PAZHUHESH-DINI (RELIGIOUS STUDY)
Year:2014 | Volume:- | Issue:27|Papers Count:6

Seyyed Amir Mahmud Anvar is among the contemporary bilingual (Persian and Arabic) Iranian poets. His brilliant mind and ample enthusiasm for poetry and literature made him gain knowledge of the outstanding Persian and Arabic works from his early childhood. The well-known Arabic and Persian poems, translation and interpretation of the Holy Quran and Islamic teachings, as well as gaining benefits from eminent professors, particularly Professor Abdullah Anvar and Abdulhamid Badiozzamani Kordestani, influenced his mind and language to such an extent that, during his adolescence, he took to composing Arabic and Persian poems. His devotion to the family of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.) brought religious themes upon his poems and, hence, it can be said that his poems have a religious orientation. Among his poems, the praise and eulogy for Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his companions, mixed with gnostic themes, is more prominent.

Man is governed by time as regards his body but he is governed by the culture of his age with respect to thought and action. Human beings live within their own temporal boundary and act in accordance with it and their minds, languages and actions are a response to their cultural environment. However, some individuals go beyond the culture of their time and since they do not think like others, they feel lonely and solitude makes them seek sympathizers and this solitude and quest promotes their mind, language and soul and, hence, their horizons are broadened.The meeting between Molana and Shams and the transformation that occurred in both of them and the effects this brought about are the outcome of the same solitude and quest. Nonetheless, this loneliness is often misunderstood since it is not compatible with the current ways of thinking, needs and conventions.

‘Fatemiyyeh Ode’, in the book Anvar-e Eshq, has been composed in praise of Hazrat-e Fatemeh (a.s.). Honoring the high status of mother, Professor Seyyed Amir Mahmud Anvar explicates the position of Hazrat-e Fatemeh (a.s.) in this poem. Her being ‘the Light of all Lights’, her exclusive aptness for marrying the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) which has been cited by both Sunnis and Shiites, her standing in one of the verses of the Quran and nomination of Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) as her descendants are some of the issues tackled in this piece of poetry. Professor Anvar has bestowed special honors on the Imam of the Age (a.s.) and he illustrates the world's ultimate savior’s being her twelfth child as an outcome of Hazrat-e Zahra’s influence (a.s.) on the creation. Finding evidence for Hazrat-eZahra’s virtues in various Sunni and Shiite resources, on the basis of Professor Anvar’s poem, signifies her superiority over other creatures.

Dr. Syyed Amir Mahmoud Anvar, the master of eloquence, was among the contemporary and outstanding scientific, Quranic, literary and gnostic Iranian figures and was of high standing in the academic community. He was among the researchers who spent a long life on studying and writing and teaching Arabic and Persian literature and Islamic and Quranic Sciences. Anvar was exceptional in the academic community, distinguished in the fields of gnosis and Quranic sciences and bilingual in poetry. Introducing the works of this great character and eminent scholar is, undoubtedly, a valuable service to the community. Thus, the present paper, entitled “Reflection of the Quran and Hadith on Dr. Anvar’s Poetry”, seeks to demonstrate how he has been influenced by the Quran and Hadith. Examination of Dr. Anvar's poems indicated that he has embellished his words and statements with concepts from the Holy Quran and hadiths, and, hence, has added to the richness of his language. It was also found out that there is a high frequency of phrases from the Quran and tradition in his poetry.

Comparison of literary genres, forms of poetry and imagery in world literature is said to be one of the approaches to comparative literature. Comparison of two poets, Ka'b ibn-e Zuhair, who composed poems before Islam and during the Islamic era, and the bilingual poet, late Professor Seyyed Amir Mahmud Anvar, from two different centuries and different environments and cultures on an identical theme, praise of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), reflects the cultural, social and literary differences between Islamic and non-Islamic nations. This paper attempts to explore a kind of link between literature and seeking assistance from the common thought heritage of the two nations and discusses how Professor Anvar was influenced by the Islamic culture and gnosis in pursuing his spiritual journey.

Seyyed Amir Mahmud Anvar is an outstanding expert of Persian and Arabic literature and Islamic sciences and is of high scientific standing in both seminary and academic circles. He is famous for giftedness and improvisational poetry composing, which is the result of his gigantic ability to compose a lot of Arabic and Persian poems in praise of Ahl al-Bayt, a rhymed explanation of the Quran, etc. His works depict the link between literature, philosophy and religious gnosticism and offer some beautifully translated samples of the Quran into Persian language. His poetic knowledge is so replete with passion and wisdom that it rises to gnostic ascension, worship of God and love of the truth. The secret of this eternity lies in the Holy Quran which has attracted his heart and nourished it. The atmosphere of his works, which are never devoid of Quranic concepts, designates his truth-seeking mentality which has been influenced by the Heavenly Book and nearly all his works, one way or another, signify the influence of the Quran on Persian literature. In this paper, his works have been evaluated in four areas (poetry, literary prose works and religious and gnostic works) and instances of his seeking assistance from the Quran have been cited. Besides, his explanation and translation of some Quranic verses have been securitized.