Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam; Enduring Figure of Persian Literature

IBNA Provincial News Service – Jamal Modirshanehchi, writer and researcher: The region of Khorasan, this fertile land of Persian culture and literature, has always been a cradle for nurturing brilliant figures whose glow of science and art has illuminated the expanse of Iran. From the renowned Ferdowsi to Attar Neyshabouri, Asadi Tusi, Khajeh Nizam al-Mulk Tusi, and others… 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 the culture and literature of this land. Renowned figures such as Mohammad Reza Shafi’i Kadkani, Malek osh-Sho’ara Bahar, Akhavan Sales, Badiozzaman Forouzanfar, and many others, who with their thoughts and valuable works, have not only preserved the Persian language but also presented a comprehensive picture of the concerns, aspirations, and issues of their time. The collection of articles ‘Introduction to Contemporary Literary Greats of Khorasan’ aims to introduce one of these contemporary literary luminaries every Tuesday, providing a new opportunity to become acquainted with their works and thoughts.

Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam, a literary scholar, writer, editor, researcher, and enduring figure of Persian literature, was born in 1311 (1932/33) in Sabzevar, into a family from the pious and prominent Seyyed lineage of the city.

He completed his primary education at Danesh National Elementary School in the same city, ranking second among students in Sabzevar. Seyed Mohammad, concurrently with his modern education, also studied at the Sabzevar seminary, learning Arabic sciences, literature, and Islamic teachings.

After completing his traditional and modern studies, he began teaching in 1331 (1952/53) in Thamen village, Sabzevar. After one year, Alavi Moghadam was transferred to Sabzevar city and continued teaching in its schools.

Through his extensive scientific efforts and perseverance, Alavi Moghadam was accepted into the Persian Language and Literature program at Tehran Higher Teachers’ Training College in 1336 (1957/58) and graduated from this university in 1339 (1960/61). Afterward, Alavi Moghadam began teaching Persian literature at Asrar High School in Sabzevar. The professor’s great enthusiasm for learning sciences bore fruit, and in 1340 (1961/62), he was selected as one of the top 5 candidates in the Persian Language and Literature program at the University of Tehran.

In 1349 (1970/71), after earning his doctorate, Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam began researching and teaching Persian Language and Literature at Mashhad University. For over 38 years, he taught, researched, and conducted studies at Mashhad University with titles of associate professor and then professor at Ferdowsi University and the Faculty of Literature of Sabzevar Teacher Training University, and countless students benefited from his pure fount of knowledge and literature.

Alavi Moghadam was considered one of the prominent professors in various branches of humanities in Iran. In addition to years of teaching at Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, he also taught at universities in Egypt in 1355 (1976/77) and at Islamabad University in Pakistan in 1366 (1987/88). Furthermore, Alavi Moghadam was engaged in teaching at Aleppo University in Syria for 2 years from 1375 to 1377 (1996/97 to 1998/99).

Throughout his valuable life, Alavi Moghadam participated in over 60 national and international congresses and delivered dozens of speeches at domestic and international forums and conferences. At the university, he also supervised over 60 doctoral and master’s theses. In addition to the mentioned cases, he was the head of postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of Ferdowsi University and also a member of its council and evaluation board.

He also served for years as the principal of Asrar High School, the largest high school in Sabzevar. Among his other positions was membership in the faculty and professorship at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, which he held until October 1382 (2003). At this university, Alavi Moghadam went through all stages of university teaching, namely instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor, and finally retired honorably in 1382 (2003). Sabzevar Teacher Training University held a magnificent tribute ceremony for Dr. Alavi Moghadam in 1380 (2001/02), which was welcomed by a large number of professors, students, and researchers of Persian language and literature. At the end of this ceremony, a book titled ‘Kimiya-ye Sokhan’ (The Alchemy of Speech), comprising the collection of conference articles, was published in 512 pages. Also, in recognition of his nearly half a century of scientific, cultural, and artistic services, teaching at various universities and higher education centers, and authoring valuable academic works, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) held a magnificent ceremony in his honor, where he was recognized and celebrated as one of the country’s enduring figures.

He sent many works to the book market, such as the books ‘Dar Qalamro-ye Balaghat’ (In the Realm of Rhetoric), ‘Jelveh-ye Jamal’ (The Manifestation of Beauty), ‘Barresi-ye Ayat-e Hajj dar Quran-e Majid’ (A Study of Hajj Verses in the Holy Quran), ‘Ma’ani va Bayan’ (Semantics and Elocution), ‘Tattavor-e Olum-e Balaghat’ (Evolution of Rhetorical Sciences), ‘Translation of Ma’alem al-Bayan’, ‘Translation of al-Ashbah’, ‘Translation of Legislation in Islam’, ‘Selected Akhlaq-e Naseri’, ‘Translation of al-Mutawwal’, ‘Translation of al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair fi al-Quran al-Karim’, ‘Translation and Correction of al-Furuq fi al-Lughah’, ‘Correction and Commentary of al-Mustakhlas fi Tarjuman al-Quran’, and over one hundred other scientific and cultural articles.

Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam finally passed away on the fifth of Mehr 1397 (September 27, 2018), at the age of 86, after sixty-five years of research and study in Persian language and literature and authoring over one hundred books, theses, and research articles. He was laid to rest in the Iranian Garden of Sabzevar.