Aqa Darbandi
 A drawing of Aqa Darbandi | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Mullā Āqā b. ʿĀbid b. Ramaḍān ʿAlī b. Zāhid al-Shirwānī |
| Epithet | Āqā Darbandī, Fāḍil Darbandī |
| Birth | 1208/1793-94 |
| Place of Birth | Derbent |
| Residence | Tehran |
| Studied in | Najaf Seminary and Karbala Seminary |
| Death | 1285/1869 or 1286/1870 |
| Burial Place | Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a) |
| Scholarly Information | |
| Professors | 'Ali b. Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita', Sharif al-'Ulama' al-Mazandarani |
| Students | Mirza Habib Allah Shahidi, Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Tunkabuni |
| Works | Iksir al-'ibadat fi asrar al-shahadat |
| Socio-Political Activities | |
| Socio-Political Activities | Fighting against Babism |
Mullā Āqā b. ʿĀbid b. Ramaḍān ʿAlī b. Zāhid al-Shirwānī (Arabic: آخوند ملا آقا بن عابد بن رمضان علي بن زاهد الشرواني) (b. 1208/1793-4 - d. 1285/1869 or 1286/1870), known as Āqā Darbandī (Persian: آقا دربندی) and Fāḍil Darbandī, was an influential Imami Shia jurist, Usuli, and preacher in the 13th/19th century. He is the author of Iksir al-'ibadat fi asrar al-shahadat (known as Asrar al-shahada) concerning the events of Karbala.
Aqa Darbandi has been seriously criticized by some Shia scholars for narrating some undocumented materials regarding the Event of Ashura and his name has been placed alongside Mulla Husayn Wa'iz Kashifi as distorters of the history of Imam al-Husayn (a)'s uprising. Some researchers have considered him a prominent figure capable of creating new intellectual structures in the 13th/19th century, playing his role primarily through the perspective of Imam al-Husayn (a) and Ashura.
It is said that Darbandi was among the first to consider striking the head with a sword (Tīgh-zadan; Tatbir) permissible in mourning for Imam al-Husayn (a) and performed it himself.
Status
Mulla Aqa Darbandi specialized in sciences such as Fiqh, Usul, Hadith, Rijal, and Kalam.[1] Agha Buzurg Tihrani and Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin have ranked Mulla Aqa Darbandi scientifically alongside great contemporary scholars such as Sa'id al-'Ulama' al-Mazandarani, Sayyid Muhammad Shafi' Japulaqi, and even Sahib al-Jawahir and Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari.[2]
Fadil Darbandi is widely recognised for his oratorical preaching.[3] His book Asrar al-shahada on the history of Karbala events is considered one of the sources of distortion (Tahrif) in the history of Imam al-Husayn (a)'s uprising, and his approach in this book has been heavily criticized.[4]
Rasul Jafariyan believes that, contrary to the perception prevalent against Mulla Aqa Darbandi in Iranian religious propaganda circles in recent decades, Fadil Darbandi is a prominent figure who was capable of building new intellectual foundations in the 13th/19th century, playing his role in this field primarily through the perspective of Imam al-Husayn (a)'s personality and Ashura.[5] According to Jafariyan, regardless of the correctness or incorrectness of Fadil Darbandi's thoughts, his position is significant regarding his level of influence on Shia public opinion as a distinct scholar with a prophet-like mission to transform Ashura into a vast and different project.[6]
Biography
Mulla Aqa b. 'Abid b. Ramadan Zahid Shirwani Darbandi, known as Aqa Darbandi and Fadil Darbandi, was born in 1208/1793-4 in Derbent (Darband Bab al-Abwab), Shirvan, Caucasus, into a clan of the Lezgin tribe. There is no information about his personal life, parents, and children, except that it is understood from his works that Mulla Muhammad Taqi Iravani was his father-in-law, and one of his descendants named Fa'iq Darbandi was a translator of a selection of Tafsir-i nimuna.[7] One of the most important events of his life is considered to be his participation in the Russo-Persian Wars in 1242/1826-7 alongside Sayyid Muhammad al-Mujahid.[8] After the demise of Sayyid Muhammad al-Mujahid, Mulla Aqa accompanied his body to the 'Atabat.[9] Rasul Jafariyan has recorded the year of Mulla Aqa Darbandi's death as 20 Rajab 1285/November 6, 1868, based on a note on the back of a valuable manuscript.[10]
Education and Teachers
In his youth, Aqa Darbandi went to Najaf and Karbala to continue his education. He studied Fiqh in Najaf under 'Ali b. Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita' and Usul al-fiqh in Karbala under Sharif al-'Ulama' al-Mazandarani. He lived in Karbala for some time, where a group of students studied under him, though his class was sometimes disrupted due to his harsh temper and irritability. Mirza Habib Allah Shahidi, known as Habib al-Khurasani, and Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Tunkabuni are counted among his students.[11]
Struggle against Babism
Aqa Darbandi was staunch in his fight against the Babis. When the Babis emerged in Karbala, he fiercely rose to fight them, such that they attempted to assassinate him in his own home. It was this incident which caused his face to be wounded, and the scar remained until the end of his life.[12]
Characteristics
Sometimes, his teacher, Sharif al-'Ulama', would get exhausted by the numerous objections Darbandi raised during teaching and would temporarily expel him from the class.
