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亘乇丿丞 丕賱賳亘賷 : 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳
丕賱賳丕卮乇:
兀丨丿孬鬲 丕賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳 (1979)貙 鬲睾賷賷乇丕賸 賰亘賷乇丕賸 賮賷 賲賳胤賯丞 丕賱賲卮乇賯 賵賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 賵賯丿 鬲賲丨賵乇鬲 賵賲丕 鬲夭丕賱 丨賵賱 卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱廿賲丕賲 丕賱禺賲賷賳賷貙 丕賱匕賷 丕賱鬲賮鬲 丨賵賱賴 丕賱噩賲賴賵乇 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷 丕賱鬲賮丕賮丕賸 毓馗賷賲丕賸貙 卮兀賳賴 賮賷 匕賱賰 卮兀賳 賲卅丕鬲 兀賱賵賮 乇噩丕賱 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷賷賳 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賳賷賳 丕賱鬲丕爻毓 毓卮乇 賵丕賱毓卮乇賷賳. 兀賳噩夭 丿乇丕爻丕鬲賴 丕賱丿賷賳賷丞 賮賷 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱賮賷囟賷丞 賮賷 丨賵夭丞 賯購賲貙 孬賲 丿乇爻 賮賷賴丕 賵丕卮鬲賴乇 廿賱賶 噩丕賳亘 丕賱毓卮乇丕鬲 賲賳 丌賷丕鬲 丕賱賱賴貙 丕賱匕賷賳 賷購賯賱丿賴賲 丕賱噩賲賴賵乇 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷 丕賱賲鬲丿賷賳貙 賵丕賱匕賷賳 賷鬲丨賲賱賵賳 賲爻丐賵賱賷丕鬲 賳賯賱 丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱丿賷賳賷 廿賱賶 丕賱兀噩賷丕賱 丕賱賱丕丨賯丞貙 賲孬賱賲丕 賮毓賱 兀爻賱丕賮賴賲 賯乇賵賳丕賸 賯亘賱 匕賱賰貙 丿乇爻 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賷 "亘乇丿丞 丕賱賳亘賷貙 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳" 卮禺氐賷丞 乇噩賱 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱卮賷毓賷 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳貙 賲鬲鬲亘毓丕賸 賳卮兀丞 爻賱胤鬲賴 賵鬲胤賵乇賴丕 亘胤乇賷賯丞 乇賵丕卅賷丞 賲亘鬲賰乇丞.
賵賱賰賷 鬲賰鬲賲賱 丕賱氐賵乇丞貙 賵賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱孬賯丕賮丞 賵賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇 賵丕賱廿卮毓丕毓貙 賮賯丿 睾丕氐 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 廿賷乇丕賳 賵卮禺氐賷鬲賴丕貙 賵毓賱丕賯鬲賴丕 亘丕賱廿爻賱丕賲 賵亘丕賱毓乇亘 賲賳 兀丿賵丕乇 乇噩丕賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賵乇噩丕賱 丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 鬲賰賵賷賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賲鬲爻毓 賲賳 丕賱賲毓丕乇賮 賵丕賱丨爻丕爻賷丕鬲. 廿賳賴 賰鬲丕亘 毓賳 廿賷乇丕賳 丕賱賲爻賱賲丞貙 賵丿賵乇 乇噩賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賮賷賴丕貙 賲丕囟賷丕賸 賵丨丕囟乇丕賸貙 賵賯乇丕亍鬲賴 囟乇賵乇賷丞 賱賲毓乇賮丞 賲丕 賷丿賵乇 賮賷 鬲賱賰 丕賱亘賱丕丿 丕賱賷賵賲.
兀丨丿孬鬲 丕賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳 (1979)貙 鬲睾賷賷乇丕賸 賰亘賷乇丕賸 賮賷 賲賳胤賯丞 丕賱賲卮乇賯 賵賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 賵賯丿 鬲賲丨賵乇鬲 賵賲丕 鬲夭丕賱 丨賵賱 卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱廿賲丕賲 丕賱禺賲賷賳賷貙 丕賱匕賷 丕賱鬲賮鬲 丨賵賱賴 丕賱噩賲賴賵乇 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷 丕賱鬲賮丕賮丕賸 毓馗賷賲丕賸貙 卮兀賳賴 賮賷 匕賱賰 卮兀賳 賲卅丕鬲 兀賱賵賮 乇噩丕賱 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷賷賳 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賳賷賳 丕賱鬲丕爻毓 毓卮乇 賵丕賱毓卮乇賷賳. 兀賳噩夭 丿乇丕爻丕鬲賴 丕賱丿賷賳賷丞 賮賷 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱賮賷囟賷丞 賮賷 丨賵夭丞 賯購賲貙 孬賲 丿乇爻 賮賷賴丕 賵丕卮鬲賴乇 廿賱賶 噩丕賳亘 丕賱毓卮乇丕鬲 賲賳 丌賷丕鬲 丕賱賱賴貙 丕賱匕賷賳 賷購賯賱丿賴賲 丕賱噩賲賴賵乇 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷 丕賱賲鬲丿賷賳貙 賵丕賱匕賷賳 賷鬲丨賲賱賵賳 賲爻丐賵賱賷丕鬲 賳賯賱 丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱丿賷賳賷 廿賱賶 丕賱兀噩賷丕賱 丕賱賱丕丨賯丞貙 賲孬賱賲丕 賮毓賱 兀爻賱丕賮賴賲 賯乇賵賳丕賸 賯亘賱 匕賱賰貙 丿乇爻 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賷 "亘乇丿丞 丕賱賳亘賷貙 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳" 卮禺氐賷丞 乇噩賱 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱卮賷毓賷 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳貙 賲鬲鬲亘毓丕賸 賳卮兀丞 爻賱胤鬲賴 賵鬲胤賵乇賴丕 亘胤乇賷賯丞 乇賵丕卅賷丞 賲亘鬲賰乇丞.
賵賱賰賷 鬲賰鬲賲賱 丕賱氐賵乇丞貙 賵賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱孬賯丕賮丞 賵賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇 賵丕賱廿卮毓丕毓貙 賮賯丿 睾丕氐 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 廿賷乇丕賳 賵卮禺氐賷鬲賴丕貙 賵毓賱丕賯鬲賴丕 亘丕賱廿爻賱丕賲 賵亘丕賱毓乇亘 賲賳 兀丿賵丕乇 乇噩丕賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賵乇噩丕賱 丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 鬲賰賵賷賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賲鬲爻毓 賲賳 丕賱賲毓丕乇賮 賵丕賱丨爻丕爻賷丕鬲. 廿賳賴 賰鬲丕亘 毓賳 廿賷乇丕賳 丕賱賲爻賱賲丞貙 賵丿賵乇 乇噩賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賮賷賴丕貙 賲丕囟賷丕賸 賵丨丕囟乇丕賸貙 賵賯乇丕亍鬲賴 囟乇賵乇賷丞 賱賲毓乇賮丞 賲丕 賷丿賵乇 賮賷 鬲賱賰 丕賱亘賱丕丿 丕賱賷賵賲.
494 pages
First published September 1, 1985
87 people are currently reading
2,014 people want to read
About the author
Roy Mottahedeh
29听books16听followersRoy Mottahedeh is Gurney Professor of Islamic History at Harvard University. An internationallly renowned expert, his academic awards include a Guggenheim and a MacArthur Prize Fellowship.
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June 27, 2020
This book was first published in 1985. It is a brilliant tour de force of the intellectual and religious ideas prevailing on the territory of Iran or influenced by its culture. Inevitably it is focused on Shia Islam. But there is a lot more including secular tradition, sufism, manichaeism and zoroastrism, It is great in its scope and not very difficult to read. Roy Mottahedeh explains tricky concepts with ease but without loosing the level of details. I feel sad that I鈥檝e finished this book and it is hardly possible to produce an update of this book for the last 40 years due to the political developments.
On the superficial level, the book goal is to explain what has lead to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. And 鈥渉ow a revolution so popular in origin should be so conservative in outcome鈥�. However, the author warns in the introduction that there is no definitive answer on this question. As well as there is no answer on the question whether the revolution was the change for the better or worse. He gives the example of the French revolution which happened 200 years ago and the historians still disagree on its consequences.
For me though the sheer scope of the intellectual thought, the strangeness of it as well as some familiarity was amazing. I鈥檝e learned a lot and enjoyed the experience of learning as well.
The book does not have a historically chronological structure. Instead it follows the intellectual life of a boy of a traditional mullah family from his childhood in the 40s of the 20th century through his education and up to the revolution of 1979. The boy, Ali Hashemi is sayyed, the ancestor of a Prophet. We follow his intellectual development from the primary state school to Madreseh in Qom where he lives. Later he becomes the instructor there, leaves for Iraq to study with Khomeini, then comes back and goes to the University of Tehran to study secular subjects such as philosophy. It is a true story. And it forms approximately a third of the total book. Another two thirds are more analytical follow ups to each chapter focused on a certain aspect of the Iranian intellectual and political history such as education, revolution of 1906, the history of Shia Islam, Sufis and the poetry. Typically, the author would pick up a few prominent individuals, politician and scholars and illustrate more general points through their thinking. Those individuals include Avicenna, Khayam, Shahravardi, Karsavi, Mosaddeq and many others. Initially i've had reservations about the structure. And in fact I did not enjoy the first chapter that much. But later I was convinced that the structure worked brilliantly.
