Ganjina-yi danishmandan (book)

Ganjina-yi danishmandan

Bibliographical Information
Author	Muhammad Sharif Razi
Original title	گنجینه دانشمندان
Language	Persian
Series	9 vols.
Subject	Rijal
Published	1393/1973
Publisher	Kitabfurushi Islamiyya

Ganjina-yi dānishmandān, (Persian: گنجینه دانشمندان) (literally means the treasures of scholars) is the most important work of Shaykh Muhammad Sharif Razi (b. 1340/1922 - d. 1421/2000) about the lives of Shi'a scholars in 9 volumes in Persian. In addition to the biography of Shi'a scholars, this work contains the history of some cities, libraries, seminary schools of Iran and the life of lady Ma'suma (a).

Most of the book is written in Pahlavi period in Iran and because the author had mentioned the names of Imam Khomeini and others, publishing it led to the sensitivity of SAVAK, literally "Organization of National Intelligence and Security", and the omission of the name of Imam Khomeini and the biography of Imam Musa Sadr. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, the author added two more volumes, in which he described the life of Imam Khomeini and other scholars. In writing the book, Sharif Razi did not mention any sources.

The Author

Main article: Shaykh Muhammad Sharif Razi

Sharif Razi was among Shi'a scholars and a student of Imam Khomeini and Ganjina-yi danishmandan is his most important work. Because of his activities in helping the establishment of the Islamic government in Iran, he was imprisoned and exiled by Pahlavi regime.

Writing Motive

In the introduction of the book, Sharif Razi has mentioned the name of his other work, Athar al-hujja ya da'irat al-ma'arif-i hawza-yi 'ilmiyya-yi Qom and said that because its prints became rare and there were some difficulties in reprinting it, he wrote Ganjina-yi danishmandan.

Content

Shaykh Muhammad Sharif Razi organized the book in three introductions, six chapters and one ending. In the preface, he speaks of three introductions, but brings two introductions and the ending takes about half of the book.

• First Introduction: In the first introduction, he discusses the history of Qom, life of lady Ma'suma (a), seminaries including Faydiyya Seminary, Radawiyya Seminary and Hujjatiyya Seminary, hadith scholars and the scholars who lived in the city Qom before the establishment of the seminary of Qom.

• Second Introduction: In the second introduction, he introduces the common expertise, libraries and reading halls of the seminary.
• First chapter: About the life of Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri Yazdi, his students and the establishment of the seminary.

• Chapter two: The history of the seminary after the demise of Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri until the coming of Ayatullah Burujirdi and the biography of Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat Kuhkamara'i, Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Khwansari and Sayyid Sadr al-Din Sadr.

• Chapter three: Since the authority of Ayatullah Burujirdi until his demise.

• Chapter four: Since the demise of Ayatullah Burujirdi until the time of writing the book.

• Chapter five: Orators of the seminary.

• Chapter six: A list of scholarly works, manuscripts and published works of the seminary.

• The ending: َAbout the lives of scholars who raised from the seminary of Qom and performed religious activities in different cities of Iran in alphabetical order from Abadan to Yazd.

Writing Approach and Features of the Book

In the ending, the chapter of introducing the scholars of every city, Sharif Razi first gives brief information about the city and then, its mosques, mausoleums, seminary schools and important Shi'a graves and then introduces the scholars there. When discussing the lives of the scholars of every city, he mentions his travels to those cities and his memories from the scholars of that city.

When introducing personalities, libraries, seminary schools and the shrine of Lady Ma'suma (a), he also includes some photos.

In writing the biographies of the scholars and other discussions, Sharif Razi did not mention any sources or refer to any.

Date of Writing and Strictness of SAVAK

This book provoked the sensitivity of SAVAK, because of the author's statements about Imam Khomeini. In this book, Sharif Razi referred to Imam Khomeini and other individuals who were in prison and exile by nicknames. At the beginning of volume eight, he mentioned the way SAVAK treated him and the troubles they made for him. In this introduction, he mentioned the material and spiritual damages he tolerated and the omission of the name of Imam Khomeini and the biography of Imam Musa al-Sadr by SAVAK. Also in the introduction of this volume, he likened Riza Shah and Muhammad Riza Pahlavi to Umayyad and 'Abbasid rulers and mentioned many of their actions such as the martyrdom of Shi'a clergies and the event of Kashf-i Hijab. He mentioned the lack of freedom in writing and speaking of truths as the reason for delay in publishing volume eight.

In the introduction of volume nine, he mentioned that after more than twenty years from finishing Ganjina-yi danishmandan, he added the biography of some scholars in this volume to complete previous volumes.

At the beginning of Kiramat al-Salihin, Sharif Razi mentions Ganjina-yi danishmandan and the fact that he has benefited from it in writing Kiramat al-salihin and thus it implies that he wrote Ganjina-yi danishmandan before Kiramat al-salihin.

Publishing and Printing

Seven volumes of this title were published before the Islamic revolution of Iran and volume eight was published soon after the revolution with the name of Mustadrak-i Ganjina-yi danishmandan and Kitab-i Inqilab va shahadat. In 1991, volume nine was compiled and published as Volume Two of Mustadrak-i Ganjina-yi danishmandan.