Karbala"i Kazim
was born in a village called (Sarouq) in 1882 for a peasant family. His father"s name is (Abdul Wahhab), and his mother"s name is (Khanum). His learning the Quran returns to the time when he was still a young man.He tried to conceal this matter because he was afraid that he may loose this favor which has been given to him from Allah and became a real miracle, until he became 50 years old when his kins and friends, and all people knew that.
How could Karbala"i memorize the Holy Quran?
Once, Muhammad Kazim Karimi Sarouqi was busy in his farm, threshing corn and collecting some herb for his cattle, and the corn to one of his kins who was in need of it. In the afternoon of a day in autumn, Sarouqi was returning home to take a rest, and in the way to his home he sat on the threshold of a shrine of an imamzadeh. Two men came toward him and after salute the said:"O Muhammad Kazim! Don"t you come with us to visit this tomb and recite Fatiha on his soul?"
He answered: O sirs! I have already visited it and I was intending to return home. They said: Anyhow, it does not matter if you joined us to visit it again. Does it? Sarouqi accepted their offer and went with them inside the shrine. They visited the first then the second tomb. Sarouqi was listening to the reciting of Fatiha of the gentlemen. After a while, Sarouqi noticed some text written with light on the ceiling of the said shrine. One of those genle asked Sarouqi: Why don"t you read those words, O Muhammad?
Muhammad Sarouqi answered: But, sir, I am illiterate. I don"t know how to read. A strange young man said to Sarouqi: It is not true! You can read! Then the young man rubbed Sarouqi"s chest with his hand, and said: Read now! Sarouqi answered: I read what?.
The young man said, "Read this..." :
Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem...(then he recited the verse 54-59 of the seventh surah `al-A`raf").
When Karbala"i finished reading those verses, he returned to his place and noticed that the gentlemen have disappeared, and that he is alone in that shrine, and the light writing could not be seen any more.
Karbala"i then passed out because of that scene. When he returned to his first state, he noticed that he is repeating some words as if they are coming out from the depth of his heart. Those words were Quranic! Karbala"i became very astonished, and hurried to the `alim of the masjid near his home (whose name was Sabir) and informed him about that. The `Alim examined him and found that Karbala"i can recite the whole Quran, and then he told the people that Allah"s favor has been bestowed upon this poor man. Immediately the people rushed into the masjid and tore Karbala"i"s clothes and each one took a piece of that garment as a bless and a memorial. Gradually, Karbala"i"s news spread all over the country.
The certificate of `Ulama and scholars on Karbala"i"s knowledge
1- A hand-writing certificate of the late Ayatullah haj Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani:
When Sayyid (Ghallah Zari) knew about Karbala"i"s arrival in Karbala in Ayatullah Milani"s home, he sent a letter to Milani asking him to show his opinion on Karbala"i and his being able to recite the whole Quran. Ayatullah Milani answered him as follows:
In the Name of Allah
I met Karbala"i many times in Najaf Ashraf and Karbala in the presence of many people and learned persons who examined him through many ways, and they reached this fact that Karbala"i has good knowledge about Quran and he is indeed a miracle of Allah. No one here who has met Karbala"i doubts his knowledge or intellectual power and memory.
2- `Allamah Amini (author of al-Ghadir):
Karbala"i also visited `Allamah Ayatullah Amini. The latter asked him: O Karbala"i! How many times has the word (Reba) -usury- been repeated in the Holy Quran, and in which surahs?
Karbala"i answered: It has been mentioned for seven times; five of them in the second surah "al-Baqarah", the other one in "Aal `Imran"(130), and the last one is in surah "al-Nisa"" (161).
3- The late Ayatullah haj Sayyid Abdullah Shirazi:
Karbala"i arrived Malayir (in Kermanshah) according to the invitation of the late Shaykh Abbas Ali Islami (the head of Jami`ah Ta`limat Islami). He was welcomed by many people who continuously examined him. After that he was invited to the house of the late Ayatullah haj Sayyid Abdullah Shirazi in Najaf Ashraf where he stayed for about two months. During that, Shrazi introduced him to many scholars, preachers, and theologians. Once, when Karbala"i was in Ayatullah Shirazi"s home, he could find an error in the well-known book called "Mughni al-Labib".
It is worthy to mention here that scholars have been studying the said book for many centuries, but no one could notice that error at all. The error was in the typing of a verse from the Holy Quran; instead of the Arabic letter (waw) the letter (fa") has been put instead.
4- Meeting the `ulama in Najaf, Karbala, and Kazimiyah:
Karbala"i Kazim travelled many times to Karbala and Najaf, and lots of events have been conveyed about these trips.