The weakness of the book is predictable. His depiction of the American policy in Iran as 鈥渘aive鈥� and idealistic sounds naive at least. He mentions Roosevelt adviser saying: 鈥淚ran is or can be made something in a nature of a clinic - an experiment station-for the presidents postwar policies his aims to develop and stabilise backward areas鈥� which is dubious by itself. But then on the next page he talks about the US sponsored coup to get rid of the elected prime minister in the 50s when CIAs paid out the mob to organise antigovernment protest effectively managing the coup. They even were amazed how cheap it came to be. I find it really far from 鈥渘aive and idealistic鈥�. The Brits who effectively ruled there together with the Russians for 2 centuries are hardly mentioned. The Russians though got there share, but still treated gently enough. But I think i can forgive him for that as it does not affect the majority of the stuff in the book and is not the main subject of his narrative.
As always with my non-fiction reviews, I would just mention a few points which I found fascinating. The selection is very subjective and far from a comprehensive. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested to broaden their point of view and find the perspective of the world that is different from the Western one.
1. Iran did not have any formal system of education, even on the primary level until the 30s of the 20s century which is very late. The first and only high level secular education establishment was a Polytechnic founded in the late 19th century but for a very specific purpose. But Madresehs first appeared in the 11th century. They were the centres of the formal Islamic learning not very different from the Medieval universities. They existed throughout the centuries and their curriculum was quite vigorous. They taught something which is known as trivium in the West: grammar, rhetoric and logic. Of course those were not the only subjects. They needed to be fluent in Arabic to learn Koran and later the Islamic law among other things.They were taught not only through reading the texts but through disputations. The scholars needed to work in pairs and to dispute the difficult bits. So it was not as dogmatic as we would imagine. The system was still in place when Ali was studying in the early 50s. My understanding is that those establishments were the only place for a brighter boy to be educated.
2. Sufism appeared to play a very significant role in spreading Islam between the masses. It is a mystical movement which believes in a possibility of obtaining a knowledge through 鈥渋llumination鈥� as opposed to reason. The mainstream clerics did not like Sufis as the reason played a very significant role in the interpretation of Islam and made it a prerogative of a learned man i.e. clergy. Also they competed for the financial resources. However, the Sufism in one form or another never disappeared. The practice of 鈥渆fran鈥� - learning how to achieve illumination through repetition and other form of ecstatic experience is still popular. Ali, the main character of the book has had a spiritual teacher of efran outside the madreseh system and he has achieved the state when he could see everything around him as just a form of light. It is quite fascinating how this mystical experience is described. The Sufis also had a huge influence on Iranian poetry. Many of the poets were the Sufis themselves.
3. 鈥淪eeing the light鈥� has lead me to another little story. When i was reading Dante鈥檚 鈥淒ivine comedy鈥� earlier this year, I鈥檝e read somewhere that his Paradiso closely resembles in structure and appearance the Paradise described in many narratives of the Ascent by Mohammed. He ascends to the throne of God under the guidance of Gabriel 鈥渁 visionary experience recorded in all his biographies culminate in light.鈥� It has been even mentioned in Wiki. Here, it is mentioned as well. In both Dante鈥檚 book and the Ascent, God is the focus of the most vivid lights surrounded by 9 concentric circles 鈥渇ormed by closed files of angels emitting light and all circles revolve about the Divine Focus.鈥� So it is very likely Dante 鈥渨as inspired鈥� by the one of these accounts. It is almost certain, but obviously it is viciously argued against by many western scholars.
4. Mani, the founder of the religion named after him in the 3rd century seems to be very fascinating and influential figure. It is strange we do not hear about him that much nowadays. I鈥檝e heard of him and his influence on St Augustine and respectively the Medieval Christianity when I was reading [Iran]. Here, he becomes even more interesting. Mani and his follows believed universal salvation of the soul through knowledge out of evil material world. So everything material, including body is really bad. But as a consequence, everything not material, including the written word is good. So it looks like we owe to him a huge boost in establishing and spreading the literature. Before him the scriptures were not defined. The revelations were recorded by someone else, not by the prophets themselves. But he by himself received revelations and wrote scripture. Therefore, he has created the idea of canon. And all other religions had to follow. I wonder whether we owe him the idea of the canon in the Western literature as well. He made the religion more democratic through translations as well. Other established religions were very reluctant to translate their sacred texts from their original languages. Not听Mani. He by himself has translated his revelations into at least three languages and encouraged other translations. He also was quite happy to 鈥渂orrow鈥� from other religions. And he encouraged composing poetry and singing hymns in native languages. While the other religions considered the poetry as the language of Satan. All in all he seemed to be the first very influential, not very scrupulous literati.听He certainly influenced the genesis of the Persian poetry.
5. In general, the dualism of Zoroastrian religion has influenced the appearance of the evil and the Satan in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In Islam in particular, it seems the devil was associated with the creative impulses as well. And his figure is quite complex, far from the simple personification of the evil. Sufi believed that Satan was so devoted to God that he just could not accept a bow from anyone else. That is why he was ready to be expelled rather than to bow to a human. So he comes out almost like martyr figure. And of course, there is influence from the dualistic earlier religions. Mottahedeh鈥檚 argument then follows that while the theology is so ambiguous, it is not surprising that this ambiguity has become a part of the Iranian identity, and more narrowly the main theme of their traditional poetry. He says: 鈥淧ersian poetry came to be the emotional home in which the ambiguity that was at the heart of Iranian culture lived most freely and openly. What Persian poetry expressed was not an enigma to be solved but an enigma that was unsolvable.鈥� And in reality, the poets in Iran could get away with something which would be unimaginable in a very strict islamic tradition. The poetry plays a very significant role in the life or Iranian people. And this ambiguity, reconciling the opposites between an extreme piety and the hedonistic cynicism might at least partly explain the contradictions of their history.
6. And the last point about the books burning. I鈥檝e recently read a novel by an Iranian immigrant. There, she described an imaginary mass books burning by the Islamists after the revolution. I do not know whether such public actions really took place. I can believe they did, but I have not investigated this question. But I came across 鈥渁 festival of book burning鈥� by rather unexpected crowd. I was reading here about Kasravi, a former graduate from a madreseh but later a prominent secularist in 20-40s of the 20th century. He believed that traditional poetry is really harmful. Here Mottahedeh says 鈥淚n pamphlets such as 鈥淗asan is Burning his book of Hafez鈥� he attacked the cult of Persian poetry, since he felt that Iranians used poetic quotations to avoid serious thinking. Anyway, Persian poetry was imbued with the qualities he detested - flattery of patrons, fatalism and mysticism antithetical to science - so he instituted a 鈥渂ook burning festival鈥� for his followers at the winter solstice.鈥� So it seems even if the novel I鈥檝e read is based on some fact (and i do not know whether it is in fact the case), the idea has been initially propagated on the other end of the political spectrum. 鈥�
On the superficial level, the book goal is to explain what has lead to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. And 鈥渉ow a revolution so popular in origin should be so conservative in outcome鈥�. However, the author warns in the introduction that there is no definitive answer on this question. As well as there is no answer on the question whether the revolution was the change for the better or worse. He gives the example of the French revolution which happened 200 years ago and the historians still disagree on its consequences.
For me though the sheer scope of the intellectual thought, the strangeness of it as well as some familiarity was amazing. I鈥檝e learned a lot and enjoyed the experience of learning as well.
The book does not have a historically chronological structure. Instead it follows the intellectual life of a boy of a traditional mullah family from his childhood in the 40s of the 20th century through his education and up to the revolution of 1979. The boy, Ali Hashemi is sayyed, the ancestor of a Prophet. We follow his intellectual development from the primary state school to Madreseh in Qom where he lives. Later he becomes the instructor there, leaves for Iraq to study with Khomeini, then comes back and goes to the University of Tehran to study secular subjects such as philosophy. It is a true story. And it forms approximately a third of the total book. Another two thirds are more analytical follow ups to each chapter focused on a certain aspect of the Iranian intellectual and political history such as education, revolution of 1906, the history of Shia Islam, Sufis and the poetry. Typically, the author would pick up a few prominent individuals, politician and scholars and illustrate more general points through their thinking. Those individuals include Avicenna, Khayam, Shahravardi, Karsavi, Mosaddeq and many others. Initially i've had reservations about the structure. And in fact I did not enjoy the first chapter that much. But later I was convinced that the structure worked brilliantly.
The weakness of the book is predictable. His depiction of the American policy in Iran as 鈥渘aive鈥� and idealistic sounds naive at least. He mentions Roosevelt adviser saying: 鈥淚ran is or can be made something in a nature of a clinic - an experiment station-for the presidents postwar policies his aims to develop and stabilise backward areas鈥� which is dubious by itself. But then on the next page he talks about the US sponsored coup to get rid of the elected prime minister in the 50s when CIAs paid out the mob to organise antigovernment protest effectively managing the coup. They even were amazed how cheap it came to be. I find it really far from 鈥渘aive and idealistic鈥�. The Brits who effectively ruled there together with the Russians for 2 centuries are hardly mentioned. The Russians though got there share, but still treated gently enough. But I think i can forgive him for that as it does not affect the majority of the stuff in the book and is not the main subject of his narrative.
As always with my non-fiction reviews, I would just mention a few points which I found fascinating. The selection is very subjective and far from a comprehensive. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested to broaden their point of view and find the perspective of the world that is different from the Western one.
1. Iran did not have any formal system of education, even on the primary level until the 30s of the 20s century which is very late. The first and only high level secular education establishment was a Polytechnic founded in the late 19th century but for a very specific purpose. But Madresehs first appeared in the 11th century. They were the centres of the formal Islamic learning not very different from the Medieval universities. They existed throughout the centuries and their curriculum was quite vigorous. They taught something which is known as trivium in the West: grammar, rhetoric and logic. Of course those were not the only subjects. They needed to be fluent in Arabic to learn Koran and later the Islamic law among other things.They were taught not only through reading the texts but through disputations. The scholars needed to work in pairs and to dispute the difficult bits. So it was not as dogmatic as we would imagine. The system was still in place when Ali was studying in the early 50s. My understanding is that those establishments were the only place for a brighter boy to be educated.
