Ali Akbar Ilahi Khurasani

ʿAlī Akbar Ilāhī Khurāsānī (Persian: علی‌اکبر الهی خراسانی) (b. 1942-3 – d. 2025) was one of the founders of the Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi, a cultural and social activist in Mashhad, and a professor at Khurasan Seminary. During more than three decades of managing the Islamic Research Foundation, he played a significant role in reviving Shi'a heritage. The establishment of the first Qard al-Hasana fund for seminarians in 1963 is considered one of his initiatives.

Founder of Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi

Ilahi Khurasani was a student of Sayyid 'Abd Allah Musawi Shirazi, Husayn Wahid Khurasani, and Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani. He held multiple academic degrees and Permission for Ijtihad and had a history of half a century of teaching in the Mashhad seminary and several years at Ferdowsi University. Authoring and correcting the texts of great Shi'a scholars and delivering speeches at international scientific congresses are among his scholarly works. His passing was accompanied by widespread messages of condolence.

Status and Significance

'Ali Akbar Ilahi Khurasani was a scholar, cultural and social activist in Mashhad, and a professor at Khurasan Seminary. In 1963, he founded the first Qard al-Hasana fund for seminarians in Iran in Mashhad. His other measures include the establishment of the Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi in 1984, the Razavi Library, and the seminarians' cooperative store. During more than three decades of managing this foundation, he played an important role in authoring, correcting texts, and reviving Shi'a heritage, and established specialized libraries such as the Library of al-Shaykh al-Tusi.

Managing the Department of Fiqh and Usul at the Islamic Research Foundation, membership in the Board of Trustees of Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, the editorial board of Mishkat magazine, and the General Culture Council of Razavi Khorasan province are among other activities of Ilahi Khurasani.

Ilahi Khurasani was born in 1942-3 in Nishapur and began studying seminary sciences in 1956-7, moving to Mashhad the following year. He is counted among the students of Sayyid 'Abd Allah Musawi Shirazi, Husayn Wahid Khurasani, Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani, Mujtaba Qazwini, Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim Hashiminijad, Mirza Jawad Agha Tihrani, Ali Falsafi Tunikabuni, and Muhammad Taqi Adib Nishaburi. He was also a student and son-in-law of Hasan 'Ali Murwarid.

Ilahi Khurasani passed away on September 19, 2025 and was buried in the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a). A number of Marja's, scholars, state officials, and scientific centers offered condolences on his demise.

It is said that Ilahi Khurasani's personality was a blend of humility, scientific jihad, and social services; he neither confined himself to teaching nor drowned in administrative responsibilities. He is also considered one of the pioneers of "Social Theology" and "Scientific Management" in contemporary Khorasan.

Scientific Activities

The book Ajwibat al-masa'il al-hajibiyya (known as al-Masāʾil), researched and corrected by Ilahi Khurasani

Ilahi held special permissions from Marja's and scientific degrees, including:

• Permission for the Transmission of Hadiths from Sayyid Shihab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi;
• Permission to undertake Hisbiyya affairs from some Marja's;
• Permission for Ijtihad from his professors as well as the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 1971;
• Receiving a teaching certificate for transmitted sciences in 1965;
• Receiving a Bachelor's degree in Fiqh and Basics of Islamic Law from the Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies of Mashhad in 1973.

Ilahi taught in Mashhad Seminary for over fifty years and taught Quranic Sciences, Fiqh, Usul, Ayat al-Ahkam, and Tafsir at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad for seven years starting from 1985. He also taught non-Iranian students at Razavi University of Islamic Sciences. He delivered speeches at international scientific congresses such as the Sa'di Congress in India, the Millennium Congress of al-Sharif al-Radi, the World Conference of the Millennium of al-Shaykh al-Mufid, the World Congress of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a) in Damascus, the Nahj al-Balagha Congress, and the World Congress of Imam al-Rida (a).

Ilahi Khurasani authored, researched, or corrected numerous works/