Daheshist Masterpieces

The literary works tread the lofty Daheshist mountains

 entering its gardens of exquisite roses

with the amazing lotus flowers spread over its silver lake surface roaming through its lovely paradises adorned with shady trees enjoying the singing of its nightingales along its silky meadows

enhancing the enchantment are colorful butterflies hovering over these azure forests

whiffing its aromatic dew-sprinkled flowers aiming to unveil its magical and amazing secrets hence sailing to the isles of rhetorical eloquence

wandering in its vast and infinite oceans

struggling through its overwhelming, thunderous, and rough waves; then flying towards the towering and lofty space only to lose itself in the expansive and infinite mazes plowing through the majestic and magical galactic worlds and ascending the towers of cities of idealistic happiness only to settle at the city of dreams and eternal peace and in those paradises that are full of legendary dreams the lasses and the houris of paradises rush

to generously provide great pleasures by singing poetic pieces in response, the souls are immersed in eternal bliss

Beirut, February 6, 1980
Dr. Dahesh

Dr. Dahesh, a Prodigious Writer

Dr. Dahesh is a self-taught prodigious writer, and his genius writings glitter in the skies of literary art. The only formal education he received was during the few months he spent in an orphanage in the town of Ghazir, in Lebanon. He was then eleven years of age. With his unique talents and gifts, he managed to ascend to the peak of literary achievement. Having written over one hundred and fifty works, he won the admiration of researchers and became the subject of graduate studies and research in some Arab countries, as well as in France, and the United States. Many of his works were translated into major international languages.

Dr. Dahesh is a thinker of great significance. His literary talents, of varied dimensions, expanded and created a complete spiritual viewpoint on life and death, in explaining the differences people when it comes to health, conscience, inclinations—whether good or bad, unveiling the reasons for wars, the psychology of nations, the life of animals, plants, and inanimate objects, as well as the cosmic civilizations that inhabit the millions of planets in galaxies. His reform-oriented thoughts, along with his new philosophy garnered many supporters throughout the world.

Dr. Dahesh exhibited unique spiritual talents that enabled him to perform miracles that transgress the laws of nature. Miracles that amazed researchers and preoccupied the press for decades—especially in Egypt and Lebanon and were key in him receiving a PhD in psychology in 1930 from the Sage Institute in Paris. His teachings and miracles led many doubters to embrace the true faith in God, glory be to his name, and in religious faiths that are not distorted by bias. He had a passion to attain a comprehensive knowledge of all fields and managed to establish a private library comprising about 200,000 books in major languages as well as a decades-long collection of daily, weekly, and monthly issues of most Arabic newspapers. He possessed an insatiable love for the fine arts and developed a keen talent in their evaluation and techniques. Through his unique efforts, he was able to establish a museum to house many of the treasures of art creation in painting, sculpture, and handmade pieces. His museum is ranked no less than the world’s most reputable museums.

Dr. Dahesh was born on June 1, 1909, in Jerusalem—the city of divine inspiration, and the birthplace of prophets. As a child, he relocated with his family to Beirut, Lebanon, where he obtained Lebanese citizenship. During his childhood years, he performed miracles, which baffled all those who knew him; and these astonishing miracles increased in frequency as he got older. His father passed away when he was eleven years of age, and he was brought up as an orphan, and undertook the responsibility to support his family.

During the period from 1942 to 1944, he gained fame, and his ideas began to spread. The increasing number of supporters and those who embraced his teachings alarmed the Lebanese authorities who unlawfully persecuted him. The government stripped him of his Lebanese citizenship in 1944 and exiled him from Lebanon without due process. However, he returned secretly to Beirut and waged a media campaign against his enemies. He wrote to defend his usurped rights and his deprived liberty—writings instrumental in changing the public opinion , and eventually, in 1952, leading to the overthrow of the oppressive regime. His Lebanese citizenship, of which he was unjustly stripped of, was restored.

From 1969 through 1983, Dr. Dahesh resumed his intermittent travels around the world. He visited Arab countries as well as the capitals and large cities of Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. In a series, consisting of 22 volumes, titled “Daheshist Travels Around the World,” he documented his impressions of each country he visited and of its people and traditions, described its architecture and culture, and stated his honest and accurate impressions in an engaging style.

Despite the distressing hardships that he faced and his frequent travels, he was able to write tens of other books in various literary genres. He exhibited creativity within each genre—be it nonfiction stories, satire, or expressions. His writings conveyed discontent with societal behavior, and are descriptive of human emotion, nature, joys of paradise, or the horrors of the inferno.

Of his writings, it is worth noting his novel titled Memoirs of a Dinar—a narrative depicting events covering the greater part of the twentieth century and ends with a vision of doomsday—and his exciting collection of short stories titled Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales, in four volumes.

Many Arab writers and poets, who were full of admiration for Dr. Dahesh’s writings, undertook to rewrite them into fascinating poems. For example, the scholar Sheikh Abdullah el-Alaili rendered volume I of The Inferno of Dr. Dahesh, in verse; the poet Salah al-Asseer recast Astarte and Adonis; the poet Mutlaq Abdul Khaleq versified The Repose of Death; and the poet Halim Dammous recast in rhymed verse many Dr. Dahesh’s writings.

Dr. Dahesh’s thoughts on social reform, his new teachings, and his miracles, attracted a large number of researchers and university professors, who wrote complete volumes to provide an account of his broad philosophical horizons, his rich and intensely vivid and engaging style. It is also worth noting that most of Dr. Dahesh’s books are characterized by their elegant print, their glossy paper, and the exquisite artistic paintings that, in addition to the corresponding spiritual writings, they provide the reader with a pleasing artistic experience.