2. Sufism appeared to play a very significant role in spreading Islam between the masses. It is a mystical movement which believes in a possibility of obtaining a knowledge through 鈥渋llumination鈥� as opposed to reason. The mainstream clerics did not like Sufis as the reason played a very significant role in the interpretation of Islam and made it a prerogative of a learned man i.e. clergy. Also they competed for the financial resources. However, the Sufism in one form or another never disappeared. The practice of 鈥渆fran鈥� - learning how to achieve illumination through repetition and other form of ecstatic experience is still popular. Ali, the main character of the book has had a spiritual teacher of efran outside the madreseh system and he has achieved the state when he could see everything around him as just a form of light. It is quite fascinating how this mystical experience is described. The Sufis also had a huge influence on Iranian poetry. Many of the poets were the Sufis themselves.
3. 鈥淪eeing the light鈥� has lead me to another little story. When i was reading Dante鈥檚 鈥淒ivine comedy鈥� earlier this year, I鈥檝e read somewhere that his Paradiso closely resembles in structure and appearance the Paradise described in many narratives of the Ascent by Mohammed. He ascends to the throne of God under the guidance of Gabriel 鈥渁 visionary experience recorded in all his biographies culminate in light.鈥� It has been even mentioned in Wiki. Here, it is mentioned as well. In both Dante鈥檚 book and the Ascent, God is the focus of the most vivid lights surrounded by 9 concentric circles 鈥渇ormed by closed files of angels emitting light and all circles revolve about the Divine Focus.鈥� So it is very likely Dante 鈥渨as inspired鈥� by the one of these accounts. It is almost certain, but obviously it is viciously argued against by many western scholars.
4. Mani, the founder of the religion named after him in the 3rd century seems to be very fascinating and influential figure. It is strange we do not hear about him that much nowadays. I鈥檝e heard of him and his influence on St Augustine and respectively the Medieval Christianity when I was reading [Iran]. Here, he becomes even more interesting. Mani and his follows believed universal salvation of the soul through knowledge out of evil material world. So everything material, including body is really bad. But as a consequence, everything not material, including the written word is good. So it looks like we owe to him a huge boost in establishing and spreading the literature. Before him the scriptures were not defined. The revelations were recorded by someone else, not by the prophets themselves. But he by himself received revelations and wrote scripture. Therefore, he has created the idea of canon. And all other religions had to follow. I wonder whether we owe him the idea of the canon in the Western literature as well. He made the religion more democratic through translations as well. Other established religions were very reluctant to translate their sacred texts from their original languages. Not听Mani. He by himself has translated his revelations into at least three languages and encouraged other translations. He also was quite happy to 鈥渂orrow鈥� from other religions. And he encouraged composing poetry and singing hymns in native languages. While the other religions considered the poetry as the language of Satan. All in all he seemed to be the first very influential, not very scrupulous literati.听He certainly influenced the genesis of the Persian poetry.
5. In general, the dualism of Zoroastrian religion has influenced the appearance of the evil and the Satan in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In Islam in particular, it seems the devil was associated with the creative impulses as well. And his figure is quite complex, far from the simple personification of the evil. Sufi believed that Satan was so devoted to God that he just could not accept a bow from anyone else. That is why he was ready to be expelled rather than to bow to a human. So he comes out almost like martyr figure. And of course, there is influence from the dualistic earlier religions. Mottahedeh鈥檚 argument then follows that while the theology is so ambiguous, it is not surprising that this ambiguity has become a part of the Iranian identity, and more narrowly the main theme of their traditional poetry. He says: 鈥淧ersian poetry came to be the emotional home in which the ambiguity that was at the heart of Iranian culture lived most freely and openly. What Persian poetry expressed was not an enigma to be solved but an enigma that was unsolvable.鈥� And in reality, the poets in Iran could get away with something which would be unimaginable in a very strict islamic tradition. The poetry plays a very significant role in the life or Iranian people. And this ambiguity, reconciling the opposites between an extreme piety and the hedonistic cynicism might at least partly explain the contradictions of their history.
6. And the last point about the books burning. I鈥檝e recently read a novel by an Iranian immigrant. There, she described an imaginary mass books burning by the Islamists after the revolution. I do not know whether such public actions really took place. I can believe they did, but I have not investigated this question. But I came across 鈥渁 festival of book burning鈥� by rather unexpected crowd. I was reading here about Kasravi, a former graduate from a madreseh but later a prominent secularist in 20-40s of the 20th century. He believed that traditional poetry is really harmful. Here Mottahedeh says 鈥淚n pamphlets such as 鈥淗asan is Burning his book of Hafez鈥� he attacked the cult of Persian poetry, since he felt that Iranians used poetic quotations to avoid serious thinking. Anyway, Persian poetry was imbued with the qualities he detested - flattery of patrons, fatalism and mysticism antithetical to science - so he instituted a 鈥渂ook burning festival鈥� for his followers at the winter solstice.鈥� So it seems even if the novel I鈥檝e read is based on some fact (and i do not know whether it is in fact the case), the idea has been initially propagated on the other end of the political spectrum. 鈥�
August 2, 2017
This is a breathtaking intellectual history of Iran, starting from its pre-Islamic history all the way up the present day, and narrated alongside the story of one man in particular: a mullah trained in modern Iran's Shia seminaries. The scope of the book is really incredible and it would difficult to do it all justice in any summation, but Mottahedeh somehow manages to chart the origins of modern day Iranian thought deep in its ancient history. The descriptions of life in 20th century Qom and Tehran are also beautifully done, and you really come to identify with the pseudonymous mullah as he tells the story of his education and coming of age. Along with the stories of his rigorously logical seminary training, I was particularly moved by the descriptions of his Sufi experiences and the importance of "erfan" in the lives of some of Iran's traditional religious teachers. The author somehow manages to weave the lives of Ferdowsi, Zoroaster, Ayatollah Taleqani, Jalal al-E Ahmed and many others into one durable narrative that continues alongside the life of the mullah. The writing is really captivating and elegant, which makes the potentially dense subject matter a pleasure to deal with.
The book is bracketed by the events of the Iranian Revolution and was published around the time that the revolution occurred. Although it is not about those events per se, it provides a beautifully narrated origin story of how that strange moment came to pass. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Iran or modern Iranian politics. Hopefully one day the country will open up enough that it will be easier for others to experience it for themselves, but without losing all that makes it so unique.
The book is bracketed by the events of the Iranian Revolution and was published around the time that the revolution occurred. Although it is not about those events per se, it provides a beautifully narrated origin story of how that strange moment came to pass. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Iran or modern Iranian politics. Hopefully one day the country will open up enough that it will be easier for others to experience it for themselves, but without losing all that makes it so unique.
November 2, 2014
Mottahedeh uses extensively the personal lives and accounts of real Iranians who lived during the critical era that eventually led to 1979. The book manages to show how Iranian history and thought-life of Iranians developed post WWII.
Its great value is the presentation of the emotional life and struggles of an Iranian mullah, who lived the events of post WWII, leading to 1979.
I would love to see a book, with the same philosophy of presenting issues, that would cover the 1980s and 1990s.
Its great value is the presentation of the emotional life and struggles of an Iranian mullah, who lived the events of post WWII, leading to 1979.
I would love to see a book, with the same philosophy of presenting issues, that would cover the 1980s and 1990s.
May 6, 2012
兀賮囟賱 賲丕 賯乇兀鬲 賮賶 丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷丞 .. 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 爻乇丿 爻賷乇丞 兀丨丿 丕賱賲毓賲賲賷賳 .. 賷亘丨孬 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓賳 丕賱噩匕賵乇 丕賱賮賰乇賷丞 賱賱毓賯賱賷丞 丕賱卮賷毓賷丞 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇丞 賮賶 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 .. 丿賵乇 丕賱賲賳胤賯 賵 丕賱賮賱爻賮丞 賮賶 鬲賰賵賷賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱毓賯賱賷丞 .. 賲乇賰夭賷丞 丕賱賮賯賴丕亍 賵 毓賱丕賯鬲賴丕 亘丕賱鬲乇丕鬲亘賷丞 丕賱賴乇賲賷丞 賱賱賲丐爻爻丞 丕賱丿賷賳賷丞 賮賶 廿賷乇丕賳 .. 亘丿丕賷丕鬲 鬲丨丿賷孬 丕賱鬲毓賱賷賲 賮賶 廿賷乇丕賳 .. 丕賱鬲丨賵賱丕鬲 丕賱爻賵爻蹖賵-爻蹖丕爻蹖丞 賮賶 廿賷乇丕賳 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇丞 .. 賱賲丨丕鬲 賲賴賲丞 毓賳 毓賱丕賯丞丕賱兀丿亘 亘丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賵 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 .. 丕賱讴鬲丕亘 賲賳亘毓 賴丕卅賱 賱賱兀賮賰丕乇 賵 丕賱賲卮乇賵毓丕鬲 .. 賱賵賱丕 兀賳 孬賱丞 賲賳 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲賷賳 丕賱爻匕噩 賴賲 賲賳 鬲乇噩賲賵丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 禺丕氐丞賸 賮氐賵賱賴 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞 賱賰丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 兀乇賵毓 亘賰孬賷乇 .. 賷爻鬲丨賯 丕賱兀賯鬲賳丕亍 賵 賲賴賲 噩丿丕賸 賱賱丿丕乇爻賷賳 賮賶 丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷丞 賵 丕賱卮賷毓賷丞 ..
