Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Qadi Tabataba'i |
| Lineage | Descendants of Imam al-Hasan (a) |
| Well-Known Relatives | Sayyid 'Ali Qadi |
| Birth | 1321/1904, Tabriz |
| Residence | Tabriz, Najaf, Qom |
| Studied in | Tabriz, Najaf |
| Death | 1402/1981, Qom |
| Burial Place | Holy Shrine of Lady Fatima al-Ma'suma, Qom |
| Scholarly Information | |
| Professors | Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i, Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani, Muhammad Husayn Gharawi Isfahani, Muhammad Husayn Na'ini, and Sayyid Husayn Badkubi'i |
| Works | Tafsir al-mizan, Usul-i falsafa wa rawish-i ri'alism, Sunan al-Nabi, Shi'a in Islam, Bidayat al-hikma, and Nihayat al-hikma |
Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī (Persian: سید محمدحسین طباطبائی), also known as 'Allama Tabataba'i (Persian: علامه طباطبائی) (b. 1321/1904 - d. 1402/1981), was one of the most influential Shi'a scholars in the context of Iran in the 14th/20th century. He was an expert in philosophy, exegesis, theology, jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, and mysticism.
Allama Tabataba'i is the author of Tafsir al-mizan (a Quranic exegesis), and the famous books of philosophy, Bidayat al-hikma, Nihayat al-hikma, and Usul-i falsafa wa rawish-i ri'alism.
Among his students are Mutahhari, Jawadi Amuli, Bihishti, and Misbah Yazdi - some of the most well-known Shi'a clerics of Iran in the 14th/20th century.
'Allama Tabataba'i introduced the Shi'a school of thought to Europeans through his discussions with Henry Corbin, a French philosopher and an expert in Shi'a studies.
Biography
Birth and Lineage
Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i was born in Shadabad, a village in Tabriz.[1] His previous fourteen ancestors were well-known scholars of Tabriz. According to the autobiography quoted by Allama Tabatabai, he was born in 1281 SH/1902-3. However, a manuscript is attributed to him in al-Tabataba'i wa manhajihi fi tafsir al-Mizan, in which it is mentioned that he was born on Dhu l-Hijja 29, 1321/March 17, 1904.
His paternal ancestors were descendants of Imam al-Hasan (a),[2] while his maternal ancestors were descendants of Imam al-Husayn (a).[3]
Muhammad Husayn's mother passed away when he was five, and his father passed away when he was nine.[4] He had one younger brother, known as Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Ilahi.[5]
Marriage and Children
His wife, Qamar Sadat Mahdavi, was one of the Sadat Tabataba'i.[6] Their first three children died in Najaf in their childhood. Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i, his teacher and a relative of his wife, once came to their home and expressed his sympathy to them. When he was about to leave, he said to his wife, "This time your child will be a son, and he will survive; name him 'Abd al-Baghi[7] (lit. the servant of the Remaining One) so that he will remain for you." Tabataba'i, who did not even know about his wife's pregnancy at the time, was astonished. The prediction came to light,[8] and after the birth of Sayyid 'Abd al-Baghi, they were also granted a daughter, Najma Sadat.
In 1385/1965, Tabataba'i's first wife passed away, and after a while, he married Mansura Ruzbih.
Education and Teaching
For six years (1329/1911 - 1335/1916-7) of his childhood, Tabataba'i learned how to read Qur'an and how to read Ghulistan, Bustan, etc..[9] In addition to studying literature, he learned the art of calligraphy from Mirza 'Alinaqi Khattat.[10] He then entered the Talibiyya School of Tabriz (1336/1917-8-1343/1924-5), where he studied in fields such as Arabic literature, intellectual sciences, jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence.[11] He then immigrated with his brother to Najaf, where he continued his seminary education and developed his moral and spiritual perfection for ten years (1343/1924-5 -1354/1935-6).[12] After settling again in Tabriz (1354/1935-6 -1365/1945-6), he moved to Qom (1365/1945-6), where he was teaching and writing till the end of his life.[13]
Death
'Allama Tabataba'i took his last breaths on Sunday morning (3 hours before noon), Muharram 18, 1402/November 16, 1981[14]. On the following day, his body was carried from Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque to the courtyard of Holy Shrine of Lady Ma'suma (s). There, hundreds of people performed his Salat al-Mayyit along with Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpaygani.[15]
Academic and Scholarly Career
Najaf
After completing the first stage of his education in Tabriz in 1344/1925-6, Tabataba'i headed to Najaf[16] - the central Shi'a seminary of the time. For the next ten years, he developed his knowledge in various fields of Islamic studies. He studied under well-known teachers such as: Muhammad Husayn Na'ini, Muhammad Husayn Gharawi Isfahani (in jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence), Sayyid Husayn Badkubi'i – a student of Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Jilwa and Aqa 'Ali Mudarris - (in philosophy), Sayyid Abu l-Qasim Khwansari (in mathematics) and Sayyid 'Ali Qadi (in ethics and mysticism).[17] He also studied a complete course of ancient mathematics from "Euclid's Elements" to "Ptolemy's Almagest". Tabataba'i attained the stage of "ijtihad" in philosophy, theology, mysticism and Qur'an interpretation.
