When the stars are proud of a servant

According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr News Agency: Royasad Hashemi: "Going on pilgrimage was a fixed routine in all of our lives, and of course, today, when I have reached the age of fifty, I consider peace to belong only to the most heavenly place in dear Iran, namely the shrine of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)." These are part of Mehran Modiri's note for the Astan Quds Razavi, which was published in 2016 and has been circulated widely. He considered the shrine of the eighth Imam to be the most heavenly place in Iran. In addition to this incident, there were many other figures who expressed their special devotion to Imam Reza and showed it, from Hamed Behdad, who, in the middle of recording the Open Book program at 8 o'clock, when his phone alarm rang unexpectedly, said that according to the promise and agreement he had with himself, he must greet the Sultan of Khorasan every day at this hour, to Sima Tirandaz, who had said that one of her dreams was to be a servant for Ali ibn Musa al-Reza, to athletes, many of whom, in the tradition of the world champion Takhti, offered their medals to the Razavi shrine. Among the famous figures of artists and athletes, you can find many people who, in addition to their special devotion to Imam Reza (peace be upon him), have a passion for serving in the shrine, servants of whom some have succeeded in wearing his robes and others still have the desire to do so in their hearts. On the occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of the eighth Imam, we took a look at some of the famous figures who have achieved this desire. Those who, before entering the shrine, put down their sunglasses and pride, wear servant robes, sometimes pair their shoes, sometimes remove the dust of the shrine, and sometimes show the way to pilgrims so that they can be good servants of the shrine of Imam Reza with love.

Farhad Ghaemian

One of the first among the artists whose news of his service made quite a stir and went from hand to hand. A picture of Farhad Ghaemian in a servant robe was published in 2014. A photo that said that this artist was honored to wear the servant robe of the eighth Imam. This image was published about 11 years ago with the following title: "Farhad Ghaemian, a well-known film and television actor, wore the uniform of the servants of the Razavi Shrine and served the pilgrims of this great Imam." Last year, this film and television actor was also responsible for managing the 21st International Cultural and Artistic Festival of Imam Reza (AS).

Behrouz Shoaibi

It was only a few years ago that Behrouz Shoaibi was shocked and surprised on the live TV program "Tashraf" when he was told that his request to be a servant had been accepted. The actor and director of cinema and television had previously shown his special devotion to Imam Reza (AS) by making the sweet film "Without a Pre-arrangement" and had presented his Simorgh to the Holy Shrine of the Razavi Shrine. Shoaibi later said about this event: "Imam Reza (AS) is the connecting point for all of us Iranians. We still do not know many aspects of his existence... The Imam had piety and expertise together."

Hamed Shakernejad

Hamed Shakernejad is internationally renowned not only in Iran but also in the world for his unparalleled recitations. A great reciter from Mashhad who may be known to the younger generation as a humorous and kind judge of the Mahfal program in addition to his position as a master in the field of recitation. Someone who had repeatedly expressed his special devotion to Imam Reza in this program and talked about how much he wished to have the honor of wearing the robe of a servant of the Imam. A sweet wish that was fulfilled last year on live television with the presence of the servants of the Imam's shrine, with Shakernejad falling to his knees and shedding tears of joy. He says: "Being a servant of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) is an honor that cannot be compared to any other title in the world. Although reciting the Quran in this holy shrine for many years has been a great achievement, being a servant has a different atmosphere; as if every breath in this robe is an act of worship."

Hassan Yazdani

This Iranian wrestler was also among those athletes who presented his medals to the Astan Quds Razavi Museum to fulfill his vow. Someone who considers being a servant of the Imam Reza shrine a great honor for himself, but one of Hassan Yazdani’s sweet and funny challenges for serving in the eighth shrine was his popularity among the pilgrims, to the extent that he himself recently announced in an interview: “My duty as a servant in the Imam Reza shrine is to establish order among the pilgrims, but this has not happened yet because the servants who were there said it would be better if you did not come because people love you more because your presence will cause more disorder (laughs).” It is good to know that besides Hassan Yazdani, other young wrestlers such as Amir Hossein Zare, Mohammad Reza Garai, and… also have the honor of being a servant of the eighth Imam.

Seyyed Mehdi Rahmati

You must know Seyyed Mehdi Rahmati, the goalkeeper of the national football team who has been a head coach in the Iranian football league for a couple of years now. He is one of the special devotees of Imam Reza (AS). This former Esteghlal player said during a television interview about his 13-year servitude at the Razavi Shrine: “I have been an honorary servitude of the Imam Reza Shrine in the wheelchair section for 13 years. It was like a dream come true for me. One of the good things about being a servitude in this section is that from the moment you take the pilgrim of Imam Reza (AS) on board, he starts praying for you and your parents…”

Hadi Sa’i

Iranians remember him as the most honored athlete in Olympic history. Someone who says that in the 2008 Olympics, he made a promise and an appointment with Imam Reza (AS) before the start of the competition and went to the field. This Iranian taekwondo athlete with two gold and one bronze Olympic medals has been the custodian of the eighth Imam's shrine for many years now. He says about this: "The grace of Imam Reza (AS) has been with me in all stages of my life and has always held my hand in the most difficult stages of life. Membership in the custodians of the shrine system was another opportunity for me to serve the pilgrims of this merciful Imam for several hours of my life."