Baha al-Din al-Amili | |
|---|---|
 18th century copy of aminiature depicting Sheikh Baha'i, falsely attributed toSadiqi Beg. This drawing is presumably a copy of a lost original by Sadiqi Beg | |
| Born | 18 February 1547 |
| Died | 1 September 1621(1621-09-01) (aged 74) |
| Title | Sheikh |
| Academic background | |
| Influences | Nimatullah Wali |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Shia Polymath, scholar, poet, philosopher, architect and mathematician |
| School or tradition | Isfahan School |
| Main interests | Mathematics,Architecture,Astronomy,Philosophy andPoetry |
| Notable works | Tashrīḥ Al-Aflāk,Al-Khashkūl,Nān wa ḥalwā |
| Influenced | Haydar Amuli,Mir Damad,Mulla Sadra,Mohsen Fayz Kashani |
Baha al-Din Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Amili (Persian:بهاءالدین محمد بن عزالدین حسین بن عبدالصمد بن شمس الدین محمد بن حسن بن عاملی جبعی (جباعی); 18 February 1547 – 1 September 1621),[1] also known asBahāddīn ʿĀmilī, or justSheikh Bahāʾi (Persian: شیخ بهایی) in Iran, was an originally lebanese iranian[2]Shia Islamicscholar,[3]poet,philosopher,architect,mathematician andastronomer, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries inSafavid Iran.[4] He was born inBaalbek,Ottoman Syria (present-dayLebanon) but immigrated in his childhood to Safavid Iran with the rest of his family.[4] He was one of the earliest astronomers in the Islamic world to suggest the possibility of the Earth's movement prior to the spread of theCopernican theory.[1]
He wrote over 100 treatises and books in different topics,[1] inArabic andPersian. A number of architectural and engineering designs are attributed to him, but none can be substantiated with sources.[1] These may have included theNaqsh-e Jahan Square andCharbagh Avenue inIsfahan.[5] He is buried inImam Reza shrine inMashad in Iran.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din (also spelled Baha'uddin) Muhammad ibn Husayn al-'Amili was born nearBaalbek, inOttoman Syria (present-day Lebanon) in 1547.[4] His family had moved there from a small village nearJezzine.[4] 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.[4] At the time, the Safavid realm was ruled by kingTahmasp I (r. 1524-1576).[4] 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.[4]
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".[6]
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.[1] He probably have written 17 tracts and books on astronomy and related subjects. The following are some his works in astronomy:
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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.[1]
Sheikh Baha' al-Din is attributed with the architectural planning of the city of Isfahan during the Safavid era. He was the architect of Isfahan'sImam Square,Imam Mosque andHessar Najaf. He also made a sun clock to the west of the Imam Mosque.
He is also known for his mastery of topography. One instance of this is the directing of the water of theZayandeh River to different areas of Isfahan. He designed a canal called theZarrin Kamar in Isfahan which is considered one of Iran's greatest canals. He also determined the direction ofQiblah (prayer direction) from the Naghsh-e-Jahan Square.
He also designed and constructed a furnace for a public bathroom, which still exists in Isfahan, known asSheikh Bahai's Bathhouse. It is said that the furnace was powered by a single candle which was placed in an enclosure, and that the candle burned for a long time, boiling the bath's water. It is also said that according to his own instructions, the candle's fire would be put out if the enclosure was ever opened. It is believed that this happened during the restoration and repair of the building and it was not possible to make the system work again. In fact, Sheikh Bahaei used flammable gases that were naturally produced in a nearby cesspool for heating the bath's water. In 1969-70, the bathroom heating system was excavated and a series of underground pipelines made of sun-dried clay were discovered. Although there are many theories about the working of this heating system, it was concluded recently that he knew about biogas and the network was to guide toilet wells which were common to Iranian's houses and mosques.
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It is said that he designed theManar Jonban (Shaking Minarets), which still exist in Isfahan; but this edifice was built in the fourteenth century during theIlkhanid period on the tomb ofAmu Abdollah Soqla, a pious Sheikh and Faqeer, who died in that same century.
TheHigh Council of Cultural Revolution in Iran designated April 23 as theNational Architect Day, marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Bahaei.
In theTwelver tradition, Sheikh Bahai is regarded as a leading scholar of his age and amujaddid of the seventeenth century.[7] His erudition won him the admiration ofShah Abbas, and he was appointed theSheikh ul-Islam of Isfahan after the death of the previousincumbent.[7] He composed works ontafsir,hadith,grammar andfiqh (jurisprudence).[7]
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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.[7] During his travels he dressed like aDervish[7] and frequented Sufi circles.[7] He also appears in the chain of both the Nurbakhshi andNi'matullāhī Sufi orders.[7] 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,[7] calls for an unbiased assessment of their utterances,[7] and refers to his own mystical experiences.[7] Both his Persian and Arabic poetry is also replete with mystical allusions and symbols.[7] At the same time, Sheikh Baha' al-Din calls for strict adherence to theSharia as a prerequisite for embarking on theTariqah[7] and did not hold a high view ofantinomian mysticism.[7]
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.[1]
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