{{Short description|Iranian Shia Islamic scholar (1547–1621)}} {{Infobox person | name = Baha al-Din al-Amili | native_name = بهاء الدين محمد بن حسين العاملي | native_name_lang = ar | image = Shaykh Baha'i, false ascription to Sadiqi Beg, signed by the "slave Muhammad 'Ali", dated 1744-5. Malek Museum, Tehran.jpg | caption = Portrait of Baha al-Din al-Amili, falsely attributed to Sadiqi Beg, signed by "the slave Muhammad Ali", 1744–45. Malek National Museum and Library, Tehran | other_names = Sheikh Baha'i | birth_date = {{birth date|1547|2|18|df=y}} | birth_place = Baalbek, Ottoman Empire (present-day Lebanon) | death_date = {{death date and age|1621|9|1|1547|2|18|df=y}} | death_place = Isfahan, Safavid Iran | burial_place = Imam Reza shrine | known_for = Urban planning of Safavid Isfahan, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Shah Mosque, theological and scientific treatises | module = {{Infobox religious biography | embed= yes | religion = Islam | denomination = Shia | jurisprudence = Ja'fari (Usuli)<ref>{{cite web|title=DĀMĀD, MĪR(-E), SAYYED MOḤAMMAD BĀQER|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/damad-mir-e-sayyed-mohammad-baqer-b/|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> | creed = Twelver | influenced = Mulla Sadra, Mohsen Fayz Kashani }} | era = Safavid era }} '''Baha al-Din al-Amili''' ({{langx|ar|بهاء الدين العاملي}}; {{langx|fa|بهاءالدین عاملی}}: 18 February 1547 – 1 September 1621), commonly known as '''Sheikh Bahāʾī''', was a Twelver Shia Muslim scholar and polymath in Safavid Iran, who composed various works in Arabic and Persian. Closely tied to the court of Shah Abbas I ({{reign|1587|1629}}), he became known for his role in the intellectual sphere of Isfahan and is seen as a leading figure in his field, with seventy-seven scholars counted among his students.<ref>{{cite web |last=Abisaab |first=Rula |title=Bahāʾ al-Dīn al-ʿĀmilī |url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/CMR2/COM_30803.xml |access-date=16 November 2025 |website=Christian Muslim Relations Online II |publisher=Brill|quote=He was born into an Arab Syrian family from the Jabal ʿĀmil (modern-day south Lebanon).}}</ref>
An ethnic Arab, he was originally from Jabal Amil (present-day south Lebanon) in Ottoman Syria. During his childhood, his family moved to Iran, where his father Husayn ibn Abd al-Samad became the ''shaykh al-Islam'' in Herat under Tahmasp I ({{reign|1524|1576}}).<ref>{{cite web |last=Abisaab |first=Rula |title=Bahāʾ al-Dīn al-ʿĀmilī |url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/CMR2/COM_30803.xml |access-date=16 November 2025 |website=Christian Muslim Relations Online II |publisher=Brill |quote=He was born into an Arab Syrian family from the Jabal ʿĀmil (modern-day south Lebanon).}}</ref>
He stands out as one of the most influential Arab figures, and figures generally, in shaping the scientific, cultural, urban, and intellectual identity of Safavid Iran.<ref>Necipoğlu, Gülru. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire. Reaktion Books, 2005, pp. 397–398.</ref>
He was the principal planner and architectural mind behind the transformation of Safavid Isfahan, credited with devising the overall spatial logic and ceremonial symbolism of the imperial capital.<ref>Blake, Stephen P. Half the World: The Social Architecture of Safavid Isfahan, 1590–1722. Mazda Publishers, 1999, pp. 41–56.</ref> Sheikh Bahāʾī conceived the urban vision behind Naqsh-e Jahan Square and was instrumental in initiating the planning of the Shah Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and Ali Qapu Palace. His designs also structured the layout of the Imperial Bazaar and he is also associated with hydraulic innovations and water management projects, though attributions such as the Zarrīn Kamar canal remain speculative.<ref>Bagherzadeh, Mohammad. "The Architectural Vision of Shaykh Bahāʾī in Safavid Isfahan." Iranian Studies, vol. 44, no. 2, 2011, pp. 179–197.</ref> As chief advisor to Shah Abbas I, Sheikh Bahāʾī played a central role in defining the symbolic and geometric principles of Safavid civic and religious architecture. His commanding intellectual leadership and cohesive vision, executed through close collaboration with master builders and artisans, were instrumental in forging the Safavid architectural identity.<ref>Rizvi, Kishwar. The Safavid Dynastic Shrine: Architecture, Religion and Power in Early Modern Iran. I.B. Tauris, 2011.</ref>
