Abu l-Huda Kalbasi

Abu l-Huda Kalbasi

Personal Information
Full Name	Mirza Abu l-Huda b. Abu l-Ma'ali Kalbasi
Epithet	Kamal al-Din
Religious Affiliation	Shi'a
Well-Known Relatives	Mirza Abu l-Ma'ali Kalbasi (father), Mirza Jamal al-Din Kalbasi (brother), Muhammad Mahdi Kalbasi (uncle)
Birth	?
Place of Birth	Isfahan
Studied in	Najaf
Death	1356/1937
Burial Place	Takht Fulad Cemetery, Isfahan
Scholarly Information
Professors	Akhund Khurasani, Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i Yazdi
Students	Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi
Works	Sama' al-maqal fi tahqiq 'ilm al-rijal

Kamāl al-Dīn Mīrzā Abu l-Hudā b. Abu l-Maʿālī Kalbāsī (Arabic: كَمال‌ُالدّین میرزا اَبوالهُدی بن ابوالمعالی كَلباسی) (d. 1356/1937) was among Shi'a scholars of rijal in 14th/20th century. In Najaf, he studied under scholars such as Akhund Khurasani and al-Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Yazdi and then returned to Isfahan and began teaching and writing. One of his most important works is Sama' al-maqal fi tahqiq 'ilm al-rijal. Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi is among his students. Some wonders and mystical disclosures are reported about Kalbasi and he has a treatise in this regards. His grave is in Takht Fulad Cemetery of Isfahan.

Life

The date of his birth is not known, but his birth town was Isfahan. His father was Mirza Abu l-Ma'ali Kalbasi and his mother was daughter of Aqa Sayyid Zayn al-'Abidin, son of Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Shafti.

He passed his primary education with his father. After his father passed away, he immigrated to Najaf and participated in the classes of teachers such as Akhund Khurasani, author of Kifaya al-'usul and Sayyid Yazdi, author of 'Urwat al-wuthqa. He then returned to Isfahan and continued his scientific studies, where people referred to him.

Kalbasi passed away in Isfahan on the eve of Tuesday, 27 Rabi' II, 1356/7 July, 1937 and his body was buried beside the grave of his father Mirza Abu l-Ma'ali in Takht Fulad Cemetery of Isfahan.

Relatives

His father, Mirza Abu al-Ma'ali Kalbasi, was a scholar of fiqh and usul in Isfahan whose works were Risala fi l-istikharat, al-Bisharat fi usul al-fiqh and al-Rasa'il all-rijaliyya. His great grandfather was known as Haji Kalbasi who was among famous scholars and was famous for his godly attributes and moral virtues. His brother was Mirza Jamal al-Din Kalbasi.

The grave of Abu l-Huda Kalbasi beside the grave of his father Mirza Abu al-Ma'ali Kalbasi in Takht Fulad Cemetery

His uncle, Muhammad Mahdi Kalbasi too had many works. His cousin was Abu l-Qasim Kalbasi, son of Muhammad Mahdi b. Muhammad Ibrahim.

The Reason for Being Titled as Kalbasi

In Tadhkirat al-qubur, Mulla 'Abd al-Karim Gazi briefly mentioned the biography of scholars buried in Isfahan. About the father of Mirza Abu al-Ma'ali, he wrote,

"The father of late Haji Karbasi, was Haji Muhammad Hasan Karbasi who first lived in a neighborhood named Howz Karbas Harat which was also called Karbas neighborhood and thus became famous as Karbasi."

His Teachers and Students

Some of his teachers are:

• Mirza Abu l-Ma'ali Kalbasi
• Sayyid Muhammad Hashim khwansari
• al-Sayyid Hasan al-Sadr
• Mulla Ali Muhammad al-Najafi
• Akhund Khurasani
• Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i Yazdi

The most famous student of Kalbasi is Abu-l Fadl b. 'Abd al-Husayn al-Najafi al-Qudsi (d. 1402/1981-2) and his other students are:

• Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi
• Sayyid Hasan Khurasani
• Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn Garusi
• Ahmad Fayyaz Sidihi
• Mirza 'Ali Aqa Shirazi
• Shaykh Mujtaba Lankarani
• Shaykh Hibat Allah Harandi
• Shaykh Dhabih Allah Mahallati
• Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Mahdawi

His Works

• Sama' al-maqal fi tahqiq 'ilm al-rijal
• Zulat al-iqdam fi al-tanbih ala al-ishtibahat al-waqi'a li 'ulama' fi al-matalib al-rijaliya
• Al-Durrat al-baydha fi ijaza al-riwaya 'an al-'ulama'
• Al-Dur al-thamin fi jumlat al-musanifat wa al-musanifin
• Hashiya bar kifayat al-usul
• Al-Badr al-tamam
• Al-Fawa'id al-rijaliya
• Kitab fi al-fiqh
• Al-Tuhfa ila sulalat al-nubuwwa

Moral Virtues

It is said that while Mirza Abu l-Huda Kalbasi was among important figures of his time in fiqh, usul, kalam, astronomy and rijal; he was also among the rare ones of his time in piety, ascesis, self-purification and purity of soul. He acquired these moral positions under influence of the dispositions and spiritual states of his father, Mulla Ali Muhammad Najafi and Muhammad Jawad Bidabadi. There are some stories about his wonders and mystical disclosures and he also wrote a treatise in spiritual wayfaring. It is reported that about the perfections of Abu l-Huda, Haj Aqa Rahim Arbab said, "These two brothers (Mirza Abu l-Huda and Mirza Jamal) are more similar to angels than humans."