بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

In Qom, the city of Lady Fatima Masooma (SA), faith and daily life walk side by side. Pilgrims fill the streets of Zaer Boulevard, moving toward the Haram. Among them lives a man whose devotion has become known to many.

His name is Muhammad Taqi Munadi, son of Muhammad Hussain and Rubab. He is an old man now. He owns Hotel Bibi, located on Zaer Boulevard, 15th Amir Kabir Street, Qom. The hotel is respected, but his true reputation is not in business. It is in what he does after the day’s work.

Every evening, Munadi enters the Haram of Lady Fatima Masooma (SA). He goes to the Rasool‑e‑Azam Mosque and joins the Maghribain prayer. Hundreds of worshippers gather at the mosque each night. When the prayer ends, he begins his practice. He takes out Iranian bills from his pocket and gives them away to all present there. Some needy reach out to him to get some money; to others, he reaches out himself as a souvenir at the end of the prayers. While many depart the mosque, those who remain witness this practice in the first few rows. He hands them out with humility while maintaining the dignity of all. He has done this for years. Many have seen him. He stays, steady in his devotion.

I have observed him a few times. I did not join those receiving the money; I simply watched. His actions are quiet, yet they carry immense power and meaning. I struck up a conversation with him as he exited the mosque, passing through the corridor where Ayatullah Borujerdi rests in his final abode. I asked him for a small souvenir. He asked how much I wanted, then reached into his pocket and took out a bundle of money. As he flipped through the bills to pick one for me, I said, “This small one, yes. 10 toman will suffice.

He asked me to write about him, to share his story. Curious, I asked why he does this? His reply was calm and direct

“Giving in the path of Allah (SWT) is like giving a loan to God. Qarz-e-Hasanah. Could there be anything better?” He was referring to verse 245 of Surah Al‑Baqarah in the Holy Qur’an, where Allah (SWT) says:

“مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا”

Which translates as, ‘Who is it that will lend Allah a goodly loan…’

I then asked if he did not have family to support. He said, “My children are settled in their lives”.

As a seminary student, I felt humbled. My studies in Qom have taught me the value of sacrifice. Yet his practice gave those lessons life. His generosity is a sermon without words.

This story is not only about an old hotel owner. It is about a man who turns his earnings into worship. It is about devotion lived in action. And it is also about those who witness him. I am one of them. His example strengthens me, reminding me that scholarship must breathe in the world.

May his devotion inspire others. May my words carry his lesson forward. Faith is not only studied. It is lived.

Author: Syed Muhammad Ali Jaffery

The 10 Toman Bill i received from Muhammad Taqi Muradi