Eventually these interviews were published in four languages...

Eventually these interviews were published in four languages: Farsi, Arabic, French and English and compiled in a book by the name of Shi’a. ‘Allāmah’s meetings with Corbin required a great deal of effort and struggle on his part, as he was forced to travel from Qum to Tehran by public bus so that he could talk about the truths of Shī’ism and introduce the true face of the concept of the possessor of the greatest sanctity (wilāyat) to him.

But it quickly became clear that these efforts were in fact of great service to Shī’ism because Corbin recorded these meetings and made them available in Europe, spreading the truth of Shī’ism and even supporting and defending the religion through his own speeches and conferences. Corbin was of the opinion that because Shī’ism believes in the existence of a living Imām, it is the only religious sect that it is still alive.

This is because the belief and reliance on Hazrat Mahdī (a) will always remain established. The Jewish faith died with the death of Hazrat Mūsa (a), the Christian one with the ascension of Hazrat Isa (a).

All other sects of Islām also came to a dead-end with the death of Hazrat Muhammad (s), whereas Shī’ism maintained that the authority, Imām and possessor of Wilāyat who is connected with the spiritual world and receives Divine guidance is alive, and therefore Shī’ism itself remained alive as a religion.

In this way Corbin himself was very close to Shī’ism and as a result of his interaction and discussions with ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī and his acquaintance with these truths, especially that of Hazrat Mahdī (a), an intense metamorphosis was apparent in him. ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī used to say “he (Corbin) frequently recites supplications from Sahīfāye Mehdiwiyye and cries as he does so”. ‘Allāmah Tehrānī Previous…