Quran Researchers among Islamic Republic of Iran’s Officials
-- Many of the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, since its establishment, have been scholars who have made substantial contributions to Quranic research and the spread of the Quranic culture. What follows is a brief account of some of their endeavors to serve the holy book of Islam.
Imam Khomeini
Late grand Ayatollah Imam Khomeini was a great Faqih (jurisprudent), philosopher, author, poet, source of emulation, and politician.
The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran based the Islamic revolution on the Quran and derived its causes and aspirations from the Divine book. “This movement has been started to implement Islamic teachings. We have had no intentions other than that,” he once said. “Our goal is not gaining power, but rather reviving the teachings of the Quran.”
He would always reiterate that as soon as the Quran is neglected by the Islamic Ummah, Islam will be sidelined in the world. “Do not neglect association with the Holy Quran, this divine book of light because whatever the Muslims have had in the past and may have in the future is by the grace of this sacred book.”
According to the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Muslims would gain the status in the world that they deserve by acting upon Islam’s political guidelines, which are reflected in the Divine revelation. If Muslim governments and nations relied on Islam and the Quran rather than on arrogant powers, he believed, they would not be tyrannized by the Zionist aggressors and the Americans.
In addition to establishing the Islamic state in Iran, the late Imam groomed a large number of religious scholars to guide the society. He also wrote and compiled 60 books in 100 volumes on different subjects including Fiqh (jurisprudence), Hadith, Quran interpretation, ethics, Gnosticism, poetry, and government and politics, thus paving the way for generations to come and quench their thirst from the lucid waters of his heavenly-inspired learning.
As a researcher in the holy Quran, Imam Khomeini wrote a detailed exegesis of the Suras al-Hamd, Tawhid and Qadr in a book titled “Adab-us-Salat”.
“Sir-us-Salat (Mi 'raj us-Salikin wa Salat ul-Arefin)” is also an important work by the late Imam on the spiritual secrets of the daily prayer. Among other such works by this great character of the 20th century are “An Annotation of Sharh Fusus-ul-Hikam”, “Arbaeen”, “Jihad Akbar” ( the Greater Jihad), and “40 Hadiths”.
Having lived a fruitful life which changed Iran as well as the rest of the world, Imam Khomeini passed away at the age of 87 on June 3, 1989. Millions of Imam Khomeini’s devotees attended his funeral at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery, and they continue to cherish his memory years after his sad demise.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei
Sayyed Ali Khamenei was born in 1939 into a religious family in the holy city of Mashhad, northern Iran. His father, Hajj Sayyed Javad Hosseini Khamenei was a prominent cleric in Mashhad.
At the age of four, he, along with his elder brother Sayyed Mohammad, started learning the Quran. At 18 he began advanced religious training and then travelled to the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, to continue his religious studies at the city’s renowned Seminary School. For a short time, he attended classes held by great Mujtahids (Islamic jurists) like Sayyed Mohsen Hakim, Sayyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, Mirza Baqir Zanjani, and Sayyed Yahya Yazdi. But then he was summoned to Mashhad by his father. He moved to Qom in 1958, where he attended classes taught by grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, Sheikh Mortaza Haeri Yazdi, Ayatollah Khoemeini and Allameh Tabatabaee.
It was in Qom where he was inspired by the ideas of Imam Khomeini as well as Martyr Navab Safavi and joined the political movement originated by Imam Khomeini against the Shah’s tyrannical regime. In the meantime, he taught courses on Quran interpretation, Hadith and Islamic ideology in Mashhad and then Tehran. His political and religious activities angered the Shah’s secret service –Savak- which led to his arrest in 1967. He was released soon but was arrested many more times and spent three years in prison between 1964 and 1978. He was also exiled to a place with worst climate condition for almost a year.
Nothing, even imprisonment, torture and banishment, weakened his resolve during the sixteen years of campaign against the Shah.
Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei has been a key figure in the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He cofounded the Islamic Republican Party, and was designated the Friday prayer leader of Tehran. In 1981, after martyrdom of the then President Mohammad Ali Rajaee, he won the presidential election and was appointed the third president of the Islamic Republic.
In 1989, he succeeded the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini.
Grand Ayatollah Khamenei compiled several exegeses of the holy Quran both before and after the victory of the revolution, some of which are available online at www.khamenei.ir.
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani
He was born in 1939 in the southeastern city of Rafsanjan. At age 14, he traveled to Qom to pursue advanced Islamic studies. He later obtained Ijtihad in Qom.
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was one of the leading figures during the course of the revolution.
After the Shah's agents stormed the Qom Seminary School and forced Imam Khomeini into exile, Mr. Rafsanjani became a key player in the movement. Along the way, he wrote numerous books and began compiling the Rahnama Exegesis of the holy Quran. The great Quranic work was published after the victory of the revolution.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani served in various posts after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, including president as well as speaker of the parliament.
