Everlasting Letters, Testament as a Writing Frame Work

In investigating literary events the historical and social subjects have great importance. It is why in the discussions of the theories of literature; the subjects of sociology of literature and historical literature are of great importance. The concept of the genre in theory of the genres, in different periods and after the advent of important events and characters, changes. The war phenomenon in the present century had a great effect on the intellectual thinking and as a result on the literary events. This phenomenon has to be investigated and recognized in the literary modifications. One of the literary genres that have in the present century rebirth in the present century is the framework of testament. Testament has not yet been introduced in the Persian literature and in the book of literary genres as an independent genre or framework, while this framework has been used thousands of times during the 8 years of holy defense war and had an important role in encouraging the youths to continue the war and to internalize the ideals of the Islamic Revolution. In the present research by investigating over two thousand testaments and the writings of the soldiers and warriors it is concluded that testament has been introduced as an independent literary genre. It is a framework which is not categorized under any group and it has a special and definable structure. Studying the structure of testament and studying its internal and external structure of this kind of framework which forms another part of the present project.

News ID: ۲۳۳۶۵۵

جمعه - ۰۵ فروردين ۲۰۱۰ / 2010 05 January

Abstract:
One of the genres to which there has not been much attention in the Persian language and literature is the genre of testament; it has neither been investigated when other genres had been investigated.
Possibly testament is due to its kind and the reasons of its naming categorized under the heading of the letters (and most possibly it has been considered as an official type of letters). The borders and the characteristics of this kind of writing has not been specified or determined in literary works. This is while a lot of valuable testaments have been left from the great men of science and literature as well as politics and . . . . Therefore it is worth identifying like any other works of these great men. In the Arab literature this kind of writing is categorized and identified separately under the heading of “Testaments”? and there are books written on this subject matter. There are some cases in which great and famous books have dedicated a chapter to this subject such as what has been stated in the real and truthful speeches of the chieftain of the Pure, Imam Ali (A. S.), i. e. Nahj- Ol – Balagha or there are some other advices by Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) collected as “Testament of Prophet Mohammad (S. A.)”?.
It should be mentioned that the definition of the Arab literary men might not be in accordance with that of Persian literature. In the Arab literary tradition the oral kind of this genre has also been considered. Following the Arab literature some books on the collection of testaments and the great men’s advices as well as the testaments of these men have been written such as “Testament of Prophet Mohammad (S. A.)”? and “Al – Aemeh Rasouli Mahallati”? and “The Treasure of Testaments by Saied Mohammad Nahvi”? and . . . . . . .
This genre has not been paid attention to or identified in the Persian literary collections of the past and it has not been accredited with special identity and structure; it has not also been mentioned anywhere in books. As a sub – category of other main genres it has been referred to very superficially while there are a lot of testaments in Persian literature that are worthy of paying attention to from scientific, literary, social, political and idealistic as well as . . . . . . points of view.
It can be said that our ancestors’ definition of testament varies from that of us. Contemporary testaments are different with the oral advices that used to be given before one’s death. During the course of there have been a lot of different kinds of testaments in different shapes – including poetry and prose. Therefore it is valuable if we consider testament as an independent kind and even more than a genre it has to be identified and introduced as an independent genre which has its own sub – categories.
Some of the reasons which can be accounted for why the literary men paid less attention to this kind of writing:
1. May be the most important reason for the testament not to be accounted as a literary genre or as a written genre is that most of the writers of testament are not familiar with its real meaning and they did not mean to create a literary work when they wanted to write a testament.
2. In the past the testament was oral and very scarcely they have been written down and it was done on the part of great men of science, literature as well as on the part of the wealthy men.
3. In the past only the materialistic aspect of the testaments were the subject of attention and this might be the reason why it pays little attention to the internal and content structures.
4. This type of writing is used by everyone just one time in his or her life and using it once and forever makes that genre very limited.
5. May be using this kind of writing once in one’s life has been the reason for the fact that no body tried a hand at it; thus they did not considered the identification and setting its elements a must and in this way the internal and external structure of this genre has not been subject to meticulous analysis and investigation on the part of the literary scientists.
6. These writings have private and personal aspects and in many cases the addresses of this writings are not a multitude of people.

