Mohammad Hossein Pouyanfar

Mohammad Hossein Pouyanfar is an Iranian maddah (eulogist) from Shemiranat, Tehran, the founder of the Reyhanat al-Nabi hey'at and of the Hamdardi charity, best known for the piece "Man Iranam o to Araghi". ¹ His Instagram account counted 615,485 followers in November 2026, read on the platform on 7 November 2026 — a dated platform figure, not a measurement the museum makes itself. ²

Pouyanfar was born on 24 Ordibehesht 1363 in the Persian calendar (14 May 1984) in Shemiranat, Tehran, according to his Photokade biography; in his own published interview he confirms the birth year 1363 and his bachelor's degree in psychology. ^{1 3} He grew up in a hey'at family: both his grandfathers kept hey'ats, his maternal grandfather Haj Mirza Hasan Asgarian was a maddah, and after his father's death in 1372 (1993) he turned to Qur'an recitation, which he practised professionally for several years. ³

In 1377 (1998), at a gathering in Shemiran, the eulogist Hojjat Kasri heard his recitation and asked him why he did not perform maddahi; he began attending Kasri's classes and started eulogising within about two months, and he still names Kasri as his teacher. ³ In 1380 (2001) he founded the Reyhanat al-Nabi hey'at for the young people of Shemiran, with his brother, friends and Kasri's counsel — its name was chosen by opening the Qur'an, which brought up the name of Fatimah al-Zahra — and its weekly sessions ran regularly from 1384. ^{3 1}

His best-known piece is the eulogy "Man Iranam o to Araghi, ah az feraq" ("I am Iran and you are Iraq — ah, the separation"), which his biography describes as a well-produced piece released at the right moment. ¹ In Mordad 1400 (2021) he presented for the first time, hosting the online programme Mahla, which continued into further seasons with him as presenter. ¹ In 1398 (2019) he founded the Hamdardi charity inside his hey'at, to relieve people in difficulty alongside the religious work, and his biography notes that other hey'ats followed the example. ¹

Pouyanfar is known for social criticism voiced from the eulogist's platform: his biography quotes his jab at officials who want to poll the public — that their cars should also reach Tehran's deprived districts — and his view that one of the country's biggest problems is officials who cannot bear criticism. ¹ These positions are reported here as his biography records them.

His Instagram account (@mhpooyanfar) counted 615,485 followers when read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ² The instastatistics counter page for the same account had shown 628,642 followers at its crawl of about August 2026; the fresher on-platform reading is the one carried, and the older figure is preserved in its source. ⁴

• His Instagram account (@mhpooyanfar), read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ²
• The instastatistics counter page for his account, read on 7 November 2026 with figures crawled about August 2026. ⁴
• His biography on Photokade, read in full on 7 November 2026. ¹
• His interview with Aghigh, republished by Farda News, read in full on 7 November 2026. ³