Ali had many domestic and abroad Qur’anic travels that had a lot of useful consequences. His domestic travels to near and far cities and his huge Qur’anic programs have directed people toward Qur’an, specifically youth and children. In addition Ali had remarkable programs in scientific centers and revolutionary institutions.
The warm and unique reception this blossom had from people in the cities and the villages he visited reflects the ever and fixed interest of the Muslim masses in Qur’an, and it is sure that appreciating the holder of the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha is an appreciation of the contents of these two great books.
The reception of Qur’an lovers in some cities was to an extent that Ali himself did not believe it. Really it is the Qur’an that is behind all this respect among people, and perhaps the least reward gained by that who placed the Qur’an in his heart is to own a place in the hearts of all believers.
Ali traveled to the following provinces: Isfahan, Tehran, Bushehr, Markazi, Gilan, Khuzestan, Khurasan, Mazendaran, Seestan va Bluchistan, Kurdistan, Ardabeel, A’zarbayjane sharqi, Luristan, Kirmanshah, Hamadan, Fars, Simnan, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Gulistan, Hurmizgan, and Ilam, where he preformed his Qur’anic programs among the lovers of the Qur’an. Here we briefly refer to one of his travels:
The most memorable travel
The most memorable provincial travel this dear Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha memorizer had, was to the Qur’an lovers of ‘Zahedan’.
In 1320 AH, on the birthday night of ameer al-mumineen Imam Ali (as), the city of Zahidan had an extraordinary night. On that night, the youngest memorizer of Nahj al-Balagha came to that city to perform his glorious programs. The area of the mosque was not enough to hold tens of thousands of Qur’anic believers. So the stage over which Ali, this great national hero, recited Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha was a large truck-container, and the masses were filling the wide avenue in front of the stage as far as can be seen. Men were on one side and women on the other. All were directing themselves to the stage staring at the lips of a child whose mouth was a fountainhead releasing Qur’an and Imam Ali’s glorious words.
After performing his Qur’anic program and responding to a lot of questions from the audience, Ali delivered an unforgettable speech that filled the eyes of Qur’an lovers with tears.
International travels
Ali was a great representative of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s household in foreign countries. In addition, his presence was reflecting the failure of the arrogant powers plans to lead the Iranian people astray, and that whenever Qur’an and the Prophet’s household are among them and their children have such awareness of the Qur’an and the sayings of the infallible, then putting them off the track is a false and far-off hope.
Ali Riza-Zada has had Qur’anic programs in a number of of foreign countries. Hearing the words of God and the glorious sayings of the infallible from a pure child mouth was shaking any clean heart and appreciated by every body.
France
The presence of this Qur’anic blossom in France and his unique programs there revived the remembrance of the late Imam (Khomeini). He is who stepped on this land during the days of exile and loneliness with a great divine goal in his head. The fruit of his revolution and goal is manifested through a child who was born years after his demise.
Last year (2001), in the grand mosque of Paris, on the last Friday of Ramadan, named the Day of Quds as suggested by Imam Khomeini, Ali was among thousands of enthusiastic and Qur’an-loving Muslims living in France to perform his Qur’anic programs for them, and after the program he addressed them a speech in Arabic, and that was broadcasted live from ‘Al-Sharq Radio’.
The cultural attaché and the ambassador of the Islamic Republic along with a number of Iranians living in France were among the audience too. As Iranians, they were proud of all that affections and pure feelings Muslims had displayed toward this national hero and glorious star. ‘This ten years old child is answering Qur’anic questions and make use of Hadith to interpret verses… Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akber! So it is not strange and unusual for a child to reach Imamate in this age by the will of God and respond to the various questions of people.’ This is the conclusion that was certainly recalled by many people.
Lebanon
One of Ali’s best Qur’anic programs was the one he had in Lebanon in the prison camp of al-Kheyam near occupied Palestine. After the great victory of Hizbullah of Lebanon in the year 2000 that leads to the flee of the aggressive Israeli army from the soil of Lebanon, Ali attended the grand celebration of the people of Lebanon to perform his Qur’anic programs for them. The respected Iranian Qur’an reciter Mr. Kareem Mansoori was accompanying Ali in this journey.
