Bahāʾ al-Dīn al-ʿĀmilī | |
|---|---|
بهاء الدين محمد بن حسين العاملي | |
 Portrait of Bahāʾī, falsely attributed to Ṣādiqī Beg, signed by "the slave Muhammad ʿAlī", 1744–45. Malek Museum, Tehran. | |
| Born | (1547-02-18)18 February 1547 Baalbek, Jabal ʿĀmil, Ottoman Syria |
| Died | 1 September 1621(1621-09-01) (aged 74) Isfahan, Safavid Iran |
| Era | Safavid era |
| Known for | Urban planning of Safavid Isfahan, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Shah Mosque, theological and scientific treatises |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Shia |
| Jurisprudence | Ja'fari |
| Creed | Twelver |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced | |
Bahāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al-ʿĀmilī (Arabic:بهاء الدين محمد بن حسين العاملي;Persian:بهاءالدین محمد بن حسین عاملی: 18 February 1547 – 1 September 1621), commonly known asSheikh Bahāʾī (Arabic:الشيخ البهائي;Persian:شیخ بهائی), was Safavid Shia scholar, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and architect.
Born inBaalbek (Jabal ʿĀmil, thenOttoman Syria), he came from a distinguishedArab Shia scholarly family[1]and migrated to Iran in his youth, becoming a leading figure at the court ofShah ʿAbbās I.[2] He stands out as one of the most influential Arab figures, and figures generally, in shaping the scientific, cultural, urban, and intellectual identity of Safavid Iran.[3]
He was the principal planner and architectural mind behind the transformation of SafavidIsfahan, credited with devising the overall spatial logic and ceremonial symbolism of the imperial capital.[4] Sheikh Bahāʾī conceived the urban vision behindNaqsh-e Jahan Square and was instrumental in initiating the planning of theShah Mosque,Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, andAli Qapu Palace. His designs also structured the layout of the Imperial Bazaar and he is also associated with hydraulic innovations and water management projects, though attributions such as the Zarrīn Kamar canal remain speculative.[5] As chief advisor to Shah ʿAbbās I, Sheikh Bahāʾī played a central role in defining the symbolic and geometric principles of Safavid civic and religious architecture. His commanding intellectual leadership and cohesive vision, executed through close collaboration with master builders and artisans, were instrumental in forging the Safavid architectural identity.[6]
A prolific author in bothArabic andPersian, Sheikh Bahāʾī composed over one hundred treatises spanning jurisprudence, logic, astronomy, mathematics, and theology—primarily in his mother tongue,Arabic.[7] His contributions also extended to literature and poetry, including didactic and mystical verse inPersian. In his Persian workTashrīḥ al-Aflāk, he was among the earliest Muslim thinkers to propose the possibility of the Earth’s motion, anticipating the later diffusion of Copernican ideas in the Islamic world.[8]
Sheikh Baha' al-Din (also spelled Baha'uddin) Muhammad ibn Husayn al-'Amili was born nearBaalbek, inOttoman Syria (present-day Lebanon) in 1547.[9] His family had moved there from a small village nearJezzine.[9] After the execution of al-Shahid al-Tani in 1558, his father's mentor, he and his family moved to the neighboringSafavid Empire; first toIsfahan, and from there toQazvin, the then Iranian royal capital.[9] At the time, the Safavid realm was ruled by kingTahmasp I (r. 1524-1576).[9] Tahmasp I appointed Sheikh Bahāʾī's father to serve asShaykh al-Islām in several important Safavid cities in order to propagateTwelver Shi'ism amongst the population.[9]
Sheikh Bahāʾī completed his studies inIsfahan. Having intended to travel toMecca in 1570, he visited many Islamic countries includingIraq,Syria andEgypt and after spending four years there, he returned to Iran.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din died in 1621 in Isfahan. His body was buried inMashhad according to his will.
The exact dates of his birth and death are different on his grave stone and on the ceramic of the walls of the room where he is buried in.[citation needed]
Date of birth:
Date of death:
The dates on the wall contain day, month and year, while the dates on the grave stone only contain month and year. The ceramics of the wall are made in 1945. It seems that at that time a research is performed about the exact dates, and, therefore, the information about the day is added to the dates.[citation needed]
According toBaháʼí Faith scholar‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávari, Sheikh Baha' al-Din adopted the pen name (takhallus) 'Baha' after being inspired by words ofShi'a ImamMuhammad al-Baqir (the fifth Imam) and ImamJa'far al-Sadiq (the sixth Imam), who had stated that theGreatest Name of God was included in eitherDu'ay-i-Sahar orDu'ay-i-Umm-i-Davud. In the first verse of the Du'ay-i-Sahar, a dawn prayer for theRamadan, the name "Bahá" appears four times: "Allahumma inni as 'aluka min Bahá' ika bi Abháh va kulla Bahá' ika Bahí".[10]
His interest in the sciences is also apparent by some of his works and treaties, although many of his astronomical treatises are yet to be studied.[11] He probably have written 17 tracts and books on astronomy and related subjects. The following are some his works in astronomy:
Sheikh Baha' al-Din was known for his proficiency in mathematics, architecture and geometry. A number of architectural and engineering designs are attributed to him, but none can be substantiated with sources.[11] He is credited with designing the canal network of theZayanderud river and a heating system for an Isfahan public bath that used a single candle.[11] Some of his designs may have included theNaqsh-e Jahan Square andCharbagh Avenue inIsfahan.[13]
In theTwelver tradition, Sheikh Bahai is regarded as a leading scholar of his age and amujaddid of the seventeenth century.[12] His erudition won him the admiration ofShah Abbas, and he was appointed theSheikh ul-Islam of Isfahan after the death of the previousincumbent.[12] He composed works ontafsir,hadith,grammar andfiqh (jurisprudence).[12]
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Sheikh Baha' al-Din was also an adept ofmysticism. He had a distinctSufi leaning for which he was criticized by Mohammad Baqer Majlesi.[12] During his travels he dressed like aDervish[12] and frequented Sufi circles.[12] He also appears in the chain of both the Nurbakhshi andNi'matullāhī Sufi orders.[12] In the work called "Resāla fi’l-waḥda al-wojūdīya" (Exposition of the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existences), he states that the Sufis are the true believers,[12] calls for an unbiased assessment of their utterances,[12] and refers to his own mystical experiences.[12] Both his Persian and Arabic poetry is also replete with mystical allusions and symbols.[12] At the same time, Sheikh Baha' al-Din calls for strict adherence to theSharia as a prerequisite for embarking on theTariqah[12] and did not hold a high view ofantinomian mysticism.[12]
Sheikh Baha' al-Din contributed numerous works in philosophy, logic, astronomy and mathematics. His works include over 100 articles, epistles and books. Sheikh Baha' al-Din also composed poems inPersian andArabic. His outstanding works in the Persian language areJame-e Abbasi and twomasnavis (rhymed couplets) by the names ofShīr u Shakar ("Milk and Sugar") andNān u Halwā ("Bread and Halva").[citation needed]
His other important work is theKashkūl, which includes stories, news, scientific topics, Persian and Arabicproverbs.
He also wroteKhulāṣat al-ḥisāb (Arabic:خلاصة الحساب, lit. "Essentials of arithmetic"), an Arabic textbook that became popular throughout the Islamic world from Egypt to India until the 19th century. It was translated into German in Berlin byG. H. F. Nesselmann and published in 1843. A French translation appeared later 1854.[11]
Scholars of Arab background residing in Iran, such as Bahāʾ al-Dīn, facilitated the connection and intellectual exchange with visiting Arab students and scholars, welcoming them into their scholarly circles.
