Ali Davani

Ali Davāni(Persian: علی دوانی) was an Iranian scholar and researcher.

Early life and education

He was born on September 27, 1929 in Davan, a village located at the north of Kazerun, according to his identity certificate. He left his village to Abadan at his 6 years old. He lived for 7 years with a hunger for Islamic sciences. He went to Holy Najaf when he was 14 and returned to his birthplace after 5.5 years of attaining science and piety. He went to Qom to accomplish his education in 1949 after his marriage.

Scholars such as Sheykh Mohammad Rezā Tabasi, Sheykh Ali Āghā Najafi Kāshāni, Sheykh Kāzem Tabrizi, Sheykh Mohammad Ibrāhim Borujerdi, martyr Ayatollah Seyed Asadollah Madani, Seyed Kāzem Tabrizi, Sheykh Mohammad Āghā Tehrani were his masters in Najaf and Ayatollah's Meshkini, Mar'ashi Najafi, Seyed Mohammad Bāgher Tabātabā'i Soltāni, Fāzel Ghafghāzi, Seyed Mohammad Golpāyegāni, Martyr Sadughi, Allāmeh Tabātabā'i, Ayatollah Borujerdi and Imam Khomeini were his masters in Qom. But as he himself said, Sheykh Ali Āghā Najafi, Sheykh Kāzem Tabrizi and martyr Ayatollah Madani affected him deeply in Najaf. He was affected with the super ordinate rank of Allāmeh Tabātabā'i, Ayatollah Borujerdi and Imam Khomeini in Qom too.

Activities

Beside scholarship he was involved in activities such as the followings:

1. Establishing the scientific and religious magazine of Maktab-e Islam, with teamwork of Ayatollah's Makārem Shirazi, Sobhani, Imam Musā Sadr, Musavi Ardabili, Seyed Mortezā Jazāyeri, late Majdoddin Mahallāti, Wa'ez-Zādeh and Noori Hamedāni.
2. Writing the book of Ayatollah Vahid Behbahāni's Biography which was encouraged by Ayatollah Borujerdi.
3. Translating the 13th Volume of Behār-ul Anvār in Persian about Imam Mahdi, at the behest of Ayatollah Borujerdi which entitled The Promised Mahdi…

In order to disseminate the religious sciences, Davāni chose two methods: authorship and propaganda. He was never misled of titles, posts and other substantial personifications of life.

In 1971, because of some tumults and maliciousnesses against Dār-ul Tabligh and emigration of some of his companions in Maktab-e Islam magazine such as Imam Musā Sadr from Qom and his extreme tiredness from the other hand, Davāni was compelled to leave Qom to Tehran. He followed his mission in Tehran as an "inheritor of the prophets".

He died on January 8, 2007 after a lifetime of working in the fields of anthropology, bibliography and history.

References