Sadeq Rohani
Encyclopedia
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Sadeq Hussaini Rohani is an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja
currently residing in Qum, Iran. He was born in the city of Qum
, Iran
during Muharram 1345 AH, equivalent to 1305 HS (Hijri Solar, also known as the Iranian calendar) or the summer of 1926 AD. He received his Ijtihad
Authority at the age of 14, from Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei, which makes him one of the youngest to achieve this in history of Shia Islam. He became a Marja, after death of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, at the age of 35.
He moved to Najaf, Iraq in the year 1330 AH to study under Sayed Abul Hasan Esfahani and Mirza Na’eni. He also studied for a while under Hussain Tabatabai Qummi in the city of Mashad, Iran. He then moved to the Islamic Seminary of Qum, Iran. Some believe that it was he who managed to convince Abdulkarim Haeri to move to the city of Qum to start teaching Islamic Studies. He is regarded by some as being one of the most exceptional students of Haeri.
Mahmoud Rohani passed away on the 18th of Shaban 1381 AH after a long period of illness. When the news of his death spread, the city of Qum, including the markets, education institutions and offices, closed out of recognition of the loss of a great figure.
His mother is a direct descendant of Imam Hassan, the first grandson of Prophet Mohammad, and the daughter of Sayed Ahmad Tabatabai Qummi, who spent many years leading the prayer in the courtyard of Hazrate Masuma’s shrine.
After his father passed away, Sayed Sadiq Rohani spent many years leading the congregational prayer in the mosque whilst also answering peoples’ religious questions and assisting them in their affairs. Amongst the things Sayed Sadiq Rohani was involved in were assisting Kashani in the nationalisation of Iranian oil, opposing Reza Shah in banning Hijab (modest Islamic clothing), inviting and endeavouring to bring Haeri to Qum, laying the foundations for Haeri’s teaching and assisting him, and assisting in founding the Islamic Seminary of Qum.
Rouhani's Hajj Mollah Sadegh School in Qom was confiscated by the state after he was put under house arrest in 1995.
His home was attacked in 1995 after he had published a letter to president Rafsanjani in which he openly criticized certain governmental policies. His books and parts of his writing were confiscated and his youngest son, Javad, arrested and later sentenced to three years imprisonment. Furthermore, Ayatollah Rouhani was pledged “not to continue as ‘Source of Emulation’ for his seven million followers and not to have any visitors.”
After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Rouhani attempted to relocate to Iraq but has been barred from leaving the country. His brother Seyyed Muhammad Rouhani was arrested in 1994 for insisting that the role of the clergy should be a social, not a political one and criticizing the regime for discrediting Islam. He died in 1997. A third brother, Mehdi Rouhani, died in Paris in 2000.
Ayatollah Sadeq Rouhani claims that Ali Khamenei has repeatedly tried to meet him but that Rouhani has always refused.
Zaade Milani narrates:
“Khoei said to my father Ayatollah al-Udhma Milani: I take pride in the Islamic Seminary in which an 11 year old student studies alongside the elder students and learned scholars, and with them reads the Makaseb and understands the contents of the Makaseb better than them and then further analyses it”
The book of Makaaseb is compiled by Sheikh Ansari and is taught in Islamic Seminaries. It is one of the most important and difficult books taught in Islamic Seminaries and understanding such a book requires much talent.
In the year 1360 AH, when Rohani was only 15 years old, Khoei wrote a letter in praise of Rohani. The letter, in the handwriting of Ayatollah Khoei, can be found on the website of Ayatollah Rohani. At the age of 14 years old, Rohani reached the level of Ijtehad, i.e. he became qualified to issue religious rulings. Several of the Grand Maraje’ (major sources of emulation) at the time approved of his Ijtehad and the source for this can be found on Ayatollah Rohani’s website.
Nearing the end of the year 1329 (Iranian Calendar), he entered Qum and at the beginning of the year 1330 (Iranian Calendar) started teaching “Fiqh” and “Usool” in the courtyard of the shrine of Hazrate Masuma. For more than half a century he has been teaching Shia Islamic Studies.
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
currently residing in Qum, Iran. He was born in the city of Qum
Qom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
during Muharram 1345 AH, equivalent to 1305 HS (Hijri Solar, also known as the Iranian calendar) or the summer of 1926 AD. He received his Ijtihad
Ijtihad
Ijtihad is the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort , independently of any school of jurisprudence . as opposed to taqlid, copying or obeying without question....
