pl. salasil) literally means a chain, indicating a chain of authorization associated with a Sufi

Order.

5 A two sided transaction done between a person intending to enter the Path of Allah and the Caliph of

Allah or his representative. By virtue of this transaction Allah has promised His satisfaction and paradise

for the person. For an excellent explanation of bay’at and its related issues please see the article:

“Observations on the Meaning of Bay’at” by Hajj Dr. Nur’Ali Tabandeh (Majdhub’Ali Shah) published

in The Sufi Path, (Tehran: 2001).

6 Ijtihad is the derivation of the rules of Islamic law from their sources: the Qur’an, hadiths, reason and

consensus. The usuli school of jurisprudence believed that scholars must practice ijtihad, while their

opponents of the akhbari school believed that all juridical questions could be answered directly through

the Qur’an and hadiths.

7 See footnote 2.

8 A book mostly containing a collection of supplications, in Arabic, primarily reported from the Imams,

collected by Hajj Shaykh Abbas Qumi.

9 Literally, in Persian pir means elder. Among the Sufis it is used to designate the spiritual master.

10 What is meant here is that the salik should make bay’at with the pir.

11 The term mulhid (pl. malahida ) is used to signify those who deny religious truths; atheists,

disbelievers.

12 Usul al-Kafi written by an early Shi’ite writer, Kulayni (d. A.H. 328-9) is one of the four major Shi’ite

collections of narrations.

13 Experts of Islamic jurisprudence.

14 See Sayyid Razi, Nahj al-Balagha , ed. Subhi Salih (Beirut: 1980), Sermon 33.

15 One descended from the Prophet.

16 Muhammad Ma’sum Shirazi, Tara’iq al-Haqa’iq, ed. Muhammad Ja’far Mahjub, Vol. 3 (Tehran:

1365), 199-200.

17 A rend is a rascal who does not care about formalities and religious laws.

18 Literally poverty, it refers to the absolute poverty of man compared to God. It is used as another term

for Sufism.

19 A special vessel often made from a dried sea-cucumber.

20 A special axe used by Sufis as a tool and to symbolize the cutting away of worldly attachments.

_______________________

Original SSNV Paper in Farsi

The 1st Annual International Symposium on:

Sey-yed Nourod-din Shah Nematollah Vali

October 11-12, 2002

Morris Dailey Auditorium

San Jose State University (SJSU), San Jose, California, USA

Source : Sufism.ir