ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Uswat Al-Aarifeen: A Look at the Life of Ayatullah Bahjat Ayatullah Bahjat According to Others View of Imam Khomeini The imam [Khomeini] used to pay Ayatullah his personal attention, and citing some incidents in this field may provide the best evidence.

Ayatullah al-Mas`udi says, "During the four or five years when I was serving the imam, I remember that the imam said to me two or three times, 'We will go tomorrow to the house of Sheikh Bahjat, so be prepared for it.' On the next day, we would go to the house of the sheikh (the same house where he now resides) and sit in the first room which was then carpeted with the same bedding which has always been there. The imam would signal to me to get out.

I would exit the house as the imam stays talking with the sheikh for about half an hour, then he would come out of the house and we would return together. As regarding the subject of their discussion, I have no knowledge of it; only Allah knows it.

"Sheikh Bahjat used to sometimes say to me during the days of struggle (the years 1963 and 1964), 'Tell Sayyid Khomeini to slaughter two heads of sheep tomorrow morning at such an hour seeking nearness to Allah Almighty.' I would go to the imam and tell him so, and the imam used then to say to me, 'Tell the butcher (Farji who is still alive) to slaughter two heads of sheep on our account, and I shall pay him their price later.' The sheikh also said to me once, 'Tell the imam to slaughter three heads of sheep'.

The imam would then order three heads of sheep to be slaughtered. All these matters used to go on between the imam and Sheikh Bahjat, and we were witnessing them outwardly, and we had no knowledge of what they implied. "Also, when the imam was residing in Chamran, Sheikh Bahjat once said to me, 'I have a small letter which I wish you get it to reach the imam.' I would take the letter from him, put it in an envelope then deliver it to the imam.

Anyhow, the relationship between the mentor and the imam was very strong. I remember that the imam once went in the company of Sheikh Hasan San`i to the house of the sheikh several times.

We (I and Sheikh San`i) were at the service of the imam when he was residing in the holy city of Qum, and Sheikh Bahjat used in turn pay his special attention to the imam." One of the imam's students says, "After the release of the imam and his arrival at holy Qum in 1963, people held massive celebrations in all the quarters of this city.