Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya: Difference between revisions

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  | Lineage = His father, Shaykh Mahmud, was a well-known religious scholar in Lebanon, and his mother was from [[Sayyid|Sadat]].

  | Place of Residence = [[Lebanon]], [[Najaf]], [[Qom]]

  | Death = [[Muharram 19]], 1400 (December 9, 1979), Died of a heart disease

  | Burial place = [[Najaf]], [[Holy shrine of Imam Ali]]

  | Works =  ''[[Al-Kashif]]'' and ''[[Al-Mubin]]'' in [[exegesis]], ''[[Fiqh al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a)]]'' in [[fiqh]] etc.

  | Scholarly activities = Some innovations in fiqh and [[ijtihad]]

'''Muḥammad Jawād Mughnīyya''' (Arabic: {{ia|محمدجواد مغنیّة}}),(b.[[1322]]/1904-d.[[1400]]/1979) was a [[Shiite]] [[exegete]] and clergy from [[Lebanon]] in the 14th/[[20th]] century. He began his studies in Lebanon and then moved to [[Najaf]] and attended the lectures of scholars such as [[Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khu'i]]. When he returned to Lebanon, he was appointed as a [[judge]] and the head of the Lebanese judiciary.

Mughniyya wrote books concerning Islamic sciences. He wrote two exegeses of the [[Qur'an]]: ''[[al-Kashif]]'' and ''[[al-Mubin]]''. Mughniyya's character is distinguished by his religious and political views, such as innovations in [[fiqh]] and [[ijtihad]], the [[proximity of Islamic denominations]], and Islamic unity. He has praised the [[Islamic Revolution in Iran]] and its leader.

* [[Ayatollah Khu'i]]

* [[Shaykh Husayn Karbala'i]]

Shaykh Muhammad Jawad died of a heart disease on [[Muharram 19]], 1400 (December 9, 1979). His corpse was moved to Najaf where it was buried in a chamber within the [[Holy Shrine of Imam Ali (a)]]. Sayyid Abu l-Qasim Khu'i said [[Funeral Prayer]]s on his corpse.

After his brother's death, Muhammad Jawad left Najaf to Marika (a village near Jabal Amel). He was warmly welcomed by people and was asked to undertake the [[imamate]] of [[congregational prayer]]s there, instead of his late brother. Mughniyya accepted the request and, in addition to congregational prayers, he taught the Qur'an and Islamic doctrines.

In 1367/1947, Shaykh Muhammad Jawad became a judge in [[Beirut]], and a year later, he was appointed as the supreme adviser, and from 1370/1950 to 1375/1955 he was appointed as the head of the Lebanese Shiite judiciary. When he was removed from the office, he still served as an adviser until 1378/1958. During his term in the judiciary, he tried to act justly. For example, in 1376/1956, he was asked by the agricultural minister (Kazim al-Khalil) to meet his requests so that he could stay in the office as the head. However, Mughniyya replied that "what matters is the stay of my religion; the office position is a transient shadow".

The friendship between Shaykh Mughniyya and the head of [[al-Azhar University]], [[Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut]], dates back to 1368/1948. Shaykh Shaltut was a co-founder of "Dar al-Taqrib bayn al-Madhahib" (The House of Proximity of Denominations) and an advocate of Islamic unity. He was popular among Shiite scholars because of his [[fatwa]] of the permissibility of acting upon the Shiite jurisprudence. The two scholars exchanged many letters. In 1382/1962, Shaykh Mughniyya met Shaykh Shaltut in [[Egypt]]. He describes the meeting as follows:

: I told him: "You are respected by Shiite scholars, because they recognized your services to the religion and they admire your courage in expressing what is right, without being intimidated by anyone". And I told him that the Shi'as take the caliphate after the demise of the [[Prophet (s)]] to be Imam Ali's (a) right, but they believe that one should not cause a division that undermines [[Islam]], just as Imam Ali (a) did not do so.

Shaykh Muhammad Jawad was a persevering prolific author. He sometimes slept only four hours, and he was sometimes so engaged in writing that he did not sleep for forty eight hours. Mughniyya is one few exegetes of the Qur'an who wrote two exegeses.

===In Fiqh===

Mughniyya was also an expert in Islamic [[philosophy]] and [[Kalam]] (theology). Given his firm belief in the importance of theological issues and his sense of responsibility in this regard, he investigated issues of [[monotheism]], proofs for [[God]]'s existence and His [[Attributes]], and proofs for the [[prophethood]] of the [[Seal of the Prophets (a)]]. In addition to issues of Kalam addressed in both of his exegetical works, he wrote a book under ''Falsafat al-tawhid wa l-nubuwwa'' (the philosophy of monotheism and prophethood). Although the book is very brief, it provides rational arguments and philosophical evidence for issues of monotheism and prophethood.

Late in his life, Mughniyya migrated to [[Iran]] in order to study and teach in the [[Islamic Seminary of Qom]], where he made research and taught Islamic sciences, including the exegesis of the Qur'an, which resulted in dozens of precious works concerning Islamic sciences.

===Innovations in Fiqh and Ijtihad===

Shaykhd Muhammad Jawad believed in innovations in [[ijtihad]]. He firmly held that life was in constant change, and Islam accepts some phenomena of the modern age, while it rejects some others. [[Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr]] (d. 1400/1979) writes the following about his views concerning fiqh and ijtihad:  

: Now we see for the first time that the element of a social understanding of religious texts is independently propounded, and when I read parts of the book, Fiqh a-Imam al-Sadiq (written by Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya), I see that our great master Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya has developed the issue in the book, and has given a new form and style to the [[Ja'fari jurisprudence]]. Although I cautiously speak of a social understanding of religious texts, I nevertheless believe that the principle propounded by our master, Mughniyya, for such an understanding can solve a big problem in fiqh".

According to Shaykh Muhammad Jawad, textbooks of Islamic seminaries were unfortunately unidimensional, ignoring other scholarly aspects that are important for the society. Students of Islamic seminaries are not usually aware of today's sciences. About the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, he suggests, "one characteristics of this seminary is that its scholars are not aware of modern sciences, and they are reluctant to include them in their textbooks. Islamic seminaries are silent about what happens to Muslims and people of the world. For example, they are silent about the [[Algeria|Algerian]] Movement or colonial wars and fatal weapons. The Islamic Seminary of Najaf needs to be reformed, and this is what has been fathomed by its teachers and students”.

For Mughniyya, the [[Islamic Revolution of Iran]] is a successor of the Prophet's (a) Islamic system.

He cites the [[hadith]], "A man from [[Qom]] calls people to the right, and people will gather around him, who are as hard as iron, and who will not be shaken by storms, will not be bored of fighting and will not sidestep, and in God they trust, and the outcome is for the righteous”, and then writes: “this hadith is the most accurate characterization of Imam Khomeini and his companions". He also said that the Islamic Revolution of Iran was a hard blow to enemies of Islam and humanity.

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF_%D9%85%D8%BA%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%87 {{ia|محمدجواد مغنیه}}] in Farsi WikiShia.