The book ‘Bahr Bikaran’ has been published.
According to Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Qom, the book “Bahr Bikaran” (Infinite Sea), detailing the life and conditions of Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Ali Shahabadi, narrated by his son Ayatollah Nasrullah Shahabadi, is among the works in the “Ray Shenasi” collection by Dar al-Hadith Publications. Compiled by his grandson, Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Hossein Kashfi, it spans 218 pages in a pocket-sized format.
This work is derived from the third part of the book “Hadith Nasr” (Narration of Victory), published by the Shiite Bibliography Institute. Now, with some abridgement, editing, and rearrangement, it is presented to enthusiasts. The book’s title is borrowed from a poem by the late Heidari-Ali Mojezeh in praise of his master, Ayatollah Shahabadi: “We hear your eloquence from ‘Rashahat al-Bihar’ / For you were an ‘Infinite Sea’ in the knowledge of religion.”
A section from the book’s foreword by Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Hossein Kashfi:
“A nation’s familiarity with its luminaries, besides honoring their memory, paves the way for the growth and perfection of its people. ‘Man’ is inherently social and, through interaction and companionship, adopts the characteristics of his companions and is influenced by their temperament. This is why religion emphasizes association and companionship with pious scholars. Although comprehending the presence of religious scholars and great people of certainty is the ultimate aspiration and a human-making elixir, in this era where one must search for ‘man’ with a lamp, reading the biographies and works of the pure ones brings a trace of that same effect of companionship, as it was said: ‘I love the righteous, though I am not of them, so that perhaps God may grant me righteousness,’ and ‘Upon the mention of the righteous, mercy descends.'”
“Few people have not experienced this spiritual joy and excitement by studying the biographies of the pure ones, as if for moments they are engaged in receiving grace in the presence of that great person. One of the great figures whose scientific and practical conduct serves as a role model for today’s society is the perfect mystic, active scholar, and profound jurisprudent, the late Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Ali Shahabadi. He was a scholar who blended religion and knowledge and, with sincerity and faith, bore the banner of Islam’s glory and greatness. During the dark Pahlavi era, he was a guiding light and a path to salvation for the nation from the abyss of corruption and decay, and a refuge and shelter for the people. It is sufficient for the virtue of this divine scholar that a student like Imam Khomeini grew and reached perfection from his luminous presence. The book ‘Bahr Bikaran’ is an excerpt and abridgement from the third part of the book ‘Hadith Nasr’ (Memoirs of the Mujahid Jurist, the late Ayatollah Hajj Agha Nasrullah Shahabadi), and in accordance with the saying ‘Ahl al-Bayt adra bi ma fi al-Bayt’ (The people of the house know best what is in it), it is the most accurate biography of Grand Ayatollah Shahabadi, compiled from the words of his distinguished son, along with documents and images.”
