the
eminent scholar, Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Nasir
Makarim Shirazi was born in the year 1924
in the city of
Shiraz
in
Iran
into a religious family who were well
known for their high level of spirituality
and noble ethical traits. His Eminence
finished his elementary school studies in
Shiraz
, where his intelligence, excellent memory
and eagerness to learn, made him amongst
the best students, often completing two
years of studies in one year!
The conditions which existed
in
Iran
in those days obligated this young man -
who possessed such talent and aptitude -
to choose the path of University and use
his gifts to attain a secular
qualification. However, the hand of
destiny and the blessings of the Merciful
Lord and his own secret desire to become
better acquainted with, and to delve
deeper into the teachings of Islam, drew
this young man’s attention towards
Islamic studies. Especially because, since
after the spring of 1941 (when Iran became
embroiled in the 2nd World
War), the regime’s restrictions relaxed
and the Islamic Seminaries gained renewed
popularity.
His Studies
His Eminence started his
formal Islamic studies at the age of 14 at
Madreseh-ye Agha Babakhan-e Shiraz, and within a
short period of time, he was able to
complete the prerequisite preliminary
studies such as morphology (sarf), Arabic grammar (nahw), logic (mantiq), exposition (bayan), and rhetoric (badi`).
He then turned his attention
towards the fields of jurisprudence (fiqh)
and principles of jurisprudence (usul
al-fiqh) and once again, due to his
exceptional abilities, he was able to
finish the study of the complete levels of
introductory and both the levels of the
intermediate Islamic studies in just four
years!
During this time, a group of
students from the Islamic Seminary in
Shiraz
were also benefiting from his classes.
The positive criticisms and
personal opinions of His Eminence
concerning the classes being held in Qum
and also in relation to the need for
including extra information within the
books that were being taught at the
various Theological Seminaries hinted at
the bright future which awaited him.
Meanwhile in religious gatherings in this
city, his capabilities, genius,
meticulousness and deep thought were
witnessed by others and no one was able to
deny his God-given talents.
When this brilliant star was
a mere 18 years old, through his
penetrating thought and versatile pen, he
wrote a commentary on the book Kifayatu’l
Usul, in which he shed light on some
ambiguous issues mentioned in this
traditional work. At the age of 18, he
formally entered the Theological Seminary
of Qum and for the next five years, he
attended the religious gatherings and
classes of some of the greatest teachers
of those days, such as Ayatullah al-`Uzma
Burujerdi (ra) and other great
personalities.
In order for His Eminence to
become better acquainted with the
illustrious scholars who were studying and
teaching in one of the greatest
Theological Seminaries of the Shi`a, and
to better understand their ideas and
thoughts, in the year 1950, he made his
way to the Hawzatu’l `Ilmiyyah of
Najaf al-Ashraf in Iraq. It was here that
he was able to take part in the classes of
some of the greatest teachers such as:
Ayatullah al-`Uzma al-Hakim (ra),
Ayatullah al-`Uzma al-Khu`i (ra) and
Ayatullah al-`Uzma `Abdul Hadi al-Shirazi
(ra) and others.
At the age of 24, His
Eminence was granted permission for
independent reasoning (ijtihad)
from two of the great scholars of Najaf
al-Ashraf. In addition, Ayatullah al-`Uzma
al-Hakim (ra) wrote a brief foreword to
His Eminence’s work, The Book of
Taharah.
His acquisition of knowledge
continued with the great teachers in Najaf
until economical restraints forced him to
leave this holy city, and return back to
Iran
in the year 1951. He chose to settle in
the holy city of
Qum
, which in those days required religious
scholars. Once again, he joined the circle
of scholars who later on, had a profound
impact on his life.
After returning to Iran,
Ayatullah al-`Uzma Makarim Shirazi began
teaching the intermediate and higher level
of studies (kharij) in usul al-fiqh
and fiqh – and it is now close to
28 years that he has been teaching these
classes, which have benefited a large
number of students. In addition, after
teaching many of the important books of fiqh,
he went on to write summaries and notes of
these great works. At present, his
sessions at the kharij level on usul
are one of the most popular classes in the
Hawzatul `Ilmiyyah of the Shi`a and
there are close to 2,000 dedicated
scholars and students who attend and
benefit from his lectures.
From the time of his youth,
he used to write books in various fields
of Islamic studies such as theology,
Islamic awareness and the issue of wilayah
(of the Ahlu’l Bait (a.s.)). Later, he started to write on the exegesis of the Qur`an, fiqh
and usul al-fiqh and he is
currently recognized as one of the
important writers in the Muslim world.
