Book Review

Dezful to Sarcheshme

Mahia Hafezi
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

2023-5-23

Dezful to Sarcheshmeh is a narration of the life and struggles of martyr Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Danesh, written by Gholamreza Derkatanian, published in 405 pages with a price of 125,000 Tomans by Sureh Mehr Publication of Khuzestan, Dezful branch, in 2022.

On the cover of the book, Martyr Danesh’s photo can be seen in soft green with a red title. The scritta paper and spaced writing are the first thing noticed when flipping through the pages of the book. Most of the book's content is the narration of martyr’s acquaintances.

In this book, the personal, social, and political life of Martyr Danesh has been narrated. Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Danesh has followed the path of his ancestors in the social and political fields. While studying at Qom Seminary, he played a role in organizing the religious gatherings of Dezful youth. These religious gatherings, focused on the recitation and interpretation of the Quran and religious preaches, were a center for educating the revolutionary youth in Khuzestan.

As the movement of Imam Khomeini began, Danesh started to give speech in gatherings and circles. After the peak of the movement in 1977, he tried to guide the flow of the Islamic revolution with his continuous presence in Khuzestan, and after the victory of the revolution, he became one of the influential figures in stabilizing the Islamic Republic system.

The important period of Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Danesh's life began with the victory of the revolution and ended with his martyrdom in Haft Tir Bombing on 28 June 1981. During this period, he tried to remove deprivation from Shush and Andimeshk region, and his efforts were doubled by attending the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Khuzestan was invaded by the Baath army, when the imposed war began. The problems of war and the lack of support from Bani Sadr with popular forces on the one hand, and the problems of the war-torn and displaced people of Khuzestan and the daily missile attack in the border towns on other hand, were among the concerns of Martyr Danesh and local and national officials.

Dezful to Sarcheshmeh has compiled based on interviews with revolutionaries of the region, Danesh’s friends during education and preaching, his relatives and family. Access to the documents related to Danesh’s individual file in SAVAK led to detailed reports of his speeches and actions of SAVAK. Also, the manuscripts and notes of Seyyed Mohammad Kazem, which were collected and kept in four folders by his family, were used.

This book tries to provide a relatively comprehensive account of the personal, scientific, social and struggle life of Martyr Danesh in nine chapters.

The first chapter deals with the biography of Martyr Danesh, including his family, introduction of his father and grandfather, maternal family, mother, as well as his birth.

The second chapter covered his studying in Khuzestan and Qom Seminary.

In the third chapter, the scientific life of Martyr Danesh, his scientific position, Quran teaching, sermons and preaching, printed and unpublished writings, as well as the introduction of his teachers and mentors were provided.

The characteristics and particulars of his personal and social ethics were discussed in the fourth chapter, and also his way of dealing with people and his efforts to solve the problems of the deprived people of the region.

In the fifth chapter, the political and cultural struggles of Martyr Danesh in Imam Khomeini's movement are dealt with. The topics of this chapter include the relationship and cooperation with militant groups, relationship with military religious forces, cultural struggle with Marxists and atheist groups, and cultural activities such as playwriting.

The sixth chapter covers the stabilization period of Islamic revolution; and the important role of Seyyed Mohammad Kazem in establishing revolutionary institutions in the region has been explained.

The participation and activities of Martyr Danesh in the Islamic Consultative Assembly have been dealt with in the seventh chapter.

In the eighth chapter, his role in the holy defense is discussed.

The last chapter of the book ends with his martyrdom.