Abu Tarabi Fard, Seyyed Ali Akbar

Iranian sheikh and prisoner, nicknamed Seyyed e Azadegan.

Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Tarabifard was born on November 23, 1318 in the city of Qom. His father was Ayatollah Seyyed Abbas Abu Tarabifard, the son of Seyyed Abu Tarab Mujtahid, the author of a scholarly treatise and one of the authorities of Qazvin tradition and the key holder of Astan Imamzadeh Hossein Qazvin. His mother was the daughter of Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Baqer Alavi Qazvini, one of the taqlid authorities invited by Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri, the founder of the Qom seminary or theological college.

Seyyed Ali Akbar was in Qom until the fifth grade and ended the sixth grade in Massoud School in Qazvin. In 1333, as Din & Danesh high school was founded by Ayatollah Dr. Beheshti in Qom, he started the intermediate education there and he continued it in Hakim Nizami High School whence he obtained a diploma in mathematics.

At the end of his secondary education, he was faced with suggestions made by friends and relatives such as continuing his studies at a pilot school or being sent to Germany , but his father`s implicit disapproval of those suggestions and his ceaseless urging upon his son to get acquainted with the fundamentals of Arabic literature and Islamic sciences altered the future plans pertaining to his friends` suggestions and put him on a totally different path in life.

Seyyed Ali Akbar went to Mashhad in the spring of 1340 and learned the basics of seminary sciences under the supervision of Haj Sheikh Ali Akbar Elahi Khorasani and especially under the supervision of Haj Sheikh Mojtabi Qazvini. He studied in Mashhad in Nawab's school until 1342, and after that, he went to Qom. He learned the description of Lamea, Makasab, Rasail and Kefayeh under the supervision of Sheikh Ali Panah Eshtredi, Seyyed Ali Langroudi, Sheikh Ali Meshkini and Hossein Vahid Khorasani. His arrival in Qom coincided with the tensions and conflicts of the spring 1342. He, who had previously heard words about the political activities of devotees of Islam and its supporters and opponents, got the opportunity to see the political struggle of a religious figure in the attitude of Imam Khomeini. When he saw him on one of the early days of 1342, he was going to Faiziyah school with several companions and despite the government's order, he intended to mourn for the martyrs of Faiziyah school:

"Hazrat Imam was moving towards Faiziyah with that strong and unbreakable will. When we got within a hundred meters of the troops, they all took guard. When we reached about fifty meters from them, they poised the guns at ready. When we reached maybe thirty meters, the front line and second line troops knelt down and took aim at the command of their commander If they were commanded to open fire, none of us including Imam would survive.

But Hazrat Imam stood his ground and continued on his way with the same nonchalance he used to go towards Faiziya.

We almost reached a distance of less than eight meters when the commander ordered the troops not to shoot and to open a corridor. This event had a deep impact on Abu Tarabifard and made him a votary of Imam Khomeini. This issue made him decide to continue his studies in Najaf during his exile to Turkey and then Iraq. Seyyed Ali Akbar completed the basic education in Najaf under the supervision of Ayatollah Mirza Ali Agha Gharavi Tabrizi and also attended his Kharej jurisprudence class. He benefited from Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani's course on jurisprudence and principles during his stay in Najaf and had a close relationship with him. Imam Khomeini was another Marja e taqlid living in Najaf, whose classes Abu Tarabifard used to attend. In addition, Abu Tarabifard was in Najaf with some students of the great mystic Seyyed Ali Ghazi and benefited from his divine teachings.

Abu Tarabifard in his first journey to Iran, got married to Haj Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh (Sadighi)’s daughter, Haj Mohammad Sadiq Yazdi’ granddaughter.

In 1349, while he was trying to transfer some of the proclamations of Imam Khomeini on the occasion of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Mohammadreza Saidi, was arrested by Savak agency and He was sentenced to 6 months of disciplinary imprisonment. This precluded him from going back to Najaf again.

Abud Tarabifard met Seyyed Ali Andarzgou after was released from prison. Andarzgou was a fighting clergy man involved in assassination of Hassanali Mansour. After assassination, for years he provided financial and arms to groups opposing the regime secretly and using different IDs.

After SAVAK's big blow on the People's Mojahedin Organization in 1350 and the change of ideology of this organization to Marxism in 1354, Andrezgo was included in the list of people wanted by SAVAK and purged people of Mojahedin and was placed under constant surveillance. In such a situation, Abu Tarabifard played the role of mediator between Andarzogo and his financiers and attracted Muslim forces separated from the Mujahideen. This relationship continued until the martyrdom of Andrezgo in Shahrivar 1357. Financial support for fighters and political prisoners, travel to Palestine and Lebanon, close contact with members of Islamic militant groups such as Mutalfa and militant scholars, and meeting exiles are some of Abu Tarabifard's activities before the victory of the Islamic Revolution. In 1356, when Ayatollah Khamenei was in exile in Iranshahr, his father and uncle, Seyyed Ali Asghar Alavi, visited him and were the guests of Imam and other fighters for two days.

With the victory of Islamic Revolution Abu Tarabifard filled different positions such as Protection of historical group of Saad Abad to Qazvin Relief center and Revolution Committee. He got the most votes in the first round of council elections in Qazvin and became the head of city council. During his tenure Abu Tarabifard placed solving problems of all classes of people as well as trying to attract everybody regardless of their attitude or way of thinking atop the official agenda. He went to the frontline in the first days of war: “When I realized Dr. Chamran had gone to the battle as a representative of the leader of the revolution and was the commander of guerilla battles, I took a crash military course in the middle of Mehr 1359 and went there as early as possible.

Among the operations in which Abu Tarabifard participated in the Guerilla Battles Headquarters,are the reconnaissance and recapture of Dob Hardan village, the failure of the siege of Sosangard, and the clearing of Allah Akbar hills from Baathist enemies. The last operation undertaken by Abu Tarabifard in the Guerilla Battles Headquarters was to reconnoiter the sand hills with a view to liberating the city of Bostan. In this operation, the enemy identified Abu Tarabi Fard and two of his comrades and trapped , and thus their captivity began. The forces who witnessed the fight and pursuit and escape of Abu Tarabifard from behind thought that he had died a martyr. Dr. Chamran speaking to Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi over the phone remarked: "In the situation where he was boxed in under mortar attack, most probably he had died a martyr. " Two weeks after this incident, Dr. Chamran announced the news of his martyrdom in an article in Kihan newspaper. Dr. Chamran, the commander of the Guerilla Battles wrote in his article about the bravery of Abu Tarabifard in the Kayhan newspaper on Tuesday, January 9, 1359 , thus :

"I testify that Sayyed Ali Akbar Abu Tarabifard fought with every last ounce of his strength for the sake of God, Islam, the triumph of Islamic revolution and defeat of Islam`s foes until he went to glory. I testify that he was the first to have entered the famous Deb Hardan, along with a guerilla division. They fought gallantly and forced the enemies to retreat.”

In the first days after his captivity, Abu Tarabifard spent difficult and terrible moments. The Baathist forces resorted to painful tortures to get a confession from him and took him to the gallows several times just to demoralize him. After a few days, he was transferred to the Ministry of Defense prison in Baghdad. At this time, the Iranian media announced the news of Abu Tarabifard's martyrdom, and this caused him to be identified by the enemy forces: "They took me to the prison located in the palms grove. I was ready to embrace death. They were determined to kill me. Therefore, they separated me from the rest of prisoners at the Ministry of Defense and took me to a military barracks where there was not a single Iranian prisoner. I felt that I had got to the end of the rope. The name of Abu Tarabifard was registered with the number 2414 in the Red Cross list and transferred to Al-Anbar camp sometime at the end of fall. From the beginning of his captivity till the final days, Abu Tarabifard attached immense importance to the preservation of body` and mind`s health and regarded it as a precept to live by. In fact, he persuaded the other Iranian captives to follow suit, and also, dissuaded them to do things that could increase their tensions. He stated

“You are to keep yourselves and others physically and psychologically as far preserved as possible once the war is over. And that will not happen unless you know how to deal with various situations.”

