Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha
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Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha (Persian: شاه مقصود صادق عنقا), also referred to as Professor Angha by his students, was the forty-first consecutive master of the Oveyssi school of Islamic Sufism. The present master of the Oveyssi order, Nader Angha has written about his predecessor and father:
"His teaching marked the advent of a new era in the history of Sufism. The truth of Islam was to be made world-known (and he) gave me the responsibility to propagate this message to humanity."
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[edit] Who was this teacher who proved to be such an influence on the evolution of Sufism?
Born in Tehran on February 4, 1916, Professor Angha, from an early age, was surrounded by the teachings and wisdom of Sufism, as both his father and his grand-father were Sufi masters of the school. When Professor Angha became the Sufi master on September 22, 1962 (as designated by his father), he was well prepared for the responsibilities. During the preceding 30 years, he had been rigorously trained by his father, who encouraged his son to cultivate his very considerable intelligence in many disciplines, including: philosophy, theology, poetry, mathematics, physics, astronomy, and alchemy.
Due to Hazrat Shah Maghsoud’s experience in many fields and voluminous writings, Sufism became accessible to the seekers around the world. Therefore, the school is now known as Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi.
Like his father and his father before him had done, on September 4, 1970, Professor Angha formally designated his son Hazrat Pir, Molana Salaheddin Ali Nader Shah Angha, the forty-second Sufi master of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi, to be his successor both in writing and in front of hundreds of witnesses.
Hazrat Pir's mother, Mah-Talat Etemad Moghadam, writes the following about her son in her book "From The Prophet Mohammad To The Great Sufi Mir Ghotbeddin Mohammad", which traces the unbroken succession of the Sufi masters in the Oveyssi Order:
In the year one thousand, three hundred and forty-nine S.H. [September 4, 1970], in one of the guiding sessions held in the presence of Hazrat Shah Maghsoud, with the attendance of a great number of devotees; and with the confirmation of Benevolent Allah, he was blessed by receiving the Robe of Faqr from the hand of his father. Hazrat Shah Maghsoud, with a speech, handed over his Robe to him.
From the date of his appointment by the hand of his beloved father, Hazrat Pir assumed his responsibilities in carrying on the duties entrusted to him, which included the design and supervision of the construction of the magnificent Sufi Center in Sufi-Abad of Karaj (close to Tehran).
Professor Angha passed away on November 17, 1980, but not before leaving a wealth of knowledge and teaching about his life's dedication and work.
[edit] Professor Angha, Author
During his life, Professor Angha produced well over 150 books, treaties, essays, and other works on Sufism in prose and verse, conveyed through different disciplines. Among them are:
- Manifestations of Thought (Padideh-haa ye Fekr)
- Love Songs (Ghazaliat)
- The Mystery of Humanity (Raaz-e Bashariyyat)
- The Treatise (Al-Rasa'el)
- Dawn (Sahar)
- The Traditional Medicine of Iran (Tebb-e Sonnati-e Iran)
- The Mantle's Lineage (Seyr-e Khergheh)
- The Hidden Angles of Life (Zavaayaa-ye Makhfi-e Hayaati)
- The Stations of the Seeker and the Ascent of Nader (Sayr-ol Sa'er va Tayr-ol Nader)
- Message from the Soul (Payam-e Del)
- Nirvan
- Psalms of the Gods (Aavaaz-e Khodaayaan)
- Chanteh - the Gnostic's Cosmos (Chanteh - Jahaan-e Aaref)
- Theory of Particle Structures (Teorey-e Zarreh)
- Weights and Balances (Owzan va Mizan)
- Purification and Enlightenment of Hearts (Tat'heer va Tanveer al-Gholoob)
- Principles of Faghr and Sufism (Osool-e Faghr va Tasavvof)
- The Light of Salvation (Seraaj ol-Hoda)
- The States of Enlightenment (Maghaased ol-Ershaad)
- Love and Fate (Eshgh va Sar-Nevesht)
- Alchemy (Kimiya)
- Witness and the Witnessed (Shahed-o Mashhood)
- The Epic of Life (Hamaseh-ye Hayaat)
- Psalms of Truth (Mazamir-e Hagh)
- Nader's Treasure (Ganjineh-ye Nader) *Being compiled
and so on.
In 1976, a Japanese biologist interviewed Professor Angha and the result of the interaction was published as Dawn, which is an excellent introduction not only to the thought of Professor Angha, but also the teachings of Sufism as a whole. In this interview, Professor Angha formulated the idea that remains central to his son's thinking about how real world peace can be achieved:
"Principles that are used in limitation are not the means for the discovery of the infninite."
[edit] The Shah Maghsoud Memorial Building (Banaa-ye Yaad-Bood)
Sufism as taught by Professor Angha is both the art and science of applying metaphysical principles in the physical world. An example of this is his shrine near Novato, California, which was designed by Hazrat Pir as a memorial to his father. When the dimensions of the building are converted according to the science of letters and numbers (jafr), the name of his father is obtained
Taking nearly two decades to complete, the roof structure directs its angle into a pointed summit, representing the unification of the individual with God; which signifies that God can be known in the heavens- which in Sufism represents the heart; the pure elevated state of the person.
In addition to the design of the building, there are the following details- carved and painted stucco with mirror inserts, mosaic tiles with gold, tile and mirror inlays, calligraphy, and jet-black marble floors.
[edit] External links
- M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi (School of Islamic Sufism)® Official Website
- Islamic Sufism Genealogy NOVEMBER 2004, Tehran University Publications
