Muhsin Qara'ati

Muhsin Qara'ati

Personal Information
Well-Known As	Shiite clergy and an exegete of the Qur'an
Religious Affiliation	Shi'a
Birth	Muharram 24, 1365/December 29, 1945
Place of Birth	Kashan, Iran
Studied in	Kashan • Qom • Najaf
Scholarly Information
Professors	Shaykh Ali Aqa Najafi
Works	Tafsir-i nur
Scholarly Activities	Collaboration in the writing of Tafsir-i nimuna • presenting exegeses of the Qur'an in TV programs
Socio-Political Activities
Socio-Political Activities	The head of Literacy Movement Organization • founder of the Headquarters of Zakat • founder of the Headquarters of Propagating the Quranic Culture • founder of the Cultural Foundation of Imam Zaman • founder of the Cultural Center of Lessons from the Qur'an • ...

Muḥsin Qarāʾatī (Persian: محسن قرائتی) (b. 1365/1945) , a Shiite clergy from Iran, and an exegete of the Qur'an. He presents exegeses of the Qur'an in a TV program aired from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (national TV). His speeches and lectures are characterized by their fluency, use of analogies, and presentation of deep contents in simple words. His works include ten volumes of his Quranic exegesis called Tafsir-i nur.

Biography

Muhsin Qara'ati was born in Kashan, central Iran, in 1365/1945. His father, 'Ali Naqi Qara'ati, was a religious business in Kashan. Since his grandfather held assemblies of reciting the Qur'an during the monarchy of Reza Shah Pahlavi, he came to be known as, and later acquired the last name of, “Qara'ati” (literally: attributed to recitation). At the age of fourteen, Muhsin Qara'ati went to the Seminary of Kashan, and along with seminary courses, he attended lectures of Quranic exegeses by Shaykh 'Ali Aqa Najafi. The next year, he went to the Seminary of Qom, residing in Khan and Ayatollah Gulpayigani Seminaries. He then went to the Seminary of Najaf, and after his return, he began to study different books of Quranic exegesis, such as Majma' al-bayan and took notes therefrom. Qara'ati collaborated in the writing of Tafsir-i nimuna for fifteen years.

Activities and Positions

In addition to his activities in Iranian Broadcasting, Muhsin Qara'ati undertook a number of positions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including:

• The head of Literacy Movement Organization
• Foundation of the Headquarters of Reviving the Enjoining of the Right and the Forbiddance of the Wrong
• Foundation of the Headquarters of Maintaining the Prayer
• Foundation of the Headquarters of Zakat
• Foundation of the Headquarters of Quranic Exegesis
• Foundation of the Headquarters of Propagating the Quranic Culture
• Establishment of the Cultural Foundation of Imam Zaman
• Foundation of the Cultural Center of Lessons from the Qur'an

TV Program

In his TV program, Darshayi az Qur'an (literally, Lessons from the Qur'an), Qara'ati presents exegeses of Quranic verses. The program began at the proposal of Murtada Mutahhari and the agreement of Imam Khomeini from March 24, 1980. It is aired from Channel 1 of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

Views and Positions

In Qara'ati's view, religion and politics go hand in hand. He rejects the view that religion is separate from politics and those who rest content with personal worships. In a letter to politicians, he provides Quranic evidence for the rejection of separation between religion and politics, stating that if religion were separate from politics, prophets and their companions should not have been killed, banished, or tortured.

Propagation

Qara'ati decided to convey Islam and Quranic teachings to laypeople in simple words. As to the propagation of religion, he emphasizes on permissible laughter.

Writings

Sixty one works concerning a variety of issues by Muhsin Qara'ati have been published.

His most important work is his exegesis of the Qur'an, Tafsir-i nur, with a simple and fluent wording. It covers the whole Qur'an and has been published in two editions: one in ten volumes and the other in twelve volumes. In 1376 sh/1997-8, Tafsir-i nur was selected as the Yearbook of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 1393 sh/2014-5, it was translated and published in Arabic.