Ismail as-Sadr

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Ismail as-Sadr (Arabic:اسماعيل الصدر) (d. 1919-1920) was an Iraqi Grand Ayatollah (literally "sign of Allah"), a title which is used in Iran and Iraq referring to a Shia scholar who is a fully qualified mujtahid who asserts authority over peers and followers by virtue of sufficient study and achievement of the level of necessary competencey needed to obtain permission (ijāza) to practice ijtihad.^[1]

[edit] Life and Family

Sayyid Ismail as-Sadr is the grandfather of the well-known and highly respected Sadr family. He is the first to be known with the last name of as-Sadr after his father Sadr ad-Din ibn Salih, whose ancestors had been from the Jabal Amel in Lebanon.^[2]

Ismail As-Sadr was born in Isfahan, Iran. He is the youngest of five brothers all of whom became scholars of Shia Islam. He resided in Najaf, Iraq and became the sole marja upon his death in 1338 A.H. (ca. 1919-1920). He was survived by Muhammad Mahdi as-Sadr, Sadr ad-Din as-Sadr (d.1954), Haydar as-Sadr (d.1937), and a fourth son. Muhammad Mahdi is the great grandfather of Muqtada as-Sadr, Sadr ad-Din is the father of Sayyid Musa as-Sadr (d.1978?) and Haydar is the father of Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr (d.1980).

[edit] Notes

Prose contains specific citations in source text which may be viewed in edit mode.

^ Moohan Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Yale University Press, 1985
^ Sadr - Originally an Arabic honorific; has been used since the 10th century to denote a prominent member of the ulema. The title became hereditary in some Twelver Shii families and is often used as a surname.