Zabihullah Sahebkar; The Enduring Voice of Khorasan Poetry
IBNA Provincial Services – Jamal Modirshanehchi, writer and researcher: The region of Khorasan, this fertile land of Persian culture and literature, has always been a cradle for brilliant figures whose light of knowledge and art has illuminated the expanse of Iran. From the renowned Ferdowsi to Attar of Nishapur, Asadi Tusi, and Khajeh Nizam al-Mulk Tusi, this land has nurtured valuable individuals whose names are intertwined with Iranian identity.
This treasure is not limited to the past. In the present era, Razavi Khorasan has also introduced poets, writers, and thinkers to society, each of whom has played a significant role in the flourishing of this land’s culture and literature. Luminaries such as Mohammad-Reza Shafiei Kadkani, Malek osh-Sho’ara Bahar, Akhavan Sales, Badiozzaman Forouzanfar, and many others, with their profound thoughts and exquisite works, have not only preserved the Persian language but have also provided a comprehensive picture of the concerns, aspirations, and issues of their time. The series of articles “Introducing Contemporary Literary Greats of Khorasan” aims to introduce one of these contemporary literary figures every Tuesday, providing a new opportunity to become familiar with their works and thoughts.
Zabihullah Sahebkar, with the pen name “Sohi”, a contemporary literary figure, poet, and researcher, was born in 1934 in the village of Dowlatabad, Torbat-e Heydarieh, and grew up in a devout family. His father, Ebrahim, worked as a “Sahebkar” (a kind of manager/owner) and occasionally composed poetry, and thus became known as Sahebkar.
From a young age, he became acquainted with poetry and gradually began to compose poetry in his childhood, managing to write metrical and rhyming poems. Zabihullah completed his primary education in his native village’s school and then moved to Torbat-e Jam, where he finished his secondary education. Afterwards, guided by the prominent contemporary poet Gholamreza Qodsi, he moved to Mashhad and dedicated himself to studying religious sciences in Baqeriyah and Navab schools.
Sahebkar studied in the Mashhad seminary until 1961 under prominent masters such as Modarres Yazdi, Salehi, Hashem Qazvini, Hojjat Hashemi, and Mohammad-Reza Damghani. After completing his seminary education, he was employed by the Education Department of Khorasan and the city of Mashhad. During his service in Mashhad schools, Zabihullah Sahebkar also joined a poetry circle formed by Mahmoud Farrokh and several other poets, benefiting greatly from these literary gatherings. In ghazal, he admired Hafez and Sa’eb Tabrizi, and in qasida, Mas’ud Sa’d Salmān, with his style resembling the ghazals of the late Rahi Mo’ayyeri.
Zabihullah Sahebkar was a poet of fine taste, familiar with the styles and classical forms of Persian poetry, and dedicated his main efforts to the expansion and development of religious poetry. After the revolution, due to his respected persona and the background of his religious and committed works, the late Sahebkar actively participated in many literary societies and gatherings, holding various responsibilities such as the head of the Khorasan Poetry Policy Council, head of the Ershad Poetry Council, literary advisor to the Director General of Islamic Ershad of Khorasan, head of the Literature and Art Group of the Artistic Creations Center, and the Astan Quds Razavi Poetry Council. In 1994, after several decades of teaching in education, Sahebkar had the honor of retiring. In addition to composing poetry, he also showed great dedication to research and investigative works.
Although Sohi’s collected works were lost twice in various incidents, with great effort and perseverance, he managed to publish enduring literary works.
Among his most important compositions and research works are the editing of Tazkirat al-Asheqin and Arafat al-Arefin by Awhadi, the editing of Divan of Mushfiqi Bukhara’i, the compilation of the best elegies under the title “Shafaq-e Khoonin” and “A Survey of the History of Ashura Elegy,” and also the editing of Divan of Hazin Lahiji.
Zabihullah Sahebkar, with the pen name Sohi, after several decades of incessant effort in the field of poetry and the promotion of culture and literature in Khorasan, passed away on March 8, 2003 (Esfand 17, 1381 SH) due to a heart attack and stroke in Mashhad. His body, after a magnificent funeral procession from in front of his house on Dr. Beheshti Street in Mashhad, was laid to rest in the Tomb of Poets in Tous, alongside his fellow poet friends and thinkers.