Tabriz
Due to the poverty he was suffering in Najaf, Tabataba'i moved back to Tabriz where he had some agricultural land from which he was not receiving funds. He then farmed for ten years in Shadabad village.[18]
Qom
'Allama Tabataba'i's fame began spreading to other seminaries and cities after he immigrated to Qom (1365/1945-6). In the Qom seminary he was able to revive the study of intellectual sciences and exegesis.[19] He held tafsir and philosophy classes unpretentiously,[20] and gradually began teaching fundamental books of philosophy such as al-Shifa (by Avicenna) and al-Asfar (by Mulla Sadra).[21]
His distinctive moral character, in addition to his close and beautiful relationships with his students, attracted more and more talented pupils to his classes every day. Hundreds of seminarians participated in his philosophy classes in the latter years. Many reached Ijtihad in this field under his supervision.
It can be said that the most significant contribution of 'Allama Tabataba'i - even more so than the expansion of philosophy - is the special attention he gave to his students' spiritual purification. In fact, 'Allama Tabataba'i established a school of developing knowledge and morality hand-in-hand, an Islamic principle that is almost forgotten in present educational systems.
Scholarly Sessions in Tehran
While living in Qom 'Allama Tabataba'i attended philosophical and scientific discussions in Tehran.[22] During these frequent trips, he contacted those interested in philosophy and Islamic studies and sometimes debated with opponents in philosophy and religion. Scholars like Henry Corbin, Sayyid Hussein Nasr, and Daryush Shaygan participated in these sessions and discussed various issues with 'Allama Tabataba'i.[23]
His sessions with Henry Corbin were held every fall for 20 years[24] (1378/1958-9 -1399/1978-9) in the presence of other scholars and seminarians. Vital issues about religion, philosophy,[25] and also the challenges of the present world for those who seek truth and spirituality were discussed.
According to Dr. Sayyid Hussein Nasr: "Such sessions with that high level and wide horizon are unique and matchless in the present Islam world, even it can be said that after Middle Ages when the intellectual and spiritual connection between Islam and Christianity was broken, such connection between Islamic east and west has not been made."[26]
Students
Some of 'Allama Tabataba'i's well-known students are:
| No. | Student's Name | Date of Birth | Death | Burial Place | Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morteza Motahhari | 1338/February 3, 1920 in Fariman | 1399/1979 | Shrine of Lady Fatima Ma'suma (a), Qom | Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism, The theory of knowledge, Hamasa Husayni |
| 2 | Sayyid Muhammad Husayni Bihishti | October 24, 1928 in Isfahan | Sha'ban 25, 1401/June 28, 1981 | Bihisht Zahra, Tehran | Khoda az didgah-i Qur'an (Doctorate thesis), Iqtisad-i Islami |
| 3 | 'Ali Quddusi | 1346/August 4th, 1927 in Nahavand | 1401/September 5, 1981 in Tehran | Shrine of Lady Fatima Ma'suma (a), Qom | --- |
| 4 | Muhammad Mufattih | 1346/June 18, 1928 in Famenin, Hamadan | 1400/December 18, 1979 | Shrine of Lady Fatima Ma'suma (a), Qom | Interpretation on al-Asfar al-Araba'a, The Way of Thought, Outcomes of Imperialism |
| 5 | 'Ali Ahmadi Miyanaji | 1345/July 15, 1926 | 1421/September 11, 2000 | Shrine of Lady Fatima Ma'suma (a), Qom | Makatib al-rasul, Makatib al-a'imma |
