A Brief Review of the Educational, and Social Life of the Honorable Professor,
(Mrs. Sayedeh Fatemeh Khamooshi (Tahaie
Preface
“…Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees; and Allah is Aware of what you do.” [The Holy Quran: Mujadalah (۵۸):۱۱]
During history there have always been people who have gained high degrees of knowledge and have put their knowledge into practice. They have also done their best to enhance other people’s thoughts, culture and beliefs.
Sayedeh Fatemeh Khamooshi (Tahaie) was one of the untiring people who spent all her life in learning and teaching Islamic knowledge. She endeavored to keep the pure tree of Islam fresh, the fruitful tree with firm roots and long branches from which truth-seeking people always benefit – “Yielding its fruit in every season by the permission of its Lord…” [Ibrahim (14):25]
Knowing about the life of great people in the fields of religion, knowledge and morality can be valuable for everyone; therefore, a brief account of the life of Mrs. Tahaie is presented here for those who are interested.
Some of the Scientific and Cultural Movements
The Holy Quran and ahadith (narrations) of the Ahlul-Bayt are the pillars of Mrs. Tahaie’s system of thought and insight. Mrs. Tahaie had cultural activities for half a century. She had a pathological approach towards the intellectual pains and religious questions of the society. Mrs. Tahaie would recognize the obstacles in the way of the society’s correct understanding and practicing of religion and would carry out speeches on related topics. She would also identify the plagues which damage the roots of religion. During all these years, Mrs. Tahaie presented the solution to the needs of society in the form of speeches and classes. Reviewing the series of the lessons she offered in her classes shows this fact.
Mrs. Tahaie’s cultural activities began in Mashhad in۱۹۵۶. The unpopularity of teaching Islamic knowledge by women at that time made it a difficult task for her. Some people who did not understand the true position of women in Islam were putting obstacles on the way. However, a great number of ladies who loved to increase their knowledge about religious issues gathered around her and after a while her house did not suffice the large amount of knowledge seekers. By the support of the late Ayatollah Milani and the financial aid of the late Mr. Naseri, a piece of land was donated for the building of Maktab Narjes in۱۹۶۶. The building was not fully constructed when the classes were transferred to that place.
It must be noted that Maktab Narjes began its work when there was no hawza for ladies in the country. Three hundred ladies most of which were the youth and school and university students attended the classes. Special classes dedicated to answering questions of university students also received much attention.
Mrs. Tahaie’s cultural activities are too much to mention. She received different appreciation certificates including one for being the Servant of Culture in ۲۰۰۳ and one for being the Servant of the holy Quran in ۲۰۰۴.
In the Field of Teaching
In the first years of the foundation of Maktab Narjes, Mrs.Tahaie alone had the responsibility of teaching the students. She taught the basic courses like logics, Arabic literature, principles of jurisprudence (osool), Islamic jurisprudence (fiq’h), theology (kalaam) using books like Haadi Ashar, Mantiq Mozaffar, Hashiye Mollah Abdullah, Jame ul-Muqaddamat, etc. She also taught lessons on Tafsir, Nahjul-Balaqah, training and education of children, the rights of the family, economics, etc. However, in the last decade, because of her full schedule, she could be in Maktab Narjes only in the mornings. Here she had different courses for the students of Maktab Narjes including: the life of the Infallible Imams, review of Hadhrat Fatemeh al-Zahra’s sermon, rights of the family, gaining knowledge about the Imams (a review of Ziyarat Jame’eh Kabirah) and ethical discussions. On Tuesday evenings she also had a series of Tafsir classes for those who were not formal students of the school. These classes were on “Ayaat ul-Wilayah” and the teachings were typed and distributed for those interested in Tafsir discussions. Meanwhile Mrs. Tahaie had classes outside Maktab Narjes and taught ethics, Islamic teachings and theology in universities, etc. She also cooperated with some scientific-educational internet sites.
Propagation of Religion
“Say: I exhort you only to one thing, that rise up for Allah's sake in twos and singly…”
Mrs. Tahaie put all her effort into activities related to instructing mothers and girls on the basis of religion. The number of classes and sessions dedicated to this holy aim is too much to mention. For instance, since the foundation of Maktab Narjes, she had continuous sessions of Tafsir of the holy Quran especially during the holy month of Ramadan. She also had speeches in Tehran, Mashhad and other cities during the months of Moharram, Safar and the ۱۰ day commemoration of the martyrdom of Hadhrat Fatemeh (Salamullah Alayha). For many years since ۱۹۸۰ to 1994 she talked about different subjects like the psychology of children in Hosseiniyeh Nosrat and on Saturdays, she explained Dua Makarem ul-Akhlaq (narrated by Imam Sajjad Alayhissalam) in Bani-Fatemeh Complex This is how the mosques, Hosseiniyehs, universities and cultural centers have recorded the pleasant voice of our honorable professor Mrs. Tahaie. She also had trips to other countries. For instance in a trip to Dubai, she had speeches on Islamic teachings and she was the speaker at the conference held in Pakistan on the occasion of the 1400th birth anniversary of Hadhrat Zeinab (Salamullah Alayha). On the whole, she was invited to many conferences and meetings as a thinker and speaker.
Mrs. Tahaie selected the topics of her speeches very carefully. She paid attention to the listeners’ needs and her teachings were always based on the verses of the holy Quran and the sayings of the Fourteen Infallibles (peace of Allah be upon them).
Some of the subjects of her speeches are the following: The status of women in Islam, Velayat-e-Faqih, faith and politeness (in the presence of Allah), faith and jihad, characteristics of a believing person, pure life (hayat-e-tayyebeh) and commentary on different chapters of the holy Quran like Qiyamah, Al-e-Imran, Baqarah, Nisa, An’aam, A’raaf, etc.