October 25, 2015
The scope of this book is breathtaking and I am in awe of its treatment of its material. This book is - contrary to the cover explanation - hardly about the revolution explicitly, and anyone looking for a 'blow-by-blow' account of those dates should look to dozens of other excellent books on those times. Instead, it is a sweeping and beautiful examination of the development of Persian / Iranian and Shia identity from its earliest days through 1980, covering everything from Islamic jurisprudence (in a detail I've never seen) to poetry to nationalism and everything in between, with attention paid the the changes in thinking that allowed the revolution to occur. The slow and methodical pace is at first noticeable but quickly becomes enjoyable as you become immersed into an epic tale. Critics are quite right about it at times meandering, but all of it is highly relevant and important.
January 8, 2015
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 乇丕卅毓貙 賵賯丿 亘丨孬鬲 毓賳 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴 胤賵賷賱丕賸貙 丨鬲賶 兀賴丿賷鬲 廿賱賷賾 賮賷 胤亘毓丞 丕賱賲乇賰夭 丕賱賯賵賲賷賾 賱賱鬲乇噩賲丞 亘賲氐乇. 賵賴賷 胤亘毓丞 賯丿 卮賵賾賴鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賵 兀囟毓賮鬲 賯賷賲鬲賴. 賮賴賷 丨丕賮賱丞 亘丕锘坟坟ж� 丕賱廿賲賱丕卅賷賾丞 賵丕賱賱睾賵賷賾丞貙 賵亘賱丕 賯丕卅賲丞 賲丨鬲賵賷丕鬲貙 賵賱丕 賮賴丕乇爻 鬲丨賱賷賱賷丞貙 賵賱丕 賴賵丕賲卮 -亘乇睾賲 賰孬乇鬲賴丕 賮賷 丕锘坟蒂� 丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷- 賵賱丕 兀毓乇賮 賴賱 胤亘毓丞 丕賱賲丿丕乇 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷/丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱噩丿賷丿 亘賳賮爻 丕賱爻賵亍 兀賲 兀賳 賴匕賴 丕锘坟坟ж� 賯丿 鬲賲賾 鬲丿丕乇購賰賴丕.
兀賲丕 毓賳 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賮兀賯賱賾 賲丕 賷購賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲賵氐賮 亘賴 兀賳賴丕 禺亘賷孬丞 賰賲賳 賳購爻亘鬲 廿賱賷賴貙 "丕賱丨乇賷乇賷" 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷賾丿 氐丕丨亘 丕賱鬲氐賵賾乇 丕锘焚呝堎� 賱賱鬲丕乇賷禺. 賵亘丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丞 賮兀賳丕 賲氐乇賷 賵賱爻鬲 賱亘賳丕賳賷丕賸貙 賰賲丕 兀賳賷 賱爻鬲購 卮賷毓賷丕賸貙 賱賰賳 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷丿 賯丕丿乇 毓賱賶 兀賳 賷爻鬲賮夭 丕锘坟蒂嗀з� 亘禺購亘孬 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴. 賮毓賱賶 爻亘賷賱 丕賱賲孬丕賱貨 丕賱賲賯丕賱 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇 丕賱匕賷 賳購卮乇 亘賴 爻亘 氐乇賷丨 賱賱禺賲賷賳賷 賮賷 氐丨賷賮丞 丕胤賱丕毓丕鬲貙 毓賱賶 賲丕 兀馗賳貙 賴賵 賲賯丕賱 "賳丿丿" 亘丕賱禺賲賷賳賷!
賵賷購賲賰賳 賱賱賯丕乇賷亍 丕賱賲丿賯賯 兀賳 賷毓孬乇 毓賱賶 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱禺胤丕賷丕 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丿爻 丕賱爻賲 賮賷 丕賱毓爻賱.
賵兀夭毓賲 兀賳 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷丿 賱賲 賷禺胤賾 丨乇賮丕賸 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 亘賱 鬲乇噩賲賴 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲賵賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕賱匕賷賳 兀賵乇丿 兀爻賲丕丐賴賲 賮賷 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞貙 亘丕毓鬲亘丕乇賴賲 卮丕乇賰賵丕 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞. 賮丕賱賳氐賾 睾賷乇 賲購鬲賲丕爻賰 賵賲賴賱賴賱 賮賷 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲賵丕囟毓貙 賰賲丕 兀賳賴 賱賲 賷噩乇 鬲丨乇賷乇賴 亘卮賰賱 丕丨鬲乇丕賮賷貙 賮賴賵 賲賳 兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賴賵丕丞. 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 乇囟賵丕賳 賯丿 毓賴丿 亘賴 賱亘毓囟 氐亘賷鬲賴貙 賵賵囟毓 丕爻賲賴 毓賱賷賴貙 賮賷 鬲賯賱賷丿 兀氐亘丨 賱賱兀爻賮 爻丕卅丿丕賸 亘賷賳 丕賱兀賰丕丿賷賲賷賷賳 丕賱毓乇亘 賵丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲賷賳 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇賷賳貙 亘賱 賵丕賱賳丕卮乇賷賳 丕賱賰亘丕乇.
賵賱賳 兀禺賵囟 賮賷 卮禺氐 乇囟賵丕賳 賵賱丕 兀賮賰丕乇賴 賮賱賷爻 賴匕丕 亘賲賵囟毓賴貙 賵廿賳賲丕 賰丕賳 賱夭丕賲丕賸 鬲亘賷丕賳 賲賳賴噩賴 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞貙 賵賰賷賮 丕乇鬲囟賶 賳卮乇 胤亘毓丞 丕賱賲噩賱爻 丕賱賯賵賲賷 賱賱鬲乇噩賲丞 亘賴匕丕 丕賱卮賰賱 賵亘賱丕 賲乇丕噩毓丞.
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賳賮爻賴 賲丕丿賾丞 孬乇賷賾丞 賵禺氐亘丞 賵賲購賱賴賲丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 乇賵賷 賲鬲丨丿丞 亘匕賱 賮賷賴 噩賴丿丕賸 囟禺賲丕賻貙 賮賴賵 賷賰卮賮 毓賳 賵毓賷 毓賲賷賯 亘丕賱賳氐賵氐貙 賵亘丕賱鬲丨賵賱丕鬲 丕賱賮賰乇賷丞 賱賱兀卮禺丕氐 賵丕賱噩丕賲毓丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賷乇氐丿賴丕.
賵毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳 鬲噩丕乇賷 賱丕 毓賱丕賯丞 賱賴 亘丕賱賲鬲賳 丕賱丿爻賲貙 賮丕賱毓賳賵丕賳 賷賵丨賷 亘賰鬲丕亘 賲亘鬲匕賱 賰毓丕丿丞 賲賳 賷乇氐丿賵賳 丕賱鬲丨賵賾賱丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷賾丞 丕賱亘乇賾丕賳賷丞 亘卮賰賱 兀賮賯賷 賵亘丿賵賳 兀丿賳賷 鬲毓賲賾賯貙 賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓賱賶 丕賱毓賰爻 賲賳 匕賱賰貙 賷禺賵囟 賮賷 鬲丨賵賾賱丕鬲 丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷 賵賷乇氐丿賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賮囟丕亍 丕賱卮賷毓賷貙 賵亘卮賰賱 賲賯丕乇賳. 亘賱 賵賷乇亘胤 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷 亘丕賱賲毓乇賮賷 亘丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 亘丕賱丿賷賳賷 賮賷 囟賮賷乇丞 卮丕卅賯丞 賵賲賲鬲毓丞 賵賲賮賷丿丞.
賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱丕 賷賳鬲賲賷 賱丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷丞 亘賯丿乇 賲丕 賷賳鬲賲賷 賱丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷賾丞 亘賵噩賴 毓丕賲貙 賵賱丨賯賱 毓賱賲 丕噩鬲賲丕毓 丕賱賲毓乇賮丞 亘賵噩賴 兀禺氐賾貙 賮賴賵 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 乇丐賷丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱鬲胤賵賾乇 丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賵賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕锘坟娯必� 禺氐賵氐丕賸 賮賷 丕賱賮囟丕亍 丕賱卮賷毓賷.
賳氐賷丨丞 兀禺賷乇丞 賱賲賳 賷乇睾亘 亘賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賵賴賷 兀賳 賷賯乇丐賴 亘丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 廿賳 丕爻鬲胤丕毓貙 賮賮賷賴丕 丕賱賰賮丕賷丞.
兀賲丕 毓賳 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賮兀賯賱賾 賲丕 賷購賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲賵氐賮 亘賴 兀賳賴丕 禺亘賷孬丞 賰賲賳 賳購爻亘鬲 廿賱賷賴貙 "丕賱丨乇賷乇賷" 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷賾丿 氐丕丨亘 丕賱鬲氐賵賾乇 丕锘焚呝堎� 賱賱鬲丕乇賷禺. 賵亘丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丞 賮兀賳丕 賲氐乇賷 賵賱爻鬲 賱亘賳丕賳賷丕賸貙 賰賲丕 兀賳賷 賱爻鬲購 卮賷毓賷丕賸貙 賱賰賳 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷丿 賯丕丿乇 毓賱賶 兀賳 賷爻鬲賮夭 丕锘坟蒂嗀з� 亘禺購亘孬 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴. 賮毓賱賶 爻亘賷賱 丕賱賲孬丕賱貨 丕賱賲賯丕賱 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇 丕賱匕賷 賳購卮乇 亘賴 爻亘 氐乇賷丨 賱賱禺賲賷賳賷 賮賷 氐丨賷賮丞 丕胤賱丕毓丕鬲貙 毓賱賶 賲丕 兀馗賳貙 賴賵 賲賯丕賱 "賳丿丿" 亘丕賱禺賲賷賳賷!
