Talk:Rahim Arbab

Untitled
Would someone please finish up the story of this gentleman's life? Cheers - Her Pegship 16:05, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Grand Ayatollah?
Referring to the man as grand ayatollah has many problems: I am therefore removing the grand ayatollah prefix.
 * 1) There are no original sources in which he is reffered to as "ayatollah".
 * 2) Prefixes were critical to identification at the time first names and surnames were not as common among people. a mere change of prefix could change the person people are referring to. It is thus a recommended practice among scholars not to change such critical prefixes.
 * 3) Ayatollan is a title most commonly used among clerics who finish studying religious law. This man was a prominent mystic; He was not interested in "formal" studies and his focus was religious experience. Ayatollah is an honorary mantle meaning a "sign of god".
 * 4) Haj agha, Meaning man who has visited mecca is the prefix he has been famously called by. It is in par with his extreme tendency towards a humble life. Titles like grand-ayatollah are in stark contrast to that. It 's thus highly unlikely he would respond to being called by such titles.