A Short Biography of Ayatullah Dastaghaib Shirazi

Ayatullah Syed Abdulhussein Dastghaib (qs) Story

Syed Muhammad Hashim Dastghaib narrates that: "On the day after the 40th day of martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.) of the year 1402 H. in the morning when I went, according of the routine, to my father’s house (Ayatullah Abdulhussein Dastghaib), the office secretary came to me. After Salaam and inquiries about health etc., began to talk about the dream of one Syed lady as follows: 

Pieces of Flesh
“A respectable Syed lady who I know very well and who lives in our neighbourhood, says, “Last night I saw the late Martyr Ayatullah Syed Abdulhussein Dastghaib (qs) in my dream. He told me, ‘Some pieces of my flesh are stuck between bricks in the wall in this street (where the late Ayatullah was shot). Please recollect those pieces and join them with my body.’”

At first I did not give importance to this news. I heard the discussions of people in the office and this continued for about two hours. Thereafter I stepped out along with some of them with the intention of participating in a programme of ‘Fatihakhaani’ (recitation of Quran for gifting the divine rewards to the departed soul). Per chance, we had to pass through the aforesaid street where my father was martyred. So when we reached that fateful spot, I suddenly remembered the aforesaid dream and I told about it to my companions as it was related to me that morning and said that there was nothing wrong if we walked looking around. Then suddenly our eyes fell for the first time on that wall and all of us saw that some pieces of flesh were stuck in the gaps between bricks at a spot on that wall.

Two of our companions went forward to collect those pieces of the body of Ayatullah Dastghaib, the Martyr of the Prayer Niche and placed them in a plastic bag safely. The news of this event spread in the city like wild fire especially due to fact that the 40th day of Imam Husain’s martyrdom had just passed and there was a total holiday in Shiraz.

Double Burial
During Friday eve, in the Jame Masjid of Shiraz, as usual, and as per the tradition of the Martyr of the Prayer niche for the last several years, a Dua Kumail prayer meeting was held and a huge gathering of mourners heard the event. Then and there it was announced that: This night at ten o’clock the remaining parts of the martyred Ayatullah will be buried. So it was done and several groups of mourners continued their mourning rituals till late night in the courtyard of the shrine of Ahmed bin Musa Kazim. Finally, on the day of Arbaeen, with the fresh remembrance of the burial of the remaining part of the Holy body of Imam Husain (a.s.) the aforesaid two plastic bags containing the remaining parts of the Ayatullah’s body were brought and the contents were placed in the foot side hole dug in the grave of the great martyr.

Two Other Persons also had that Dream
In fact, this event was very wonderful and strange. On that very day when the scattered pieces of the Holy body were retrieved from the bricks of the said wall, a gentleman, who is one of the sincere persons belonging to the clergy and commands respect and reliability, told me that last night two other persons including a relative of the martyr had also seen the same dream.

After hearing this narration, this event assumed much importance in my opinion. So finally I sent a messenger to the aforesaid Syed lady and requested her to write back to us her full description of the said dream and also to mention her full name and address along with the names of her husband and other family members. So the lady conceded to my request and sent me the accurate and detailed account, which is presently before me. I seek the consent of the honourable readers to quote a few parts of the said report so that it may be preserved as a part of history and be a means of admonition and guidance for future generations.

The vision (dream) was, “I was in a big garden. Suddenly I saw Ayatullah Dastghaib walking ahead of me. I was walking behind him. This was the middle part of the garden and the Ayatullah had put on a coffee coloured cloak. He asked me, “Please go and tell the people that some particles of my flesh have been left in that wall. He repeated these words several times. So I was extremely astonished when I woke up.”

A Story More Revealing Than a Book 
You yourself may decide what truth this true dream tells. This dream is in fact a 'talking testimony' of a truth about the LIFE AFTER DEATH, which is more convincing than a whole book of admonition. The Martyr of the Prayer Niche Ayatullah Dastghaib used to mention several times that, “Death is not destruction; rather it is the door for attainment of Divine Mercy.” Surely the martyrs in the path of God are alive and they are getting provision from their Lord.

This great learned Scholar has, in his book MA'AD (The Hereafter), given detailed description of events in the world of Barzakh (Purgatory between Death and Resurrection) . In the same book he also discussed about the return of the soul to body on the Day of judgement. Definitely all these things are HAQ (truth) but this great martyr has personally announced this and proved thus by coming to the dream of believers talking about his pieces of flesh, Subhaanallah. Should we still doubt about the life after death and do not prepare fully for it?