Ayatollah Bahjat before Reaching Adolescence

During his studies, and shortly before reaching adolescence, he paid attention to self-cultivation and moral perfection. He therefore, kept looking for a teacher of manners to embrace and cultivate him since residing in Karbala. He heard about Sayyid Ali Qazi Tabatabai, may God bless his soul, being in Najaf, so he felt honored to reside in this city so he could be inspired in manners by keeping company with his prominent mentor, the late al-Hajj Sheikh Muhammad Hussain Isfahani Kompani.

Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi says the following in this regard: "The impact of the late Sheikh Mohammad Hussain Isfahani was obvious on the conduct of Ayatollah Bahjat. He used to quote some of his pursuits with admiration. We used to see samples of his conduct which reminded us of his citing the mentor. It was quite obvious that this mentor had a great impact on building his moral character."

Ayatollah Bahjat also attended lessons in manners by Sayyid Abd al-Ghaffar in Najaf before being tutored by the spiritual scholar and famous Gnostic, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Qazi, may Allah Almighty be pleased with him. He started his studies with him and drank of the spring of his niceties and care when he was eighteen of age; therefore, he took long strides in the stages of Gnosticism even when he was in the prime of his youth.

 Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi says the following: " Ayatollah Bahjat benefited from his being in the presence of the late al-Hajj Mirza Ali al-Qazi as far as manners and morals are concerned and directly, and he was tutored by him for long years. Ayatollah Qazi was specialist in cultivating persons morally. Each of the late Allamah Tabatabai, the late Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Amuli and the late Ayatollah Sheikh Ali Muhammad Borujerdi as well as a large number of other great men of knowledge and even some religious authorities from his lessons in manners and Gnosticism."

Ayatollah Bahjat quotes some pursuits from other individuals such as Ayatollah Sheikh Murtaza Taleqani. He says, "During those days, someone was trying to find out the number of those who were committed to reciting the supplication by Abu Hamzah al-Thumali during the qunoot of the witr prayers during the eves of the month of Ramadan and in the shrine of Imam Ali, peace be upon him. When this person made a count of these individuals, he found out their number exceeding seventy. The number of people who were committed to rituals and to spirituality at that time was a lot more than it is in our time, and this is regrettable; Of course, we do not know the unknown.
  

" Ayatollah Bahjat benefited from his being in the presence of the late al-Hajj Mirza Ali al-Qazi as far as manners and morals are concerned and directly, and he was tutored by him for long years. Ayatollah Qazi was specialist in cultivating persons morally.

 Perhaps people undertake these forms of worship at their homes nowadays, but we can say for sure that the commitment for acts of adoration has seen a decline in our times. This is quite regrettable, indeed." In his memoirs, one of the students of Bahjat has written the following: "Someone heard that more than seventy men were reciting the supplication by Abu Hamzah al-Thumali in their witr prayers and in the shrine of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, so he decided to verify the number of those who have committed themselves to doing so during his time. He found out that their number did not exceed fifty men, as I remember, and the person speaking was the Tehrani."