Abu al-Qasim Khoei | |
|---|---|
سید ابوالقاسم موسوی خویی | |
.jpg) Abu al-Qasim Khoei in his office at Najaf, 1970's | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1899-11-19)November 19, 1899 |
| Died | August 8, 1992(1992-08-08) (aged 92) |
| Resting place | Imam Ali Shrine |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Children |
|
| Parent | Ali-Akbar Khoei (father) |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith,Fiqh |
| Notable work(s) | Mu'jam rijal al-hadith |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Shi'a |
| Jurisprudence | Ja'fari (Usuli) |
| Creed | Twelver |
| Muslim leader | |
| Based in | Najaf, Iraq |
| Period in office | 1970–1992 |
| Predecessor | Muhsin al-Hakim |
| Successor | Abd al-A'la Sabziwari,Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani |
| Website | Official website |
Grand AyatollahSayyidAbu al-Qasim Musawi Khoei (/ˈɑːbuːælˈkɑːsɪmælˈxhuːi/ ⓘAH-boo alKAH-simKHOO-ee; (Persian:ابوالقاسم موسوی خویی;Arabic:أبو القاسم الموسوي الخوئي; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an IranianShiamarja'.[1][2] Khoei is considered one of the most influentialtwelver scholars.
After the death ofMuhsin al-Hakim in 1970, he became the spiritual leader of much of the Shia world until his death in 1992. He was succeeded briefly byAbd al-A'la Sabziwari, until his death in 1993. Then his former student,Ali Sistani, took leadership of the seminary, whereby many of his followers became followers of Sistani.[3][4]
Khoei was born to asayyid family in the northern Iranian city ofKhoy in 1899. Khoei grew up inQajar Iran. Around the age of 13, he moved toIraq along with his older brother Abdullah and took up residence in the holy city ofNajaf where he began studying Shia theology with the scholars of that city. He eventually attained the rank of Ayatollah and was made amarja. Khoei continued 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 ofMuhsin 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 ofkalam (scholastic theology) andrijal (study of the biographies of transmitters of ahadith, the prophetic traditions),fiqh (jurisprudence), andtafseer (exegesis of the Qur'an). His interests included astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.
Khoei's status as the pre-eminent scholar of his age did not go unchallenged. In the 1970s, Grand AyatollahMohammed Shirazi, a radical theologian based inKarbala had a long-running feud with Al Khoei and his fellow clerics in Najaf over the legitimacy of theocratic rule. The dispute resulted in Khoei seeking to dismiss Al Shirazi's status as a religious scholar.[5]
After thePersian Gulf War, Khoei was arrested bySaddam Hussein during the mass Shia uprising that followed the defeat of Iraqi forces. While under arrest, he was taken toBaghdad and forced to make public appearances with Saddam Hussein. Hussein eventually allowed Khoei to return to Najaf, but he was placed under house arrest. Khoei died on 8 August 1992 inNajaf, at the age of 92.[6] His funeral was led by his studentAli Sistani. He was buried in theShrine of Imam Ali inNajaf.[6]
He was fervently dedicated to establishing welfare, social, cultural, and educational institutions for Muslims worldwide. The following are some of the institutions he established:
He was also the patron of about 1,000 grant-maintained students of theology from Iraq and other countries like Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Persian Gulf States, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, South East Asia. He provided financial support for maintaining the schools including boarding expenses, teachers' salaries, and lodging costs.
Former studentAli Sistani is currently the most senior Shia cleric inIraq and widely regarded as "wield[ing] enormous power over Iraq's Shia majority."[7] The degree of success of his articulation of moderate Shia politics in Iraq have been said to be "in no small part traceable to the legacy of his mentor and teacher", Khoei.[8]
Another significant student of Khoei, isMuhammad-Sadiq Rohani, who also shared a close relationship with Khoei.[9] He was considered a high religious authorities in Iran, alongsideWaheed Khurasani.
Khoei wrote about various topics, ranging from Islamicjurisprudence tomathematics andastronomy and was a prolific writer in these disciplines. He wrote 37 books and treatises, most of which have been published. His works include:
Khoei was an "old rival" of AyatollahRuhollah Khomeini from when the two lived in Najaf, and dismissed Khomeini's theory thatVelayat-e faqih—i.e., a ruling jurist should be the basis ofIslamic Government—as a "bogus innovation" in Islam according to scholarVali Nasr. Nasr argues that Khoei's importance in limiting the reach of Khomeini's ideas "is often underrated and unrecognized".[10]
Although enthusiasm was passionate in the Shi'i world for theIranian Revolution in its early years, Khoei "openly urged followers to ignore" Khomeini[11] and "kept alive" the tradition of Shia thought "that accords more leeway to the idea of distinguishing between religious and political authority" then and "did so" until enthusiasm for Islamist rule had lost much of its "allure" among Shia worldwide.[10] He should also be given much of the credit for whatever influence "moderate Shia politics" has had in Iraq after the fall ofSaddam Hussein through his mentee and studentAli Sistani[10] who became the leading marjaʿ in Iraq after Khoei's death.
Khoei was married and had seven sons:
