Al Islam Biography
Source:- Google.com.pkThis article was abridged and published in Noor al-Islam magazine of Beirut, Lebanon, in its issue dated November/December 1992.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
“Surely we are Allah's, and to Him shall we surely return.”
(Qur'an, 2:156)
The Muslim world has lost one of its brightest stars when, at 3:13 pm on Saturday, Safar 8, 1413 (August 8, 1992), Ayatullah al-Uzma (Grand or Supreme Ayatullah, the highest theological degree in Shi'a Islam) Abul-Qasim al-Khu’i died at his Kufa home of heart failure. He was born on Rajab 15, 1317 A.H. (November 19, 1899) at Khu’i in Iranian Azerbaijan, heartland of many great Shi'a thinkers and sufis, ascetics. Even in his early childhood, al-Khu’i was versed in religious Persian and Arabic poetry and languages and in Turkish as well.
It was in 1330 A.H./1912 A.D. that al-Khu’i, who was then only thirteen years old, migrated to al-Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq, in pursuit of knowledge. Even then, he was characterized by brilliance and a readiness to absorb knowledge and scholarship. In all stages of his study and research, progress and success were his companions.
The Hawza
Ten centuries ago, a university-type hawza was founded by the most knowledgeable person then alive, namely Shaikh Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Toosi, may Allah have mercy on his soul. Al-Toosi was an intellectual giant, a genius by all standards, and a man who was able to absorb various types of knowledge and science. He was the undisputed authority in fiqh, the founder of the science of hadith, an innovative mentor of the science of usool, nay, the scholar of scholars in all branches of knowledge related to the science of biographies, akhlaq, and ilm al kalam. Thus did al-Toosi lay the foundation for the hawza which has been functioning since then, i.e. since 449 A.H.
Since that year, this blessed hawza has passed through three significant periods: The first extended from its year of establishment till early tenth century; the second period started from then and ended at the early twelfth century; the third period started from then and continued till our present time. During each of these periods, certain personalities rose to distinction and contributed to the development and improvement of the functions of this great university; here is their short list:
1) Those who were distinguished during the first period included the founder, Shaikh al-Toosi, his son al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hassan who is well known as Abu Ali al-Toosi, and Abul-Nasr Muhammad ibn Abu Ali ibn Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Toosi.
2) Scholars whose star shone during its second period were many; among them are: al-Muqaddas Ahmed ibn Muhammad al-Ardabili, then the lighthouse of knowledge Jamalud-Deen al-Hassan ibn Zaynul-Deen, the Second Martyr, then Shaikh Ahmed ibn Isma'eel al-Jazairi, author of Ayat al Ahkam, then both famous scholars Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr al-Uloom and Shaikh Ja'far Kashiful-Ghita.
3) Men of this period are innumerable, yet the most renown among them are: Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr al-Uloom, Shaikh Ja'far Kashiful-Ghita, Shaikh Muhammad Husain al-Najafi, author of Al Jawahir, Shaikh al-Ansari, author of Al Makasib wal Rasaail, Muhammad Kazim al-Khurasani, author of Al Kifayah, and Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Yazdi, author of Al Urwah. Less renown were scholars such as Mirza Hussain al-Naeeni, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Isfahani, Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi, Sayyid Abul-Hassan al-Isfahani, and Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabatabai al-Hakim (the grand Ayatullah who preceded the late grand Ayatullah Abul-Qasim al-Khu’i).
The list is concluded by men of genius such as Abul-Qasim al-Moosawi al-Khu’i, may Allah be pleased with him, during whose period the hawza became like a bee-hive, full of energy and productivity and scholarly competition. Some scholars have described this particular period as the period of the Renaissance of the hawza, while others refer to it as the period of the perfection of scholarship due to the large number of those who proved their genius and due to the huge public demand from Arab and non-Arab seekers of knowledge to study there.
Mentors of Al-Khu’i
If we were to research the fountainheads that nurtured the intellect of the late al-Khu’i, we will come across a list of the finest among all contemporary scholars such as Shaikh Fath-Allah who is better known as Shaikh al-Sharee'a al-Isfahani, Shaikh Mahdi al-Mazandarani, Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Kampani al-Isfahani, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Naeeni, Shaikh Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi, and others. All of these men were considered as pioneers in the fields of their specialization. The impact of these men on shaping the mind of the late al-Khu’i is best described by al-Khu’i himself who has said,
“I have learned from each one of them a complete course in the science of usool, and digested a number of books in the science of fiqh, for many years. I used to provide a critique of the research relevant of each one of them before a number of scholars who specialized in that branch of knowledge, and my audience included a good number of very highly respected scholars. Al-Naeeni, may Allah have mercy on his soul, was the last mentor I used to accompany more frequently than anyone else.”
