'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi

'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi

Personal Information
Religious Affiliation	Twelver Shi'a
Birth	1346-7/1928-9
Place of Birth	Quchan
Studied in	Quchan • Mashhad • Tehran • Najaf
Death	1435/2014
Burial Place	Tehran
Scholarly Information
Professors	Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim, Al-Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei, Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani, Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, 'Abd al-Husayn Amini

ʿAzīz Allāh ʿUtāridī (Persian: عزیزالله عطاردی, b. 1346-7/1928-9 - d. 1435/2014) was Shiite author that wrote many books concerning hadiths, history, geography, philology and bibliography. He studied in seminary schools of Quchan, Mashhad, Tehran and Najaf. He published volumes concerning the chains of transmitters of hadiths from Ahl al-Bayt (a), as well volumes concerning the culture of Khorasan and the culture of Sistan. 'Utaridi traveled to different countries for his scholarly purposes.

Education

He began his preliminary education at home—the village of Bayglar near Quchan. At the age of fourteen, he learned Jami' al-muqaddamat there. He then went to the seminary of Quchan. In 1948-9, he went to Mashhad and resided in Balasar Seminary. His interest in Ibn Abi l-Hadid's Sharh nahj al-balagha and Bihar al-anwar led him to do research about Nahj al-balagha and hadiths. In 1952-3, he moved to Tehran.

For one year, he resided in 'Abd al-'Azim Seminary in Rey and then in Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn Seminary in the bazar of Tehran. From 1955-6 to 1961-2, he began to edit texts and cooperate with publishers and other editors. In the meanwhile, he frequently visited Qom, where he learned from scholars of the city.

In 1964-5, he went to Najaf, but after one year, he returned to Iran because of heat and illness. 'Utaridi received permissions for the transmission of hadiths from Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani, Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei, Sayyid Muhsin Hakim and others.

Teachers

• Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim
• Al-Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei
• Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani
• Aqa Buzurg Tihrani
• 'Abd al-Husayn Amini
• Khalil Kamara'i
• 'Abd al-Javad Adib Nayshaburi
• Muhammad Ibrahim Madani Bukhari

Scholarly Trips

To complete his researches, 'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi visited many libraries in Iran and other countries. In 1965, he visited Mecca and Medina where he stayed for a long time. He then went to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, UK, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where he gathered remarkable data for his studies. He went on all these trips with his own expenses. He stayed in schools and Islamic centers in these countries.

Work

Main article: List of Works by 'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi

'Utaridi has over fifty books within over hundred volumes. His works are classified into writings, translationsand edits concerning history, geography, hadiths, philologyand bibliography. He was mostly concerned with the history and geography of Khorasan and chains of transmitters of hadiths from the Imams of the Shia. 'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi compiled such chains or musnads. In the jargons of hadiths, a “musnad” is a set of hadiths transmitted by one person. During time, the meaning of “musnad” was broadened to include every book that includes only what is transmitted from one Infallible leader or one transmitter of hadiths.

His works were results of his own personal efforts. That is, he took notes, wrote and made comparative readings all on his own.

Tribute

In November/December 2006, a conference was held in Tehran for the tribute of 'Utaridi. Sayyid Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Ja'far Subhani and some seminary scholars, ministers and representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran attended the conference.

The proceedings of the conference were published as a tribute to professor 'Utaridi within two volumes. The volumes consist of six parts: biography, works of hadiths, history, geography, philology, bibliography and other papers.

Demise

'Aziz Allah 'Utaridi died in Tehran on July 25 2014, at the age of eighty six. His funeral was held in Tehran and Mashhad and he was then buried in the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a). Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and many other figures such as Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi and Ayatollah Hashimi Rafsanjani, expressed their condolences for his demise.