Mirza Muhammad al-Akhbari: Difference between revisions

  | Birth = [[1178]]/1764

  | Death = [[1232]]/1816

  | Professors = [[Muhammad 'Ali Bihbahani]], [[Mirza Mahdi Shahristani]], and [[Shaykh Musa Bahrayni]]

'''Abū Aḥmad Jamāl al-Dīn b. ʿAbd l-Nabī b. ʿAbd al-Ṣāniʿ al-Nishābūrī al-Istarābādī''' (Arabic:{{ia| ابواحمد جمال‌الدين بن عبدالنبي بن عبدالصانع النيشابوري الاسترابادي}}) (b. [[1178]]/1764- d. [[1232]]/1816), known as '''Mīrzā Muḥammad al-Akhbārī''' ({{ia| ميرزا محمد الاَخباري}}), was a scholar of [[fiqh]] and [[hadith]] and a founder of the [[Akhbari]] approach in [[Shi'a]] fiqh.  

His grandfather, 'Abd al-Sani', was from Astarabad, and his father, 'Abd al-Nabi, lived in [[Nishapur]] at first, and then immigrated to India. Mirza Muhammad had a daughter and three sons, Muhammad, Ahmad, and 'Ali. His daughter was [[Mulla Hadi Sabziwari]]'s wife. Despite his fundamental disagreements with the majority of [[mujtahids]], everyone acknowledged his mastery of rational and transmitted disciplines.

Mirza Muhammad accompalished his preliminary educations in India. When he was about 20 years old, he and his family departed to [[Hijaz]] in order to perform [[hajj]] rituals. On the way, he lost his father. After performing the rituals, he went to [[Iraq]] and stayed in [[Najaf]] and [[Karbala]] for a while. He finally chose to live in [[Kadhimiya]]. In these cities, he studied with prominent scholars, such as [[Muhammad 'Ali Bihbahani]], [[Mirza Mahdi Shahristani]], and [[Shaykh Musa Bahrayni]]. He soon became an expert of rational and transmitted disciplines. In addition to standard religious disciplines, he also studied [[occult sciences]], such as spells (tilismat), "nayranjat" (magical tricks), [[jafr]], and [[a'dad]] (numbers), as well as rhetoric and dialectics.

During Mirza Muhammad's stay in [[Tehran]], laypeople spoke about his [[kiramat]] (supernatural acts), and referred to him as "Sahib al-Kiramat" (owner of kiramat). A kirama attributed to him is his prediction of the murder of Pavel Tsitsianov, the Russian General in Caucasus. The story was that he suggested to Fath-Ali Shah that he can have a 40-day sit-in for the death of this Russian General until his head is taken to the Shah. The Qajar government was supposed, instead, to reveal the story and support [[Akhbarism]]. After this agreement, Mirza Muhammad went to the [[Shrine of 'Abd al-'Azim]] in [[Rey]] and sat in a chamber with closed doors for 40 days. After 40 days, the head of the Russian General was taken to Fath-Ali Shah by a cavalry.

Since Mirza Muhammad had adopted the [[Akhbari]] approach, he had serious frictions with [[Usuli school|Usuli]] scholars of [[fiqh]], such as [[Shaykh Ja'far al-Najafi]], [[Sayyid 'Ali Tabataba'i]], [[Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hujjat al-Islam Isfahani]], and [[Muhammad Ibrahim al-Kalbasi]]. The pressures on the part of Usuli scholars forced him to leave [[Iraq]] for [[Iran]]. He lived in [[Mashhad]] and other cities of Iran for a while, and then he was welcomed by the government of Fath-Ali Shah to live in [[Tehran]] for 4 years. His presence in Tehran coincided with the first round of Russo-Persian War (1805-1813). Throughout this time, he was particularly respected by the Qajar Shah. He engaged in writing and teaching, and since some [[kiramat]] from him were widely spread among laypeople, he was known as "Sahib al-Kiramat".

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Mirza Muhammad wrote several books mostly concerned with [[fiqh]], [[kalam]], the defense of [[Akhbari]] teachings, and the rejection of [[Usuli]] doctrines. He wrote over 80 books and essays. According to Ibrahim b. Mirza Ahmad's bibliography, Mirza Muhammad wrote 30 books, 56 essays, and 2 collections of poems. Most of his work is in Arabic and some are in Persian.

* The material for writing this article has been mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/میرزا_محمد_استرآبادی میرزا محمد استرآبادی] in Farsi wikishia.