Authority at the age of 14, from Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei, which makes him one of the youngest to achieve this in history of Shia Islam. He became a Marja, after death of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, at the age of 35.
Early life and Parents
His father, Mahmoud Rohani, was a renowned teacher in the Islamic Seminary of Qum, Iran. He was born in the year 1307 AH.He moved to Najaf, Iraq in the year 1330 AH to study under Sayed Abul Hasan Esfahani and Mirza Na’eni. He also studied for a while under Hussain Tabatabai Qummi in the city of Mashad, Iran. He then moved to the Islamic Seminary of Qum, Iran. Some believe that it was he who managed to convince Abdulkarim Haeri to move to the city of Qum to start teaching Islamic Studies. He is regarded by some as being one of the most exceptional students of Haeri.
Mahmoud Rohani passed away on the 18th of Shaban 1381 AH after a long period of illness. When the news of his death spread, the city of Qum, including the markets, education institutions and offices, closed out of recognition of the loss of a great figure.
His mother is a direct descendant of Imam Hassan, the first grandson of Prophet Mohammad, and the daughter of Sayed Ahmad Tabatabai Qummi, who spent many years leading the prayer in the courtyard of Hazrate Masuma’s shrine.
After his father passed away, Sayed Sadiq Rohani spent many years leading the congregational prayer in the mosque whilst also answering peoples’ religious questions and assisting them in their affairs. Amongst the things Sayed Sadiq Rohani was involved in were assisting Kashani in the nationalisation of Iranian oil, opposing Reza Shah in banning Hijab (modest Islamic clothing), inviting and endeavouring to bring Haeri to Qum, laying the foundations for Haeri’s teaching and assisting him, and assisting in founding the Islamic Seminary of Qum.
House Arrest
In the year 1364 (Iranian Calendar), Hussain Ali Montazeri was selected as the Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts, to which Sayed Sadiq Rohani objected and for this reason was put under house arrest in Qum, Iran for a period of 15 years.Rouhani's Hajj Mollah Sadegh School in Qom was confiscated by the state after he was put under house arrest in 1995.
His home was attacked in 1995 after he had published a letter to president Rafsanjani in which he openly criticized certain governmental policies. His books and parts of his writing were confiscated and his youngest son, Javad, arrested and later sentenced to three years imprisonment. Furthermore, Ayatollah Rouhani was pledged “not to continue as ‘Source of Emulation’ for his seven million followers and not to have any visitors.”
After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Rouhani attempted to relocate to Iraq but has been barred from leaving the country. His brother Seyyed Muhammad Rouhani was arrested in 1994 for insisting that the role of the clergy should be a social, not a political one and criticizing the regime for discrediting Islam. He died in 1997. A third brother, Mehdi Rouhani, died in Paris in 2000.
Ayatollah Sadeq Rouhani claims that Ali Khamenei has repeatedly tried to meet him but that Rouhani has always refused.
Qualifications and Studies
Sayed Sadiq Rohani started his teaching career in the city of Qum with his father teaching Arabic Grammar. Then, in the year 1355 AH at the age of 10 years, he travelled with his elder brother to study under the renowned scholars of the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, withstanding many troubles and hardships on the way. Due to his exceptional intelligence, extraordinary talent and keen interest in the subjects, he was able to complete the elementary studies (called Sat’h) in only one year, as opposed to the many years usually required. After being examined by Khoei, he started his higher Islamic studies (called Dars’e Kharej) of “Fiqh” and “Usool” at the age of 11. The acceptance of an 11 year old to study the higher Islamic studies of “Fiqh” and “Usool”, especially in the company of much older students who had spent many more years studying, was a pleasant surprise for the students and teachers alike.Zaade Milani narrates:
“Khoei said to my father Ayatollah al-Udhma Milani: I take pride in the Islamic Seminary in which an 11 year old student studies alongside the elder students and learned scholars, and with them reads the Makaseb and understands the contents of the Makaseb better than them and then further analyses it”
The book of Makaaseb is compiled by Sheikh Ansari and is taught in Islamic Seminaries. It is one of the most important and difficult books taught in Islamic Seminaries and understanding such a book requires much talent.