A prolific author in both Arabic and Persian, Sheikh Bahaʾī composed over one hundred treatises spanning jurisprudence, logic, astronomy, mathematics, and theology—primarily in his mother tongue, Arabic.<ref>Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Science and Civilization in Islam. Harvard University Press, 1968.</ref> His contributions also extended to literature and poetry, including didactic and mystical verse in Persian. In his Persian work ''Tashrīḥ al-Aflāk'', he was among the earliest Muslim thinkers to propose the possibility of the Earth’s motion, anticipating the later diffusion of Copernican ideas in the Islamic world.<ref>Saliba, George. Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance. MIT Press, 2007, p. 186.</ref>
==Biography==
Sheikh Baha' al-Din (also spelled Baha'uddin) Muhammad ibn Husayn al-'Amili was born near Baalbek, in Ottoman Syria (present-day Lebanon) in 1547.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2009|pages=429–430}} His family had moved there from a small village near Jezzine.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2009|pages=429–430}} After the execution of al-Shahid al-Tani in 1558, his father's mentor, he and his family moved to the neighboring Safavid Empire; first to Isfahan, and from there to Qazvin, the then Iranian royal capital.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2009|pages=429–430}} At the time, the Safavid realm was ruled by king Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576).{{sfn|Kohlberg|2009|pages=429–430}} Tahmasp I appointed Sheikh Bahāʾī's father to serve as ''Shaykh al-Islām'' in several important Safavid cities in order to propagate Twelver Shi'ism amongst the population.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2009|pages=429–430}}
Sheikh Bahāʾī completed his studies in Isfahan. Having intended to travel to Mecca in 1570, he visited many Islamic countries including Iraq, Syria and Egypt and after spending four years there, he returned to Iran.
Sheikh Baha' al-Din died in 1621 in Isfahan. His body was buried in Mashhad according to his will.
===Exact dates of birth and death=== The exact dates of his birth and death are different on his grave stone and on the ceramic of the walls of the room where he is buried in. {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
'''Date of birth''': *''On the ceramics of the wall'': 27 February 1547 *''On the grave stone'': March 1546
'''Date of death''': *''On the ceramics of the wall'': 30 August 1621 *''On the grave stone'': August 1622
The dates on the wall contain day, month and year, while the dates on the grave stone only contain month and year. The ceramics of the wall are made in 1945. It seems that at that time a research is performed about the exact dates, and, therefore, the information about the day is added to the dates.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
===Pen name=== According to Baháʼí Faith scholar ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávari, Sheikh Baha' al-Din adopted the pen name (''takhallus'') 'Baha' after being inspired by words of Shi'a Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (the fifth Imam) and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (the sixth Imam), who had stated that the Greatest Name of God was included in either Du'ay-i-Sahar or Du'ay-i-Umm-i-Davud. In the first verse of the Du'ay-i-Sahar, a dawn prayer for the Ramadan, the name "Bahá" appears four times: "Allahumma inni as 'aluka min Bahá' ika bi Abháh va kulla Bahá' ika Bahí".<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Bahá'u'lláh and His Most Holy Shrine | first = Dhikru'llah | last = Khadem | author-link = Dhikru'llah Khadem |magazine= Baháʼí News |date=March 1976 | issue = 540 |pages=4–5 | url = https://bahai.works/index.php?title=File:Baha%27i_News_540.pdf&page=3}}</ref>
==Astronomy and mathematics== thumb|Manuscript of The Summa of Arithmetics His interest in the sciences is also apparent by some of his works and treaties, although many of his astronomical treatises are yet to be studied.{{sfn|Hashemipour|2007}} He probably have written 17 tracts and books on astronomy and related subjects. The following are some his works in astronomy:
* ''Risālah dar ḥall-i ishkāl-i ʿuṭārid wa qamar'' (''Treatise on the problems of the Moon and Mercury''), on attempting to solve inconsistencies of the Ptolemaic system within the context of Islamic astronomy. * ''Tashrīḥ al-aflāk'' (''Anatomy of the celestial spheres''), a summary of theoretical astronomy where he affirms the view that supports the positional rotation of the Earth. He was one of Islamic astronomers to advocate the feasibility of the Earth's rotation in the 16th century, independent of Western influences. {{sfn|Hashemipour|2007}} * ''Kholasat al-Hesab'' (''The summa of arithmetic'') was translated into German by G. H. F. Nesselmann and was published as early as 1843.<ref name="Iranica"/> thumb|Manuscript of the Anatomy of Celestial Spheres
== Architecture == Sheikh Baha' al-Din was known for his proficiency in mathematics, architecture and geometry. A number of architectural and engineering designs are attributed to him, but none can be substantiated with sources.{{sfn|Hashemipour|2007}} He is credited with designing the canal network of the Zayanderud river and a heating system for an Isfahan public bath that used a single candle.{{sfn|Hashemipour|2007}} Some of his designs may have included the Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Charbagh Avenue in Isfahan.<ref>{{cite book |author=Masoud, Kheirabadi Masoud |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HEumaflGM_cC |title=Iranian Cities: Formation and Development |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=2000 |isbn= |page=47}}</ref>
==Shia jurisprudence== alt=A polychrome lacquer mirror case, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il, Persia, Qajar, second half 19th century|thumb|331x331px|Sheikh Bahai (center left) meeting Shah Abbas (center right) by Muhammad Ismail Isfahani|left In the Twelver tradition, Sheikh Bahai is regarded as a leading scholar of his age and a mujaddid of the seventeenth century.<ref name="Iranica">Encyclopædia Iranica, ''[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baha-al-din-ameli-shaikh-mohammad-b Bahāʾ-Al-Dīn ʿĀmelī, Shaikh Moḥammad B. Ḥosayn Bahāʾī]'' by E. Kohlberg.</ref> His erudition won him the admiration of Shah Abbas, and he was appointed the Sheikh ul-Islam of Isfahan after the death of the previous incumbent.<ref name="Iranica"/> He composed works on tafsir, hadith, grammar and fiqh (jurisprudence).<ref name="Iranica"/>
==Mysticism== alt=Nan va Halva (Breads and Sweets) MET DT4396|left|thumb|298x298px|Illustrated manuscript of Nan wa Halwa Sheikh Baha' al-Din was also an adept of mysticism. He had a distinct Sufi leaning for which he was criticized by Mohammad Baqer Majlesi.<ref name="Iranica"/> During his travels he dressed like a Dervish<ref name="Iranica"/> and frequented Sufi circles.<ref name="Iranica"/> He also appears in the chain of both the Nurbakhshi and Ni'matullāhī Sufi orders.<ref name="Iranica"/> In the work called "Resāla fi’l-waḥda al-wojūdīya" (Exposition of the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existences), he states that the Sufis are the true believers,<ref name="Iranica"/> calls for an unbiased assessment of their utterances,<ref name="Iranica"/> and refers to his own mystical experiences.<ref name="Iranica"/> Both his Persian and Arabic poetry is also replete with mystical allusions and symbols.<ref name="Iranica"/> At the same time, Sheikh Baha' al-Din calls for strict adherence to the Sharia as a prerequisite for embarking on the Tariqah<ref name="Iranica"/> and did not hold a high view of antinomian mysticism.<ref name="Iranica"/>
==Works== thumb|A manuscript by Sheikh Bahai Sheikh Baha' al-Din contributed numerous works in philosophy, logic, astronomy and mathematics. His works include over 100 articles, epistles and books. Sheikh Baha' al-Din also composed poems in Persian and Arabic. His outstanding works in the Persian language are ''Jame-e Abbasi'' and two masnavis (rhymed couplets) by the names of ''Shīr u Shakar'' ("Milk and Sugar") and ''Nān u Halwā'' ("Bread and Halva").{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}
His other important work is the ''Kashkūl'', which includes stories, news, scientific topics, Persian and Arabic proverbs.
