From “Journey to the East” to “Journey to the West”: Knowledge, Self-Cultivation, and Responsibility in the Legacy of Aqa Najafi Quchani

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Introduction: A Scholar Who Set Two Journeys Before Us

At a time when materialism and worldly attachments are steadily expanding, studying the lives of godly figures-men who distinguished themselves in scholarship and ijtihad and whose penetrating pens became mirrors of spiritual insight-can be life-giving for generations that have had little access to such beacons of guidance.

The anniversary of the passing of the devout scholar, striving mystic, and self-disciplined jurist, the late Aqa Najafi Quchani, is a valuable opportunity to honour and revisit the legacy of one of these luminous figures. He influenced both scholarship and social guidance, while his writings preserved his experience of spiritual wayfaring, self-cultivation, and reflection on humanity’s ultimate destiny. He not only taught and exercised religious leadership in part of Khorasan but also left in his works a roadmap for seekers of truth, especially religious scholars.

Honouring religious scholars helps educate a new generation only when it moves beyond names and dates to uncover how they lived. Remembering the late Aqa Najafi Quchani-mystic, social reformer, and accomplished writer-offers an opportunity to reflect on the following questions:

• How should religious knowledge be acquired?
• How should it be put into practice?
• And how can profound teachings be communicated in language that touches people’s hearts?

His two best-known works, Journey to the East and Journey to the West, make such reflection possible. The first recounts the author’s life and education; the second presents an imaginative journey into the world after death. From an educational perspective, the two may be read together: one shows the human effort required for self-formation, while the other confronts us with the outcome of that effort. This connection is especially valuable for seminary students and clerics because it reminds them of the distance between “knowing” and “becoming.”

Aqa Najafi: A Seminary Scholar and Servant of the People

Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Husayni, known as Aqa Najafi Quchani, was born in 1295 AH in the village of Khosraviyeh, near Quchan. His studies took him from Khorasan to Isfahan and then to Najaf. In Isfahan, he studied with masters such as Akhund Kashi and Jahangir Khan Qashqai; in Najaf, he was among the students of Akhund Khorasani. After years of study and attaining the rank of ijtihad, he returned to Quchan, where he taught and attended to the religious needs of the people.

What distinguishes him from many jurists-and makes his life especially worthy of attention for students of the religious sciences-is the way he combined jurisprudential learning with asceticism, self-cultivation, independence of spirit, and a strong sense of responsibility.

• First, seriousness in study:

Reaching advanced levels of learning and scholarly competence requires perseverance and the ability to endure the hardships of the path of knowledge.

• Second, combining study with self-cultivation:

Religious knowledge can guide others only when it is visible in the conduct of the person who possesses it. Humility in the face of criticism, honesty in citing sources, and vigilance over personal motives are all part of this formation.

• Third, responsibility towards the people:

His return to Quchan reminds us that the value of seminary learning is not confined to its holder’s fame. Sometimes the presence of a scholar in a small town-teaching a few students, resolving family disputes, and patiently answering people’s questions-creates a lasting service.

His Works: From Commentary on Prayer to the Story of a Life

Aqa Najafi’s writings extend well beyond his two famous books. His works include Commentary on the Supplication of Sabah, An Excuse Worse than the Fault, On Constitutionalism, Commentary on the Treatise of the Apple, Proof of the Return, marginal notes on Kifayat al-Usul, and Hayat al-Islam, concerning Akhund Khorasani. This range reflects his engagement with scholarly, spiritual, and social questions.

Journey to the East is particularly important for seminary students. It is an autobiography that records the hardships of study and portrays the scholarly and social environments of the author’s time. Reading such a work enables a student to encounter scholars within the full texture of their human striving-with the hopes, hardships, choices, and experiences from which they learned.

This legacy offers another lesson: a cleric should regard writing as part of his responsibility. An experience that is not recorded may disappear when its bearer dies. An honest account of teaching and preaching-written with due respect for people’s dignity and privacy-can become a resource for the next generation.

Journey to the West: A Narrative That Confronts Readers with Their Own Destiny

Journey to the West, also published under the title The Destiny of Souls After Death, is an influential literary-mystical work on Islamic teachings about the afterlife. Cast as a fictional travelogue, it unfolds not across the earth but in the intermediate realm of barzakh, recounting the narrator’s journey after death. It is said to have been written in 1352 AH, approximately 1312 SH. Drawing on Qur’anic verses and traditions within a narrative framework, the author brings readers face to face with death, the questioning in the grave, and the ordeals and reliefs of barzakh. The narrator appears to describe, step by step, the first stages of dying, the pressure of the grave, the encounter with one’s deeds, and entry into the intermediate world after the soul separates from the body.

The book’s prose is fluid and intimate, at times marked by the bitterness of truth and at times illuminated by flashes of hope. Its defining strength is that it gives concrete form to the abstract concepts of the Qur’an and hadith, allowing readers to feel vividly the sufferings of barzakh associated with backbiting, lying, slander, and attachment to the world.

The educational advantage of this method lies in the way it changes the reader’s position. Instead of listening to an external discussion, the reader accompanies the traveller and asks: If this journey were to begin for me, what would I take with me? What form would the things I now consider insignificant assume there?

The presence of “Hadi” (“the Guide”) is one of the story’s most prominent elements. The book embodies love for, and allegiance to, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in the form of a helpful guide. In an educational reading of this image, love must be joined to obedience: devotion to the leader of justice should be manifested in trustworthiness, fairness, and the avoidance of oppression in the devotee’s own life.

