''Mirza Mohammad Torbati'' ( میرزا محمد تربتی), better known as ''Mushtaq Ali Shah'' (مشتاق علی شاه) was a Sufi mystic and a Muslim musician who was martyred for playing his instrument in 1792.
Shah was a member of the
Nimatullahi Order of Sufis, and a
majdhoub, who attracted
Ismailis
Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept M ...
and others when he sang and played his
setar
A setar (, ) (lit: "Three String (music), Strings") is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music, played solo or accompanying voice. It is a member of the tanbur family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than ...
.
[ Majdhoubs were "spiritual men whose mental faculties are as it were paralyzed or confused by the effect of the Divine attraction" and got "divinely intoxicated" when they performed.][ Shah disregarded the conventions of his day, and was accused of "singing and playing the call to prayer at the Jum'ah Masjid on 27th ]Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
(19 May) 1792, and was stoned to death.[
In another account, he was accused of "reciting the Qur'an with the sound of a setar" by Mullah Mohammad Taqi (ملا محمد تقی), a ]mujtahid
''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' (i ...
."[
In addition to his historical role as a martyr, Mushtaq Ali Shah is remembered for his association with the ]setar
A setar (, ) (lit: "Three String (music), Strings") is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music, played solo or accompanying voice. It is a member of the tanbur family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than ...
.[ That instrument has had three ]strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
for centuries, and in the 19th century was widely strung with a fourth string.[
He is buried in the Mushtaqieh Square of ]Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
, known as the Mushtaqieh Dome (The Dome of Desire) or the Three Domes.
See also
* The Dome of Desire (in 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 ...
, Persian Wikipedia)
References
{{reflist
Iranian setar players
Iranian Muslim mystics
1792 deaths
Sufi mystics