Muhammad al-Shirazi
August 31, 1928
- Muhammad-Ridha
- Murtadha
- Jafar
- Mahdi
- Muhammad-Ali
- Muhammad-Husayn
Mirza Mahdi al-Shirazi (father)
Shirazi[1]
Sultan al-Mu'alifin, Arabic: سلطان المؤلفين
Mirza Shirazi (great-great grandfather)
Sadiq al-Shirazi (brother)
Hassan al-Shirazi (brother)
Mujtaba al-Shirazi (brother)
Razi Shirazi (second cousin)
Mohammed Kadhim al-Modarresi (brother-in-law)
Mohammed Kadhim al-Qazwini (brother-in-law)
Base in Kuwait[edit]
In 1971, he was exiled to Lebanon by the Baathist regime. From Lebanon, al-Shirazi travelled to Kuwait, where he settled for nine years. After his nephews joined, al-Shirazi turned Kuwait into the base of Shiite scholarship.[4]
At the time Al-Shirazi came into conflict with other prominent Shia religious figures in Najaf. The most prominent Shia religious leader of the time, Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, sought to dismiss Al-Shirazi's status as a scholar.[5]
Through personal charisma and intellectual arguments, al-Shirazi built up a large following in Kuwait and Iraq. His followers became known as the 'Shiraziyyin' and tended to be critical of existing Shi'i religious establishments.
Theory of clerical rule[edit]
al-Shirazi was a leading Islamist political theorist and devised the Hukumat al-Fuqaha' principle of theocratic rule. According to Cambridge University's Toby Matthiesen: "The political theory of Muhammad al-Shirazi and the MVM [Movement of Vanguard Missions] was quite close to Khomeini’s notion of velayet-e faqih (the guardianship of the jurisprudent), although al-Shirazi favored the theory that not a single cleric, but a council of scholars should govern the Islamic State (hukumat al-fuqaha’/shurat al-fuqaha’)."[6]
Under al-Shirazi's theory government would be in the form of a 'Consultative System of Leadership' composed of senior clerics, and he called for the establishment of the 'Leadership Council of Religious Authorities'. He argued for the establishment of a Universal Islamic Government to encompass all the Muslim countries run in accordance with Hukumat al-Fuqaha'.
Iranian Revolution[edit]
After the Islamic revolution, al-Shirazi moved to Qom. al-Shirazi was initially an important figure within Iran's Islamic Republic with his supporters in key roles within the Iranian state in the 1980s. He was the spiritual guide of the Movement of Vanguard Missionaries,[6] an umbrella group for Iran-based Islamist paramilitaries that included military groups like the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain. Iran maintained support for these paramilitaries in the 1980s through the Office of Liberation Movements, part of the Revolutionary Guards. The Movement of Vanguard Missionaries operated as a military organisation and it was active in Bahrain and Iraq.
He has been critical of the Iranian government.[7]
Literary contributions[edit]
Al-Shirazi has written on different subjects including science, ethics, politics, economics, sociology, law, human rights, etc. He has published over 1200 books, treatises and studies. Assad Ali, a poet and professor of Arabic literature, called him the "King of Authors", because of his prolific output. A bid by Assad Ali to get the Guinness World Records to recognise Muhammad al-Shirazi as the most prolific writer in Arabic was rejected by the publisher.
Al-Shirazi believed in the fundamental and elementary nature of freedom including freedom of expression, political plurality, debate and discussion, tolerance and forgiveness. Regarding war and violence he advocated war as a last resort in response to an enemy who has forced the situation.[14]: 5 He called for the Jizyah tax to be imposed on non-Muslims saying 'The obstinate person should become less obstinate in the face of what should return him gradually to the truth.'[14]: 7 He believed in the "Consultative System of Leadership" and called for the establishment of the Leadership Council of Religious Authorities. He called for the establishment of the Universal Islamic Government to encompass all the Muslim countries. These and other ideas are discussed in detail in his books.
He had established many Islamic centers, medical and charitable financial services, educational, welfare and social foundations, libraries, and Hawzah's, or universities for Islamic Studies, in different regions of the world. Hundreds of individuals have graduated from his schools as scholars, lecturers, authors and intellectuals.
Death[edit]
After many years of being under the house arrest, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi died on Monday, December 17, 2001 in Qom. After his death, his legacy and school of thought were continued through his seminary. His brother Sadiq al-Shirazi is at the helm of this school of thought and is continuing his late brother’s legacy and work.[15][16]