Abu Tarabifard was transferred to Mousel 1 camp on 21 April, 1982. This camp was going through difficult conditions at the time of his arrival. The officials of the camp forced the prisoners to make cement blocks for them, but the prisoners refused to do so and went on a strike, thinking that the construction of cement blocks would strengthen the enemy's forces. In order to break their strike, the Iraqi forces had put various restrictions on their agenda, such as reducing food rations, reducing air time, and corporal punishment. This situation was made even more critical as a rift was developing amidst captives.

When Abu Tarabifard arrived at Mosel 1 after realizing the situation, he tried to stop the strike: “in the captivity we are all like the runners who should get to the end together. If someone falls behind and runs short of breath, you can’t say you leave him. If he is unable to keep up, it will be your fault. You should not stand against each other. These cement blocks are going to be used for construction and helping them do so is not supporting oppression. We can work, and simultaneously, propagandize against them.”

After the strike was broken, solidarity among the prisoners was prioritized. To this end, AbuTarabifard took certain initiatives such as persuading other captives of his own sanatorium to find the Iranian captives of another sanatorium and have lunch and other meals together. While Abu Tarabifard's strategy was effective in maintaining peace and mental and physical health among the Iranian prisoners and kept them away from the tortures of the enemy, his revolutionary spirit and individual courage gave hope to captives and ruled out any kind of humiliation and submission. In the same camp, at the same time as the Zionist regime's campaign in Lebanon, he wrote a really harsh letter condemning that regime and following the Imam of the Ummah, and asked his inmates to attach a copy to the top of their letters and deliver it to the representatives of the Red Cross to send to Iran. In this letter it was stated: "... Lord, we are looking forward to driving out the criminal Israel from all Muslim lands under the leadership of God's spirit and showing the greatness of Muslims to the world and winning victory for the authority and pride of the flag of God, and may God punish the transgressors severely! In this regard, all of us here are loyal and adhere to the decisions of the Imam and the government, and we are ready to be martyrs at any moment, and we also ask you to listen to the orders of the Imam and the government as firmly and unitedly as possible.

Although Abu Tarabifard on return to Mousel 1 had an efficient part, after three months, he was sent to Ministry of Defense prison in Baghdad because of one negative report from an Iraqi officer. An incident that Haj Mohammad, the Iraqi commander of the Mosul 1 camp, was not happy with either. His transfer to Mosel 1 and also officers’ misbehavior such as torture and punishment, caused protests in the camp. The protests that led to tension and conflict on the 4th of August 1982 led to the martyrdom of two prisoners named Mohammad Suri and Amir Bamirizadeh.

After two months of incarceration in the prison of the Ministry of Defense, on 22 Shahrivar 1361, he was transferred to the Mosul 3 camp, and with the help of other prisoners, he prepared a set of programs to create an orderly organization that would ensure the health of the souls and bodies of the prisoners. He continued to emphasize the adoption of a mild and moderate policy with the Iraqi forces and warned other prisoners against provocative behavior. Holding different classes and performing various sports activities were some of the issues always approved of and encouraged by Abu Tarabifard. He was in charge of teaching Quranic knowledge and Nahj al-Balagha and also participated in the English language class. He knew the actions of the prisoners who tried to organize sports activities in the camp were of far greater importance than even his night prayer. These issues created a healthy environment in the camp and surprised the observers of the Red Cross. Because unlike the prisoners of war of other countries, few Iranian prisoners suffered from severe mental problems.

During his entire captivity AbuTarabifard was transferred to quite a few camps, and all along with his proverbial perseverance and endurance he tried to make the captivity conditions more favorable and less tense for them. Mousel 2, old Mousel 4, Ramadi 7, Tekrit 5, 17, and 18 were some of the camps where he had spent parts of his captivity. These transfers did not happen due to Abu Tarabifard`s intention or the favor of Iraqi commanders. Apparently, God had predestined the Iraqi captives to be in close touch with Abu Tarabifard, even though it was likely to provoke the Iraqis as to persecute and torture them.