His first trip lasted about 4 months, during that he took residence in the house of Ayatollah Shahroudi, Allamah Muhammad Husayn Kashiful Ghitaa", Ayatollah Muhsin Hakeem, Ayatollah Murtadha Sadrul `Ulama Tehrani, Ayatollah, Shaykh Nasrullah Khalkhali (the representative of Ayatollah Uzma Boroujerdi), Ayatollah Shaykh Husayn Wahid Khuraasaani, and many other `alims and eminent personalities. Karbala"i Kazim has been then examined by those characters.
Karbala"i Kazim had also visited Ayatollah Dhia"ul Din Twesirkani, and Haj Abdul Hadi Shirazi. After that, he travelled to Kuwait accompanied with well- known `alims since he was invited by Haj Shaykh Ali Khan Kuwaiti. There, he met the prince of Kuwait and some other important personalities.
5- Karbala"i meets some eminent scholars in Qom:
Karbala"i Kazim had visited Qom manytimes, and could meet a lot of scholars and religious authorities. It is said that almost everybody saw Karbala"i and heard about his talents and the blessing of Allah upon him. Karbala"i Kazim spent good times in Qom and was very comfortable there. He spent most of his
times in the Madrasah Fayziyyah, and he was being invited every night by one of the students there. Many questions were delivered to him and he could answer them all. Some of the attendants were asking him, for example, the surahs that have more of the letter (M) or (QAF) than other surahs, others asked him about the names of the surahs of the Holy Quran. Karbala"i Kazim was answering those questions very quickly that many of the askers could not have enough time to write down his answers,so, many answers were not written.
Some of those whom Karbala"i Kazim has met were Sayyid Ahmad Zanjani, Ayatollah Sayyid Shihabud Din Mar`ashi Najafi, Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat Kouhka-mar"i, the late Sayyid Sadrid Din, Ayatollah Sayyid Husayn Boroujerdi Taba-taba"i. Many stories and tales were told about those meetings. The late Ayatollah Zanjani once had described Karbala"i as (a mobile index of the Holy Quran), and Ayatollah Sadr was saying: What kind of deeds did this farmer do that Allah granted him all that bliss?
6- Karbala"i Kazim with the late Ayatullah Boroujerdi:
In 1951, Sayyid Isma"ieel `Alawi brought Karbala"i Kazim from Malaayir (or Twiserkaan) to Qom, to the house of Ayatullah Boroujerdi, after that, Kar-bala"i became famous. Many stories and tales were made about the meeting held between Karbala"i and Ayatullah Boroujerdi. Here, we relate on of those tales narrated by Karbala"i himself to Sayyid (Ghallah Zari):
Karbala"i was narrating this tale with his rural accent. He said: I was reciting the Holy Qur"an with low voice in the Sayyid"s house. I noticed that all those who were there, forgot what they came for. I said: Why you are sitting workless like that? At least recite some verses of the Holy Qur"an until Sayyid comes. They made themselves heedless. Then they asked me: How could you memorize all those verses? "I didn"t; it is Allah"s bliss." Said I. They asked me again: Then you are Karbala"i? "Yes!" I said, so they ran to the Sayyid and told him about me. After a while, Sayyid came and welcomed me, then he opened the holy Qur"an and aksed me to complete a verse (Anfaal: 7) he has chosen. I completed the rest of the verse, then I said: Sayyid! it seems that you have forgot to read the verse completely; you didn"t recite the letter (waw)! He smiled, but the attendants became very angry and said: Sayyid had recited the verse correctly! I said: Then, take the Qur"an and see whether I am saying the truth or not. Go ahead!
They brought the Holy Qur"an and began searching the said verse, but they couldn"t find it. I took the Holy Qur`an and found the verse for them.
All of them knew that I was right. Sayyid requested me to recite many other verses, and I did. I was telling him the surah wherein the verses are exis-ted. At last, the Sayyid spoke to: Come Karbala"i! let me shake hands with you. Then said: O Sayyid! you have asked me alot of questions, and I have answered all of them. Now, it is my time to ask you some questions! He said:
Ask as you may wish! The attendants laughed. Tell the name of the surah in which seven Arabic letters have not been mentioned. The Sayyid thought for a while, then he said: I don"t know. You tell me!!
I said: It is the surah of Fatiha! Those letters refer to the ranks of the Hell, and because surah of Fatiha is a surah that holds the meanings of mercy and clemency, it did not contain these letter. The seven letters are:
½ , Í , y , q , g , U , Q
Then Karbala"i began to recite the Qur"anic words that begin with one of these letters.
Karbala"i added: AyatuLlah Boroujerdi asked some of his students to give him a paper and some ink and began to write these words, and ordered the others to write them too. Then he gave me (100) tomans as a gift... After that I bid farewell to him and came out.
The most interesting matter was that when Karbala"i told Boroujerdi that he had forgotten to read the letter (waw) in the beginning of the verse, while it is said that he was very careful in reading even the full stop.
It is said that the rough manner of the attendants against Karbala"i was only a test planned by Ayatullah Boroujerdi himself.
