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TheQom Seminary (Persian:حوزه علمیه قم) is the largest Islamic seminary (hawza) in Iran, established in 1922 byGrand AyatollahAbdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi inQom.[1] It trainsUsuli scholars.
Although bigShi'a academies existed in Qom dating back as early as 10th century CE,[2] the hawza (seminarium) of the city became prominent at the time of theSafavids when Shi'a Islam became the official religion of Iran in the 16th century. The famous teachers of that era includedMulla Sadra andShaykh Bahai. The modern Qom hawza was revitalized byAbdul Karim Haeri Yazdi and Grand AyatollahBorujerdi and is barely a century old. There are nearly three hundred thousand clerics in Iran’s seminaries.[3]Alireza Arafi is the director of the Qom seminaries.[4]
BecauseSharia is legally binding in Iran, the Qom seminary also functions as alaw school in Iran.Ebrahim Raisi, the formerChief Justice and formerPresident of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was one of the alumni of the Qom seminary.
All judges in the Islamic Republic of Iran must have received education in Islamic Law; mostqadis are "members of the group of rulingclergies."[5]
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