Ayatollah Ali Meshkini
Late Ayatollah Ali Akbar Feiz, known as Meshkini, chaired the Assembly of Experts for years. He was also a member of the Assembly for Revising the Constitution and served as the Friday prayer leader of the holy city of Qom.
In addition to his role in the political arenas of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Meshkini served the holy Quran in many ways, too. He held regular Quran interpretation sessions and wrote a number of books on the Quran including “Al-Mabsoot” (interpretation of Sura Al Umran), “Fluent Interpretation of the Quran for the Youth”, “Evolution in View of the Quran”, and “A Translation of the Quran into Persian”.
His translation of the Quran, which was edited by Hossein Ostadvali and published in 2001, is a fluent translation with numerous interpretational references.
He also founded the Al-Hadi Publications in Qom. Publishing Islamic books, the institute aims to acquaint the society with the teachings of the Quran and Islam.
Ayatollah Ali Meshkini passed away in Tehran in 2007 after a long battle with a chronic blood disease.
Martyr Ayatollah Mortaza Motahari
Born in 1920, Mortaza Motahari received his elementary education in theology from his father, Sheikh Mohammad Hossein. At 12 he joined the Mashhad Seminary School and pursued his studies there for five years. Then, despite his friends and relatives, he left Mashhad for studying in Qom. He stayed there for fifteen years and completed his education in Islamic Beliefs and Jurisprudence.
Later, he founded the Irshad religious center in Tehran and initiated a campaign to combat atheistic ideologies. He also joined Imam Khomeini’s Islamic movement against the Shah’s regimes and played a major role in it, especially after the martyrdom of Imam’s son Ayatollah Sayyed Mostafa Khomeini. During Imam’s stay in Paris in 1978, Ayatollah Motahari met with him to discuss major issues regarding the revolution. There, Imam Khomeini charged him with setting up the Council of the Islamic Revolution.
After the victory of the revolution, until his martyrdom in spring 1979, Ayatollah Motahari was always a close companion of the late Imam.
He was an outstanding orator and writer and a collection of his speeches and works on Islamic and Quranic topics has been published. Some of the titles in this collection include: “Acquaintance with the Quran”, “Man in the Quran”, “The Unlettered Prophet”, “The Truth and Falsehood”, “Everlasting Life or Life in the Hereafter”, “Our Fitrat (nature)”, “The Resurrection”, “The Revelation” and “The Prophethood”.
Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani
Lotfullah Safi Golpayegani was born in 1958 in the central city of Golpayegan. He studied Islamic jurisprudence in seminary schools in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq and in Qom.
Upon the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was appointed as a member of the Guardians Council by the late Imam Khomeini. He made great efforts during his eight-year term as secretary of the Guardians Council to make sure that the laws passed by the parliament are in complete accordance with the teachings of Islam and the Quran.
Following the sad demise of grand Ayatollah Golpayegani in 1993, he undertook the great responsibility of Marjaiyat (religious authority) and has since been a great source of emulation.
Among his major Quranic and religious works are: “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”, “Hajj Diary”, “Praying in Arafat”, and “Sahifat-ul-Mumin”.
Grand Ayatollah Araki
Mohammad Ali Araki was born on December 23, 1894, into a religious family. His father Hajj Ahmad known as Mirza Agha Farahani was a leading cleric in central Iran.
Mohammad Ali Araki pursued Islamic studies in Arak, Najaf and Qom and became one of the he world's most eminent Shia clerics.
During the Islamic revolution movement, he left Iran for Najaf to stay with the leader of the revolution, Imam Khomeini.
He taught at Qom’s Seminary School for 35 years, clarifying in eloquent language some of the most complicated issues in Islamic jurisprudence.
The grand Shia source of emulation authored a great many books in Fiqh and Usul including: “Annotations on Urvat-ul-Vosqa”, “Rituals of Hajj”, “An-Nikah Vat-Talaq”, and “Annotations on Jurisprudence Teachings by Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri”.
Grand Ayatollah Araki passed away on October 15, 1994, after a long illness.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi
Born into a respected family of religious scholars, Nasser Makarem Shirazi started his formal Islamic studies at the age of 14 in Shirazi seminary. At 18, he formally entered the theological seminary of Qom and in 1950 he made his way to the seminary of Najaf, Iraq. There, he was able to take part in classes of teachers such as Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim, Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei and Ayatollah Abdul Hadi Shirazi. At the age of 24, he was granted Ijtihad by two senior scholars in Najaf.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi is a prolific author, having written some 130 books, some of which have been translated into over ten languages and published in various countries. His two great Quranic works are the Nemuneh Exegesis of the Holy Quran and the Payam-e Quran Exegesis, which is a thematic interpretation of the holy book. The two books opened a new horizon in the interpretation of the Quran.