The Book’s Place in Understanding Barzakh: A Literary Companion to Religious Knowledge

Barzakh is a Qur’anic doctrine. After recounting the plea of a person at the threshold of death to be returned, the Qur’an states:

«وَمِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ»

“And behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected” (al-Mu’minun 23:100).

Barzakh is therefore a stage between death and resurrection and should not be equated with the Day of Judgement. Many theological and philosophical works explain resurrection, barzakh, and the afterlife through rational arguments that may be difficult for the general public and even for some seminary students. Alongside such works, Journey to the West uses narrative to bring both the reader’s mind and emotions closer to the subject, linking theoretical discussion with moral and educational insight.

Within the book’s depiction of barzakh, human deeds assume forms consistent with their true nature: a lie, for example, appears as a terrifying creature, while sincerity takes on a luminous form. Such imagery can strengthen the desire for self-purification and lessen everyday heedlessness. Reflecting on these scenes, readers come to see death not as the end of life, but as the unveiling of what their worldly lives have produced, and they are moved to examine themselves.

Nevertheless, any presentation of barzakh should distinguish among three levels:

• A teaching stated in the Holy Qur’an;
• A report transmitted in a tradition, whose chain of transmission and meaning require examination;
• And an image or dialogue created within the book’s narrative structure.

The presence of a verse or hadith alongside a scene does not, by itself, prove that every detail of that scene is a definitive account of the unseen world. Even if part of the work arose from the author’s personal mystical disclosure, such an experience cannot replace revelation or authoritative proof. The book’s literary and educational value is fully compatible with this scholarly caution: readers may draw on it for awakening and reflection, while turning to authoritative sources to establish specific points of belief.

Preparing for Barzakh: Reforming Life Today

The desired fruit of reading the book should be visible in our conduct today. The Qur’an says:

«وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ»

“Let every soul consider what it has sent ahead for tomorrow” (al-Hashr 59:18).

This perspective turns remembrance of death into a programme for reforming one’s life.

• The first step is self-accounting.

We should ask ourselves: Have I been careful when quoting hadith or issuing legal opinions? Have I concealed an error to protect my reputation? In dealing with my family and with those who seek my guidance, do I observe the same ethics that I recommend to others?

• The second step is restoring people’s rights.

Readiness for the hereafter is tied to returning property, paying debts, correcting false statements, and making amends for harm done to another person’s reputation. Remembrance of death should move us to take these steps, not merely produce passing sadness or emotion.

• The third step is building lasting habits.

Honesty, fairness, mindful prayer, and selfless service take root through steady practice. If the world after death is related to the truth of our conduct and character, then small, repeated actions deserve even greater care.

This formation must be accompanied by hope. The Qur’an warns us about responsibility for our deeds yet also tells the sinner not to despair:

«لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ»

“Do not despair of God’s mercy” (al-Zumar 39:53).

Reading Journey to the West is most constructive when its warnings are accompanied by a clear account of the opportunities for repentance, restitution, and divine mercy.

Leading Scholars’ Views on the Book and the Context of Its Composition

In his introduction, the late Aqa Najafi explicitly states that his purpose in writing the book was to awaken people from heedlessness, promote moral virtues, and offer a vivid portrayal of humanity’s inevitable destiny on the basis of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Eminent figures such as Allameh Tabataba’i and other teachers of ethics consistently stressed the importance of reading works that remind people of death and the hereafter and regarded Aqa Najafi’s writings-because of their close alignment with Qur’anic and hadith-based principles-as a source of admonition and awakening.

This distinguished work is supported by substantial endorsements from leading Shi‘i scholars. Among the reports that may be cited are remarks made by the martyred leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, on 26 Azar 1364 SH. In recommending Journey to the East, he emphasised Aqa Najafi’s scholarly effort and spirituality; regarding Journey to the West, he quoted Martyr Motahhari as considering it highly probable that the work reflected the author’s mystical disclosures.

Ways to Sustain the Production of Outstanding and Guiding Religious Works

If religious writing today is to touch the hearts of younger generations and influence culture as Journey to the West has done, the following steps are recommended:

• Linking profound religious teachings with art and narrative literature:

Familiarity among seminary scholars and religious writers with the possibilities of the novel, the short story, and modern imagery can help communicate religious teachings more effectively and move beyond exclusively direct and exhortative modes of expression.

• Recasting classical texts in contemporary language:

Many ethical treasures lie buried in old books. Rewriting and editing them in ways suited to the needs and language of younger generations is essential.

• Strengthening sincerity and religious commitment among writers:

A work’s longevity does not depend on technical skill alone. The writer’s integrity, commitment to guiding the audience, and grounding in religious values can deepen the work and increase its impact.

A Legacy for Responsible Living

In our educational reading, Journey to the East speaks of the striving required for self-formation, while Journey to the West raises the question of that formation’s ultimate destiny. Honouring Aqa Najafi Quchani can invite seminary students and clerics to unite knowledge, moral refinement, service, and writing.

A reader who closes the book and decides to repay a debt, comfort a family member, correct an inaccurate quotation, or serve a person in need has gained something lasting from it. The best preparation for tomorrow’s journey is to reform today’s life responsibly.

Final Word

“When Aqa Najafi puts pen to paper, his narrative draws the reader out of everyday heedlessness and confronts them with the truth of their own choices and deeds. In Journey to the East, he recounts the hardships of the path of knowledge and self-cultivation; in Journey to the West, he sets the outcome of that path before the reader as a fictional journey-reminding us that religious writing joins the written word to responsibility, truth, and the remembrance of God.”