MOHADDIS NOORI 

Name   : Mirza hussain Noori ibn e Mohammed Taqi Noori Tabrisi

Title     : Mohaddis Noori

Born     : 18 Shawwal 1254 H at the town of Noor in Mazandaran, Iran

Died      : 27 Jamadi al Thani 1320 H at Najaf e Ashraf, Iraq 

Allama Mirza Mohammed Taqi Noori Tabrisi was a leading cleric and Marja e Taqleed of Mazandaran. His father, the grand father of Mohaddis Noori, Ali Mohammed Mazandarani was a functionary of the Iranian government of the time. He very much wanted to put his son in his place as his successor. But the son wasn’t interested in the position. From his very childhood he was of an independent nature. He had no interest in power and pelf. 

Mohaddis Noori was the fifth of five brothers and the last of the Al e Noor. They were the followers of Khamis al e Aba.  Allama Noori possessed a pure heart full of love and affection for others. He had two sisters who had played a very important part in the history of the time. One of them was the spouse of Fath Allah Noori and the mother of Sheik Moosa Noori. The other sister was the wife of Mulla Abbas Noori who was an eminent scholar. She was the mother of Martyr Ayatullah Sheik Fadl Allah Noori. He remained steadfast under the hangman’s noose. People asked him to hoist the Union Jack on his roof for a few hours to earn reprieve from the capital punishment. Sheik Shaheed said loudly, “It is impossible! An honorable death is a thousand times better for a Muslim than taking refuge under the banner of a stranger!” 

  Eighteen days prior to that day, the people of Yaloo, a hamlet of the city of Noor, had celebrated the Idd al Fitr. And now, on 18 Shawwal 1254 H there is a new arrival in the Noor Family. This was like a gift on the occasion of the Idd for the people of the town! Everyone had a smile writ large on his face within such a short time of the Idd. The visitors ask them why everyone seemed so happy. They reply that certainly it was the occasion for them to be happy that the illustrious Noori Family was blessed with another son.They said that at the house of their Marja e Tqleed, Sheik Taqi Noori, there was celebration in connection with the new arrival. They further said that his house is the people’s house and everyone had to celebrate the occasion with happiness! People were greeting one another and expressing hopes that the new-born will become as eminent and erudite as his father and elder siblings! But none knew the heights this new arrival to scale in his illustrious life. After one week of his birth the babe was given the name of Mohammed. The Noori’s started calling him Mohammed Hussain. This was their tribute to the greatest Martyr Imam Hussain (A.S). It was their inspiration that the child would achieve greatness with the felicity of the name given to him!  

Noori kept progressing with determination and perseverance. He went marching forward in search of a Khizr--- a guide, a leader! He was still a lad of 14 or 15 years when, with great enthusiasm, he attached himself as a disciple with Maula Mohammeed Ali Mehlati. He applied himself wholeheartedly to acquiring knowledge from his mentor. He had read the tradition of Hazrat Amir al Momineen (a.s) in his childhood that procrastination, and waste of time, can only cause wistfulness.  

In his search for learning Muhaddis Noori first traveled to Tehran to draw inspiration and instruction from his father-in-law, Sheik Abd al Rahim Barojardi. But his thirst for learning didn’t let him remain for long at Tehran. In 1273 H he moved to Iraq with his father-in-law. After spending four years in the Hauza e Ilmia Najaf he returned to Tehran. In 1278 H he again shifted to Iraq with his mentor, Ayatullah Sheik Abd al Hussain Tehrani, popularly known as sheilk al Iraqain. They spent some time together in Karbala and then moved to Kazimain. At this resting place of the two Imams—Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s) and Imam Mohammed Taqi (a.s)---he busied himself in pursuing his studies. In 1280 H he traveled to Madina Munawwara to participate in a seminar which was attended by Muslimsfrom all over the world. 

After visiting the Prophet (s.a)’s Mausoleum in Madina Munawwara, Muhaddis Noori traveled to Iraq a third time and started his lessons under the tutelage of Ayatullah Sheik Murtada Ansari. But it is a pity that he couldn’t draw the benefit of the tutelage of the Sheik for long that he demised very soon in 1281 H. Muhaddis Noori returned to Iran after three years in 1284 H with the aim of studying at close quarter the predicament of his countrymen at the hands of the tyrannical Qachar functionaries. His purpose was to carry a report on the subject with him on his return to Najaf e Ashraf, which was the focal point of the Shias those days. In 1286 H he returned a fourth time to Iraq after paying homage at the Mausoleum of Imam Reza (a.s) in Mashad e Muqadddas. The very same year Ustad Sheik al Arifaindemised which saddened Muhaddis Noori. 

Ayatullah Noori was so much saddened with the demise of his mentor that he planned to travel to Makka Mukarrama to overcome his grief. He performed the Haj and traveled to Najaf e Ashraf. He had a thought of circumambulating the mausoleum of Amir al Momineen (a.s) as the pigeons fly around the Holy Kaaba. Now he had decided to settle down permanently in Najaf e ashraf. At this point he became a disciple of Meerza e Buzurg that proved a turning point in his career.