If you read Al Bayan fee Tafseer al Qur'an, you will most likely think it was written by al-Balaghi, may Allah rest his soul in piece, but worded by al-Khu’i!
Al-Khu’i as Mentor
The above covers the stage of the life of al-Khu’i when he was a student. This chapter deals with his being a professor who taught the most significant stages of theological studies in Islam, namely the stages of al sutooh and al kharij, which may be compared to the M.A. and Ph.D. respectively.
Al-Khu’i, may Allah be pleased with him, colored both stages with his own hue and stamped them with his own stamp; thus, a new generation of scholars graduated from his school; nay! A whole new generation of scholars graduated from his school as masters of the sciences of fiqh, usool, hadith, ilm al rijal, tafseer, and ilm al kalam. Roughly translated, these sciences may be said to be the sciences of jurisprudence, basics of jurisprudence, traditions, biographies, exegesis, interpretation of the Holy Qur'an, and theological philosophy, respectively.
Al-Khu’i had his own style in teaching and tutoring. Those who graduated from his courses describe his method of teaching as immaculately minute, stunningly easy and clear, amazingly logical. They say that there is neither undue complexity nor ambiguity in his style, and this can be said about all the courses he taught.
How was his style in discussing and debating? The answer to this question is provided by one of his students: the struggling scientist, the pioneer and the shining star Shaikh Muhammad Jawad Maghniyyah who has said the following in this regard:
“He [al-Khu’i] was like the sun that sends its rays everywhere, all the time. He was my professor and the professor of all other scholars at al-Najaf al-Ashraf, and the pivot round which the motion of scholarship revolved, and to whom the hawza is indebted for appreciation and loyalty... His was the golden age during which stars such as al-Shaikh al-Ansari and al-Shaikh al-Khurasani and their disciples shone...
He remained [at the hawza] for more than seventy years learning, teaching, writing, helping scholars graduate, debating newcomers as well as alumni... His style in discussing and debating is that of Socrates: He deliberately feigns his lack of knowledge and pretends to accept the argument of the other party, then he confronts him with doubts and assails him with questions.
He pretends to seek benefit and guidance from his opponent, just as a student or an inquirer may do, so much so that when the poor debater innocently and with naïveté provides an answer, he sharply assails him, pouncing down on him like an eagle and dragging him to show him the facts that support his own argument and from which the opponent cannot rescue himself. He then causes his opponent to unknowingly contradict himself, forcing him to admit his error and ignorance.”
Teaching the Al-Kharij Stage
In order to demonstrate the extent of contribution of his late holiness al-Khu’i, consider the following facts:
* Shaikh Murtada al-Ansari founded and polished the science of usool more than a century and a half ago;
* Shaikh Murtada al-Ansari continued learning then teaching this science for more than twenty five years;
* Al-Mirza Habib al-Rashti dedicated thirty years of his life to the study of this science alone;
* Shaikh al-Akhoond al-Khurasani continued his studies of this science for more or less than twenty years;
* Al-Mirza al-Naeeni continued studying this science for twenty-five years and a few months;
* Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi dedicated more than thirty years of his life to the study of this science;
* Shaikh al-Kampani Muhammad Hussain al-Isfahani was distinguished by the fact that he spent thirty years of his life studying only this science;
* Al-Sayyid Abul-Qasim al-Khu’i passed the stage of usool and continued teaching the much more advanced stage of al kharij for more than fifty years...! The number of his graduates is estimated at tens of thousands...
In order to form an idea about what this stage involves, let us ask its professor himself about it, for surely his answer is more precise than that of anyone else. He, may Allah be pleased with him, says:
“I have taught extensively, delivering numerous lectures in fiqh, usool, and tafsir, nurturing a large number of highly respected students at the hawza of al-Najaf al-Ashraf. I delivered my lectures in the stage of al kharij for two complete courses utilizing the scholarly achievements of his holiness al-Shaikh al-Ansari, the greatest mentor, may Allah be pleased with him, and I taught a number of other books as well. Then I taught two complete courses related to the Book of Salat (prayers).
On Rabi' al-Awwal 27, 1377 A.H. I started teaching Al Urwah al Wuthqa by the faqih of the school of thought al-Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Tabatabai al-Yazdi, starting with the Book of Tahara (cleanliness), after having taught ijtihad and taqleed.
I continued, by the Grace of Allah, doing so for a good while till I reached the Book of Ijarah which I started teaching on Rabi' al-Thani 26, 1400 A.H., finishing it in the month of Safar of the year 1401 A.H. I delivered my lectures in the science of usool, in the stage of al kharij for six complete courses, concluding them with the research on al didd. During the past few years, I have been teaching the exegesis of the Holy Qur'an till circumstances beyond my control forced me to terminate them...”
Books written by al-Khu’i and already published have already numbered ninety, not counting his numerous manuscripts. The topics his writings have covered include Islamic law, religious biographies, philosophy and commentary of the Holy Qur'an. His best known books of guidance are being used today throughout the Shi'a world, and they have been reprinted numerous times, and every Shi'a country in the world boasts eminent scholars who were his students.
This figure demonstrates the power of his overflowing pen despite his numerous responsibilities as the spiritual leader of two hundred million Shi'a Muslims worldwide and the person responsible for their guidance in matters related to both secular and theological problems. It is truly a task that distracts one from reading, let alone writing.
Najaf's Hawza under His Supervision
The monumental achievement of his late holiness Abul-Qasim al-Khu’i is his development and improvement of Najaf's theological school known as al hawza al ilmiyya, the inclusive school of knowledge and scholarship over which he presided in 1970 after being elected successor to the late Ayatullah al-Uzma Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabatabai al-Hakim.
He is described by his students as a compassionate father, a man who believed in moderation and who led a most austere life in strict adherence to the tenets of the Islamic faith. Al-Khu’i had attained the coveted title of “Ayatullah” when he was in his early thirties. The hawza at al-Najaf al-Ashraf has been for the past ten centuries attracting students from all over the world. The main topics taught at the hawza are: philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence, and the number of its students and teachers during its hay days reached 10,000.
It contains several libraries where ancient and rare manuscripts are treasured and guarded as one would guard a gold mine. In Najaf in general and around the premises of the hawza in particular, bookstores outnumber grocery stores. The hawza also accommodates facilities for the use of manuscript copiers.
Learning at it is a full-time career, and students actually live and learn at the same place where they are offered very modest accommodations. There were dark periods when this great center of learning was fought and its teachers hunted. To be exact, that was the period when Iraq was placed by strong foreign nations under the British mandate.
The British, who claim to be the most civilized people in the world and the champions of learning, chased Muslim theologians because of the latter's opposition to their presence in Iraq. One teacher recollects how he and other fellow teachers during that dark period of persecution by the British had nothing to eat all day long, so, they would wait till the dark to go out to the streets looking for the skins of watermelons whereby they could sustain themselves.
Some of His Renown Students
It is no exaggeration to indicate here that 70% of Shi'a scholars worldwide are either graduates of al-Khu’i's hawza or students of such graduates, and each one of them is like a bright star. Only Allah knows the exact numbers of those taught directly by al-Khu’i or by his students, but we would like here to indicate some of the most renown scholars who were students of Imam al-Khu’i and who are very well known throughout the Islamic world:
1) the great Islamic philosopher, theologian and economist Martyr Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr,
2) Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Beheshti,
3) the authority-referee, scholar and philosopher Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Taqi al-Ja'fari,
4) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamsud-Deen,
5) Ayatullah Sayyid Taqi al-Qummi,
6) Ayatullah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani,
7) Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad al-Roohani,
8) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Asif al-Muhsini,
9) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah,
10) Ayatullah Shaikh Hussein al-Waheed,
11) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Muhyi al-Deen al-Ghuraifi,
12) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyad,
13) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Ali Mekki,
14) the scholar, authority-referee, Martyr Sayyid Abdel-Sahib al-Hakim,
to name only a few.
A Great Administrator
Imam al-Khu’i kept in touch with his followers worldwide through a very well organized and centralized network of representatives. The latter have been charged with duties such as: making sure that the social, educational, theological, cultural and even financial problems of their respective communities are properly addressed and solved.
He proved his administrative genius in handling the financial aspect of running such a huge and intricate network of charitable trusts overseen and supervised by the Khu’i Foundation which has been building schools and religious and cultural centers wherever there is a sizeable following community.
During the Afghani struggle against the Russians, Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khu’i organized aid for Afghani war victims. When natural disasters hit Bangladesh, India, Kashmir (chopped off into Pakistani and Indian slices), and Iran, al-Khu’i issued orders to spend generously on the victims of these disasters regardless of their schools of Muslim law.
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
Al Islam Islam Facts For Kids Pictures About Religion Wikipedia And History And Beliefs Worksheet On Women Today And Information Images Wallpapers
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