Hassan Ali Nokhodaki Isfahani

Hassan Ali Nokhodaki Isfahani
Hassan Ali Nokhodaki Isfahani
Born	May 4, 1863; Isfahan, Isfahan Province, Iran
Died	August 29, 1942 (aged 79); Mashhad, Iran
Nationality	Persian
Occupation	Jurisrt, Philosopher, Moralist, Mystic, Shi'ite cleric

Hasan Ali Nakhodaki Isfahani (Persian: حسنعلی نخودکی اصفهانی) (May 4, 1863 – August 29, 1942) was a Shi'a scholar and mystic (sufiyana). Nokhodaki practiced and espoused self-discipline, ascetism, and the purification of the soul. Among his influences were Sayyid Ja'far Qazwini and Sayyid Murtada Kashmiri.

Nakhodaki also studied broadly in philosophy and mathematics, attended the classes of scholars such as Jahangir Khan Qashqa'i, Akhund Mulla Muhammad Kashi, and Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Yazdi. Considered an expert in occult sciences, Nakhodaki spent his time assisting people who had journeyed to his presence for his prayers.

Early life[]

Nakhodaki was born Hasan Ali Miqdadi in Isfahan in on May 4, 1863. Hasan Ali's father, Ali Akbar, was an ordinary shopkeeper in Isfahan who was regarded for his piety. He was a follower of Muhammad Sadiq Takht Puladi, a leader of the Chishti Order, and was known for his reverence and his prayers being answered by God.

From the age of 7 to 11 years old, Akbar took Hasan Ali to his own teacher, Muhammad Sadiq Takht Puladi, to teach him akhlaq (virtues) and irfan (knowledge). Muhammad Sadiq Takht Puladi died in 1873 and Hasan Ali continued his practice for three more years, keeping vigil at nights and fasting during the day. He went to Shahreza, about 80 km south west to Isfahan to receive further instruction from Sayyid Ja'far Husayni Qazwini.

Education[]

In addition to self-purification, Sheikh Hasan Ali began studying Islamic sciences. He studied Arabic literature, logics, philosophy, jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence and mathematics under renown teachers of the Isfahan Seminary such as Jahangir Khan Qashqa'i and Akhund Mulla Muhammad Kashi. Hasan Ali studied tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an) under Sayyid Sina, son of Sayyid Ja'far Kashfi.

He went to Mashhad in 1886 and stayed there for one year, practicing ascetism in one of the rooms on the upper floor of the Atiq courtyard in the holy shrine of Imam al-Rida. He returned to Isfahan the following year, and then went to the seminary at Najaf. He stayed there until 1894, completed his studies under the tutelage of Mirza Habib Allah Rashti, Sayyid Muhammad Fisharaki Isfahani, Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i Yazdi, Muhammad Hasan Mamaqani and Mulla Isma'il Qarahbaghi.

While at Najaf, he visited the scholar and mystic Sayyid Murtada Kashmiri.

In 1894, Hasan Ali traveled to Masshad, practicing ascetism and became a student of Muhammad Ali Khurasani (known as Haji Fadil), Sayyid Ali Ha'iri Yazdi, Haj Aqa Husayn Qummi, and 'Abd al-Rahman Mudarris. He left Masshad in 1897 to Shiraz, learning medicine and studying Avicenna's Qanun under Mirza Ja'far Tabib. In Ramadan of the same year, Hasan Ali went to Bushehr and from there, he went to Mecca.

Hasan Ali returned to Mashhad in 1911 and stayed there until the end of his life. He was given the title "Nakhodaki" in his old age as he was living in Nakhodak, a village near Mashhad.

Teaching[]

Most of his time, Sheikh Nakhodaki spent his time in worship, ascesis, i'tikaf, visiting the graves of mystics such as Abu Ali Farmadi, Shaykh Muhamamd Karandihi (known as Pir Palanduz), and Shaykh Muhammad Mu'min.

Although being occupied with worship most of the time, he sometimes taught jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, mathematics in books such as Sharh al-lum'a al-Dimashqiyya, Ma'alim al-din and Khulasat al-hisab.

The major points of his spiritual instructions to his pupils were:

Great observation of religious rulings
Halal food
Observing obligatory daily prayers on time
Striving in achievement of the presence of heart

He also greatly advised on keeping vigil, watchfulness of the actions and the soul during the day and self-accounting at nights.

According to some of Nakhodaki's letters to his pupils, he believed that there was no accomplished mystic and teacher who could help the wayfarers at his time. Moreover, he frequently mentioned that he was not perfect and he could not be a murshid (guide) and therefore, it was due to the need and no other choices that he gave some instructions, he received from a perfect man he had seen, to the seekers and those who insisted to receive them and he advised them to observe those instructions constantly until they visit a perfect mystic.

He also regarded tasawwuf as the way of reaching God and thus believed that it is not exclusive to Islam and it exists in all religions and in the instructions of all the prophets (a) and friends of God, but its perfect form has emerged in Islam with Irfan.

Moreover, he regarded the appearance of tasawwuf as the rulings in Islam and considered connection with wilayah, i.e. believing in the wilayah of Imam Ali (a) and his successors (a) as the heart of Islam. Therefore in his opinion, Qutb was one whose chain of permission for instruction was linked with Imam Ali (as) and his infallible progeny (as) so that he could guide others and one who is not connected with wilayah, even though his actions are in agreement with religion, but he has no connection with true Islam and tasawwuf.

Hasan Ali was knowledgeable about occult sciences (al-'ulum al-ghariba) and had a number of pupils. He was also knowledgeable about alchemy.

Among Nakhodaki's pupils and disciples were,

His son, Ali Miqdadi Isfahani,
His grandson, Sayed Hujjat Hashemi Khorasani,
Abd al-Nabi Khurasani,
Dhabih Allah Amir Shahidi,
Muhammad Hasan Khurasani,
Mahmud Halabi,
Muhamamd Ahmadabadi (known as Tabib zadih),
Sayyid Ali Radawi,
and Abu l-Hasan Hafeziyan.

Al-Sayyid Shahab al-Din al-Mar'ashi al-Najafi and Ghulam Rida 'Irfanian Yazdi were also his students in hadith studies and were among those who received permission from him for narrating hadiths.

Death[]

Nakhodaki died on Sha'ban 17, 1361/August 30 1942. Many people of Mashhad attended his funeral and he was buried in 'Atiq courtyard of the holy Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a).

Inclination towards Sufism[]

Many acts of wonder have been reported from Sheikh Hasan Ali Nakhodaki. Some have introduced him as the Qutb or Shaykh of Chishti Order and introduced his spiritual title as Bandih Ali who did not invite anyone to this order. He loved Khaksar dervishes and went to Takyih Gunbad Sabz most eves of Friday which was the meeting place of Khaksar dervishes and associated with them but he did not practice Sufism but rather followed the path of Irfan.

Works[]

Nakhodaki's works were compiled by his son in a book called Nishan az bi Nishanha in two volumes which includes a gloss on Shaykh Bahari Hamedani's Tadhkirat al-Muttaqin, some letters to some disciples, scripts of some of his meetings, treatises mostly on mystical and moral topics such as Tawhid, Wilaya, love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), love, piety and ascesis, Muslims' mutual right towards each other, du'a and the conditions for accepting it and sincerity.

Nakhodaki's corrected Irshad al-Bayan and Attar Neyshaburi's Asrarnamih and published them in 1355/1936 and 1356/1937 in Tehran. He also published Mulla Muhsin Fayd Kashani's Tarjimat al-salat together with some ideas of his own on prayer.

He also sometimes composed poems.