| 6 | Sayyid Musa al-Sadr | 1346/June 4, 1928, in Qom | Abducted in 1978 | ? | Introduction to Henry Corbin's History of Islamic Philosophy, Religions in service of human beings. |
| 7 | 'Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli | 1352/May 5, 1933 in Amol | Still alive | --- | Tasnim Exegesis, The theory of knowledge in the Qur'an, Mafatih al-Hayat |
| 8 | Hasan Hasanzada Amuli | 1347/february 10, 1929 in Amol | 1443/September 25, 2021 | --- | Exegesis on Mulla Sadra's Asfar, Treatise on knowledge, Exegesis on Ibn 'Arabi' Fosus |
| 9 | Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi | 1353/31 January 1935 in Yazd | 1442/January 1, 2021 | --- | Ethics in the Qur'an, Theological Instructions |
| 10 | Ja'far Subhani | 1347/9 April 1929 in Tabriz | Still alive | --- | Understanding the attributes of God, Wahhabism, Biography of Shia leaders |
| 11 | Nasir Makarim Shirazi | 1345/25 February 1927 in Shiraz | Still alive | --- | Tafsir-i nimuna, Payam-i Qur'an, Mafatih Nuwin |
| 12 | Sayyid Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani | 1304 SH/1925-6, Ashtian | 1426/2005 in Mashhad | Holy Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a) | Hasti az nazar-i falsafi wa 'irfan (Existence from the viewpoint of philosophy and mysticism), Sharh-i hal wa ara-yi falsafi-yi Mulla Sadra (A biography and philosophical views of Mulla Sadra) |
| 13 | Yahya Ansari Shirazi | 1306 SH/1927-8 in Darab | 1436/4 January 2015 | Shrine of Lady Fatima Ma'suma (a), Qom | Sharh-e Manzuma of Mulla Hadi Sabziwari |
| 14 | Ibrahim Amini | 1343/30 June 1925 in Najaf Abad, Isfahan | 1441/April 24, 2020 | --- | Islam and the western civilization, The model woman in Islam |
| 15 | Husayn Nuri Hamadani | 1304 SH/1925-6 in Hamadan | Still alive | --- | Jihad, The wonder of the Creation |
Works
Some of the important books and treatises he wrote are:
- Al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an known as Tafsir al-Mizan
- Usul falsafi wa ravish ri'alism (The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism)
- Tafsir al-bayan fi l-muwafaqat bayn al-Hadith wa l-Qur'an
- Gl0ss on Bihar al-anwar
- Musahibat ba ustad Curban (Dialogues with Professor Corbin)
- Gloss on al-Asfar
- Sunan al-Nabi
- Gloss on Kifayat al-Usul
- Shi'a in Islam
- Qur'an in Islam
- Treatise on Islamic governance
- Manzumi (about Persian calligraphy)
- 'Ali wa l-falsafat al-ilahiyya ('Ali and Divine Philosophy)
Al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an
'Allama Tabataba'i began writing this Tafsir in 1374/1954-5 and finished in 1392/1972-3. Al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an -also known as Tafsir al-mizan- consists of twenty volumes and is written in the Arabic language. It is based upon the Qur'an to Qur'an method of interpretation. In addition to interpretations and lexical discussions, traditional, historical, theological, philosophical, scientific and social topics have been discussed thoroughly.[28]
A Persian translation by Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Musawi Hamadani has been published in 20-volume and 40-volume editions. English and Urdu translations are also available.
Tafsir al-bayan
Before writing al-Mizan, 'Allama Tabataba'i started writing a tafsir with a focus on narrations. Tafsir al-bayan fi l-muwafaqat bayn al-Hadith wa l-Qur'an was written in Tabriz in 1364/1944-5 -1369/1949-50. It covers only the first ten Suras of the Qur'an, and was likely left incomplete due to the Russian military invasion of Tabriz.[29] Tafsir al-bayan was published a few years after 'Allama Tabataba'i's demise.
