8 In the course of the thirty years in which I had the honor...

8 In the course of the thirty years in which I had the honor of being in his presence, never did I hear him use the word “I” on its own. On the other hand, I heard him use the expression “I don’t know” many times in response to a question, the same expression that most people are reluctant to use. Yet, as a result of his extreme humbleness, this ocean of knowledge and wisdom used this expression with ease. Ayatullah Misbāh Yazdī Story n.

9 One of the years when ‘Allāmah had traveled to Mashhad, we went to his house to visit him. Because of a weak heart and according to the orders of his doctor, he was strictly forbidden from sitting on the ground. As soon as we entered, he rose from his mattress and offered it to us to sit on. I refused to sit, and for some time both he and I were left standing until he said, “sit so that I can say something”! I obeyed him out of politeness and sat.

He too sat on the ground and then said, “what I wanted to say is that it’s softer over there” . ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī’s son-in-law Story n. 10 I had written a paper on Imāmat and presented it to ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī, saying, “occasionally when you are tired of studying and discussion, in the name of relaxation or as they say, for a recess (zange tafrīh) have a look at this paper of mine as well” . He kindly agreed and read the paper from beginning to end, word for word.

After some time he said, “I have seen it in its entirety” . When I went to pick it up from him, he made an objection saying that in a particular place in the paper you have made a personal prayer only for yourself. I had narrated a hadīth, and after the narration of the hadīth and a commentary on it, I had written “O God, bequeath the ability to understand the signs of God to this being”! He [‘Allāmah] said, “why have you made this personal prayer?

Why have you not included others in your invocation for Divine sustenance?” Then he said to me, “as far as I am aware, I have never made a personal prayer only for myself” . Ayatullah Jawādi Āmulī Previous…