賵賷購賲賰賳 賱賱賯丕乇賷亍 丕賱賲丿賯賯 兀賳 賷毓孬乇 毓賱賶 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱禺胤丕賷丕 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丿爻 丕賱爻賲 賮賷 丕賱毓爻賱.
賵兀夭毓賲 兀賳 乇囟賵丕賳 丕賱爻賷丿 賱賲 賷禺胤賾 丨乇賮丕賸 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 亘賱 鬲乇噩賲賴 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲賵賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕賱匕賷賳 兀賵乇丿 兀爻賲丕丐賴賲 賮賷 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞貙 亘丕毓鬲亘丕乇賴賲 卮丕乇賰賵丕 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞. 賮丕賱賳氐賾 睾賷乇 賲購鬲賲丕爻賰 賵賲賴賱賴賱 賮賷 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲賵丕囟毓貙 賰賲丕 兀賳賴 賱賲 賷噩乇 鬲丨乇賷乇賴 亘卮賰賱 丕丨鬲乇丕賮賷貙 賮賴賵 賲賳 兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賴賵丕丞. 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 乇囟賵丕賳 賯丿 毓賴丿 亘賴 賱亘毓囟 氐亘賷鬲賴貙 賵賵囟毓 丕爻賲賴 毓賱賷賴貙 賮賷 鬲賯賱賷丿 兀氐亘丨 賱賱兀爻賮 爻丕卅丿丕賸 亘賷賳 丕賱兀賰丕丿賷賲賷賷賳 丕賱毓乇亘 賵丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲賷賳 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇賷賳貙 亘賱 賵丕賱賳丕卮乇賷賳 丕賱賰亘丕乇.
賵賱賳 兀禺賵囟 賮賷 卮禺氐 乇囟賵丕賳 賵賱丕 兀賮賰丕乇賴 賮賱賷爻 賴匕丕 亘賲賵囟毓賴貙 賵廿賳賲丕 賰丕賳 賱夭丕賲丕賸 鬲亘賷丕賳 賲賳賴噩賴 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞貙 賵賰賷賮 丕乇鬲囟賶 賳卮乇 胤亘毓丞 丕賱賲噩賱爻 丕賱賯賵賲賷 賱賱鬲乇噩賲丞 亘賴匕丕 丕賱卮賰賱 賵亘賱丕 賲乇丕噩毓丞.
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賳賮爻賴 賲丕丿賾丞 孬乇賷賾丞 賵禺氐亘丞 賵賲購賱賴賲丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 乇賵賷 賲鬲丨丿丞 亘匕賱 賮賷賴 噩賴丿丕賸 囟禺賲丕賻貙 賮賴賵 賷賰卮賮 毓賳 賵毓賷 毓賲賷賯 亘丕賱賳氐賵氐貙 賵亘丕賱鬲丨賵賱丕鬲 丕賱賮賰乇賷丞 賱賱兀卮禺丕氐 賵丕賱噩丕賲毓丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賷乇氐丿賴丕.
賵毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳 鬲噩丕乇賷 賱丕 毓賱丕賯丞 賱賴 亘丕賱賲鬲賳 丕賱丿爻賲貙 賮丕賱毓賳賵丕賳 賷賵丨賷 亘賰鬲丕亘 賲亘鬲匕賱 賰毓丕丿丞 賲賳 賷乇氐丿賵賳 丕賱鬲丨賵賾賱丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷賾丞 丕賱亘乇賾丕賳賷丞 亘卮賰賱 兀賮賯賷 賵亘丿賵賳 兀丿賳賷 鬲毓賲賾賯貙 賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓賱賶 丕賱毓賰爻 賲賳 匕賱賰貙 賷禺賵囟 賮賷 鬲丨賵賾賱丕鬲 丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷 賵賷乇氐丿賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賮囟丕亍 丕賱卮賷毓賷貙 賵亘卮賰賱 賲賯丕乇賳. 亘賱 賵賷乇亘胤 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷 亘丕賱賲毓乇賮賷 亘丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 亘丕賱丿賷賳賷 賮賷 囟賮賷乇丞 卮丕卅賯丞 賵賲賲鬲毓丞 賵賲賮賷丿丞.
賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱丕 賷賳鬲賲賷 賱丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷丞 亘賯丿乇 賲丕 賷賳鬲賲賷 賱丨賯賱 丕賱丿乇丕爻丕鬲 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷賾丞 亘賵噩賴 毓丕賲貙 賵賱丨賯賱 毓賱賲 丕噩鬲賲丕毓 丕賱賲毓乇賮丞 亘賵噩賴 兀禺氐賾貙 賮賴賵 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 乇丐賷丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱鬲胤賵賾乇 丕賱賮賰乇 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賵賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕锘坟娯必� 禺氐賵氐丕賸 賮賷 丕賱賮囟丕亍 丕賱卮賷毓賷.
賳氐賷丨丞 兀禺賷乇丞 賱賲賳 賷乇睾亘 亘賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賵賴賷 兀賳 賷賯乇丐賴 亘丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 廿賳 丕爻鬲胤丕毓貙 賮賮賷賴丕 丕賱賰賮丕賷丞.
August 8, 2017
If only all countries had a historian of this calibre. This is a sharp and immersive intellectual history of Iran. Mottahedeh starts each chapter with a sort of historical fiction slice of life, following a stock cleric from the 1930s through to the Revolution. After this relatively brief tale, he segues into thematical treatment of Iranian history, culture and theology. Chapters cover secular and Islamic education systems, jurisprudence, Sufism and theology with Shi'ism, passion plays & poetry and much more. The result is a vivid and holistic explanation of Iranian culture, and a sense of how this combines into the heady mix of anti-imperialism and passionate religiosity than underpins the revolution. It is only in the epilogue that Mottahedeh's fury comes through at how Khomeini and his ilk reduced this society of glorious ambiguity built on colour and poetry, sharpened by formal Aristotelian proposition debate techique to a rigidity of black and white and simplicity, and his belief that Iranian culture would inevitably break it down.
I particularly appreciated the explanation of madrasseh history and culture, tracing it's emergence in similar and yet different terms to mediaeval European University cultures. tThe rigor of intellectual training, establishing norms for reason and debate made a lot of other things suddenly make sense - it is a culture based much more on ideas developed through interaction, like Alexandria and it's debate culture,, than developing individualism and scoring in the West.
The book is magnificent achievement, an explanation and celebration all at the same time. I have a huge reading list to follow up now, and I just wish more of it was available in English.
I particularly appreciated the explanation of madrasseh history and culture, tracing it's emergence in similar and yet different terms to mediaeval European University cultures. tThe rigor of intellectual training, establishing norms for reason and debate made a lot of other things suddenly make sense - it is a culture based much more on ideas developed through interaction, like Alexandria and it's debate culture,, than developing individualism and scoring in the West.
The book is magnificent achievement, an explanation and celebration all at the same time. I have a huge reading list to follow up now, and I just wish more of it was available in English.
July 19, 2021
Mottahedeh might be one of the most skillful authors of the 20th century. This book, which oscillates between the narrative story of Ali Hashemi鈥檚 life and the history of Shi鈥檌sm in the Iranian cultural and political tradition, is a true page-turner. As an Iranian, it was incredible to read about our rich history of philosophy, mysticism, and religious curiosity. Absolutely loved this book!
January 30, 2021
The historical sections of the book, in which the events are told in Mottahedeh's voice and from his own perspective, are neither truthful nor insightful. Ali Hashemi's narrative would have been compelling to a lot of readers if it had been read back then, but right now there's nothing interesting about it. It hasn't aged well at all.
December 5, 2017
The great Madrassa of Qom signifies the best in contemporary Islamic education has to offer for Shi鈥檃 Islam. It produced the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini who was able to produce an Islamic revolution only in Iran. The madrassa education is deeply influenced by the Persian cultural tradition which precedes Islam by a few thousand years at least. That is why the Islamic revolution of Iran has not been able to export its vision anywhere apart from Iran. The proud Islamic Shia scholars are unique within Islam, no Sunni school is able to match their stature and achievements. All of the Sunni revolutionary movements like Al Qaida and the Islamic state are led by non-religious leaders, and I think that is why they remain on the fringe. The Islamic revolution would probably never have occurred if not for the brilliance of the Islamic scholarship of Qom.
Any successful religion has to have the innate quality of regenerating itself, keeping itself relevant with the challenges of time. Islam has achieved this goal by incorporating philosophy so that most major ills of life can be explained in the light of Koran. The author has quite brilliantly managed to explain this phenomenon using Iranian characters set in a story juxtaposed with the politial history of Iran.
Any successful religion has to have the innate quality of regenerating itself, keeping itself relevant with the challenges of time. Islam has achieved this goal by incorporating philosophy so that most major ills of life can be explained in the light of Koran. The author has quite brilliantly managed to explain this phenomenon using Iranian characters set in a story juxtaposed with the politial history of Iran.
October 12, 2017
This is probably the best book I have ever read
August 15, 2022
Very insightful
April 20, 2020
Mottahedeh tells the story of Iran through the eyes of a seminary student called Ali Hashemi. His life from young age, through to studies at Qom and Tehran, is the canvas on which the story of Iran has been painted. The book has been for me an exposition of many things, the most salient points are discussed below.
It always intrigued me that most nations to the East and West of Iran for example Egypt and India were dominated (politically and ideologically) by Sunni Islam. Mottahedeh outlines the inextricable link between Iran and Shiah Islam and despite many of it鈥檚 (internal) critics, why it has reigned supreme.
