Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam; Enduring Figure of Persian Literature

Provinces Service of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) – Jamal Modirshanechi, 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 brilliance in science and art has illuminated the expanse of Iran. From the renowned Ferdowsi to Attar Neyshaburi, Asadi Tusi, and Khajeh Nezam-ol-Molk 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 too, Razavi Khorasan has 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. Renowned figures like Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kadkani, Malek-ol-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 also presented a comprehensive image of the concerns, aspirations, and issues of their time. The series 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 in the country, was born in 1311 (1932 AD) into a devout and prominent Seyed family in the city of Sabzevar.

He completed his elementary education at the National Danesh Primary School in the same city, ranking second among students in Sabzevar. Simultaneously with his modern education, Seyed Mohammad also studied at the Sabzevar Seminary, where he learned Arabic sciences, literature, and Islamic teachings.

After completing his old and new sciences education, he began teaching in 1331 (1952 AD) in the village of Samen, Sabzevar. After one year, Alavi Moghadam transferred to Sabzevar city and continued teaching in its schools.

Through his diligent efforts and extensive academic pursuits, Alavi Moghadam was accepted into the field of Persian Language and Literature at the Higher Teachers’ Training College of Tehran in 1336 (1957 AD) and graduated from this university in 1339 (1960 AD). After that, Alavi Moghadam began teaching Persian literature at Asrar High School in Sabzevar. The professor’s great enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge bore fruit, and in 1340 (1961 AD), he was selected as one of the top five individuals in the field of Persian Language and Literature at the University of Tehran.

In 1349 (1970 AD), 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 and conducted research at Mashhad University, holding positions as associate professor and then professor at Ferdowsi University and the Faculty of Literature of Sabzevar Teacher Training University, nurturing many countless students from his pure spring 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 AD) and at Islamabad University in Pakistan in 1366 (1987 AD). Furthermore, Alavi Moghadam taught at the University of Aleppo in Syria for 2 years, from 1375 to 1377 (1996-1998 AD).

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

He also served for many years as the head 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 AD). At this same university, Alavi Moghadam passed through all stages of university teaching: instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor, finally retiring honorably in 1382 (2003 AD). Sabzevar Teacher Training University held a magnificent commemoration ceremony for Dr. Alavi Moghadam in 1380 (2001 AD), which was widely 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-e Sokhan” (The Alchemy of Speech), comprising the collection of conference articles, was published in 512 pages. Also, in recognition of his approximately half-century of scientific, cultural, and artistic services, teaching at various universities and higher education centers, and authoring valuable scientific works, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) held a splendid ceremony to honor him, where he was recognized and celebrated as one of the “Enduring Figures of the Country”.

He sent many works to the book market, such as the books “In the Realm of Rhetoric” (Dar Qalamro-e Balaghat), “The Manifestation of Beauty” (Jelve-e Jamal), “Study of Hajj Verses in the Holy Quran” (Barrasi-e Ayat-e Hajj dar Quran-e Majid), “Meanings and Expression” (Ma’ani va Bayan), “Evolution of Rhetoric Sciences” (Tatavor-e Olum-e Balaghat), “Translation of Ma’alem al-Bayan” (Tarjome-e Ma’alem al-Bayan), “Translation of al-Ashbah” (Tarjome-e al-Ashbah), “Translation of Legislation in Islam” (Tarjome-e Qanun-gozari dar Islam), “Selected Naseri Ethics” (Bargozide-e Akhlaq-e Naseri), “Translation of al-Mutawwal” (Tarjome-e al-Mutawwal), “Translation of al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’er fi al-Quran al-Karim” (Tarjome-e al-Ashbah va al-Naza’er fi al-Quran al-Karim), “Translation and Correction of al-Forooq fi al-Lughah” (Tarjome va Tas’hih al-Forooq fi al-Lughah), “Correction and Commentary of al-Mostakhlas fi Tarjoman al-Quran” (Tas’hih va Ta’liq al-Mostakhlas fi Tarjoman al-Quran), and over a hundred other scientific and cultural articles.

Seyed Mohammad Alavi Moghadam finally passed away on October 5, 1397 (September 27, 2018 AD), at the age of 86, after sixty-five years of research in Persian language and literature and authoring over one hundred books, theses, and research articles, and was laid to rest in the Iranian Garden of Sabzevar city.