Teachers
Rohani studied under some of the most renowned and highest religious scholars and jurisprudents. Of these teachers were:- Kadhim Shirazi (1290-1367)
- Mohammad Hussain Esfahani, also known as Kompani (born 1361)
- Mohammad Ali Kadhimi
- Sayed Abul Hassan Esfahani (1284-1345)
- Mohammad Reza A’le Yasin
- Sayed Abul Qasim Khoei (1317-1413)
- Sayed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabaei Boroujerdi (1292-1380)
Teachings
After studying “Usool” and “Fiqh” under Khoei for a while, Rohani would teach the material to other students and peers.In the year 1360 AH, when Rohani was only 15 years old, Khoei wrote a letter in praise of Rohani. The letter, in the handwriting of Ayatollah Khoei, can be found on the website of Ayatollah Rohani. At the age of 14 years old, Rohani reached the level of Ijtehad, i.e. he became qualified to issue religious rulings. Several of the Grand Maraje’ (major sources of emulation) at the time approved of his Ijtehad and the source for this can be found on Ayatollah Rohani’s website.
Nearing the end of the year 1329 (Iranian Calendar), he entered Qum and at the beginning of the year 1330 (Iranian Calendar) started teaching “Fiqh” and “Usool” in the courtyard of the shrine of Hazrate Masuma. For more than half a century he has been teaching Shia Islamic Studies.
Acting as a Source of Emulation (Religious Jurisprudent or Grand Ayatollah)
After leaving the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, he began teaching the higher Islamic studies of “Fiqh” and “Usool” in the Islamic Seminary of Qum and started work on his famous book, “Fiqh al-Sadiq”. After the death of Boroujerdi, the teachers of the Islamic Seminary of Qum encouraged him to write a “Tawzeeh ul-Masaa’el” (book of Islamic laws) due to his knowledge displayed in his book, “Fiqh al-Sadiq”. According to the national library of Iran, the first edition of his “Tawzeeh ul-Masaa’el” was published in the year 1340 (Iranian Calendar).Books
- Fiqh al-Sadiq (Arabic), 41 volumes and more than 20,000 pages
- Zobdat al-Usool (Arabic), 6 volumes
- Minhaj al-Fuqaha (Arabic), 6 volumes
- Al-Masaa’el al-Mostahdetha (Arabic)
- Ta’leeq bar Minhaj al-Saleheen (Arabic), 3 volumes
- Ta’leeq bar Urwatol Wothqaa (Arabic), 2 volumes
- Ta’leeq bar Waseelat an-Najaat (Arabic)
- Resaaleh dar lebaas’e mashkook (Arabic)
- Resaaleh dar Qaa’edat Laa Dharar (Arabic)
- al-Jabr wa al-Ikhtiyar (Arabic)
- Resaaleh dar Qor’eh (Arabic)
- Manaasek al-Hajj (Arabic)
- al-Masaa’el al-Montakheba (Arabic)
- Resaaleh dar furoo al-Elm al-Ejmaali (Arabic)
- al-Ijtehad wa al-Taqleed (Arabic)
- al-Qawaa’ed al-Thalaatha (Arabic)
- Sharh Manaasek al-Hajj wa al-Umra (Arabic)
- Ajoube al-Masaa’el al-E’teqaadiyyeh (Arabic)
- Al-Liqaa’ el-Khaas – Esteftaa’aat (Arabic)
- Resaaleh Tawzeeh ul-Masaa’el (Farsi and Urdu)
- Tahqeeqee dar mawrede Jabr va Ekhtiyar (Farsi)
- Nezaam’e Hokoomat dar Islam (Farsi, Turkish, Urdu)
- Manaasek al-Hajj (Farsi)
- Montakhab al-Ahkam (Farsi)
- Esteftaa’aat Quwe Qadhaa’eeyeh wa mo’a’sese hoqooqee vokalaa’ye baynol-melal (Farsi)
- Ahkam’e Feqhi masaa’ele rooz (Farsi)
- Esteftaa’aat (Islamic Questions and Answers) (Farsi), currently published in 8 volumes
- Alf So’aal wa Jawaab (Arabic)
- Ajwebah al-Masaa’el (Arabic)
- al-Taqleed wa al-Aqa’ed (Arabic)
- al-Tahaara (Arabic)
- Fadhaa’il va Masaa’eb Hazrate Zahra (Farsi and Arabic)
- Aashura va Qiyam’e Imam Hussain (Farsi and Arabic)