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INTRODUCTION:
General Considerations
Hazrat Seyed Nourod-din
Shah Nematollah Vali is considered the greatest Sufi master and one of the most
elequent Iranian poets of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries A.D. In Sufism
he belonged to the Ma’rufi Order and was a disciple of Sheikh Abdullah Yafei,
who died in Mecca in 768 A.H. (1362 A.D.).
The Ma’rufi Order
is traced back through Sheikh Ma’ruf Karkhi to Imam Reza, the eighth Shi’ite
Imam, and from the latter to Imam Ali (peace be with him). The Sufi instructions
and teachings of Shah Nematollah Vali were wellcomed at a time when some people
called themselves Sufis whithout knowing the truth about Sufism. Therefore, with
the advent of Shah Nematollah Vali the Ma’rufi Order came to be widely
recognized and accepted in Iran
and many Islamic countries of those days, and many became his disciples. That is
why thereafter the Ma’rufi Order became known as “Nematollahi.”
In addition to
having reached the highest levels on the Sufi path, Shah Nematollah Vali is
among the greatest scholars and poets of Iran. From the point of view of the
quantity of his published writhings,he is rare among the masters of Sufism. The
number of his articles and papers, most of which are on Sufism, has been
estimated to be about five hundred. His collection of poetry consists of 12,000
verses in which mystic concepts have been written in a symbolic form.
In the later years
of his life, Shah Nematollah Vali established a large Khaneqah in Mahan, near
Kerman, in the South of Iran, in which he instructed and enlightened the seekers
of knowledge. He died in the same place in the 834 A.H. The Khaneqah was
expanded by his followers during the centuries that followed and today it is
regarded as one of the most beautiful and magnificent historical mausoleums of
Iran.
After Shah
Nematollah’s death,his son, Shah Khalilollah who was his successor, moved to
Dakan in India where the Order thrived for more than three centuries, when the
current master, Rida, Ali Shah Dakani sent two of his authorized sheikhs to
Iran, after which the Order continued there.
During the period of
Hajj Mulla Sultan Mohammad Gonabadi known as “Sultan’ Ali Shah”(born in Gonabad,
Khorasan 1251 A.H./1835 A.D.), the Nematollahi order regained its prominence and
today is referred to as the Nematollahi Gonabadi or Sultan’ Ali Shahi’it is the
largest and most popular of the Sufi orders and schools of though in Iran.
In spite of Hazart
Shah Nematollah Vali’s extensive reputation and poularity in Iran and India,
Western nations know very little about him and his teachings. For this reason a
number of his dedicated followers created a foundation in the
United States
in 2002 in order to fully introduce this great mystic master and his works and
teachings to the American public.
One of the first
actions of the foundation was the decision to organize a number of symposia on
Shah Nematollah Vali, the first of which was initiated by Dr.Seyed Mostafa
Azmayesh in cooperation with San Jose University, and was held from 11 to 12
October 2002.
The symposium was
attended by interested scholars and thinkers from various countries of the
world. Unfortunately, however, because of entry visa problems several Iranian
scholars were unable to participate.
In addition to
lectures and workshops, the symposium’s program included a performance of
music,a slide show and a film entitled”From Mahan to Gonabad”that had been
specifically prepared for this gathering. The meeting began with an inaugural
address sent by the present Master of the Nematollahi Gonabadi order, Dr.Nour
“Ali Tabandeh, known as “Majzoob Ali shah,” and was concluded after two days of
activity.
This book consists of
a collection of selected articles, papers and lectures presented at the
symposium. It is appropriate at this point to express our gratitude to all the
speakers who addressed the syposium. We are also greatly thankful to the head of
San Jose University group and professor Chris Jochim.
Simorgh Sufi Society
New York, May 2003
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