His books in Fiqh and Usul include “Taqlid Anwar-ul-Fiqaha”, “Al-Ghawaid-ul-Faqih”, “An Annotation on Urvat-ul-Vosqa” and “Resaleye Amaliye” (Manual of Islamic Laws), which has been translated into Urdu, Turkish and English.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi’s classes at Qom’s Seminary School are among the most popular attended by over 2.000 seminary students and scholars.
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani
Late Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Fazel Lankarani was one of the most eminent Shia sources of emulation in the Shia world.
He was a prominent instructor at Qom’s Seminary School and his commitment to spread the teachings of the Quran and Islam was exceptional.
He received his ijtihad from grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi at the age of 25. He wrote over 40 titles many of which are on different aspects of Quranic sciences and Quran interpretation. They include “Madkhal-ut-Tafsir” which is an introduction to Quran interpretation, touching on Quranic miracles, styles of recitation, and principles of interpretation.
“Brilliant Figures in the Tathir Verse” and “Shia Imams, Guardians of the Revelation” are two Persian works by the late Ayatollah. Some of his works such as “Interpretation of Sura al-Hamd” and “Infallibility of Prophets” are yet to be published.
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani passed away at the age of 76 on June 16, 2007.
Dr Gholam Ali Haddad Adel
Gholam Ali Haddad Adel is currently a member of the Majlis (The Islamic Consultative Assembly) from Tehran. He was born in Tehran in 1935.
He has a PhD in philosophy and has served in various scientific and administrative positions. They include: CEO of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation, propagation deputy in Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, member of acting board of the IRIB, advisor and deputy of education minister, and chairman of Academy of Persian Letters and Language. He also served as the speaker of the Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly) from 2004-2008.
“Culture of Nudity and Cultural Nudity”, “Lessons from the Quran”( 4 volumes), “Hajj”, and “A Look at Islam’s Social Views”, are some of the books by Dr Haddad Adel. His translation of the Quran into Persian is due to be published soon.
Ayatollah Ghazi Tabatabaee
Sayyed Mahmoud Ghazi Tabatabaee joined the Islamic movement in Iran in his early 20s and was arrested by the Shah’s secret service (Savak) in his home city of Tabriz. He and his father were banished to Tehran for their political activities. Two years later he went to Qom to study religious sciences.
He attended classes taught by grand Ayatollahs Mohammad Khansari, Sayyed Mohammad Hojjat Kohkamare’i, Sadr, Borujerdi and Golpayegani. He was also a devoted student of Imam Khomeini.
After the triumph of the revolution, Imam Khomeini appointed him as the first Friday prayer leader of Tabriz. But it was not long before he was martyred by the cronies of the global arrogance.
Martyr Ghazi Tabatabaee wrote a preface and annotations on Allameh Tabresi’s “Jawami–ul-Majami Exegesis of the Holy Quran” as well as “Anis-ul-Muwahedin” by Mulla Muhsin Naraghi.
Ayatollah Shahroudi
Sayyed Mahmoud Shahroudi was born in the holy city of Najaf into a religious family of the descendants of Imam Hussein (AS). His father was a prominent scholar at Najaf Seminary School, who compiled the lectures of the then highest Islamic authority, Ayatollah Khoei, in the Islamic jurisprudence and methodology.
Ayatollah Sharoudi studied Islamic jurisprudence in Najaf. Completing preliminary courses, he attended the advanced course of Islamic jurisprudence and methodology taught by grand Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Bagher Sadr, grand Ayatollah Imam Khomeini and grand Ayatollah Khoei.
Since he came to Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Shahroudi has been teaching Fiqh and Usul at Qom’s prestigious Seminary School. He has also held several positions in the Islamic Republic of Iran including member of the Assembly of Experts, Jurist member of the Guardians Council, and member of the Society of Qom Seminary Instructors. He has also been Iran’s Judiciary Chief since 1999.
He has penned a number of books in Fiqh, Usul and Quranic sciences. They include “The Islamic Government”, “The Book of Khums”, “Islamic Worldview”, “Islamic Criminal Law” , “Interpretation of Part of Nahj-ul-Balaqa”, and “Articles on Fiqh”, to name a few.
Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi
He was born on January 31, 1934, in the central city of Yazd. He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown and then moved to Qom, where he continued his education in Fiqh. From 1952 to 1960 he attended classes taught by Imam Khomeini. At the same time he took part in courses on Avicenna’s Shifa and Mula Sadra’s Asfar taught by late Allameh Tabatabaee.
Encouraged by Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Mohamad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi founded a number of Islamic schools, colleges and institutes both before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Among them are In the path of Truth Institute, the Office for Cooperation between Seminaries and Universities, and the Baqer-ul-Ulum Cultural Institute.
