Fazel Darbandi (), also Fadil al-Darbandi (), also known as Molla Agha Darbandi (Persian: ) (died 1869/1870,

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

), was an Iranian

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

cleric and scholar of the

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

era.

Biography

Darbandi's surname implies an origin in the city of Darband (i.e.

Derbent Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...

, now part of

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

), or its environs, although the exact whereabouts of his place and date of birth are unknown. Darbandi grew up to study in

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

, in

Ottoman Iraq Ottoman Iraq () refers to the period of the history of Mesopotamia, Iraq when the region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire (1534–1920; with an interlude from 1704 to 1831 From Independence under the Mamluk dynasty (Iraq), Mamluk state of Iraq).Bef ...

, where he was a student of Molla Mohammad Sharif-ol-Olama Mazandarani (died 1829–1830). Darbandi later tried to teach in the city of

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

, but the "peculiarities" of his persona made it "impossible" to retain any number of students. Afterwards, he moved to Iran, arriving in Tehran where prime minister (''ṣadr-e aʿẓam'')

Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri (), E'temad-ol Dowleh (اعتماد الدوله; born c. 1807 – died 1865) was a politician in Qajar Iran, who served as prime minister (, "ṣadr-e aʿẓam") between 1851–58 during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( ...

had just been dismissed. Darbandi was famous amongst his contemporaries for being eloquent in both

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

as well as

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, as well as for "erudition" in the science related to "

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

transmitters". After his death, he was buried in Karbala.

Notes

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darbandi, Fazel 1869 deaths 1870 deaths Iranian Shia clerics Iranian scholars 19th-century Iranian people People of Qajar Iran