Of course there might be some other reasons for not acknowledging the testaments as an independent genre but there are a lot of other reasons for which we might ask the literary scientists to revitalize testament as an independent genre. Before mentioning these reasons it is necessary to remember some points about the importance of understanding its nature but one has to bear in mind that by testament we mean the testament of the martyrs died during the 8 years of the imposed war.
Since the phenomenon of war and the proliferation of writing testaments as well as the martyrdom of many of the warriors and fighters in the contemporary world have got basic roles in the creation and propagation of this genre it is valuable and worthy to take a new point of view about this genre which is one of the cultural results of the war while one has to have the matter of time as an important element in the formation of the different kinds of literary genre. It is even advisable to talk and to think more about the independence and phenomenology of this genre.
The late Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) says about the effectiveness of these testaments”?. . . . . . These testaments shake human beings and they awake them”?. (Rajabi, 1380, 223). He also says, somewhere else, that: “Study the testaments of these dear men. They are equal to 50 years of praying. I hope God accepts and you could find one of these testaments and study it and think about it. It is very good if one takes advantage of them”? (The Foundation of Martyrs and Veteran’s Affairs Organization, Kurdistan Branch, 1380, introduction). Having what has so far been told in mind one has to ask which one of the genres have remained strong and powerful in transmitting their messages. Is the writer of a testament equal with a usual writer?
Martyr Chamran says about testament: A person who writes a testament is not a simple man; they have passed the greatest scientific positions and experienced the sweet and harsh sides of the world; they have been overwhelmed with the most beautiful and the tersest kinds of love; they have been using the pleasures of the life tree. They have taken the advantage of whatever is beautiful and whatever is lovely; they have taken everything for granted for the sake of a sacred and holy aim while they have had everything and accepted the torturing and tearing life of martyrdom (Rajabi, 1380, 160).
During the course of history there have been a lot of testaments written by the great men of religion and culture which have emphasized the ideological and thinking aspects of the owner of the testament and they have been left as memories for the people who are interested in them. The testaments of the martyrs during the imposed war might also be considered among these types of testament. In fact the testaments of the martyrs during the 8 years of the holy defense war are each a special kind of testament. Although there are some similarities between the testaments of the martyrs and those of the great men but still due to the commonality of writing testaments and the internal structure of this type of writing it can be regarded as a special genre because these testaments are masterpieces of epics and generosity that have been written down in a new way or with a special intention; they have had an unavoidable role in the continuation of the war and in encouraging of the youths to continue fighting and to remain loyal to the goals of the martyrs.
During the 8 years of the holy defense war this special genre was intensely paid attention to. The warriors did write their testaments immediately after going to the war fronts with the intention of martyrdom. Sometimes with the start of each operation they wrote a special testament and so far as these testaments have had a special religious and idealistic side, the fighters were making use of this genre to emphasize their ideals and beliefs as well as to express them in a spiritual way. This is why there are some testaments left after the martyrdom of the martyr and these great martyrs used to write separate testaments for their friends, family members and the Iranian people.
The testaments of the warriors of Islam are masterpieces of writing. In some parts of this deep sea of meaning there are some parts in which we come close to the lyric literature. It is where the martyr is speaking about his love to the everlasting beloved i . e. God and Imam Hussein as well as his love of martyrdom and Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.); we have some very valuable examples of the lyric literature in these cases and on one part they show some aspects of heroic literature in writing. Where a warrior and a fighter who fights for the sake of God writes about faith and his attachment to his goals and thereby addresses the enemy in a condescending way and calls on him for an everlasting war his writing is full of brevity and heroism. Teaching Literature has also a special position in this sea of meaning. In addition to the above – mentioned parts the testament is full of insights, teaching points, education and calling upon people to set Imam Hussein as their paradigms to follow; it is also full of advising people to avoid sin and to follow the decrees of God. In what comes later, while emphasizing some cases mentioned above, we add the following reasons why testament should be officially acknowledge.
1. Nowadays the testaments are written in a new way and different from the past centuries. In fact this literary genre has had some changes during the course of the history and the title of "testament" or "testaments" of the predecessors are different from those of the present century due to their formal and internal as well as meaning similarities. In the past testament were mostly stated orally and in few cases they were written down. But today it is only the written form that is regarded as official and common. During the holy defense war the martyrs wrote their testaments officially and during the attacks it was normal to distribute the testament papers and those who were not literate used to write their testaments with the help of the other warriors (The Foundation of Martyrs and Veteran’s Affairs Organization, Kurdistan Branch, 1380, 10). Of course the martyrs had oral testaments but it is not the right place to talk about this.
2. In order to write a work the existence of a writer – in its normal definition – is not necessary. In so far as testament in this article means the testaments of the martyrs we have to admit that may be all .