It was hardly cold when Ali was performing his Qura’nic program. The severe cold was to an extent that even adults could hardly bear it. But when Ali went up the stage and saw thousands of enthusiastic Lebanese, Muslims and even Christians, it seemed that he had forgotten the cold, and he went on to create marvelous moment by his accurate and quick responses. Really they were attractive, beautiful and exciting moments.
The Lebanese were regarding Ali as one of them, and the presence of this Qur’anic hero among them made them warmer. Few hours of the night were terminated when Ali ended his program, and he was very tired, but when he saw his hosts full of love and kindness, he accompanied them to visit the liberated territories. Seeing hard concrete trenches on the liberated heights, which were recalling the courage of the victorious Muslim soldiers, greatly pleased Ali and delighted him. It is then that felling tired was meaningless for him. Although it was about two o’clock after midnight at that time, Ali was extremely delighted by seeing the liberated villages and territories, and finding such friendship and purity in the behavior of his enthusiastic brothers. How wonderful the word of God that says:
“إنما المؤمنون أخوة”
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood”
Syria
The journey of Syria had another flavor. Visiting the holy shrine of Zaynab, Imam Ali’s daughter, warmed the journey and energized it with special feelings. Some of Ali’s activities in this journey were several Qur’anic programs with speeches and sermons.
One of Ali’s most wonderful Qur’anic programs was in the city of Halab, and that was on the fifteenth of Ramadan in the celebration of Imam Hasan’s birthday. The presence of grand Sunni religious scholars in this glorious celebration and their expression of love and admiration to the Prophet’s household, were very attractive and joyful for Ali.
At that night, Ali was reciting the verses he was questioned about following them by related sayings from the Prophet and phrases from Nahj al-Balagha and al-Zahra’s sermon.
In some cases, His Eminence the mufti of Halab was explaining some of the sayings Ali was addressing, since there were somewhat difficult words in them that should be explained a little bit to the audience although their language is Arabic.
Ali attended the huge Friday prayer of Halab among friendly and Qur’an-loving people to perform his Qur’anic programs for them. Love and warm feelings of the people were indescribable. Half an hour after the Friday prayer, enthusiastic people were around Ali’s car expressing their love and appreciation to him. Ali also was very delighted to see the Sunni brothers having such friendly feeling and enthusiasm, and he was witnessing the failure of the enemies’ trial to spread division between Shiites and Sunnites.
Ali thanked God for all the love and consideration people had given him, and no doubt that these feelings were a result of dealing with Qur’an and the Prophet’s household:
“من كان يريد العزة، فلله العزة جميعاً”.
In Mecca and Medina
Ali visited the House of God when he was not eleven years old yet. He was thanking God by all his heart for this grant in his childhood, but he was worried for one thing. He hoped for his merciful mother to be with him to the House of God, but he was asking God at those moments to grant her a visit to His House; she who had a role in all his success, and even this visit is probably a response to one of her prayers.
When Ali stepped for the first time in the Holy Mosque of Kaaba, he felt a special calmness inside him. Huge waves of black, white, red and yellow people are moving together with one catchword:
‘لا إله إلا الله ولا نعبد إلا إياه…’
With a heart full of energy, Ali threw himself among the crowds waves. ‘Here is where the Prophet (sw) talked about God’s oneness and they left him alone, rather they removed him with his followers from the city, but now more than one milliard Muslims are repeating his name daily and always reminding his efforts and sacrifices for the sake of his mission.’
Ali had several Qur’aninc programs in Mecca and Medina, which were highly welcomed. Let us have a look at some of them:
The Qur’anic Gathering at the Leader’s Delegation Centre
This Qur’anic gathering was held in the city of Mecca at the leader’s delegation center of the Islamic Republic in the presence of Qura’nic professors, memorizers and reciters, and it was broadcasted live from ‘Qur’an net’ on TV and the general net of ‘Qur’an radio’.
The program interviewer was one of the pioneer reciters and Qur’an professors, Mr. Abbas Saleemi, who was efficiently controlling this glorious program.
Audience of pilgrims from other countries, namely from Turkey and China, were warming this Qur’anic gathering.
After the program of ‘Waheed Ghufran Nia’, the first in the Qur’an international competition (memorization), and the recitation of Mr. ‘Sa’eed Toosi’, the Iranian respected reciter and the first in the Qur’an international competition (recitation), it was the turn of ‘Ali Reza-Zada Jouybari’.
