Murtadha al-Ansari
Sheikh Murtadha al-Ansari al-Tostari | |
|---|---|
الشيخ مرتضى الأنصاري التستري | |
 | |
| Title | Grand Ayatollah |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1781 |
| Died | 1864 (aged 82–83) |
| Resting place | Imam Ali Shrine |
| Religion | Islam |
| Jurisprudence | TwelverShia |
| Other names | Sahib al-Makasib,Arabic:صاحب المكاسب Sheikh al-Ta'ifa,Arabic:شيخ الطائفة |
| Organization | |
| Institute | Najaf Seminary |
| Muslim leader | |
| Based in | Najaf, Iraq |
| Period in office | 1849–1864 |
| Predecessor | Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi |
| Successor | Mirza Shirazi |
| Post | Grand Ayatollah |
Grand AyatollahSheikhMurtadha al-Ansari al-Tostari(1781–1864), (Arabic:مرتضی الأنصاري التستري;[1][2][3]Persian:مرتضی انصاری شوشتری[4][5]), also transliterated asMortaza Ansari Shushtari,was aShiajuristwho "was generally acknowledged as the most eminent jurist of the time."[6][7]
Ansari has also been called the "first effective" model orMarjaof the Shia[8]or "the first scholar universally recognized as supreme authority in matters ofShiilaw ".[9]
Life and studies
[edit]Al-Ansari[10][11]was born inDezfularound 1781, the time theQajar dynastywas establishing its power in Iran. He commenced his religious studies in Defzul, under the tutelage of his uncle, himself a notable scholar. At the age of twenty, he madeZiyaratwith his father toKerbala,Iraq,where he met Mohammad Mujtahid Karbala'i, the leader of the city's scholars. Ansari demonstrated considerable promise during a debate with the senior Mujtahid, who was so impressed that he induced his father to allow Ansari to continue his studies with them.[12]Ansari studied in Kerbala for four years, until the city was besieged byDawud Pashaand his rebels, causing the scholars of Kerbala and their students to flee toBaghdadand the shrine ofal-Kazim.From there, Ansari returned to his homeland, where he quickly became restless and resolving to find teachers to continue his religious instruction. After about a year of traveling, he spent two years inNajafstudying underMusa al-Ja'fariandSharif Mazandaraniand a year in Najaf studying withKashf ul-Ghita.Returning from a pilgrimage toMashhad,Khurasan,he encounteredAhmad al-Naraqi,an authority infiqh,usul al-fiqhandirfan,and – although Ansari was already amujtahidin his own right when he left Karbala – studied with him for a further four years. After again traveling for a number of years, he returned to Najaf where he completed his studies under Kashf ul-Ghita andMuhammad Hasan Najafi(author ofJawahir ul-Kalam) and began teaching.[12][13]
Religious leadership
[edit]When the last of the prominent scholars of the generation senior to Ansari died in 1849, Ansari was universally recognized as the 'most learnedMujtahid' (marja') in the Twelver Shi'ah community.[14]His lessons inFiqhandUsul al-fiqhbecame incredibly popular, attracting hundreds of students.[13]Furthermore, it is estimated that 200,000 Tomans a year ofKhumsmoney was tithed to Ansari's base inNajaf"from all over the Islamic world". Despite this, Ansari lived humbly, generously provided stipends to hisIslamic studentswith these funds, and this resulted in a confirmation of Najaf's standing as center of Shiah learning.[15]In spite of the tremendous prestige attached to his position, Ansari lived the life of an ascetic. When he died, his two daughters were unable to pay for his funeral expenses from his inheritance.[12]He rarely used his authority in the Shia community, seldom judging cases or givingfatawa.[16]