Being a prominent jurist, philosopher and thinker, he has authored numerous books on Islamic philosophy, theology, ethics and ideology. In the field of Quranic sciences, his publications include: “Theology in the Quran”, “Cosmology in the Quran”, “Anthropology in the Quran”, “Ethics in the Quran”, “Society and History in the Quran”, “War and Jihad in the Quran”, “Law and Politics in the Quran” and “Quran in the Mirror of Nahj-ul-Balaqa”.
Ayatollah Khazali
Abolghasem Khazali was born in 1925 in Brujerd. His active role in the Islamic movement against the Shah was outstanding. After the revolution’s triumph, he also made a lot of efforts to advance the aspirations of the revolution. During these years, he has been a true companion of the late Imam Khomeini and grand Ayatollah Khamenei. Membership to the Assembly of Experts and membership to the Guardians Council have been among the posts he has held in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is currently serving as the head of the Al-Ghadir International Foundation.
Most of Ayatollah Khazali’s scholarly work, who has learned the Quran, Nahj-ul-Balaqa and Sahife Sajjadiye by heart, centers on the Quran and Nahj-ul-Balaqa. An Interpretation of Sura Al-Hamd and “An Annotation of Ibn Abilhadid’s Poems on Imam Ali (AS) are among his works.
Ayatollah Taleghani
Mahmoud Taleqani was born in the city of Taleqan in 1911. His family was a religious one and his father was a clergyman.
At the very start of the Islamic movement against the Shah’s regime, Ayatollah Taleghani joined the movement. He was imprisoned on several occasions for opposing the Pahlavi regime. While in prison, he wrote an interpretation of the Quran. He also established the Kanoun Islam Institute and held speeches aimed at guiding the people.
After the revolution achieved victory, Ayatollah Taleghani was chosen as head of the Council of the Islamic Revolution. He was later elected as representative of Tehran at the Assembly of Experts. In August 1979, he was appointed as Tehran Friday prayer leader by Imam Khomeini.
He passed away in September 1979. His demise was the occasion of huge crowds and much emotion before and during his funeral.
His most outstanding Quranic work is the six-volume “Partovi az Quran” (a beam of light from the Quran) Interpretation, in which he presents commentary on the verses of the holy book from a philosophical, scientific and mystical point of view.
Ayatollah Yazdi
Mohammad Yazdi was born in 1931 into a religious family devoted to the Household of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH).
During the Islamic movement against the Shah, he was arrested and banished. But banishment did not stop him from spreading the Islamic teachings.
Ayatollah Yazdi is now a member of Guardians Council. He has also served as the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, head of the Supreme Council of Qom Seminary’s Instructors Society and Iran’s Judiciary Chief.
His Quranic works include: “Fiqh-ul-Quran” (jurisprudence of Quran), “Usas-ul-Iman Fi al-Quran”, and “Interpretation of Sura Al-Hamd”.
Ayatollah Taskhiri
Mohammad Ali Taskhiri Ayatollah was born in 1944 in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq.
Tashkhiri acquired his primary and middle-level education from Najaf while for the acquisition of highest educational level of the Hawzah i.e. "Dars-e-Kharej" which contains advanced religious courses, he gained extensively from the renowned Ulama of Najaf Ashraf.
He attained the university-level education of Arabic literature, Islamic law & Jurisprudence from the Fiqh College of Najaf Ashraf. Along with the acquisition of education, during his stay in the Theological College of Najaf Ashraf, he was also engaged in the teaching of the Islamic subjects. As regards the Arabic poetry and literature, he benefited from the distinguished mentors like Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Reza Muzzafar, Sheikh Abol Mehdi Matar and Sheikh Muhammad Amin Zain-ud-Din. Being fond of the Arabic poetry and literature in the young age, he versified many Arabic odes and on diverse occasions delivered literary lectures at different forums of poetry and literature.
In the political arena, he played a dynamic role against the Bathist party of Iraq and for the same reason he was jailed and also given death sentence. But with the grace of Almighty Allah he was released later.
In 1971 he want to the Qom Islamic Seminary School and for ten years attended the lectures delivered by the leading Ulama like Ayatollah Golpayengani, Ayatollah Wahid Khurasani, and Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amuli.
In the aftermath of the victory of the glorious Islamic Revolution in Iran, he fully got engaged in the cultural activities and the preaching of Islam, in Iran and elsewhere in the world. During this period, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri held different cultural, propagation and administrative positions and undertook various responsibilities.
Some of his responsibilities in political areas are as follows: Representative of Guilan province in the Assembly of Experts, Supreme leader's advisor in Islamic World's cultural affairs, Head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization from its establishment until 2001, International affairs deputy of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination organization, Member of Islamic Ideology Dissemination organization's Board of Trustees, Culture Minister's advisor in international affairs, Secretary General of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) World Assembly. He is now serving as secretary general of the Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
Ayatollah Taskhiri has authored over 50 books on various Islamic topics including Islamic ideology, Fiqh (jurisprudence), Islamic economy and Islam's history. He has also penned some 350 articles on Islamic issues. Many of his works have been translated into English, Urdu and other languages.