Political
Activities
He played an active role in
the events which culminated in the Islamic
Revolution of Iran, and it is because of
this that the Shah imprisoned him several
times. He was exiled on three separate
occasions to the cities of Chabhar,
Mahabad and Anarak. After the Revolution,
he was appointed to the first Council of
Representatives (Majlis-e Khubragan)
where he played an important role in
formulating the first constitution.
His
Valuable Contributions
Ayatullah Nasir Makarim
Shirazi has been very active in various
fields of teaching and guiding the
upcoming scholars of the Theological
Seminary of Qum, and has initiated various
projects, of which we will mention just a
few:
1. A Religious Publication
of the Shi`a Centre : For a long time, His
Eminence felt the need for the Hawzatu’l
`Ilmiyyah of
Qum
to have a general publication which would
be able to defend the Shi`a against the
ever-growing works that were being
published to misguide people.
In addition, people had
always expected this from the great
Islamic seminaries and there was pressure
from different parts of the community,
including the supreme religious
authorities (maraja-ye taqlid) of
the Hawza and others, to publish a
magazine that would be able to answer the
religious enquiries of the youth and also
to counter the books and magazines that
were misleading the people.
Due to the fact that at that
time, there were some intellectuals who
were not ready to accept such a
publication, His Eminence sought out
serious and resourceful thinkers to
shoulder the heavy responsibility of
producing such a publication. In this
regard, His Eminence, along with a group
of other scholars and the assistance of
the leaders of the Hawzatu’l `Ilmiyyah
of
Qum
and the financial support of well-wishers,
launched the magazine, “Maktab-e-Islam”.
This magazine was unprecedented in the
Shi`a world, and perhaps from the point of
view of the range of its circulation, it
is amongst the leading religious magazines
being published in the entire Muslim
world. This magazine gave a fresh and new
path of direction to the great students
and thinkers of the Hawzah.
At present, this publication
is in its 39th year - offering
its valuable services to the Muslim world
and the Shi`a communities. It has found a
special spot within the hearts of the
youth, the university students, teachers
and other learned personalities and it is
has spread the light of Islam and Tashayyu`
from its centre (
Qum
) to the entire world.
2. Organizing Gatherings to
Offer Lessons in Theology and other
Religious Teachings:
His Eminence felt that the
classical works that had been written in
the field of Islamic Theology were no
longer sufficient, with the passing of
time, to address modern needs. The
traditional books of theology had been
written in a century when the kind of
problems we encounter today did not exist.
The older books discussed theological
issues such as the disputes between the Ash`arites
and the Mu`tazilites and other
similar topics, which are no longer
applicable today and which have become
just of passing interest only.
Due to these facts, His
Eminence, once again calling upon his
literary talents and abilities, was able
to present the subjects of theological and
principal beliefs in a novel and
unprecedented manner. By organizing
theological discussions, he made hundreds
of people become conversant with these
subjects, and he compiled the summaries of
these sessions
in the form of books.
3.
Religious Council for the Protection of
the Youth: In addition to sessions on
theology, His Eminence organised other
classes through which his students were
also instructed about the teachings of
eight current world religions so that they
could engage in debates or correspond with
the proponents of these faiths and counter
their beliefs and ideologies.
Within
a short period of time, these classes were
able to produce able students who were
well informed in their specialized field
of study and today, an elite group of
youth within the Hawzatu’l `Ilmiyyah,
are busy studying these topics.
Furthermore, in order to safeguard the
youth from the clutches of corruption, His
Eminence formed an organization called the
Religious Council for the Protection of
the Youth. One of the outcomes of this
council was the publication of material
that was interesting to the youth, and
these quickly became established amongst
the youth in the country.
4.
Struggles against Eclectic Tendencies: On
one of his trips to the city of
Shiraz
, His Eminence noticed that sufism
had gathered popular support. A group of
people requested him to write a book which
would outline the principles of the sufis
– one that would explain their beliefs
in an agreeable and respectful manner. His
Eminence, by making use of the resources
available to him, wrote this book in his
usual style, and the book was printed in
the year 1953 CE with the title, Jalwa-ye
Haq (The Manifestation of Truth).
The
style in which he wrote this book caught
the attention of the late Ayatullah al-`Uzma
Burujerdi (ra) and he requested His
Eminence to see him and congratulated him
for his valuable efforts. In relation to
this book, Ayatullah al-`Uzma Burujerdi (ra)
made the following commendation, “I
have gone through this book in my spare
time and did not find even the smallest of
weak points in it. May Allah reward you
for your troubles.”
5.
Establishing Organizations and Centres of
Learning:
His Eminence had made the intention
of establishing such organizations in the
same number as the Ma`sumin (a.s.), which is 14. By the grace of God, he has thus far been successful in
establishing four such important schools
within the Theological Seminary of Qum and
two religious organizations for the
welfare of the students who are living in
the city of
Mashad
.