Love for Imam al-Husayn (a): He was very famous for his sincerity and love for the Ahl al-Bayt (a), especially Imam al-Husayn (a). During the days of Ashura, he would throw his Turban on the ground while on the Minbar, tear his collar, and faint from the intensity of grief. On the day of Ashura, he would remove his clothes, tie a loincloth (lung) around himself, pour dust on his head, rub mud on his body, and go to the minbar in this state. Mahdi Bamdad wrote in this regard: "It is he who considered striking the head with a sword permissible (Mubah) and practiced it himself, and it is from this date that some people, following him, engaged in this act during the days of Ashura."[13]
After returning to Iran and arriving in Tehran, he became very popular and respected by the people. Even Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar came to visit him, but he reprimanded the Shah for his long mustache, and the Shah immediately ordered his mustache to be trimmed slightly in the gathering.[14]
Works
- Khazaʾin al-aḥkam: Written in 1267/1850-1 and published in 1317/1899-1900 in Tehran. This book is a commentary on a poem in Fiqh composed by al-Sayyid Bahr al-'Ulum on the chapter of Taharah and slightly on the chapter of Prayer, containing many sub-issues.
- Khazaʾin al-uṣul: In 2 volumes, published in 1267/1850-1 in Tehran.
- ʿAnawin al-adilla: In science of Usul. Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin stated he saw a manuscript of it in Kermanshah.
- Qawamis al-qawaʿid: A book on Rijal and Diraya.
- Jawhar al-ṣinaʿa: Or according to Agha Buzurg Tihrani, Al-Jawhara, on the Astrolabe, written for his student Mirza 'Ali Jah Bahadur Khan. It is said to be unique in its kind and was published in 1280/1863-4 in Lucknow.
- Jawahir al-iqan: Concerning the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a).
- Dirayat al-ḥadith wa l-rijal: A manuscript; Musawi Isfahani stated he possessed a copy of it.
- Fann al-tamrinat: In Fiqh.
- Al-Fann al-aʿla: In beliefs.
- Iksir al-ʿibadat fi asrar al-shahadat: Famous as Asrar al-shahada, concerning the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a), completed in 1272 AH/1856. This book contains some weak and sometimes baseless materials and narrations which have diminished its scholarly credibility. It has been published many times, including in 1319/1901-2 in Tehran. Mirza Husayn Shari'atmadar Tabrizi (d. 1331/1913) translated this book into Persian under the title Anwar al-saʿada fi asrar al-shahada.
- Al-Saʿadat al-naṣiriyya wa l-aqwat al-ruḥaniyya: A concise translation of Asrar al-shahadat commissioned by Nasir al-Din Shah.
Notes
- ↑ Mūsawī Bujnūrdī, "Āqā Darbandī", vol. 1, p. 467.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 14.
- ↑ Iʿtimād al-Salṭana, Al-Maʾāthir wa l-āthār, 1374 Sh, vol. 1, p. 189.
- ↑ Muṭahharī, Hamāsa-yi Ḥusaynī, 1383 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 88-89.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 9.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 9.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, pp. 11-12.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 12.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 12.
- ↑ Jaʿfariyān, Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī, 1398 Sh, p. 11.
- ↑ Tunkābunī, Qaṣaṣ al-ʿulamā, 1396 AH, pp. 9, 24, 67, 73.
- ↑ Iʿtimād al-Salṭana, Al-Maʾāthir wa l-āthār, 1363 Sh, p. 189.
- ↑ Ranjbar, 1386 Sh.
- ↑ Tunkābunī, Qaṣaṣ al-ʿulamā, 1396 AH, p. 109.
References
- Āghā Buzurg Tihrānī, Muḥammad Muḥsin. Al-Dharīʿa ilā taṣānīf al-Shīʿa. Beirut, Dār al-Aḍwāʾ, 2nd ed., 1403 AH.
- Āghā Buzurg Tihrānī, Muḥammad Muḥsin. Ṭabaqāt aʿlām al-Shīʿa fī l-qarn al-thālith baʿd al-ʿashara. Mashhad, Dār al-Murtaḍā, 1404 AH.
- Amīn, Sayyid Muḥsin al-. Aʿyān al-Shīʿa. Beirut, Dār al-Taʿāruf lil-Maṭbūʿāt, 1403 AH.
- Iʿtimād al-Salṭana, Muḥammad Ḥasan. Chihil sāl tārīkh-i Īrān (Al-Maʾāthir wa l-āthār). Edited by Iraj Afshar. Tehran, Intishārāt-i Asāṭīr, 1363 Sh.
- Jaʿfariyān, Rasūl. Mullā Āqā-yi Darbandī wa maqtal nigārī. 1398 Sh.
- Mūsawī Bujnūrdī, Sayyid Kāẓim. "Āqā Darbandī". In Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i buzurg-i Islāmī. Tehran, Markaz-i Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i buzurg-i Islāmī, 1369 Sh.
- Muṭahharī, Murtaḍā. Ḥamāsa-yi Ḥusaynī. Tehran, Intishārāt-i Ṣadrā, 1383 Sh.
- Tunkābunī, Muḥammad b. Sulaymān al-. Qaṣaṣ al-ʿulamā. Tehran, Islāmiyya, 1396 AH.