Late grand Ayatollah Imam Khomeini was a great Faqih (jurisprudent), philosopher, author, poet, source of emulation, and politician.
The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran based the Islamic revolution on the Quran and derived its causes and aspirations from the Divine book. “This movement has been started to implement Islamic teachings. We have had no intentions other than that,” he once said. “Our goal is not gaining power, but rather reviving the teachings of the Quran.”
He would always reiterate that as soon as the Quran is neglected by the Islamic Ummah, Islam will be sidelined in the world. “Do not neglect association with the Holy Quran, this divine book of light because whatever the Muslims have had in the past and may have in the future is by the grace of this sacred book.”
According to the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Muslims would gain the status in the world that they deserve by acting upon Islam’s political guidelines, which are reflected in the Divine revelation. If Muslim governments and nations relied on Islam and the Quran rather than on arrogant powers, he believed, they would not be tyrannized by the Zionist aggressors and the Americans.
In addition to establishing the Islamic state in Iran, the late Imam groomed a large number of religious scholars to guide the society. He also wrote and compiled 60 books in 100 volumes on different subjects including Fiqh (jurisprudence), Hadith, Quran interpretation, ethics, Gnosticism, poetry, and government and politics, thus paving the way for generations to come and quench their thirst from the lucid waters of his heavenly-inspired learning.
As a researcher in the holy Quran, Imam Khomeini wrote a detailed exegesis of the Suras al-Hamd, Tawhid and Qadr in a book titled “Adab-us-Salat”.
“Sir-us-Salat (Mi 'raj us-Salikin wa Salat ul-Arefin)” is also an important work by the late Imam on the spiritual secrets of the daily prayer. Among other such works by this great character of the 20th century are “An Annotation of Sharh Fusus-ul-Hikam”, “Arbaeen”, “Jihad Akbar” ( the Greater Jihad), and “40 Hadiths”.
Having lived a fruitful life which changed Iran as well as the rest of the world, Imam Khomeini passed away at the age of 87 on June 3, 1989. Millions of Imam Khomeini’s devotees attended his funeral at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery, and they continue to cherish his memory years after his sad demise.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei
Sayyed Ali Khamenei was born in 1939 into a religious family in the holy city of Mashhad, northern Iran. His father, Hajj Sayyed Javad Hosseini Khamenei was a prominent cleric in Mashhad.
At the age of four, he, along with his elder brother Sayyed Mohammad, started learning the Quran. At 18 he began advanced religious training and then travelled to the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, to continue his religious studies at the city’s renowned Seminary School. For a short time, he attended classes held by great Mujtahids (Islamic jurists) like Sayyed Mohsen Hakim, Sayyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, Mirza Baqir Zanjani, and Sayyed Yahya Yazdi. But then he was summoned to Mashhad by his father. He moved to Qom in 1958, where he attended classes taught by grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, Sheikh Mortaza Haeri Yazdi, Ayatollah Khoemeini and Allameh Tabatabaee.
It was in Qom where he was inspired by the ideas of Imam Khomeini as well as Martyr Navab Safavi and joined the political movement originated by Imam Khomeini against the Shah’s tyrannical regime. In the meantime, he taught courses on Quran interpretation, Hadith and Islamic ideology in Mashhad and then Tehran. His political and religious activities angered the Shah’s secret service –Savak- which led to his arrest in 1967. He was released soon but was arrested many more times and spent three years in prison between 1964 and 1978. He was also exiled to a place with worst climate condition for almost a year.
Nothing, even imprisonment, torture and banishment, weakened his resolve during the sixteen years of campaign against the Shah.
Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei has been a key figure in the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He cofounded the Islamic Republican Party, and was designated the Friday prayer leader of Tehran. In 1981, after martyrdom of the then President Mohammad Ali Rajaee, he won the presidential election and was appointed the third president of the Islamic Republic.
In 1989, he succeeded the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini.
Grand Ayatollah Khamenei compiled several exegeses of the holy Quran both before and after the victory of the revolution, some of which are available online at www.khamenei.ir.
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani
He was born in 1939 in the southeastern city of Rafsanjan. At age 14, he traveled to Qom to pursue advanced Islamic studies. He later obtained Ijtihad in Qom.
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was one of the leading figures during the course of the revolution.
After the Shah's agents stormed the Qom Seminary School and forced Imam Khomeini into exile, Mr. Rafsanjani became a key player in the movement. Along the way, he wrote numerous books and began compiling the Rahnama Exegesis of the holy Quran. The great Quranic work was published after the victory of the revolution.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani served in various posts after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, including president as well as speaker of the parliament.