Mottahedeh masterfully outlines how the sentiments of liberals such Kasravi, intellectuals such as Al-e Ahmad and Mullahs such as Ayatollah Khomeini converged to topple first Reza Shah and then his son Mohammed Reza. These three seemingly differing groups fought the same war, but for different reasons. The political face of the initial uprising (pre-revolution), was Mossadegh who has left an indelible mark on Iranian history.
The development of Sufism (or Erfan) by characters such as Sohrvardi (and arguably Avicenna) - from which the Sohrvardiyya arose - and it鈥檚 propagation via Mullah Sadra is also discussed. Mottahedeh explains why it was largely opposed by the Clergy, this goes some way to explain why Ali was taught Erfan by a private tutor. Ayatollah Khomeini also studied and (privately) taught it.
Underpinning all of this, are the poets such as Hafez and Khayyam whose works are woven into the text, to illustrate the positions and grievances of Iranian society. Some of which, as Mottahedeh points out, are not strictly allegorical. This explains why for example, many are undecided whether Khayyam was a theist.
There is some discussion of pre-Islamic history, particularly how the Shah utilised it. References are made to Alexander the Great, Zoroaster and Cyrus but not enough to satiate my interest in the topic.
Recommended as a go-to for those interested in Shiah Islam, Iran and the Middle East in general. The book was written in 1985, less than a decade after the Revolution, I very much hope and wish Mottahedeh writes an update to this.
It always intrigued me that most nations to the East and West of Iran for example Egypt and India were dominated (politically and ideologically) by Sunni Islam. Mottahedeh outlines the inextricable link between Iran and Shiah Islam and despite many of it鈥檚 (internal) critics, why it has reigned supreme.
Mottahedeh masterfully outlines how the sentiments of liberals such Kasravi, intellectuals such as Al-e Ahmad and Mullahs such as Ayatollah Khomeini converged to topple first Reza Shah and then his son Mohammed Reza. These three seemingly differing groups fought the same war, but for different reasons. The political face of the initial uprising (pre-revolution), was Mossadegh who has left an indelible mark on Iranian history.
The development of Sufism (or Erfan) by characters such as Sohrvardi (and arguably Avicenna) - from which the Sohrvardiyya arose - and it鈥檚 propagation via Mullah Sadra is also discussed. Mottahedeh explains why it was largely opposed by the Clergy, this goes some way to explain why Ali was taught Erfan by a private tutor. Ayatollah Khomeini also studied and (privately) taught it.
Underpinning all of this, are the poets such as Hafez and Khayyam whose works are woven into the text, to illustrate the positions and grievances of Iranian society. Some of which, as Mottahedeh points out, are not strictly allegorical. This explains why for example, many are undecided whether Khayyam was a theist.
There is some discussion of pre-Islamic history, particularly how the Shah utilised it. References are made to Alexander the Great, Zoroaster and Cyrus but not enough to satiate my interest in the topic.
Recommended as a go-to for those interested in Shiah Islam, Iran and the Middle East in general. The book was written in 1985, less than a decade after the Revolution, I very much hope and wish Mottahedeh writes an update to this.
June 15, 2017
This book is written in an unusual way for a history book. The backbone is a narrative of the life story of a mullah from a wealthy Sayyid mullah family from the holy city of Qom, but most of it is an intellectual history of Iran, told through the lens of the life and work of various influential men in Iranian cultural history. Each chapter begins with a piece of the biographee's story, but devotes many more pages to the backstory of intellectual history. This backstory is not given in chronological order, but includes whatever the author thinks is most relevant to that part of the main character's life. The chapters have no titles, and there is no table of contents.
Despite what some reviewers quoted on my copy say about the author making the subject accessible to the ordinary reader, I feel it is challenging to navigate for someone without much background in the subject (I have a little background in Iranian history, without which I would have been quite lost). Parts of it are interesting, even beautiful, but some parts I found rather tedious. It has a bit too much of the "great man" view of history for my way of thinking. It gave less attention than I would to imperialist intervention and the economic reasons for it (as in oil), or to poverty and the conspicuous consumption of the Shah's regime, as causes of the revolution. It is the nature of intellectual history to be a rather elite subject, which doesn't mean it isn't worth studying. It will be on my shelf to return to if I am looking further into the work of any of the writers discussed in it.
It does give a lot of detail about the educational system in Iran and its evolution, and about the relation of the the clerical class to the legal system and to the government. It is a history of that class of Iranians (the Shiite clerics), as well as of the influential individual writers.
Despite what some reviewers quoted on my copy say about the author making the subject accessible to the ordinary reader, I feel it is challenging to navigate for someone without much background in the subject (I have a little background in Iranian history, without which I would have been quite lost). Parts of it are interesting, even beautiful, but some parts I found rather tedious. It has a bit too much of the "great man" view of history for my way of thinking. It gave less attention than I would to imperialist intervention and the economic reasons for it (as in oil), or to poverty and the conspicuous consumption of the Shah's regime, as causes of the revolution. It is the nature of intellectual history to be a rather elite subject, which doesn't mean it isn't worth studying. It will be on my shelf to return to if I am looking further into the work of any of the writers discussed in it.
It does give a lot of detail about the educational system in Iran and its evolution, and about the relation of the the clerical class to the legal system and to the government. It is a history of that class of Iranians (the Shiite clerics), as well as of the influential individual writers.
May 14, 2022
賰鬲丕亘 賲賲鬲毓 賷爻鬲賮賷丿 賲賳賴 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 賲毓乇賮丞 丕賱毓賱丕賯丞 亘賷賳 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳 賵丿賵乇 丕賱賲賱丕賱賷 禺賱丕賱 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱鬲丕爻毓 毓卮乇 賵丕賱毓卮乇賷賳 賮賷 丕賱賲噩丕賱 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷.
賷爻乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賯氐丞 乇噩賱 丕爻賲賴 毓賱賷 丕賱锟斤拷丕卮賲賷 賵賴賵 賲賱丕 賲賳 賲賱丕賱賷 廿賷乇丕賳. 乇睾賲 兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰鬲亘 亘兀爻賱賵亘 賯氐氐賷 賲賲鬲毓貙 廿賱丕 兀賳賴 賱賲 賷匕賰乇 賲氐丕丿乇賴 賱兀賷 賲毓賱賵賲丞. 賵賴匕丕 賲丕 賷賳賯氐 賲賳 賲氐丿丕賯賷丞 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘.
賷賮鬲丨 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賱賯丕乇卅 丌賮丕賯 賲毓乇賮賷丞 丨賵賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳.
賷爻乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賯氐丞 乇噩賱 丕爻賲賴 毓賱賷 丕賱锟斤拷丕卮賲賷 賵賴賵 賲賱丕 賲賳 賲賱丕賱賷 廿賷乇丕賳. 乇睾賲 兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰鬲亘 亘兀爻賱賵亘 賯氐氐賷 賲賲鬲毓貙 廿賱丕 兀賳賴 賱賲 賷匕賰乇 賲氐丕丿乇賴 賱兀賷 賲毓賱賵賲丞. 賵賴匕丕 賲丕 賷賳賯氐 賲賳 賲氐丿丕賯賷丞 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘.
賷賮鬲丨 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賱賯丕乇卅 丌賮丕賯 賲毓乇賮賷丞 丨賵賱 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻丞 賮賷 廿賷乇丕賳.
November 29, 2020
Verbose - it's not breezy summer beach reading - but a compelling account, both (individually) anecdotal and sweeingly historical.
If you want to understand the nation of Iran and the worldview of its people - along with The Shah of Iran you need to read The Mantle of the Prophet.
If you want to understand the nation of Iran and the worldview of its people - along with The Shah of Iran you need to read The Mantle of the Prophet.
July 11, 2022
In one of my first classes in Iranian Studies, the professor before us reminded us to beware that we will be studying a nation of 80 million, with a long rich civilizational heritage, and a history ample with political complexities. He cautioned us from falling into reductionist narratives and shallow interpretations, and from misreading the reality of Iran due to its endless intricacies. Even though we were very early on in the program, being someone who is extremely detail-oriented, relentlessly occupied with the subtle and the unsaid, and who cannot be satisfied with a surface-reading of certain issues, I instantly felt that I was out of place, and that fulfilling what I had come to Iran to do 鈥� namely, to understand the country in its entirety within a couple of years鈥� was the product of a fresh college-graduate mindset who still needed time and training to appreciate life鈥檚 nuances.
Eight years later, Roy Mottahedeh, through his book 鈥淭he Mantle of the Prophet" offered me what I could not attain in my short year-and-a-half academic visit to Iran. He offered an in-depth, nuanced, yet comprehensible depiction of the endless complexities of the country.
Mottahedeh succeeded at covering an incredible variety of some of the most important topics in Iranian studies in his approximately 400-page book, without reductionist depictions or shallow interpretations. On the contrary, he takes the reader on a temporal and spatial tour around the country with his words. The author takes the reader not only to single-room houses of grand ayatollahs in the narrow valleys of Mashhad, but also invites them to a cup of tea over their most intimate theological discussions and private thoughts, which they would only 鈥� cautiously 鈥� disclose to people like 鈥楢li, the young mullah who features as the story鈥檚 main character.
Mottahedeh tackles some of the most delicate issues like silent skepticism among scholars by drawing on real-life incidents in an exciting narrational style. He also skillfully and articulately analyzes and explains the characters and contributions of some of the most important figures in Iran鈥檚 pre-modern, modern, and contemporary history while illustrating their wider contexts. Mottahedeh tells a rich part of the story of Iran by moving across politics, education, culture, and religion, but he does so while preserving the specificities of each topic at hand.
Finally, Mottahedeh鈥檚 combination of the different levels of analysis 鈥� international, local, and personal - often in an integrated manner, gives the book a dynamism that keeps the reader excited to flip the page.