The intellectual and spiritual journey of Muhaddis Noori was continuing. He traveled for the Haj a third time in 1297 H and made a visit to Iran.  He performed the Haj another time and returned to Iraq to spend the rest of his life in Samarra, Najaf and Karbala.  

Despite his intensive traveling and active association with the champion of the “Anti Tobacco Movement”, Mohaddis Noori has left behind sizeable literary works. His book “Mustadrak al Wasail” would have required uninterrupted effort by any other person to accomplish. But he did it despite his other activities. Aqai Buzurg Tehrani is on record saying that if any one studied the effects left behind by Muhaddis Noori keeping in mind his other multifarious activities, he would realize that certainy Rooh al Quds had provided support to his efforts! Here he quotes a very interesting incident from Muhaddis Noori’s book “Najm al Saqib” that reads, “ I was afflicted by an ailment at the age of 10 years and all the inmates of my house had surrounded the sick-bed. They were all crying that I might not live to see the sunrise in the morning! My condition was such that none could say if I was in delirium or fully awake. I sought the intercession of the Imams (a.s). I felt that I had greeted and shook hands with the Prophet (s.a) and the Imams (a.s). I conversed with Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s). He offered a prayer for me. Then I greeted the Imam e Zamana (a.s).  I cried and said that I wouldn’t survive from the ailment.and that my wish would remain unfulfilled. The Imam (a.s) said, ‘Don’t worry! You won’t die of this ailment! Allah will give you recovery and you will have a long life thereafter!’ The Imam (a.s) then gave me a goblet out of which I drank the content a little. . Instantaneously the ailment had left my body. Everyone around me was surprised. Time kept passing by but I didn’t mention about the circumstances of my recovery from the ailment to anyone.” 

Another landmark work of Muhaddis Noori is his book “Mustadrak al Wasail Mustanbat al Masail”. In this book he has collected 123,000 traditions of the Infallibles (a.s) and two-thirds of the traditions are on Ahkaam (Tenets). The rest of the book covers knowledge and methods of the study of Hadit. This section is famous as “Khatima Mustadrak”. This very valuable book was written by Muhaddis Noori on the lines of Sheik Hur al Amili’s “Wasail al Shia” and he had also placed the traditions in appropriate chapters that Hur al Amili hadn’t done or had missed including certain traditions in his work. 

The great critic of books, Sheik Buzurg Tehrani writes that one day he was present at the class of the author of “Kifaya”, Akhund Khorasani, when the topic of the discussion was that before research it isn’t right to put knowledge into practice. At this point Akhund said that a Faqih cannot function without studying “Mustadrak al Wasail”. The later day Fiqhs and Mujtahids followed this practice.  Ayatullah Sheik al Shariat Isfahani, who was a high ranking Marja of his time, had said that everyone followed Noori’s Mustadrak. Mirza Mohhamed Taqi Shirazi and other Fiqhs too thought it binding on them to refer to Mustadrak.

  Ayatullah Noori wasn’t one of those persons who remain engrossed in their books totally unaware of what happens in their environment. He, to the contrary, interacted with the people around him. He kept himself abreast of the happenings in his neighborhood. He was very far sighted and could visualize the future happenings. This was a reflection of his mentor, Ayatullah Mirza Buzurg Shirazi.  He was literally the right hand for the great Marja.  

Allama Noori was not the one to rest on his oars writing some books. He was also a leader and guide for his followers. For a long time he was a close associate of Mirza e Shirazi. Even after his demise, Muhaddis Noori kept his movement alive.  

In those days the people of Isfahan had formed a company, Shirkat e Islamia,  in the leadership of Ayatullah Haj Noor Allah Isfahani Najafi, to protect the Muslims from the exploitation by the foreign business houses. When Ayatullah Noori heard of this step to make the people economically independent, he not only appreciated their efforts but through pamphlets exhorted the people in other areas to emulate the people of Isfahan and give a helping hand to them 

:Muhaddis Noori’s other activities never came in the way of his prayers and supplications. Muhaddis Qummi and Aqa Buzurg Tehrani have written that Allama Noori never missed his Namaz e Shab. He used to leave his bed many hours before the sunrise. He used to offer his supplications to Allah all alone in the darkness of the night!  

Muhaddis Noori was a true follower of Imam Hussain (a.s). On return from his last journey he fell ill in Karbala. He kept the condition of his health hidden from the other travelers not to inconvenience them. By the time he reached his residence in Najaf e Ashraf the ailment had aggravated very much. On the night of Wednesday, 27 Jamadi al Thani 1320 H the great soul left the mortal remains to be interred, according to his will, on the right side of the entrance to the Mausoleum of Hazrat Amir al Momineen (a.s). He lived for 66 years and served the cause of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) 

Source Urdu Lectures of Moulana Sadiq Hassan Book