SABZEVARI, HAJJI ...

born 1797/98, Sabzevar, Iran died 1878, Sabzevar Iranian teacher and philosopher who advanced the hikmah (wisdom) school of Islamic philosophy. His doctrinescomposed of diverse elements of gnosis (esoteric spiritual knowledge), philosophy, and revelationare an exposition and clarification of the philosophical concepts of Mulla Sadra. But he differed to some extent by classifying knowledge as an essence, rather than an outward quality, of the human soul. After spending his early childhood in Sabzevar, a centre for Shi'i and Sufi studies, Sabzevari was educated in Meshed, and in Esfahan, where he was first influenced by the teachings of the hikmat. On completing his studies, he returned to his native city, where he founded a madrasah (school) that attracted students of philosophy from as far away as Arabia and India. During his lifetime more than a thousand students graduated from his school. The fame of Sabzevari was such that Naser od-Din Shah, the fourth Qajar king of Iran, visited him in 1857/78. At the request of the Shah, he wrote the Asrar al-hikmah (The Secrets of Wisdom), which, together with his Arabic treatise Sharh manzumah (A Treatise on Logic in Verse), remains a basic text for the study of hikmat doctrines in Iran. Not limited to philosophy, he also wrote poetry under the name of Asrar and completed a commentary on the Masnavi of Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi, the great mystic poet of Islam. Devout and pious, Sabzevari led the ascetic life of a mystic. Miracles were attributed to him, and he is said to have cured the sick. On his death the Shah ordered that a mausoleum be constructed for him in Meshed.