The auspicious birth anniversary of Imam Reza was celebrated at Malek Museum, attending artists and poets devoted to the Prophets family.

October 23, 2010 12:24 PM - Printable Version

A ceremony in celebration of the auspicious birth anniversary of Imam Reza (AS) was held on October 19th at the convention hall of Malek National Museum and Library, during which Seyed Mohammad Beheshti delivered a speech and Hamid Sabzevari recited poetry.
According to Malek Public Relations, in the beginning Seyed Mohammad Beheshti referred to the partiality of Imams (AS) for the Iranian cultural domain, saying: "Except for Imam Hassan (AS), Imam Zeinolabedin (AS), Imam Mohammad Taghi (AS) and Imam Jafar Sadegh (AS), who were all in Medina, all the other Imams did visit the Iranian cultural domain. Imam Ali (AS) came to Kufa and Imam Hossein (AS) to Karbala (which were part of the Iranian cultural domain); Imam Musa Kazem (AS), Imam Reza (AS) and Imam Hassan Asgari (AS) all made the journey to this extensive domain as well."
He added: "This shows not only the Iranians' affection for the family of the Holy Prophet, but also the Imams' affection for and special interest in this land, as if they felt more at home here than in Medina."
He then referred to the cultural role of Haj Hossein Agha Malek, saying: "I know Haj Hossein Agha Malek, the initiator of this gathering, by his good deeds and endowments. When I look deeply, I can see that he wasn't an exception, and maybe there were more like him throughout the history. However, when I observe the wealthy people and businessmen of our time, I can see that he is an exception. Of course there are benefactors among them, those who built schools and participated in large scale projects, but still, there is no one quite like Haj Agha Malek."
Beheshti emphasized: "When we look at what he built, it becomes obvious that his deeds are not proof only of his good will and wealth, but of his refinement, deep cultural understanding, and meticulous and aesthetic taste. If we are to present out culture anywhere in the world, introducing him would present all the human aspects of our culture."
He continued: "In fact, Haj Hossein Agha Malek is the full length mirror of the Iranian culture; we just need to watch the Iranian culture in his mirror. This is his real worth. But the point is, this virtue was not an exclusive feature of his. This was his nature, and he never thought he was doing anything extraordinary. Our definition and picture of a businessman today is a smart person who buys at the right time and sells at the right time, and knows how to keep his accounts in order. But in the history of wealth in our country, a businessman, a merchant, has never been a man who knows only the rules of business."
He then told the story of three Iranian merchants (6th century) who met three Japanese monks on the way to China. One of the Iranian merchants gives a piece of calligraphy of Ferdowsi's poetry as a gift. The piece remains in the monk's family for years and is finally donated to one of the temples in the important city of Nara as a sacred thing. Numerous haikus have been written about it."
Beheshti maintained: "It is these merchants and businessmen who help expand Islam to the East. Merchants were important factors in the spread of Islam to China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. These merchants were not mere experts in business; in those days, refinement was required and proper education was sufficient for being considered a well to do person. One of the groups who were expected to learn to read and write, to have good manners and proper penmanship, were the merchants."
He then referred to the late Malek's taste in choosing books and collections, and said: "The manuscript collection in this library is one of the most important sources of reference for researchers. He was a man who studied, had opinions and showed interest in knowledge. Many of the books in this library have been annotated by Malek himself. One thing he did right was to remind us of who we are, and to remind the wealthy that they must strive for refinement, play their national role and recognize their position."
Later in the ceremony a video clip of pictures of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) from the Qajar era was shown, accompanied with the singing voice of Karim Khani. Hamid Sabzevari then recited two of his poems in praise of Imam Reza (AS). His recital was followed by a poetry match among Seyedeh Zahra Salehi, Reyhaneh Hedayati and Changiz Nobahar, capping verses about Imam Reza (AS).
Afterwards, a contemporary poet, pen named "Kowsar", read several odes and quatrains in praise of Imam Reza (AS). Finally, a video clip titled 'The Pilgrimage' was shown to the audience.