Gloss on Bihar al-anwar
'Allama Tabataba'i believed that Bihar al-anwar is the best Shi'a compilation of narrations. However, since al-'Allama al-Majlisi (author of Bihar al-anwar) was not familiar with philosophy, 'Allama Tabataba'i disagreed with the explanations of some narrations. He, therefore, began to write a gloss to Bihar al-anwar containing his critical comments. Some scholars were not pleased with his criticisms and only 6 annotated volumes of the work were published.[30]
Poetry
'Allama Tabataba'i had great talent in poetry. He had composed many poems which he has eliminated. Some of his poems have been quoted in the book "Zi mihr afrukhta" (alighted from love). 'Allama Tabataba'i has written some poems which are completely in Persian and do not contain words from any other language - including Arabic.
Perhaps his most famous poem is a Ghazal named "Kish-i Mihr" (the creed of love).
Related Works
Many books have been written about 'Allama Tabataba'i. Some of which are just remembrance books and contain scholarly articles and some others are about his life.
- Yadha wa yadigarha; written by 'Ali Taj al-Dini
- Mihr-i taban; written by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tihrani
- Zi mihr afrukhta (collection of his poems)
- Shinakhtnami-yi 'Allama Tabataba'i
- Jur'iha-yi jan bakhs; written by Ghulamrida Goli Zavara
- Shams al-wahi Tabrizi; written by Ayatollah Jawadi Amuli
Notes
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 25.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 32.
- ↑ Shams, Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān, p. 42.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Barrasīhā-yi Islāmī, vol. 1, p. 19.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 37-40.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 41.
- ↑ Tāj al-Dīnī, Yādhā wa yādgārhā, p. 28.
- ↑ Tāj al-Dīnī, Yādhā wa yādgārhā, p. 28.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Barrasīhā-yi Islāmī, vol. 1, p. 19.
- ↑ Tāj al-Dīnī, Yādhā wa yādgārhā, p. 10-11.
- ↑ Ghiyāthī Kirmānī, Uqiānūs-i ḥikmat; zindigīnāma-yi ʿAllāma Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī, p. 80-81.
- ↑ Ghiyāthī Kirmānī, Uqiānūs-i ḥikmat; zindigīnāma-yi ʿAllāma Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī, p. 81-82.
- ↑ Tāj al-Dīnī, Yādhā wa yādgārhā, p. 11.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 131.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 131.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 25.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 21; Shams, Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān, p. 34, 51, 65, 66; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 13.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 39; Shams, Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān, p. 34, 35.
- ↑ Shams, Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān, p. 35.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 13.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 14.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 13.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 13.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 76.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 13-14.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, preface, p. 14.
- ↑ Shams, Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān, p. 249.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 63-65.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Tafsīr al-bayān fī l-mawāfiqat bayn al-ḥadīth wa l-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 24-27.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Mihr-i tābān, p. 55-57.
References
- Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, Ḥasan. Āthār-i qalamī jināb-i ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nazm wa nathr. Kitāb-i Māh-i Falsafa, No 18, Winter 1387 Sh.
- Ḥusaynī Tihrānī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Mihr-i tābān. 8th edition. Mashhad: Nūr-i Malakūt-i Qurʾan, 1426 AH.
- Ghiyāthī Kirmānī, Sayyid Muḥammad Riḍā. Uqiānūs-i ḥikmat; zindigīnāma-yi ʿAllāma Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī dar Marzbān-i waḥy wa khirad: Yādnāma-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 1381 Sh.
- Rajāʾīnizhād, Muḥammad. Yār-i quddūsiyān wa bānī nazm-i nuwīn-i ḥawza. Ḥarīm-i Imām, No 183, 1394 Sh.
- Shams, Murād ʿAlī. Sayrī dar sīra-yi ʿilmī wa ʿamalī-yi ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī az nigāh-i farzānigān. [n.p].1387 Sh.
- Tāj al-Dīnī, ʿAlī. Yādhā wa yādgārhā. Kānūn-i intishārāt-i payām-i nūr. 5th edition. 1374 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Shīʿa dar Islām. 13th edition. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1378 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Tafsīr al-bayān fī l-mawāfiqat bayn al-ḥadīth wa l-Qurʾān. [n.p]. [n.d].
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Barrasīhā-yi Islāmī. Qom: Muʾassisa Būstān-i Kitāb, 1388 Sh.
- ʿAbd al-Bāqī Ṭabāṭabāʾī, farzand-i arshad-i ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī bi diyār-i bāqī shitāft. Mehrnews.com. (Persian). (The eldest son of ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī, passed away). Accessed: 2021/09/01.