Eight years later, Roy Mottahedeh, through his book 鈥淭he Mantle of the Prophet" offered me what I could not attain in my short year-and-a-half academic visit to Iran. He offered an in-depth, nuanced, yet comprehensible depiction of the endless complexities of the country.
Mottahedeh succeeded at covering an incredible variety of some of the most important topics in Iranian studies in his approximately 400-page book, without reductionist depictions or shallow interpretations. On the contrary, he takes the reader on a temporal and spatial tour around the country with his words. The author takes the reader not only to single-room houses of grand ayatollahs in the narrow valleys of Mashhad, but also invites them to a cup of tea over their most intimate theological discussions and private thoughts, which they would only 鈥� cautiously 鈥� disclose to people like 鈥楢li, the young mullah who features as the story鈥檚 main character.
Mottahedeh tackles some of the most delicate issues like silent skepticism among scholars by drawing on real-life incidents in an exciting narrational style. He also skillfully and articulately analyzes and explains the characters and contributions of some of the most important figures in Iran鈥檚 pre-modern, modern, and contemporary history while illustrating their wider contexts. Mottahedeh tells a rich part of the story of Iran by moving across politics, education, culture, and religion, but he does so while preserving the specificities of each topic at hand.
Finally, Mottahedeh鈥檚 combination of the different levels of analysis 鈥� international, local, and personal - often in an integrated manner, gives the book a dynamism that keeps the reader excited to flip the page.
February 13, 2025
An intellectual history of Iran, leading up to its 1979 鈥巖evolution. Each chapter begins with the story of Ali 鈥嶩ashemi, a seminary student from Qom, then explores a 鈥巖elated theme. Chapter six is glorious. It tells the story of 鈥嶴hia fiqh, 鈥庘€巌ncluding a wonderful exposition of Murtadha Al-鈥嶢nsari鈥檚 鈥庘€巜ork.鈥�
May 15, 2022
2022 reread: I assigned this as vacation reading and it is also a pleasure to go back to it. This book reminds us that history is more than just events but are informed a lot of human factors that can't really be quantified nor predicted. This the book that really put the "human" at the forefront of the humanities, and it is something amazing to behold.
Roy Mottahedeh鈥檚 book uses the personal narrative of a character (a talabeh and eventually mullah 鈥淪eyyed Ali Hashemi鈥�) as a nexus tying together his work on the forces and developments that shaped modern Iran, eventually leading to the revolution of 1979. The book explores a variety of factors contributing to the Islamic Revolution. Though mainly a modern history of Iran, the book incorporates elements from a variety of historical subfields - religious, social, intellectual, political, art history - that help deepen one鈥檚 understanding of Iran. In this respect, Dr. Mottahedeh was careful to include vivid descriptions of the setting (Qom, the seminary city that is the intellectual center of Iranian Shi鈥檌sm), the role of Shi鈥檌 rituals (the passion plays of Moharram; the pilgrimage to the shrines), the curriculum of the madresehs (especially the Shi鈥檌 emphasis on Aristotelian logic, in contrast to Sunni thought that rejected the reasoning technique in matters of theology, preferring to defer to revelations and traditions), the special place Iranian society held for the seyyed class, the economy of the bazaar, Persian poetry, etc. These discussions helped to illuminate the complex entity of Iran, and paints a fuller portrait of the society and how it drifted towards the brink of revolution than a work that only dealt with political-economy or political history.
Just like the conversation between 鈥淎li鈥� and his teacher in Najaf on the Aristotelian concepts of sufficient versus material causes, Dr. Mottahedeh鈥檚 work suggests that political change has many material causes. A number of such factors are apolitical in their origins and inert for centuries, but their convergence at an opportune time can be a force to be reckoned with, and therefore they are worthy of scholarly attention.
This is powerful introduction to Iran, easy to read but also deals with complex issues, The perspective (from the point of view of a mullah) provides an alternative narrative, since most popular memoirs of the Iranian Revolution - such as 鈥淧ersepolis鈥� - come from the leftist, urban-intellectual perspective, where the supporters of the Islamic regime are portrayed as bearded hordes imposing a medieval agenda on Iran. 鈥淭he Mantle of the Prophet鈥� shows how simplistic this conception is and gives us an inside look at the madreseh tradition, as well as into the inner, intellectual life of the seyyeds and mullahs. It suggests that these Iranian 鈥渢raditionalists鈥� are more dynamic in their attitudes than they get credit for, and the dichotomy of the 鈥渋ntellectuals鈥� versus the 鈥渕ullahs鈥� isn鈥檛 as rigid as imagined. After all, the Islamic Revolution started out with a lot of popular support in the traditional areas, and this book gives us a glimpse of why Shi鈥檌ism extends such powerful appeal for Iranians.
Roy Mottahedeh鈥檚 book uses the personal narrative of a character (a talabeh and eventually mullah 鈥淪eyyed Ali Hashemi鈥�) as a nexus tying together his work on the forces and developments that shaped modern Iran, eventually leading to the revolution of 1979. The book explores a variety of factors contributing to the Islamic Revolution. Though mainly a modern history of Iran, the book incorporates elements from a variety of historical subfields - religious, social, intellectual, political, art history - that help deepen one鈥檚 understanding of Iran. In this respect, Dr. Mottahedeh was careful to include vivid descriptions of the setting (Qom, the seminary city that is the intellectual center of Iranian Shi鈥檌sm), the role of Shi鈥檌 rituals (the passion plays of Moharram; the pilgrimage to the shrines), the curriculum of the madresehs (especially the Shi鈥檌 emphasis on Aristotelian logic, in contrast to Sunni thought that rejected the reasoning technique in matters of theology, preferring to defer to revelations and traditions), the special place Iranian society held for the seyyed class, the economy of the bazaar, Persian poetry, etc. These discussions helped to illuminate the complex entity of Iran, and paints a fuller portrait of the society and how it drifted towards the brink of revolution than a work that only dealt with political-economy or political history.
Just like the conversation between 鈥淎li鈥� and his teacher in Najaf on the Aristotelian concepts of sufficient versus material causes, Dr. Mottahedeh鈥檚 work suggests that political change has many material causes. A number of such factors are apolitical in their origins and inert for centuries, but their convergence at an opportune time can be a force to be reckoned with, and therefore they are worthy of scholarly attention.
This is powerful introduction to Iran, easy to read but also deals with complex issues, The perspective (from the point of view of a mullah) provides an alternative narrative, since most popular memoirs of the Iranian Revolution - such as 鈥淧ersepolis鈥� - come from the leftist, urban-intellectual perspective, where the supporters of the Islamic regime are portrayed as bearded hordes imposing a medieval agenda on Iran. 鈥淭he Mantle of the Prophet鈥� shows how simplistic this conception is and gives us an inside look at the madreseh tradition, as well as into the inner, intellectual life of the seyyeds and mullahs. It suggests that these Iranian 鈥渢raditionalists鈥� are more dynamic in their attitudes than they get credit for, and the dichotomy of the 鈥渋ntellectuals鈥� versus the 鈥渕ullahs鈥� isn鈥檛 as rigid as imagined. After all, the Islamic Revolution started out with a lot of popular support in the traditional areas, and this book gives us a glimpse of why Shi鈥檌ism extends such powerful appeal for Iranians.
October 2, 2020
Even for a serious reader of serious books, rarely does a reader come across a book so exquisitely written that it reminds her the true purpose, perhaps with a capital P, of an art form. And this is precisely what Roy Mottahedeh鈥檚 The Mantle of the Prophet does. Although this book can be found in the non-fiction history shelves in libraries and bookstores, the art form that Mottahedeh, a Gurney Professor of History at Harvard, has mastered so adroitly is鈥攃uriously enough鈥攆iction. This is not to suggest that any of the characters or events told in these pages were invented, because that would be a disservice to years of rigorous and thorough primary and secondary research that Mottahedeh conducted in preparation. But rather, the feat that Mottahedeh achieves with this non-fiction book is what many great fiction writers strive for: 鈥淪erious fiction鈥檚 purpose is to give the reader, who like all of us is sort of marooned in her own skull, imaginative access to other selves鈥� (David Foster Wallace). And this feat is even more impressive considering that the 鈥渙ther self鈥� that we gain 鈥渋maginative access鈥� to is an unusual character, especially for an American audience: Ali Hashemi, an Islamic Shia mullah from Qom, Iran.
March 22, 2017
A long winded way to begin to understand modern day Iran. Tells the history mostly from the point of view of those in the religious establishment. Your heart will go out to Iran as you read it. It is not outdated. I read this to learn more after reading All the Shah's Men. If you want to get inside the Iranian head this is a great start.
July 7, 2021
賰丕賳 賱卮賲爻 丕賱丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丕賱爻丕胤毓丞貙 丕孬乇丕 賷禺賮賷賴 賯賵丞 卮毓丕毓賴丕貙
賱卮丿丞 丨乇丕乇鬲賴丕貙 丕孬乇 爻丨乇賷 禺賮賷貙 賲丨賮賵賮 亘丕賱丕爻乇丕乇貙 賵賷賱賮賴 丕賱睾賲賵囟 亘爻鬲丕乇賴 丕賱噩賲賷賱 丕賱匕賷 賱丕 賷賱丕賲 賲賳 賷毓亘丿賴貙 賯丕丿 丕賱賲丕囟賷賳 賲賳丕貙 毓賱賶 丿乇亘 噩賳賵賳貙 鬲賵噩 亘孬賵乇丞貙 鬲噩賱賶 賮賷賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱睾囟亘 丕賱賯丿賷賲貙 丕賱賲賰亘賵鬲貙 賵亘賳丕亍貙 賱賲 賷賰鬲賮賷 亘亘賱亘賱丞 丕賱爻賳鬲賳丕貙 賵丕賳囟賲賲賳丕 亘匕賱賰貙 丕賱賶 賯丕賮賱丞 丕賱鬲賷賴 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞貙 賵丕亘鬲賱毓 丕賱卮賲爻貙 孬賯亘 丕爻賵丿貙 丕睾乇賶 賯丕丿鬲賳丕 丕賱匕賷賳 賱賲 賵賱賳 賷賮賴賲賵賴.