6.
Writings – The number of publications of
His Eminence currently lies at
approximately 130 books which have all
been printed – some of which have been
reprinted more than 30 times and others
which have been translated into more than
10 languages and have been published in
various parts of the world.
The
commentary of the Qur`an authored by him, Tafsir-e-Namuneh
(The Model Commentary) has been
translated into many languages, including
Arabic (al-Amthal Fi Tafsir al-Qur`an),
and can be found in many homes. An English
commentary of the Qur`an entitled, “Light
of the Holy Qur`an” is also
currently being published which is largely
based on this work. In addition to this
commentary, he has also authored a
thematic commentary of the Qur`an
entitled, Payam-e-Qur`an (The
Message of the Qur`an) in ten volumes.
These two commentaries have opened up a
new chapter in the field of exegesis of
the Noble Qur`an.
One
complete course in usul al-din has
been covered in the first series of Payam-e-Qur`an,
while the author has recently embarked on
a second series covering ethics (akhlaq)
in the Qur`an. The first volume of this
commentary has recently been translated
into English and will be printed soon by
the World Federation of KSIMC, based in
the
United Kingdom
.
In
addition, the books he has written on
theological beliefs have ably provided a
defence for students and scholars against
the onslaught of books containing false
beliefs and untruths.
Of
the books of fiqh that he has
written, we can mention the following:
Anwar al-Fuqahah, al-Qawa`idu’l
Fiqhiyyah, Anwar al-Usul and
the notes and commentaries on the complete
text of `Urwat al-Wuthqa which have
been printed many times over.
His
practical guide for Muslims (Tawdhih al-Masail) has also been printed many times and has also been translated into
Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Azari and English.
A
complete list of other publications of
this great scholar which have been
translated into English and are available
is as follows. Most of these can be read
on his website at www.makaremshirazi.org.
1.
Ethical Discources
[40 Lectures on Ethics and Morality] –
volume 1, 2 & 3 translated by Saleem
Bhimji –published by the World
Federation of KSIMC [www.world-federation.org]
2.
Khums: The Islamic
Tax translated by Saleem Bhimji –
published by the Islamic Humanitarian
Service [www.al-haqq.com]
3.
Lessons in Islamic
Beliefs – Tawhid, `Adalah, Nubuwwah,
Imamah, and Ma`ad translated by Laleh
Bakhtiyar – published by Ansariyan
Publications [www.ansariyan.org]
4.
Life Under the
Grace of Ethics translated by Monir
Shafiei - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
5.
Message of the
Qur`an – A Thematic Exegesis of the
Noble Qur`an volume 1 of 10 translated by
Saleem Bhimji - published by the World
Federation of KSIMC [www.world-federation.org]
6.
One Hundred and
Eighty Questions – volumes 1, 2 & 3
translated by Shahnawaz Mahdawi -
published by the World Federation of KSIMC
[www.world-federation.org]
7.
One Hundred and
Fifty Lessons for Life translated by the
office of Ayatullah al-`Uzma Shaykh Nasir
Makarim Shirazi – published by Ansariyan
Publications [www.ansariyan.org]
8.
Our Beliefs
translated by the office of Ayatullah al-`Uzma
Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi - published
by the Office of Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi
[www.makaremshirazi.org]
9.
Philosophy of
Islamic Rulings written in co-operation
with Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani Translated
by Sayyid Athar Rizvi – published by
Ansariyan Publications [www.ansariyan.org]
10.
Summary of the
Islamic Rulings translated by `Ali Abdul
Rasheed - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
11.
Tafsir of the
Noble Qur’an – Suratul Jinn translated
by Saleem Bhimji – published by the
Islamic Humanitarian Service and the World
Federation of KSIMC [www.al-haqq.com]
& [www.world-federation.org]
12.
The tradition of
Ghadir – The Expressive Evidence for
Imamate translated by the office of
Ayatullah al-`Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim
Shirazi - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
13.
The Noble Qur`an
– Translation and Commentary – volume
1 translated by Mansoor Amini - published
by the Office of Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi
[www.makaremshirazi.org]
14.
The Noble Qur`an
– Translation and Commentary – volume
2 translated by Mansoor Amini - published
by the Office of Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi
[www.makaremshirazi.org]
15.
The Noble Qur`an – Translation and
Commentary – volume 3 translated by
Mansoor Amini - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
16.
The Noble Qur`an – Translation and
Commentary – volume 4 translated by
Mansoor Amini - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
17.
The Islamic Laws translated by the office of
Ayatullah al-`Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim
Shirazi - published by the Office of
Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi [www.makaremshirazi.org]
