Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi

This article is about Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi. For other figures named Ha'iri Yazdi, see Ha'iri Yazdi (disambiguation).

Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi

Personal Information
Full Name	Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi
Birth	Dhu l-hijja 14, 1334/October 12, 1916, Arak, Iran
Death	Jumada II 24, 1406/March 6, 1986
Burial Place	Balasar Mosque
Scholarly Information
Professors	Muhammad 'Ali Adib Tihrani, Shaykh Abu l-Qasim Nahvi, Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Khwansari, Muahmmad Rida Golpaygani, Sayyid Muhammad Muhaqqiq Yazdi, Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri
Permission for Ijtihad From	Sayyid 'Abu l-Hasan Isfahani, Aqa Dia' al-Din 'Iraqi
Works	Ibtigha' al-fadilah fi sharh al-Wasilah, Salat al-Jumu'ah, Khalal al-Salat wa ahkamih, Kitab al-Khums, Kitab al-Taharah, Hadith Raf', Mabani al-ahkam fi usul Sharayi' al-Islam, Parto-yi az anvar-e asemani (A beam from devine lights).

Murtaḍā Ḥāʾirī Yazdī (Farsi: مرتضی حائري یزدي) (b. 1334/1916 d. 1406/1986) was an Imami scholar and jurisprudent. Born in Arak, his father was Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri. Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi was the founder of 'Alavi Saving Bank in Qom and a member of Constitution's Assembly of Experts after the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

Birth and Lineage

Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi, was the oldest son of Ayatollah Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri, the founder of Qom Seminary. He was born on Dhu l-hijja 14, 1334/October 12, 1916. He moved to the city of Qom with his father when he was 6 years old.

Education

He learned literature in Qom as a student of Muhammad 'Ali Adib Tihrani and Shaykh Abu l-Qasim Nahvi. After finishing the basics of Fiqh and Usul, he studied the advanced levels with teachers like Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Khwansari, Muahmmad Rida Golpaygani and Sayyid Muhammad Muhaqqiq Yazdi.

He was a student of his father for a while and after the demise of his father, he spent about 15 years as a student of his father-in-law –Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat Kuhkamara'i- and Sayyid Ahmad Khwansari.

He was among those who tried to persuade Ayatollah Husayn Burujirdi to move to Qom, and then he participated in his classes for a period of time.

He studied the Ilahiyat part of the book Asfar by Sadr al-Muta'allihin under a private tutor and completed studying the book by reading alone and going to Imam Khomeini for questions and further information.

Ijtihad and Teaching

Ha'iri had Ijtihad certificate from two marja's – Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani and Aqa Dia' al-Din 'Iraqi, and after years of teaching basics and advanced levels of Seminary, he started teaching Kharij Fiqh and Usul from the age of 30 and he kept teaching for about thirty years. He was one of the outstanding teachers of Seminary and famous for being accurate and having deep thoughts. He trained many students, some of whom later became great teachers of Seminary by themselves.

Besides teaching Fiqh and Usul, Ha'iri also had lessons in Qur'an exegesis and theology.

Moral Characteristics

Ha'iri was a pious, humble, light-hearted scholar and tried hard to solve the problems of people. His congregational prayer in A'zam Mosque of Qom was held with special magnificence and spirituality.

He paid special attention to honoring the religious rituals, including the pilgrimage to the holy shrines and holding sessions of mourning for Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Social and Political Activities

Among his social activities and charity works in Qom are the foundation of 'Alavi Saving Bank, Anti-Poverty Organization and Orphan Care Organization.

After the Islamic Revolution of Iran he was chosen as the representative of Markazi Province in the Constitution's Assembly of Experts.

Demise

Ha'iri passed away in the night of Jumada II 24, 1406/March 6, 1986. After his funeral Sayyid Muhammad Rida Golpayigani prayed for his body and he was buried in Balasar Mosque in the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatima al-Ma'suma (a), next to the grave of his father Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri.

Scholarly Works

Fiqh

• Ibtigha' al-fadilah fi sharh al-Wasilah, a concise and inferential commentary on Wasilat al-najah by Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Isfahani.
• Salat al-Jumu'ah, containing his discussions about the topic of Friday Prayer which he taught since 1390/1970.
• Khalal al-Salat wa ahkamih
• Kitab al-Khums
• Kitab al-Taharah, which is a commentary on al-'Urwat al-wuthqa until the topic of Ahkam al-Amwat.
• Also some treatises about travelers' prayers, Hadith Raf', a commentary on al-Makasib by al-Shaykh al-Ansari, and a commentary on Kitab al-Salat by Ayatollah 'Abd al-Karim Ha'iri Yazdi

Usul

Ha'iri's most important work in Usul al-fiqh is Mabani l-ahkam fi usul Sharayi' al-Islam, a complete course of Usul al-fiqh that follows the order of Kifayah al-usul for its topics.

Exegesis

• Parto-yi az anvar-i asimani (A beam from devine lights) is the title of a series of articles about the miraculous merits of the holy Qur'an by Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi which was published in the early issues of Maktab tashayyu' magazine and a much more complete issue of it was later published by his brother Mahdi Ha'iri Yazdi under the title of Ulum Quran.

• Articles from him titled as discussions about the exegesis of sura al-Fatiha which was published from 1385/1965 to 1386/1966 in 12 editions of the magazine issued by the public library of A'zam mosque of Qom.

Miscellaneous

Other works of Ha'iri include:

• The collection of his notes and memories about his life with his father.
• Spiritual stories with the title Sirr-i dilbaran (the secret of sweethearts), which was published in Qom in 1419/1998 with a preface by Rida Ustadi
• The collection of some of his speeches during the Fatimiyya Days which was published with limited copies.