賱卮丿丞 丨乇丕乇鬲賴丕貙 丕孬乇 爻丨乇賷 禺賮賷貙 賲丨賮賵賮 亘丕賱丕爻乇丕乇貙 賵賷賱賮賴 丕賱睾賲賵囟 亘爻鬲丕乇賴 丕賱噩賲賷賱 丕賱匕賷 賱丕 賷賱丕賲 賲賳 賷毓亘丿賴貙 賯丕丿 丕賱賲丕囟賷賳 賲賳丕貙 毓賱賶 丿乇亘 噩賳賵賳貙 鬲賵噩 亘孬賵乇丞貙 鬲噩賱賶 賮賷賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱睾囟亘 丕賱賯丿賷賲貙 丕賱賲賰亘賵鬲貙 賵亘賳丕亍貙 賱賲 賷賰鬲賮賷 亘亘賱亘賱丞 丕賱爻賳鬲賳丕貙 賵丕賳囟賲賲賳丕 亘匕賱賰貙 丕賱賶 賯丕賮賱丞 丕賱鬲賷賴 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞貙 賵丕亘鬲賱毓 丕賱卮賲爻貙 孬賯亘 丕爻賵丿貙 丕睾乇賶 賯丕丿鬲賳丕 丕賱匕賷賳 賱賲 賵賱賳 賷賮賴賲賵賴.
August 11, 2022
1985
Describing pre Khomeini times.
Tells story of a friend of his from Qom.
Also tells stories about other learned Iranians of past and present.
Lots of complex discussions of religious arguments, too specialized for me.
Quite an interesting take on pre revolutionary life of theology students in Qom.
345:
Three indispensable features of an Iranian city: government, grand mosque, and bazaar.
Relations between them and within them.
Alongside the informal boundaries based on consensus, such as the mullahs or the bazar community, Iranian society has long had small groups of friends who meet regularly.
The merchants of the bazaar often d belonged to a group that met once a week in each other's homes to hear a mullah preach.
,..... one of the most dangerous elements in the bazaar was the unmarried and unpropertied male adolescents.
144 Mysticism, the ambiguity of poetry, Belief in the many faced subtlety of evil, and the never resolved choice between the roles of hedonistic cynic and selfless devotee have created the great interior spaces in which the Iranian soul has breathed and survived over half a millennium.
Describing pre Khomeini times.
Tells story of a friend of his from Qom.
Also tells stories about other learned Iranians of past and present.
Lots of complex discussions of religious arguments, too specialized for me.
Quite an interesting take on pre revolutionary life of theology students in Qom.
345:
Three indispensable features of an Iranian city: government, grand mosque, and bazaar.
Relations between them and within them.
Alongside the informal boundaries based on consensus, such as the mullahs or the bazar community, Iranian society has long had small groups of friends who meet regularly.
The merchants of the bazaar often d belonged to a group that met once a week in each other's homes to hear a mullah preach.
,..... one of the most dangerous elements in the bazaar was the unmarried and unpropertied male adolescents.
144 Mysticism, the ambiguity of poetry, Belief in the many faced subtlety of evil, and the never resolved choice between the roles of hedonistic cynic and selfless devotee have created the great interior spaces in which the Iranian soul has breathed and survived over half a millennium.
April 19, 2020
Book Review馃挜 "The Mantle of the Prophet" by Roy Mottahedeh
If you're interested in history, if you wanna know about the cultural and political dynamics of Iran then this book is for you. I assure you wouldn't regret reading it.
The Mantle of the Prophet is the fusion of autobiography of a Mullah of Qom, Iran, Ali Hashemi which resonates with the national, cultural and political history of Iran, as well as the trends which ultimately led to the REVOLUTION of 1979. For writer, the core of Iranian culture is its "two-heartedness"--- Persian for ambiguity. Throughout its history, Iran has a destiny of change and re-definition. The book not only contains the full fledged image of Ali Hashemi, but also covers the lives of the significant personalities of Iran starting from Ibn e Sina( or Avicenna), Isa Sadiq(the foremost historian of modern Iranian culture), Muhammad Mossadegh( the prime minister who defied the US & Britain to nationalize Iranian oil in 1951, Ayatollah Khomeini and many others.
If you're interested in history, if you wanna know about the cultural and political dynamics of Iran then this book is for you. I assure you wouldn't regret reading it.
The Mantle of the Prophet is the fusion of autobiography of a Mullah of Qom, Iran, Ali Hashemi which resonates with the national, cultural and political history of Iran, as well as the trends which ultimately led to the REVOLUTION of 1979. For writer, the core of Iranian culture is its "two-heartedness"--- Persian for ambiguity. Throughout its history, Iran has a destiny of change and re-definition. The book not only contains the full fledged image of Ali Hashemi, but also covers the lives of the significant personalities of Iran starting from Ibn e Sina( or Avicenna), Isa Sadiq(the foremost historian of modern Iranian culture), Muhammad Mossadegh( the prime minister who defied the US & Britain to nationalize Iranian oil in 1951, Ayatollah Khomeini and many others.
October 28, 2017
Having spent the last year living in Iran and studying Iranian Studies at the University of Tehran, the book provides a distinctive view of Iran, predominantly during the time between the two revolutions, but there's also extensive discussion on important figures such as Avicenna, Jalale Ahmad. One the one hand, Mottahedeh tellls the fictional story of a mullah named Ali, who comes from a prominent sayyed family in Qom, and his journey through the Islamic learning system from Qom to Najaf and to the Universit of the Tehran from around the 50s until a few years after the revolution. While non-fictional discussions on important figures, movements, ideologies of contemporary Iranian history, including an extensive and very interesting discussion on Sufi Islam. This book sparked my interest in Sufi Islam as well as the marriage between Jalale Ahmad and Ali Shariati, with Ayatollah Khomeini.
September 23, 2019
I expected a chronological rundown of modern era Iran, but instead got something which much more relevant and valuable. The author delves deep and presents an intellectual history of the country, which is a crucial element in understanding political events in the 20th century. From the effect of Leftist intellectuals, to western interference to the gradually growing political importance of juriconsults and mullahs, it makes it easier to understand and appreciate political change in the complex entity that is Iran. The (fictitious?) conversations are the favorite part of my book. There is plenty of delightful back and forth on many subjects; reconciling modernity and religion for example. It really gives a fascinating insight into public attitudes throughout the century
November 28, 2024
The book offers a fascinating overview of how Islamic scholarship in Iran has evolved over the past century, tracing its development before the Islamic Revolution. It also provides a compelling perspective on Iran's history from the Second World War to the Islamic Revolution, offering insights from a Shia viewpoint.
It's an intriguing read, offering insights into Iran from the perspective of a non-Iranian scholar.
It's an intriguing read, offering insights into Iran from the perspective of a non-Iranian scholar.
December 31, 2018
A book full of cultural, religious and political history of Iran. So hard to come by, at least for me. And boy is this a fabulous book. You know a book is good when you are so immersed in the main character's daily growth you feel as if you are right there with him as he experiences everything. Please read, you will not be sorry.
January 28, 2024
Really exceptional. Compassionately accepts all the nuances of society and neatly ties together so many cultural threads to try and make sense of the world.
"Like you, I know that most men can act only out of belief. In part I blame myself for not knowing; maybe my infatuation with indecision keeps me from knowing."
"Like you, I know that most men can act only out of belief. In part I blame myself for not knowing; maybe my infatuation with indecision keeps me from knowing."
September 8, 2024
賷購毓丿賾 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰賲丕 匕購賰乇 賮賷 鬲賯丿賷賲賴 "鬲丨賱賷賱賸丕 賱賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱廿賷乇丕賳賷丞" 毓亘乇 賲乇丕丨賱 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱毓卮乇賷賳 賵丨鬲賶 孬賵乇丞 1979賲
鈥徺娯嗁傎� 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賷賳 賲賵丕囟賷毓 賲鬲賳賵毓丞 賵卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賱毓亘鬲 丿賵乇賸丕 賲丨賵乇賷賸丕 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 廿賷乇丕賳貙 賲毓 丕爻鬲胤乇丕丿丕鬲 賲鬲毓丿丿丞 鬲鬲胤賱亘 亘毓囟 丕賱噩賴丿 賲賳 丕賱賯丕乇卅 丕賱毓丕丿賷-睾賷乇 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐- 賱賮賴賲賴丕.
賲丨鬲賵賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賰孬賮 噩丿賸丕 賵賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賱賷爻鬲 爻賴賱丞.
鈥徺娯嗁傎� 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賷賳 賲賵丕囟賷毓 賲鬲賳賵毓丞 賵卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賱毓亘鬲 丿賵乇賸丕 賲丨賵乇賷賸丕 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 廿賷乇丕賳貙 賲毓 丕爻鬲胤乇丕丿丕鬲 賲鬲毓丿丿丞 鬲鬲胤賱亘 亘毓囟 丕賱噩賴丿 賲賳 丕賱賯丕乇卅 丕賱毓丕丿賷-睾賷乇 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐- 賱賮賴賲賴丕.
賲丨鬲賵賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賰孬賮 噩丿賸丕 賵賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賱賷爻鬲 爻賴賱丞.
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