Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei
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| Iraqi scholar |
|
|---|---|
| Name: | Abul-Qassim Khoei |
| Birth: | 1899[citation needed] |
| Death: | 1992 August 8[citation needed] |
| School/tradition: | Shia Jafri |
| Main interests: | Religious jurisprudence |
Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei (Novermber 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an important Shia Ayatollah, who at one point was considered the premiere leader of Shias across the world.
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[edit] Biography
Born in the Iranian city of Khoy in 1899, Khoei grew up in Iran. Around the age of 13, he moved to Iraq and took up residence in the holy city of Najaf where he began studying Shia theology with the scholars of that city. He eventually attained the rank of Ayatollah and was subsequently made a marja. Khoei would continue to live in Najaf, becoming a teacher for the remainder of his life, and overseeing the studies of scholars who would be qualified to issue fatwas based on Shia theology.
Due to his prominent position as a teacher and scholar in Najaf, he became an important leader of worldwide Shias. He was made the most prominent Grand Ayatollah in 1971 after the death of Ayatollah Sayed Muhsin al-Hakim. In this position, he became a patron of numerous institutions across the globe that sought to provide welfare, and also provided scholarships to theological students from across the Muslim world.
He is considered as the architect of a distinct school of thought in the principles of jurisprudence and Islamic law, and one of the leading exponents of 'kalam'-scholastic theology- and 'rijal'- study of the biographies of transmitters of ahadith, the Prophetic traditions, 'fiqh'- jurisprudence- and 'tafseer'- exegesis of The Holy Qur'an. His interests included astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.
After the Persian Gulf War, Khoei was arrested by Saddam Hussein during the mass Shia uprising that followed the defeat of Iraqi forces. While under arrest, he was taken to Baghdad and forced to make public appearances with Saddam Hussein. Hussein eventually allowed Khoei to return to Najaf, but he was placed under house arrest, and died in 1992.
[edit] His Sons
His eldest son Sayyid Mohammed Taqi al-Khoei later died in a sudden car accident, allegedly setup by Saddam Hussein, on the night of 21 July 1994.
Soon after the fall of Baghdad to US forces in 2003 his other son, Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei returned to Iraq with plans to revive Najaf to the glory and splendor it enjoyed under the patronage of his father. Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei was then the head of Al-Khoei Foundation, the organization responsible for the trusts of his father. He was assassinated on April 10, 2003, in the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, allegedly by the supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, the militant Shi'a cleric.
[edit] Welfare
He was fervently dedicated to establishing welfare, social, cultural, and educational institutions for Muslims worldwide. The following are some of the institutions he established:
- Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center in New York
Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center in New York is among many centers established by late Ayatollah Abul-Qasim Al-Khoei
- Al-Iman School, New York, U.S.A.
- Imam As-Sadiq Education Institute for Boys, London, UK
- Imam As-Sadiq Education Institute for Girls, London, UK
- Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center, London, U.K
- Ahlul-Bayt University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
- Al-Akhund
- Darul Hikmah ( House of Theosophy)
- Madinatul Ilm (City of Knowledge) in Qom, Iran, considered one of the biggest theology centres in the Shia world. The complex -comprises the school building and living quarters capable of accommodating 500 families.
- As-Sayyid Al-Khoei Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
- As-Sayyid Al-Khoei Center in Dhakkah, Bangladesh.
- Imam Al-Khoei Orphanage Beirut, Lebanon
He was also the patron of about 1,000 grant-maintained students of theology from Iraq and other countries like Lebanon, Syria, Gulf States, India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South East Asia. He provided financial support for maintaining the schools including boarding expenses, teachers' salaries and lodging costs.
[edit] Legacy
[edit] Students
His post-graduate institute normally accommodated some 150 students, at any given time. Among the students who attended classes and were personally supervised by Khoei included
- Ayatullah Seyyid Ali al-Sistani, Iraq
- Ayatullah Moslem Malakouti, Iran
- Ayatullah Al-Shaheed As-Sayyid Mohammad Baqir As-Sadr, Iraq
- As-Sayyid Mahdi Al-Hakim
- Mohammad Mahdi Shamsuddin (Lebanon)
- Imam Mousa As-Sadr (Lebanon)
- Ayatullah Seyyid Mohammad sadiq Al-Rohani (Iran)
- Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili, former Chief Justice of Iran
- As-Sayyid Mohammad Ali Makki (Syria)
- As-Sayyid Mohammad Ali Bahrul 'Uloom (UK)
- Poet Mustafa Jamaluddin (Syria).
- Ayatullah shirzai (Iran)
- Muhammad al-Tijani — a student
Institutions include:
- Publishing House - Translation, printing and distribution of books worldwide, Karachi, Pakistan.
- Cultural Complex, Bombay, India. Considered among the biggest Shi' ite Muslims cultural centre-under construction.
- Representative Offices catering for the religious, social, educational, and cultural needs of Muslims all over the world, with the Headquarters in London, U. K. and branches in the United States, Canada, India, Pakistan, U.A. E., Oman, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, North Africa, Syria, Lebanon, Malaysia.
[edit] Works
Khoei wrote on various topics, ranging from Islamic jurisprudence to mathematics and astronomy and was a prolific writer in these disciplines. He wrote 37 books and treatises, most of which have been published. His works include:
- Lectures in the Principles of Jurisprudence - 10 volumes
- Biographies of Narrators of Tradition - 24 volumes.
- Islamic Law - 18 volumes.
- Al-Bayan fi tafsir al-Qur'an (The Elucidation of the Exegesis of The Qur'an)
- Minhaju-us-Saliheen (The Path of the Righteous) - 2 volumes, reprinted 78 times (guide book on religious practice and law) .
- Anthology of Religious Questions - Concise version of the Path of the Righteous - in Arabic, Urdu, Persian, English, Turkish, * * Thai, Malay, Indonesian, and Gujarati.
- Mabani al-Istinbat (Edifices of Deduction) Principles of Jurisprudence.
- Ajwad-at-Taqrirat (The Best of Regulations) Principles of Jurisprudence.
- Sharh-el-Urwatul-Wuthqa (Commentary on The Steadfast Handle) - Jurisprudence.
- Treatise on Suspected Attire - Risala fil Libas Al-Mashkok, Evidential Jurisprudence.
- Nafahat-ul Ijaz (the Fragrance of Miracles), in defence of the Qur'an.
[edit] Internet
- Al-Khoei Foundation