From the beginning of theOudh Bequestin 1850, Morteza Ansari along with Sayyid Ali Naqi al-Tabatabie transferred the bequest from India through agents. Morteza Ansari had devised a mode of distribution which included "juniormujtahids,low-ranking indigentulama,Persian and Arab students, the custodians of the shrines, and the poor. "[17]
Intellectual contribution
[edit]According toRoy Mottahedeh,Ansari was celebrated for his piety and generosity and "more than that of any mullah leader of the past two centuries, his leadership celebrated his learning." Through the expansion of rational devices inUsul al-fiqh,Ansari implicitly admitted the uncertainty of much of the sacred law. For this reason, he emphasized that only a learnedMujtahidcould interpret scripture (i.e. theQur'anandHadith) and employ reason to produce legal doctrines. The rest of the community was obliged to follow (Taqlid) the doctrines of these legal scholars.[8]
Ansari was the author of some thirty books and treatises, noted for their clarity and readability.[12]Most of his works center onFiqhandUsul al-Fiqh.Of the former, his most important work is theMakasib,a detailed exposition ofIslamic Commercial Law,which is still taught today in theHawzaand has yet to be surpassed.[12]Of the latter, hisFara'id ul-Usulremains an extremely important work. In it, he is credited with expanding the scope of theusul 'amaliyyah(practical principles, as opposed to semantic principles) in Shi'i jurisprudence. For this reason, Ansari is said to have laid the foundations of modern Twelver jurisprudence and his style – more than any other classical scholar – is imitated by the modern jurists.[18]
See also
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Mottahedeh, Roy,The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran,One World, Oxford, 1985, 2000
- Amin, Muhsin,Ayan ul-Shi'ah,Dar ul-Ta'aruf, Beirut, 1983 (Arabic)
- Murata, S. ANṢĀRĪ, SHAIKH MORTAŻĀ B. MOḤAMMAD AMĪN. Encyclopædia Iranica: www.iranica.com (accessed 29.09.09)
- Momen,An Introduction to Shi'ī Islam
- Tabataba'i,Hossein Modarressi,An Introduction to Shi'i Law: A Bibliographical Study:London 1984
References
[edit]- ^Faraed al-osoul (In Arabic), by Mortadha al-Ansari al-Tostari,
- ^Alwathaya va Almawarith (in Arabic), by Mortadha al-Ansari al-Tostari
- ^Shia in Isalam (In Arabic), by M.H. Tabatabai
- ^Dehkhoda encyclopedia (in Persian)
- ^Alwathaya va Almawarith, by Morteza Ansari Shushtari
- ^The Qajar class structure, by Ahmad Ashraf & Ali Banuazizi
- ^"ANṢĀRĪ, SHAIKH MORTAŻĀ – Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.Retrieved2021-02-02.
- ^abMottahedeh,The Mantle of the Prophet,(2000), p. 210
- ^Esposito, John,The Oxford Dictionary of Islam,(2003) p. 21
- ^The demise of scholar of al-Mote'akherin, Sheikh Morteza Ansari
- ^The demise of scholar of al-Mote'akherin, Sheikh Morteza Ansari Faqih and super Marja' in Najaf (1281 lunar month)
- ^abcdeMurata, S. ANṢĀRĪ, SHAIKH MORTAŻĀ B. MOḤAMMAD AMĪN.Encyclopedia Iranica:www.iranica.com (accessed 29.09.09)
- ^ab"al-Amin, Muhsin, Ayan ul-Shiah, v.10 p. 118 (Arabic)"
- ^Mottahedeh,The Mantle of the Prophet,(2000), p. 213
- ^Mottahedeh,The Mantle of the Prophet,(2000), p. 213-4
- ^Mottahedeh,The Mantle of the Prophet,(2000), p. 214
- ^Litvak, Meir (1 January 2000)."The Finances of the 'ulamā' Communities of Najaf and Karbalā, 1796–1904".Die Welt des Islams.40(1): 41–66.doi:10.1163/1570060001569875.Retrieved18 November2016.(subscription required)
- ^"al-Amin, Muhsin, Ayan ul-Shiah, v.10 p. 119 (Arabic)"