He also wrote ''Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb'' ({{langx|ar|خلاصة الحساب}}, lit. "Essentials of arithmetic"), an Arabic textbook that became popular throughout the Islamic world from Egypt to India until the 19th century. It was translated into German in Berlin by G. H. F. Nesselmann and published in 1843. A French translation appeared later 1854.{{sfn|Hashemipour|2007}}
===Other works=== * ''Meklāt'' (in Arabic) * ''Kashkūl'' (in Persian and Arabic) ({{lang|fa|کشکول}}) * ''Tūtī-Nāmah'' (in Persian) ({{lang|fa|طوطی نامه}}) * ''Nān u Panīr'' (in Persian) ({{lang|fa|نان و پنیر}}) * ''Shīr u Shakar'' (in Persian) ({{lang|fa|شیر و شکر}}) * ''Nān u Halwā'' (in Persian and Arabic) ({{lang|fa|نان و حلوا}}) * ''Jame-e Abbasi'' (in Persian) ({{lang|fa| جامع عباسی}}) * ''Tashrīḥ Al-Aflāk'' (in Arabic) ({{lang|ar|تشريح الأفلاك}}) * ''Al-fawayid as-Samadiah'' (in Arabic) * ''Mashriq al-Shamsayn wa Iksīr al-Sa'adatayn'' (in Arabic) ({{lang|ar|مشرق الشمسين وإكسير السعادتين}}) * ''Al-Athnā' Ash'ariyyah'' (in Arabic) ({{lang|ar|الأثناء عشرية}}) * ''Zubdat al-Usūl'' (in Arabic) ({{lang|ar|زبدة الأصول}})
==See also== * Sheikhbahaee University in Isfahan, which was named in his honor.
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== * {{cite encyclopedia | article = BAHĀʾ-AL-DĪN ʿĀMELĪ | last = Kohlberg | first = E. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baha-al-din-ameli-shaikh-mohammad-b | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 4 | pages = 429–430 | year = 2009 }} * {{cite encyclopedia | editor = Thomas Hockey | last = Hashemipour | first = Behnaz | title=ʿĀmilī: Bahāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al-ʿĀmilī | encyclopedia = The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers | publisher = Springer | year = 2007 | location = New York | pages = 42–3 | url=http://islamsci.mcgill.ca/RASI/BEA/Amili_BEA.htm | isbn=978-0-387-31022-0|display-editors=etal}} ([http://islamsci.mcgill.ca/RASI/BEA/Amili_BEA.pdf PDF version])
== External links == *{{MacTutor|id=Al-Amili|title=Baha' ad-Din al-Amili}} *[http://www.irib.ir/occasions/SheikhBahaee%5CSheikhBahaeeEN.HTM Biography] *[http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1000.html Menar-e-Jonban] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621075804/http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1000.html |date=2009-06-21 }} {{Islamic astronomy}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baha Ad-Din Al-Amili}} Category:1547 births Category:1621 deaths Category:16th-century Iranian astronomers Category:17th-century Iranian astronomers Category:Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Iran Category:Safavid theologians Category:16th-century Iranian mathematicians Category:16th-century architects Category:17th-century Iranian mathematicians Category:Shia Muslims Category:17th-century architects Category:People from Baalbek Category:16th-century Iranian philosophers Category:Iranian architects Category:16th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Category:17th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Category:16th-century writers from Safavid Iran Category:17th-century writers from Safavid Iran Category:16th-century Arab people Category:17th-century Arab people
Category:Burials at Imam Reza Shrine Category:Lebanese astronomers