Ayatollah Ali Meshkini
Late Ayatollah Ali Akbar Feiz, known as Meshkini, chaired the Assembly of Experts for years. He was also a member of the Assembly for Revising the Constitution and served as the Friday prayer leader of the holy city of Qom.
In addition to his role in the political arenas of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Meshkini served the holy Quran in many ways, too. He held regular Quran interpretation sessions and wrote a number of books on the Quran including “Al-Mabsoot” (interpretation of Sura Al Umran), “Fluent Interpretation of the Quran for the Youth”, “Evolution in View of the Quran”, and “A Translation of the Quran into Persian”.
His translation of the Quran, which was edited by Hossein Ostadvali and published in 2001, is a fluent translation with numerous interpretational references.
He also founded the Al-Hadi Publications in Qom. Publishing Islamic books, the institute aims to acquaint the society with the teachings of the Quran and Islam.
Ayatollah Ali Meshkini passed away in Tehran in 2007 after a long battle with a chronic blood disease.
Martyr Ayatollah Mortaza Motahari
Born in 1920, Mortaza Motahari received his elementary education in theology from his father, Sheikh Mohammad Hossein. At 12 he joined the Mashhad Seminary School and pursued his studies there for five years. Then, despite his friends and relatives, he left Mashhad for studying in Qom. He stayed there for fifteen years and completed his education in Islamic Beliefs and Jurisprudence.
Later, he founded the Irshad religious center in Tehran and initiated a campaign to combat atheistic ideologies. He also joined Imam Khomeini’s Islamic movement against the Shah’s regimes and played a major role in it, especially after the martyrdom of Imam’s son Ayatollah Sayyed Mostafa Khomeini. During Imam’s stay in Paris in 1978, Ayatollah Motahari met with him to discuss major issues regarding the revolution. There, Imam Khomeini charged him with setting up the Council of the Islamic Revolution.
After the victory of the revolution, until his martyrdom in spring 1979, Ayatollah Motahari was always a close companion of the late Imam.
He was an outstanding orator and writer and a collection of his speeches and works on Islamic and Quranic topics has been published. Some of the titles in this collection include: “Acquaintance with the Quran”, “Man in the Quran”, “The Unlettered Prophet”, “The Truth and Falsehood”, “Everlasting Life or Life in the Hereafter”, “Our Fitrat (nature)”, “The Resurrection”, “The Revelation” and “The Prophethood”.
Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani
Lotfullah Safi Golpayegani was born in 1958 in the central city of Golpayegan. He studied Islamic jurisprudence in seminary schools in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq and in Qom.
Upon the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was appointed as a member of the Guardians Council by the late Imam Khomeini. He made great efforts during his eight-year term as secretary of the Guardians Council to make sure that the laws passed by the parliament are in complete accordance with the teachings of Islam and the Quran.
Following the sad demise of grand Ayatollah Golpayegani in 1993, he undertook the great responsibility of Marjaiyat (religious authority) and has since been a great source of emulation.
Among his major Quranic and religious works are: “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”, “Hajj Diary”, “Praying in Arafat”, and “Sahifat-ul-Mumin”.
Grand Ayatollah Araki
Mohammad Ali Araki was born on December 23, 1894, into a religious family. His father Hajj Ahmad known as Mirza Agha Farahani was a leading cleric in central Iran.
Mohammad Ali Araki pursued Islamic studies in Arak, Najaf and Qom and became one of the he world's most eminent Shia clerics.
During the Islamic revolution movement, he left Iran for Najaf to stay with the leader of the revolution, Imam Khomeini.
He taught at Qom’s Seminary School for 35 years, clarifying in eloquent language some of the most complicated issues in Islamic jurisprudence.
The grand Shia source of emulation authored a great many books in Fiqh and Usul including: “Annotations on Urvat-ul-Vosqa”, “Rituals of Hajj”, “An-Nikah Vat-Talaq”, and “Annotations on Jurisprudence Teachings by Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri”.
Grand Ayatollah Araki passed away on October 15, 1994, after a long illness.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi
Born into a respected family of religious scholars, Nasser Makarem Shirazi started his formal Islamic studies at the age of 14 in Shirazi seminary. At 18, he formally entered the theological seminary of Qom and in 1950 he made his way to the seminary of Najaf, Iraq. There, he was able to take part in classes of teachers such as Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim, Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei and Ayatollah Abdul Hadi Shirazi. At the age of 24, he was granted Ijtihad by two senior scholars in Najaf.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi is a prolific author, having written some 130 books, some of which have been translated into over ten languages and published in various countries. His two great Quranic works are the Nemuneh Exegesis of the Holy Quran and the Payam-e Quran Exegesis, which is a thematic interpretation of the holy book. The two books opened a new horizon in the interpretation of the Quran.
