Declaration – 4 Jumada al-Thani 1439 (2018-02-21)

Declaration from His Holiness Haj Dr. Noor Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
In Clarification and Supplement to the Declaration of February 20, 2018.

---

Following the declaration I issued yesterday, certain points raised questions and caused confusion. Therefore, I deemed it necessary to present the following clarifications and additions to that statement.

Recently, bitter and unjustifiable events have occurred around my residence—under pretexts such as the issuance of an arrest warrant—that were in complete violation of religious and mystical principles. These events deeply saddened and distressed us all. The driving forces behind this crisis were largely emotional impulses, poor judgment, ignorance, and disobedience to my clear instructions by a few individuals identifying as “Dervishes”, despite my repeated warnings and advice. These actions were in no way endorsed by me, and I firmly condemn such behavior. During these incidents, several members of the law enforcement, IRGC, Basij, and others lost their lives, plunging me and the “fuqara” into mourning. I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for divine mercy upon their souls. It makes no difference to me whether the person is a “Dervish” or not—if someone has been unjustly killed, I am affected. I also ask God for the swift recovery of all the injured. Furthermore, the inappropriate actions of those claiming “Dervishhood” caused inconvenience to neighbors and the relevant authorities, for which I also express my regret. Some websites have directly contributed to the spread of misinformation and the provocation of this crisis. I must clearly state that no website—even if it carries my name or claims to be affiliated with me—is under my authority, and I bear no involvement in their content. Therefore, anything published on such platforms is unrelated to me. I strongly advise all “fuqara” to follow only my explicit instructions, and not what is falsely attributed to me online. This is precisely why, whenever the “fuqara” request my permission to form groups with my participation, I do not approve. In principle, none of the actions or statements by individuals or groups claiming association with me as “Dervishes” are issued on my behalf. In conclusion, I ask all my faithful brothers and sisters to refrain from traveling to Tehran for participation in “faqr” gatherings until further notice, in order to restore calm and re-establish order. Temporarily, the regular scheduled meetings at my residence and other “faqr” gatherings in Tehran will not be held. I also call upon the honorable authorities to deal with the perpetrators of the recent violent incident—whether they acted under the name of “Dervishhood” or otherwise—according to the law and justice. May God grant us all the ability to show love and kindness toward one another. Peace be upon you.