Al-Mirza al-Qummi
 The mausoleum of al-Mirza al-Qummi in Shaykhan Cemetery, Qom | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Abu al-Qasim b. Muhammad Hasan al-Shafti |
| Well-Known As | al-Mirza al-Qummi |
| Well-Known Relatives | Muhammad Hasan al-Shafti |
| Birth | 1150/1737-8 |
| Residence | Brujird |
| Studied in | Khwansar, Karbala |
| Death | 1231/1815-6 |
| Burial Place | Shaykhan cemetery, Qom |
| Scholarly Information | |
| Professors | Muhammad Baqir al-Bihbahani |
| Students | Al-Shaykh Asad Allah al-Tustari, al-Sayyid Abd Allah Shubbar, ... |
| Works | Al-Qawanin al-muhkama fi l-usul, Jami' al-shitat, ... |
| Socio-Political Activities | |
| Socio-Political Activities | Correspondence with Fath Ali Shah |
Al-Mīrzā Abū l-Qāsim b. Muḥammad Ḥasan al-Shaftī (Arabic: المیرزا ابوالقاسِم بن مُحَمَّد حَسَن الشَفتي) (b. 1150/1737-8 d. 1231/1815-6), commonly known as al-Mīrzā al-Qummī (الميرزا القمي) and al-Muḥaqqiq al-Qummī (المحقق القمي), was a Shi'a marja' in the 12th/18th and 13th/19th centuries. He was a contemporary of some Qajar kings and advised them to be tolerant of people and firm in their faith. Performing Friday prayer and congregational prayer were his other activities.
His most important work is his book al-Qawanin and hence he was titled as Sāḥib al-Qawānīn (owner or author of al-Qawanin). The validity of absolute conjecture, conjoining command and prohibition in a single personal subject and permissibility of judgment for a muqallid according to a fatwa of his marja' were some of his special jurisprudential opinions.
Biography
Al-Mirza al-Qummi was born in 1150/1737-8 in Darra Bagh village (located in Japilq district, about 12 km away form Burujird, in western Iran) and passed away in 1231/1815-6 in Qom. His birth has been reported as 1151/1738-9 as well as 1153/1740-1 and 1233/1817-8 as his demise date. He was entombed in Shaykhan Cemetery in Qom.
His father, who was from Shaft (a village near Fuman, Iran), had studied in Islamic Seminary of Isfahan and then he had moved to Japliq.
Education
Al-Mirza al-Qummi studied Arabic and Farsi grammar and literature under his father in his home village, Darra Bagh. Then he moved to Khwansar and became a student of Sayyid Husayn Khwansari in fiqh and usul. After a few years, he married Khwansari's sister. Then he emigrated to Karbala, Iraq, and became a student of Muhammad Baqir al-Bihbahani.
After a while and by getting permission from al-Bihbahani, he returned to Darra Bagh and went to Qaleh Babu village (a village in Japliq) and then went to Kasa Garan seminary in Isfahan and after that went to Shiraz which coincided with the reign of Karim Khan Zand. He stayed in Shiraz for two or three years. Then he returned to Isfahan and went to Babu village and started to teach fiqh and usul to some Hawza students. He lived a hard life economically. Then he moved to Qom, where he taught, authored his books, became very well-known in the country and became a marja'.
Scholarly Status
Al-Mirza al-Qummi was known as al-Muhaqqiq al-Qummi. The validity of absolute conjecture, conjoining command and prohibition in a single personal subject and permissibility of judgment for a muqallid according to a fatwa of his marja' were some of his special jurisprudential opinions.
Sociopolitical Activities
Al-Mirza al-Qummi was a contemporary of some Qajar kings, such as Agha Muhammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He had correspondence with Fath Ali Shah and in a letter advised Shah to be tolerant of people and in another advised him to be strong and firm in his faith and not to incline toward Sufism.
He performed Friday prayer and congregational prayer in Qom.
Works
It is said that he authored more than 1000 treatises in various fields. Some of his works are:
- Al-Qawanin al-muhkama fi l-usul: commonly known as al-Qawanin which is book on usul al-fiqh. For years it was regarded as a textbook in Hawza.
- Glosses on al-Sharh 'ala Sharh al-Mukhtasar.
- Commentary on Tahdhib al-wusul written by al-'Allama al-Hilli
- Ghana'im al-ayyam fi l-fiqh
- Manahij al-ahkam
- Jami' al-shitat (in Persian)
- Mu'in al-khawas
- Murshid al-'awam
- Risalat fi l-usul al-khamsa al-i'tiqadiyya
- Risalat fi qa'ida al-tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan
Students
Some of his students are:
- Al-Sayyid Jawad al-'Amili (the author of Miftah al-kirama)
- Al-Shaykh Asad Allah al-Tustari (the author of al-Maqabis)
- Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-A'raji (the author of al-Mahsul)
- Al-Karbasi (the author of al-Isharat)
- Al-Sayyid 'Abd Allah Shubbar (the author of Masabih al-anwar fi hall mushkilat al-akhbar)
- Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Khwansari (the author of al-Risalat al-mabsuta fi ahwal Abi Basir)
- Sayyid Ali (the commentator on Manzuma written by Bahr al-'Ulum)
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from میرزای قمی in Farsi Wikishia.