His books in Fiqh and Usul include “Taqlid Anwar-ul-Fiqaha”, “Al-Ghawaid-ul-Faqih”, “An Annotation on Urvat-ul-Vosqa” and “Resaleye Amaliye” (Manual of Islamic Laws), which has been translated into Urdu, Turkish and English.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi’s classes at Qom’s Seminary School are among the most popular attended by over 2.000 seminary students and scholars.
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani
Late Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Fazel Lankarani was one of the most eminent Shia sources of emulation in the Shia world.
He was a prominent instructor at Qom’s Seminary School and his commitment to spread the teachings of the Quran and Islam was exceptional.
He received his ijtihad from grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi at the age of 25. He wrote over 40 titles many of which are on different aspects of Quranic sciences and Quran interpretation. They include “Madkhal-ut-Tafsir” which is an introduction to Quran interpretation, touching on Quranic miracles, styles of recitation, and principles of interpretation.
“Brilliant Figures in the Tathir Verse” and “Shia Imams, Guardians of the Revelation” are two Persian works by the late Ayatollah. Some of his works such as “Interpretation of Sura al-Hamd” and “Infallibility of Prophets” are yet to be published.
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani passed away at the age of 76 on June 16, 2007.
Dr Gholam Ali Haddad Adel
Gholam Ali Haddad Adel is currently a member of the Majlis (The Islamic Consultative Assembly) from Tehran. He was born in Tehran in 1935.
He has a PhD in philosophy and has served in various scientific and administrative positions. They include: CEO of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation, propagation deputy in Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, member of acting board of the IRIB, advisor and deputy of education minister, and chairman of Academy of Persian Letters and Language. He also served as the speaker of the Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly) from 2004-2008.
“Culture of Nudity and Cultural Nudity”, “Lessons from the Quran”( 4 volumes), “Hajj”, and “A Look at Islam’s Social Views”, are some of the books by Dr Haddad Adel. His translation of the Quran into Persian is due to be published soon.
Ayatollah Ghazi Tabatabaee
Sayyed Mahmoud Ghazi Tabatabaee joined the Islamic movement in Iran in his early 20s and was arrested by the Shah’s secret service (Savak) in his home city of Tabriz. He and his father were banished to Tehran for their political activities. Two years later he went to Qom to study religious sciences.
He attended classes taught by grand Ayatollahs Mohammad Khansari, Sayyed Mohammad Hojjat Kohkamare’i, Sadr, Borujerdi and Golpayegani. He was also a devoted student of Imam Khomeini.
After the triumph of the revolution, Imam Khomeini appointed him as the first Friday prayer leader of Tabriz. But it was not long before he was martyred by the cronies of the global arrogance.
Martyr Ghazi Tabatabaee wrote a preface and annotations on Allameh Tabresi’s “Jawami–ul-Majami Exegesis of the Holy Quran” as well as “Anis-ul-Muwahedin” by Mulla Muhsin Naraghi.
Ayatollah Shahroudi
Sayyed Mahmoud Shahroudi was born in the holy city of Najaf into a religious family of the descendants of Imam Hussein (AS). His father was a prominent scholar at Najaf Seminary School, who compiled the lectures of the then highest Islamic authority, Ayatollah Khoei, in the Islamic jurisprudence and methodology.
Ayatollah Sharoudi studied Islamic jurisprudence in Najaf. Completing preliminary courses, he attended the advanced course of Islamic jurisprudence and methodology taught by grand Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Bagher Sadr, grand Ayatollah Imam Khomeini and grand Ayatollah Khoei.
Since he came to Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Shahroudi has been teaching Fiqh and Usul at Qom’s prestigious Seminary School. He has also held several positions in the Islamic Republic of Iran including member of the Assembly of Experts, Jurist member of the Guardians Council, and member of the Society of Qom Seminary Instructors. He has also been Iran’s Judiciary Chief since 1999.
He has penned a number of books in Fiqh, Usul and Quranic sciences. They include “The Islamic Government”, “The Book of Khums”, “Islamic Worldview”, “Islamic Criminal Law” , “Interpretation of Part of Nahj-ul-Balaqa”, and “Articles on Fiqh”, to name a few.
Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi
He was born on January 31, 1934, in the central city of Yazd. He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown and then moved to Qom, where he continued his education in Fiqh. From 1952 to 1960 he attended classes taught by Imam Khomeini. At the same time he took part in courses on Avicenna’s Shifa and Mula Sadra’s Asfar taught by late Allameh Tabatabaee.
Encouraged by Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Mohamad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi founded a number of Islamic schools, colleges and institutes both before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Among them are In the path of Truth Institute, the Office for Cooperation between Seminaries and Universities, and the Baqer-ul-Ulum Cultural Institute.
Being a prominent jurist, philosopher and thinker, he has authored numerous books on Islamic philosophy, theology, ethics and ideology. In the field of Quranic sciences, his publications include: “Theology in the Quran”, “Cosmology in the Quran”, “Anthropology in the Quran”, “Ethics in the Quran”, “Society and History in the Quran”, “War and Jihad in the Quran”, “Law and Politics in the Quran” and “Quran in the Mirror of Nahj-ul-Balaqa”.