With the prolongation of the war, Abu Tarabifard's emphasis was placed on maintaining the morale of the captives and gentleness towards those who were tired of the conditions: "By no means should we be hard on the Weak or Weak-minded. We should serve them wholeheartedly, help them and hold their hands and give them hope and make them optimistic about the future with our actions. We should love these people with our heart and soul.

" This statement was more effective when the captives found him to be the first agent of his words

; They used to see him sitting next to Hossein Ahmadpour, a prisoner suffering from cancer, and talking with him and mourning for him like a father, or 25-year-old Zulfikar, who committed suicide in one of the solitary cells of the Mosul 1 camp at the height of despair . Abu Tarabifard. plunges into great sadness and blamed his other companions who were not mourning for him properly.

With the end of the war and the softening of the behavior of the Iraqi forces towards the prisoners, there were glimmers of hope for freedom among them. In this situation, the news of Imam Khomeini’s death was a huge shock to the prisoners. Abu Tarabifard though saddened by that news with some speech tried to reduce the sadness of this incident for his companions: “Emam told us: I will never forget you, my children. He knew he would never see you again. He ordered others to look at them with the same eyes as I did.” In the absence of the Imam, Abu Tarabifard gave hope to the captives by expressing his recognition, trust and loyalty to Ayatollah Khamenei, the successor of the Imam.

In the summer of 1369, the negotiations for the exchange of prisoners between the two countries were concluded and the conditions for the release of the prisoners were provided. Thus, Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Tarabi Fard entered Iran on 24 Shahrivar 1369 and was widely welcomed by the people and officials. Shortly after returning to the country, he was appointed to the position of valy faghih representative in the affairs of the liberated men and took great steps to ensure their livelihood, health and education. He also participated in the fourth and fifth elections of the Islamic Council and was elected as a representative by the people of Tehran. During the ten-year period after the liberation and by holding social, political, economic and cultural responsibilities, Abu Torabifard tried to present a healthy and ascetic attitude towards the wealth and power resulting from these matters to the society and to have the most direct contact with the people and different classes. and dedicated himself to the sufferings of the needy with the central slogan "Be pure and serve".

Abu Torabifard engaged in cultural, religious and sports activities and considered them effective in the path of personal excellence in addition to his representative and executive liabilities. He also planned to waik from Tehran to Mashhad, based on his experience of wayfaring from Najaf to Karbala during his stay in Iraq- on the anniversary of Azadegan's arrival in the country, and sure enough he kept his promise; A program that was well received by Liberated Captives(LC) and repeated every year until the last year of his life.

Eventually, on 12 Khordad 1379, Abu Torabifard, who was planning to visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza (a.s.), along with his honorable father, died in a car accident. The announcement of his death caused grief to many of his compatriots, fellow citizens and comrades. A grand funeral ceremony was held for him in Tehran and Qazvin, and finally the body of this indefatigable father and son was buried in the shrine of Imam Reza (AS). In his condolence message on the occasion of the death of the Departed, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: "... after years of being in the difficult battle fields with the oppressive regime and after bravely participating in the scenes of imposed war, long years of hardship of captivity in the hands of the ruthless enemy he tasted humiliation and started a more difficult struggle than in the past in the camps where he shone like the sun in the hearts of the oppressed prisoners and showed them the goal and the way like a bright star and rained hope and faith on them like a generous cloud. ..."

See also

• Clergy
• Biography of Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi Fard
• The political arenas of Seyyed Azadegan's life
• Seyyed Azadegan's captivity
• Sports and Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Tarabi Fard
• Seyyed Azadegan's actions and political positions

To read more

Rostami Nasab, Abbas Ali (1380). History is right. What is the second Kerman: Shahid Bahonar University.

External link

• "Be pure and serve" documentary on the life of Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi from Radio Farhang. Retrievable from http://radiofarhang.ir/NewsDetails/?m=0691387&n=1203651
• Imam Khomeini's portal. A review of the biography and free activities of Sarfraz Hojjat-ul-Islam and Muslimeen Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi Fard. Retrievable from http://www.imam-khomeini.ir/fa/n147587/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AF_%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF %D8%A7%D9%86