Why Ibrahim Hadi?

It was the summer of 1386 AHS. I was participating in the sunset and evening group prayers in the Amin al-Doleh Mosque in Tehran. It was a strange situation! All of those who were participating in the prayers were scholars and dignitaries. I was standing in the right corner of the second line. After the sunset prayer, when I looked around, surprisingly I saw that water was surrounding the place of the group prayer! It was as if the Mosque was an island in the middle of the sea!پ The Imam was a shining, elderly man who was wearing a white turban. He stood up facing the crowd and started to speak. I asked the old man who was sitting next to me, “Do you know the leader of the group prayer?” He responded, “He is Haj Shaykh Mohammad Husayn Zahed, the professor of the Clergyman Haqshenas and the Clergyman Mojtahedi.” Since I had heard a lot about the spiritual greatness and magnanimity of Shaykh Husayn Zahed, I listened to his words carefully. There was an odd silence. Everyone was looking at him. He was talking about mysticism and ethics, and he said, “O friends! O comrades! People know us as the elders of mysticism and ethics… but dear comrades! The elders of mysticism and ethics are these people.” Then he held up a large picture. I rose up halfway so that I could see it well. It was a picture of a man with a long beard who was wearing a brown shirt. I looked carefully at the picture. I recognized him completely. I had seen him many times. I was sure that it was him. It was Ibrahim, Ibrahim Hadi!! His words were very strange for me. Shaykh Husayn Zahed who was the master of mysticism and ethics, and who had many scholars as his students, would make such a statement?! He introduced Ibrahim as the master of practical ethics!? Meanwhile I said to myself, “Shaykh Husayn Zahed… he passed away a few years ago!!” I woke up very excited. It was three o’clock in the morning, the 20th of Mordad, the year 1386 AHS; in accordance with the 27th of Rajab and the start of the prophethood of the Prophet (s). This was a true, reliable dream which made my limbs tremble. I picked up a paper and quickly wrote down what I had seen and heard. I couldn’t sleep anymore. I reviewed the memories which I had heard about Ibrahim Hadi.

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I couldn’t forget. I was in the Shohada Mosque on the last night of the month of Ramadan in the year 1373 AHS. Then, we went to the house of Ibrahim Hadi with some old friends from the war. It was a mourning ceremony for the death of his mother. Their house was behind the Mosque in Shahid Movafeq Street. Haj Husayn Allahkaram started speaking about the Martyr Hadi. His memories were amazing. I hadn’t heard anything similar to them before! That night the grace of God included me. I hadn’t seen the war. I was seven when he was martyred. But, God wanted me to be in that meeting so that I could get to know one of His pure servants. These memories were in my mind for many years. I couldn’t believe that a soldier could create such an epic and still be anonymous! It was surprising that he himself asked God to stay anonymous! Over the years his body hadn’t yet been found and nothing was said about him! After that, I talked about him in every class and for all the children.

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There is still time left till the Morning Prayer. I can’t sleep anymore. I really want to know why Shaykh Zahed has introduced him as a practical model in ethics. The next day I went to the grave of Shaykh Husayn Zahed in the Ibn Babiwayh graveyard. When I saw his picture, I became certain of the truth of the dream which I had seen. I had no doubt that the mystics shouldn’t be sought in the mountains or in the closets of the monastery. They are close to us and from us. I went to one of the friends of the Martyr Hadi that same day. I obtained the addresses and phone numbers of the close friends of this martyr from him. I made my decision. I had to know Ibrahim better and more completely than before. I also prayed to God for success. Maybe this was a mission which God had left to us so that His pure servants could be known.