3. The warriors tried to encourage people to continue the war by stating their views and addressing people. When the effectiveness aspect of a written text is so much cared for it is a must to consider it as a kind of writing having a special aim for in this case it is not like a haphazard and aimless program.
4. The warriors at the time of writing their testaments have had the internal and external structures in mind. This has been based on the unconsciousness of the martyrs as well as on the basis of studying the testaments of the other martyrs. The structure of this genre was instilled in the minds and hearts of the martyrs and warriors and they have been at work while the martyrs were writing their testaments. In many cases the testaments have had external frameworks. Nowadays the booklet of the testaments is available in the press and compilation markets for the use of the commons.
5. The testaments like other forms of writings have a definable characteristic; in a way that the elements of testaments can be explained and distinguish them from one another and compare them with the other testaments.
6. If the number of the users of a work is considered for a work to be officially acknowledged and to be considered as a genre then the testaments of the martyrs of the holy defense war is too great from the point of view of quantity. The number of the testaments written is equal to the number of the martyrs killed in the holy defense war and as it was aforementioned some martyrs have more than one testament. This is while some literary kinds that are now considered as an independent genre in some books are not equal in numbers with the number of the written testaments during the years of the holy defense war.
7. Writing these testaments for once and using them for once can not be the reason for taking them for granted. There are many everlasting Persian literary works that have been used once by their creators such as the pilgrimage of Naser Khosrow.
8. Testament is an official and valid document and when a written document is valid formally and legally why should it not be considered seriously by the literary men and writers?
9. The testaments of the martyrs have a definable internal and external structure, its borders and characteristics are clear – cut and there are similarities between them and their older kinds. Still it is an innovative, sensational and effective frame and it does not accord with the framework of the regulations. The testaments of the martyrs are pictures of their completion and evolution path of a human being. In studying the motivation for creating a work we have to refer to this point that the aims of the warriors of the 8 years of the holy defense war are unique in the course of the history. Their aim in writing testaments was calling out the blood of the human kind. In other words the testament is the high pitch crying of the real humanity that will remain for ever. In these kinds of writing the aim is to state a reality that a human being comes to its understanding just before his death, it is not the expression and writing of a slogan or imitation.
10. In these testaments, except in some cases there is no indication of the economic materials of life, even here what one sees is complete sacrifice and generosity. It is indicated in the testament of Martyr Mohsen Gordan Sorahi that: I have collected the money I used to get from the army and it is advisable to return it to the fund and give the books of my library to one of the mosques or to one of the research centers they find them useful. I have a coffin shroud that had been turned around Imam Reza (A. S.)' s tomb and it is located in the upper part of the shelf in my room and since it is three or four years since I have bought it and I did not pay its quintuple, please give its quintuple as much as it is. There is 600 tomans which is deposited in Martyr Motahari School and there is some more in my paper, please transfer all of them to the account of the war fare and the war. Please return all my military clothings to the military centers after my death . . . . . . (Rejaee, 1378, 283). Martyr Mazrooi writes: I have given the quintuple of my properties and I am not indebted to anyone but I am indebted to my wife for her dowry. Please give to her my debts . . . . . . . (Education office of Isfahan, 1381: 261). Martyr Hassan Pour Gooneh writes: I am not indebted to any one nor am I owed to any one and you are authorized to do as you wish with the amount of money I have . . . . . . . (Morteza Ghahvi, 1381, 274). Martyr Mohammad Reza Khoshbakht writes in his everlasting letter that: ". . . . . My only request is to pay all my debts after my martyrdom and please ask their pardons for I could not pay them on time and please pay the quintuple of the rest of my properties and please rest the others with my father to expend it for the sake of Islam. . . . . . " (Mortazavi Ghahvi, 1381, 260).
11. The warriors considered the continuation of the war as their duties and like the war itself they have been thinking of writing testaments as incumbent as their coming to war. In other words the testaments were the Jihad manifesto of a martyr. Martyr Hafez Sadiqian writes: I was not willing to write anything as testament in the beginning but as time passed I thought it was necessary to write it. Martyr Ahmad Jawaher writes: At this time the pen is so heavy in my hand and it does not know how to write on the paper but I think with myself that the movement of this pen on the blank sheet of the paper is like the drops of my blood that gives awareness to the people of my society and my hometowns. . . . . . (Rejaee 1378, 285).
12. The writing of the testament is not just for the sake of the martyr's time and his family members and relatives. The martyrs knew that their testaments are messages for the future generations; they were sure that one of the means that stabilizes the memories of the heroism and bravery of the martyrs in the minds is to write down the ideals for which they have taken their lives for granted. Martyr Ranjbar writes: ". . . . . . The only addresses of my speech are the future generations of the Islamic Republic. The day that they sat behind the desks and browse the historical books and come to the picture of entrenchments or the other programs of the war fronts and then they are attracted to them, I'd like them not to think about the structure of the entrenchments or to the body of the warriors. Rather I would like them to know that their entrenchments were the places of praying and their staying ups as well as . . . . . . (Rejaee 1378, 277).