Ayatollah Khazali
Abolghasem Khazali was born in 1925 in Brujerd. His active role in the Islamic movement against the Shah was outstanding. After the revolution’s triumph, he also made a lot of efforts to advance the aspirations of the revolution. During these years, he has been a true companion of the late Imam Khomeini and grand Ayatollah Khamenei. Membership to the Assembly of Experts and membership to the Guardians Council have been among the posts he has held in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is currently serving as the head of the Al-Ghadir International Foundation.
Most of Ayatollah Khazali’s scholarly work, who has learned the Quran, Nahj-ul-Balaqa and Sahife Sajjadiye by heart, centers on the Quran and Nahj-ul-Balaqa. An Interpretation of Sura Al-Hamd and “An Annotation of Ibn Abilhadid’s Poems on Imam Ali (AS) are among his works.
Ayatollah Taleghani
Mahmoud Taleqani was born in the city of Taleqan in 1911. His family was a religious one and his father was a clergyman.
At the very start of the Islamic movement against the Shah’s regime, Ayatollah Taleghani joined the movement. He was imprisoned on several occasions for opposing the Pahlavi regime. While in prison, he wrote an interpretation of the Quran. He also established the Kanoun Islam Institute and held speeches aimed at guiding the people.
After the revolution achieved victory, Ayatollah Taleghani was chosen as head of the Council of the Islamic Revolution. He was later elected as representative of Tehran at the Assembly of Experts. In August 1979, he was appointed as Tehran Friday prayer leader by Imam Khomeini.
He passed away in September 1979. His demise was the occasion of huge crowds and much emotion before and during his funeral.
His most outstanding Quranic work is the six-volume “Partovi az Quran” (a beam of light from the Quran) Interpretation, in which he presents commentary on the verses of the holy book from a philosophical, scientific and mystical point of view.
Ayatollah Yazdi
Mohammad Yazdi was born in 1931 into a religious family devoted to the Household of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH).
During the Islamic movement against the Shah, he was arrested and banished. But banishment did not stop him from spreading the Islamic teachings.
Ayatollah Yazdi is now a member of Guardians Council. He has also served as the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, head of the Supreme Council of Qom Seminary’s Instructors Society and Iran’s Judiciary Chief.
His Quranic works include: “Fiqh-ul-Quran” (jurisprudence of Quran), “Usas-ul-Iman Fi al-Quran”, and “Interpretation of Sura Al-Hamd”.
Ayatollah Taskhiri
Mohammad Ali Taskhiri Ayatollah was born in 1944 in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq.
Tashkhiri acquired his primary and middle-level education from Najaf while for the acquisition of highest educational level of the Hawzah i.e. "Dars-e-Kharej" which contains advanced religious courses, he gained extensively from the renowned Ulama of Najaf Ashraf.
He attained the university-level education of Arabic literature, Islamic law & Jurisprudence from the Fiqh College of Najaf Ashraf. Along with the acquisition of education, during his stay in the Theological College of Najaf Ashraf, he was also engaged in the teaching of the Islamic subjects. As regards the Arabic poetry and literature, he benefited from the distinguished mentors like Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Reza Muzzafar, Sheikh Abol Mehdi Matar and Sheikh Muhammad Amin Zain-ud-Din. Being fond of the Arabic poetry and literature in the young age, he versified many Arabic odes and on diverse occasions delivered literary lectures at different forums of poetry and literature.
In the political arena, he played a dynamic role against the Bathist party of Iraq and for the same reason he was jailed and also given death sentence. But with the grace of Almighty Allah he was released later.
In 1971 he want to the Qom Islamic Seminary School and for ten years attended the lectures delivered by the leading Ulama like Ayatollah Golpayengani, Ayatollah Wahid Khurasani, and Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amuli.
In the aftermath of the victory of the glorious Islamic Revolution in Iran, he fully got engaged in the cultural activities and the preaching of Islam, in Iran and elsewhere in the world. During this period, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri held different cultural, propagation and administrative positions and undertook various responsibilities.
Some of his responsibilities in political areas are as follows: Representative of Guilan province in the Assembly of Experts, Supreme leader's advisor in Islamic World's cultural affairs, Head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization from its establishment until 2001, International affairs deputy of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination organization, Member of Islamic Ideology Dissemination organization's Board of Trustees, Culture Minister's advisor in international affairs, Secretary General of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) World Assembly. He is now serving as secretary general of the Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
Ayatollah Taskhiri has authored over 50 books on various Islamic topics including Islamic ideology, Fiqh (jurisprudence), Islamic economy and Islam's history. He has also penned some 350 articles on Islamic issues. Many of his works have been translated into English, Urdu and other languages.
