Wali e faqih

Life & Times of Late ALLAMAH SAYYID MURTADHA ASKARI

Passed away in Tehran on Monday 17th Sept 2007 - 7^th Mahe Mubarak Ramadhan 1428.

The Late Allamah Al-Askari was an illustrious scholar who authored several books and was also one of the founders of the Islamic Movement in Iraq. An eminent Historian, traditionalist, and one of the Seminary’s learned masters who was expert in so many researches and had compiled many books on Imamate, Wilaayat, Reasoning and Traditional Researches.

Allamah Askari was born in Samarrah on 18 Jumada al- Thaani in 1332 (1901). He began his primary school in Samarrah (Iraq), and then he joined the seminary of that city. When he was 28 years old, he migrated to the holy city of Qom and began his study in Usool and Fiqh, and benefited from the lectures of Ayatullah Mar`ashi Najafi and Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Shari`atmadari Sauooji. He also benefited from the late Ayatullah Uzma Imam Khomayni, Ayatullah Mirza Khalil Kamra’I, Ayatullah Haj Shaykh Mahdi Shaheed (Payeen Shahri) in the fields of theology and beliefs, tafseer, ethics, and purification of the carnal soul.

Following his studies, Ayatullah Askari began to research in the field of biography, history, and itinerary. The result of these studies, especially having studied the writings of Ayatullah Mirza Shirazi regarding the issue of tobacco, was that he became acquainted with the beginnings of the cultural assault of the Western colonial forces against Islamic world.

Ayatullah Askari might be the first Islamic thinker who recognized the reality of educational methods applied for the education centers in the Eastern countries, by the European counselors of that time. He made many significant researches in this field from which he got the reasons behind the Eastern countries’ backwardness. He challenged the methods of education of that era with his studies.

Ayatullah Askari began his trips and journeys to many Islamic countries, and met many eminent personalities like Ahmad Ameen (the author of the book titled: Completion in Islam). In 1363 A.H., both personalities decided to establish a special school in which the children were taught genuine teachings of Islam.

One of the students of that school was Ayatullah Martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr. When the project of Ayatullah Askari gave good results in its first stage, he decided to begin the second stage. For this, he needed the permission of establishing a special place wherein Islamic sciences are taught. This step preceded the establishing of a university for teaching the principles of religion.

He divided his researching program into many parts. These parts consisted of the earlier stages of creation, the formation of religious mission based on the main core (i.e. the Islamic mission), and the Islamic historical eras to the end of the Abbasid dynasty.

The result of these studies was that Ayatullah Askari was able to achieve information and analysis which no one before him was able to achieve in that form. This achievement was represented by reaching a convincing proof regarding the unreality of the traditions collected by Sayf Ibn Omar al-Tamimi and other personalities. His research presented to the world the forgery regarding:

(1) Abdullah Ibn Saba’, and

(2) 150 (So called) Companions

This proof shocked the researchers and the public alike, and made them check again the subjects they inherited through centuries, and therefore, many Schools of Thought which were built by Tabari and many eminent historians were destroyed. Ayatullah Askari proved that these matters, which many thought were indisputable facts and events, had no proof of their being real.

The first book of Ayatullah Askari in this field, titled "Abdullah Ibn Saba’" and the second book "With Dr al-Wardi" were published in 1954.

Ayatullah Askari continued his significant activities in various fields, especially in the social affairs, even after his return to Iran. Beside that, he established many schools and clinics.

Ayatullah Sayyid Murtadha Askari passed away in Tehran on Monday 17th Sept 2007 – 7^th Mahe Mubarake Ramadhan 1428. May Allah swt rest his soul in peace.