These are the cases and points that seem to be sufficient to understand testament as an independent genre. Of course it should be mentioned that stating views about the frameworks and literary genres in the literature of resistance needs research and deep scientific exploration which is not yet been fulfilled. But with regard to the stated reasons and in order to keep the memories of the martyrs and their goals alive, testament can be viewed as a new framework; it should be an independent genre which is not categorized under any other heading. In order to show the internal and external structure of the testaments we have investigated more than 2000 testaments of the martyrs of the holy defense war; the followings are regarded as the external characteristics of these testaments:
1. Starting the testaments with the name of God (Invoking God) and bringing ayahs that are about Jihad and giving one’s property and life and martyrdom.
2. Introduction: In the introduction the testaments are speaking about the truth of the path and following the chief of the martyrs and praying God. . . . .
3. The body: the body of the testament is the message of a warrior who is fighting for the sake of God and the main subject of the testament is stated here. . . .
4. The messages, remembering the families and friends, seeking their forgiveness especially asking for their mothers’ forgiveness and in some case they have referred to the property issues and familial matters. . . .

Fortunately there are a lot of books regarding the internal structure and finding the subject matter of the testaments; some of the internal subjects of these testaments are as follow:
A. Prayers: The main part of these testaments is dedicated to praying with the everlasting lover. In the prayers part the following issues are discussed:

1. Thanks giving: Stating and expressing one’s thanks to God and for His benefits. . . .
2. Confession and expressing one’s sins: Confessing one’s drawbacks, weaknesses and sins as well as . . . . . .
3. Seeking forgiveness: Asking God to forgive them for their wrong – doings.
4. Penitence: After confession and asking pardon for one’s mistakes the writers of testaments usually ask for penitence. . . . .
5. Asking for God’s help: They usually ask God to help them get their objectives and be successful in the path they have chosen. . . . .
6. Expressing one’s goals and aims as well as one’s enthusiasm is one of the reasons that are seen in most of the testaments written by the martyrs and this is most evident in the prayers part. In this part the martyr describes his goals and the reasons for his presence in the war fronts to fight against the wrong; they are addressed to God and they are martyred for His sake. . . . . . .
7. Expressing the inner emotions: Expressing the inner emotions and inner concerns as well as . . . .
8. Having a sociable spirit: Praying for the others and giving ethical, social and political as well as . . . . . advices. And having a sociable spirit is one of their main characteristics.
9. Certainty and pre – conscience: One of the most important characteristics of the testaments which is the distinguishing characteristic of these testaments compared to those of the others is the certainty and pre - conscience of their writers about the fate and future of themselves as well as that of the other human beings. In so far as they know their martyrdom is for the sake of God they have achieved a stage of certainty and surety that they are witnessing their own martyrdom and they see their own demolition with their own heart’s eyes. . . . . (Mokhtari Pour 1358, 16 . . ).

B. Confessing to conscious choice and following Imam Hussein (A. S.), the similarity between Islamic Republic and that of Imam Hussein (A. S.), asking the survivors to set her holiness Zainab (S. A.) as a paradigm to follow and . . . . . . are some of the most important parts of these testaments written by the martyrs of the 8 years the imposed war.

C: Advising people to follow Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.): The martyrs always emphasized to follow Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) and to set him as a paradigm to follow, to continue the way of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), supporting Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), praying God for safe keeping of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), loving him and respecting him as well as considering Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) as the representative of Imam Zaman (A. F. S.) . . . . . . (Rafie, 1379:1).

D. The messages and the Orders: The main goal in writing the testaments is to write a message down that the blood of a martyr can have for all the human beings. Martyr Fath Allah Ibrahimi writes: If there is no message in a blood it will remain dumb in history (Abu Al Hassani, 1386: 17). Of these messages one can mention emphasizing conscious choice, advising to continue the war until we reach the supposed goals, supporting the revolution and inviting people to understand Islam and to achieve unity as well as . . . . . .
In order to re – understand testament as an independent genre we have to investigate their internal and external structures for which we have not enough time. Just I have to say that the testaments have not been received as they have had to be and I have not yet acted according to my martyred brother, Hafez Zadiqian, “to give the works completely and accurately”? and this is because of the grandeur and grandiosity of the position of the martyrs on one hand and it was because of the lack of knowledge on the part of the writer on the other hand. This piece of writing was just an invitation of the literary and cultural theorists to review the genres of the literature of resistance.
Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.)’s words are really indicating our lack of capability in stating this point that:
“. . . . . With what pencil and with what statements we can appreciate those dear martyrs who have changed the entrenchments of war to the mosques to ascend to God? Suppose the great artists could imagine the brevity and valor of these people as well as their power and dare to go under the shower of bullets and cannon balls and the painter or the drawer could draw their artistic victories in those dark nights against the missiles and air – raids of the enemy as well as their passing through the complicated thorny wires and the mountainous paths and their bringing the enemies out of their strengthened entrenchments, still they are not able to draw its ethical – spiritual dimension which calls upon them to ascend towards God; how is it possible to draw those melted hearts for the love of God? it is not possible to be drawn by any art no is it encapsulated in any expression.

Sources:
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Writer: Sondos Sadeqian