As the interviewer said, Ali looks young but he is considered one of the great men in the fields of Qur’an.
Ali was sitting alone on a beautiful stage, which was decorated by a large picture of the Kaaba with the white-dressed pilgrims around it, and the Qur’anic gathering then reached its peak by his entrance.
The interviewer asked Ali, ‘What do you like to say to the youth who are listening to you through radios and the TVs?’, Ali said, ‘Seize the opportunities. Every body can memorize Qur’an with accordance to his ability, or, at least, can read the Qur’an. Of course if they try to memorize the entire Qur’an it would be quite good, but memorizing Qur’an alone is not the criterion, rather memorizing is a preliminary step toward acting according to the Qur’an.’
Then Ali continued his speech by this comparison, ‘there are 6236 verses in the Qur’an…let us imagine a ladder with such steps; the more we go up the more we can see what is around us, thus the more we make use of the Qur’an the broader view we will have toward religious knowledge’.
The interviewer, who had the honor of gaining the fist place in the Qur’an international competition years before and is also a respected university lecturer, was using the title ‘professor’ with Ali during the program, and he explained his attitude saying that he is not using this title out of courtesy, rather Ali deserve this title. Really, many adults have spent a lot of years working on the concepts of the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha, but they still do not know them to the extent Ali does!
The program interviewer asked Hujjatul-Islam Rayshahri, the representative of the leader and the person in charge of Iranian pilgrims’ affairs, to recite a verse from the Holy Qur’an, so that Ali would continue the verses after it. Once Ali heard the beginning of the verse he said:
This verse is in Al-Hajj (the pilgrimage) chapter.
Al-Hajj (pilgrimage) chapter is the twenty-eighth chapter of the Qur’an.
This verse is on page 335.
It is at the middle of the page.
This page contains verse 24 to 30 of this chapter.
This chapter is in the seventeenth part of the Qur’an.
Al-Hajj chapter was revealed in Medina.
And then Ali continued reciting the next verses. By hearing his recitation, attending pilgrims shed tears and appreciated his performance.
Later on a question about Nahj al-Balagha was addressed (concerning al-Qassiaa Sermon) that Ali delivered from the beginning. During the deliverance, audience voices were heard greeting Ali and making ‘salawat’ (blessings) upon the Prophet Muhammad (sw) and his household.
Continuing the program, the consular of the leader, Hujjatul-Islam Natiq Noori, recited a beginning of a verse from At-Tawba chapter, and Ali responded the way hid before.
At the end of this Qur’anic gathering, an attendant said on behalf of the Chinese pilgrims:
This program profoundly influenced us. I have not seen or heard such scene all my life. I hope we could report this (event) to Muslims in China in order to follow it with our children.
Seminar of Identity Crisis and Convergence Necessity in the Islamic World
In this seminar, which was attended by pilgrims and imminent Sunni scholars, Ali fluently replied the important questions addressed to him.
Professor Kamali-Zada and professor Hashimi, eminent Sunni scholars, asked Ali few questions and he efficiently responded them. And since one of the addressed verses was about Hell, this Qur’anic blossom followed that by a Hadith from the Prophet (sw) and then a saying from Imam Ali ibn-abi-Talib (as). Later on he answered a question concerning the wisdom behind pilgrimage.
Important Questions were delivered to Ali until Mawlawi Abdurahman, with his white beard and overall white cloth, addressed him the last question, and Ali answered reciting the verse 282 of Al-Baqara chapter and referring to the page number. After that he addressed a Hadith concerning debt (Dain), which was highly appreciated by the audience.
When our dear blossom came down the stage, the audience of the seminar and the Sunni scholars greeted and admired him. Sitting down beside his father on his red chair, he moved on his place a little bit and had a side look at his father’s face. Probably he desired to see satisfaction and pleasure on his face.
Ali performed several huge programs in Mecca and Medina that we cannot talk about all here.
It was by the grace of God that Ali was able to visit the House of God again within less than one year.
In 2002 Ali participated in the Qur’an international competition held in Saudi Arabia and gained the fist place in memorization to create another honor for the Islamic Republic of Iran.