Lost in a Book

Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) – Religion and Thought Service – Seyedeh Masoumeh Mohammadi; Hajj Agha went to take a book from the upper shelves. He found the book and flipped through it, but became engrossed. He sat right there. He is unaware of his own situation. The slightest tremor might send him to the ground. He might be astonished by something he reads, become ecstatic, and make a movement.

But Hajj Agha has accepted these dangers. Now something has overtaken him, making him oblivious to the whole world. This is not exclusive to this sheikh.

It is narrated that Ayatollah Khoei, during the Iran-Iraq war, followed the news on “Monte Carlo” radio. One night, the sound of music was heard from his room. Those around the Ayatollah were surprised. After all, even if the Ayatollah had not ruled on the impermissibility of music, it was unlikely for him to listen to music in his home. They went to the door of his room. They saw that he was so engrossed in study that he hadn’t noticed the end of the news; he hadn’t even paid attention to the sound of music.

The same has been said about Allameh Tabatabai. They say his wife would go into his room and place tea, but Allameh would not notice her presence at all.

Ayatollah Boroujerdi also said that many times while studying, time would escape him, and he would only become aware of it with the sound of the call to prayer.

Allameh Amini was also in this state. In the summer, he traveled to India for research on the book “Al-Ghadir.” Upon his return, they asked him how he endured the heat of India. He paused and said, “Was it hot?” He was so immersed in his research that he hadn’t felt the heat there.

His children narrated that our mother would place food in a dish on the stove for him to eat after his study, but in the morning when we went, we would see that the food remained untouched on the stove and had spoiled.

Now, Hajj Agha, at this height, seems equally lost in study. He has taken a risk. He pays no attention to his surroundings. One wishes he would step down with abundant knowledge, knowledge that justifies this risk-taking.

Sheikh Sadegh Sheidaian