A Different Mid-Shaban

Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2022-12-13

Before Ramadhan, Imam issued an order in which he had stated: “Hold ceremonies in the Mid-Sha’ban and explain disasters of the apparatus and the court for people.” To this end, it had been planned Ayatollah Sayyid Hossein Ayatollahi to have a lecture after the prayer in the night of Mid-Sha’ban. It was in a situation when Mr. Ayatollahi was banned to speak from the pulpit; notwithstanding, it was supposed he have a short lecture after the prayer. At the height of the revolution, two seminary students (Towhidi and Babaee) acted so openly and the guys usually tried not to be connected much with them so that they wouldn’t be identified. We sent someone to bring them so that we would talk with them. In the mosques, they said their words as Quran class and talked very radically. Finally, we made an appointment in a garden behind Ghadamgah in Jahrom. In order not to be identified, they were in disguise (they had worn a checkered shirt, and a Keffieh to cover their beard) and had come by a motorcycle. We talked much with them, and said it is supposed Mr. Ayatollah have a lecture and if you want to be extremist, Shahrbani would become sensitive and do not allow the lecture of Agha (sir) to be presented.

First they behaved with acrimony and said, “you just think and plan! Instead, we act.”

I answered, “our Lord Ali (A.S) says: first think about whatever you want to say. You first act and then think.”

They said, “yes, we first act and then think.”

Anyway, we convinced them not to do in that way and consider the situation.

In the night of Mid-Sha’ban, Mr. Aaytollahi who was supposed to speak, when he was holding the congregational prayer in the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque, as soon as he said “as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu -llāhi wa-barakātuhū” at the end of Isha prayer, he didn’t hold the Sunnah prayer and folded the prayer rug and left. People and us who were upset went out and saw the mosque had been surrounded by armed forces. I said, “this is result of activities of Towhidi and Babaee.” In fact, when we left the mosque and came back home, Towhidi and Babaee had rushed in front of the mosque and hold a demonstration. A demonstration was held from Sahib al-Zaman to the sixth square of Bahman (now Shohada) in which Ebad Karegar died a martyr at the result of shootings by the regime’ polices, and the thirty others, such as Fakhraee, whose guilty was that Ebad Karegar had died a martyr due to their stone throwing, were arrested; however, they were in prison just for a few days and were released soon. Hajji Mahmoud Fakhraee was an active of the revolution who had a dentistry in Jahrom, and now lives in Qom and he still does the same job. After the demonstration of Mid-Sha’ban, he was arrested with some other revolutionaries and he was for some days in jail. People had done a sit-down in the grand mosque and asked to release them. In the sit-down day, I also stood up and said some words in the mosque to calm the attendant down.

I insinuated those who were present, “do you know why it is said you should stand shoulder by shoulder in congregational prayer and there shouldn’t be any distance? It is for that Satan not to break through among you. Now, who you sit here be so careful that devils who want to disturb, not to break through among you.” Shahrbani’s officer was behind me; I hinted in a way that everyone noticed my mean. They [(probably security forces)] were also reported and they had said Mehraban calmed them down. After a while, Fakhraee and other revolutionaries of Jahrom who had been arrested for no crime were liberated.

Source: Vahid Karegar Jahromi (ed.) (2013). Kind Sir; Memories of Gholamali Mehraban Jahromi. Shiraz: Aseman-e Hashtom, pp. 146-150.