Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin: Difference between revisions

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| title   =Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin

| image   =Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin.jpg

| image_size =

| caption   =

| Full name   =Sayyid Muḥsin b. Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Amīn al-ʿĀmilī

| Nickname  =

| Lineage   =

| Well known relatives   = [['Abd al-Karim al-'Amili]] his father

| Birth = [[1284]]/1867

| Place of study = [[Jabal 'Amel]], [[Najaf]]

| Home town = Jabal 'Amel, [[Damascus]]

| Death=[[1371]]/1952

| Burial place = Damascus

| Professors = [[Muhammad Taha Najaf]], [[Aqa Rida Hamadani]], and [[Akhund Khurasani]], ...

| Students = Al-Sayyid Husayn (his cousin), Al-Sayyid Mahdi b. al-Sayyid Hasan, Shaykh Munir 'Asiran, ...

| Permission for hadith transmission from =  

| Permission for ijtihad from =

| Permission for hadith transmission to =

| Permission for ijtihad to =

| Works = ''[[A'yan al-Shi'a (book)|A'yan al-Shi'a]]'', ''[[al-Rahiq al-Makhtum]]'', ''Naqd al-washi'a'' and more than 70 books

| Scholarly activities = Establishing several schools

'''Sayyid Muḥsin b. Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Amīn al-ʿĀmilī''' (سید محسن بن سید عبدالکریم الامین العاملي) (b.[[1284]]/1867-d.[[1371]]/1952) son of [['Abd al-Karim al-'Amili]] was born to a well-known [[sayyid|sadat family]] in [[Jabal 'Amil]], [[Lebanon]]. His lineage goes back to Husayn Dhi al-Dam'ah a son of [[Zayd al-Shahid]]. After elementary education in his hometown, he immigrated to [[Najaf|Najaf al-Ashraf]] and completed his studies in [[fiqh]] (jurisprudence) and [[usul al-fiqh]] and reached the level of [[Ijtihad]]. There, he taught some students as well. He was also a good poet, a literary critic and was knowledgeable in Arabic literature as well.

''[[A'yan al-Shi'a]]'' is his most important work, which is a vast encyclopedia containing biographies of [[Shi'a]] great figures. The book was compiled to show the cultural identity and remind the role of Twelver Shi'a in the progress of the Islamic civilization. To get access to some sources for writing this book, he traveled to different places like [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], [[Palestine]], [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]] and [[Iran]].

Sayyid Muhsin Amin passed away in 1347/1928. in [[Damascus]] and was buried in front of the main entrance of the Shrine of [[Sayyidah Zaynab]] (s) (daughter of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]])

He is son of [['Abd al-Karim al-'Amili]] and he was born in 1284/1867 to a well-known sadat family (the Prophet's (s) descendants) in Shaqra', a village in [[Jabal 'Amel]], [[Lebanon]]. His Mother was a daughter of Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Falhat al—Maysi, a righteous scholar of his time. His lineage goes back to [[Husayn Dhi al-Dam'ah]] son of [[Zayd al-Shahid]].

==His Education and Teachers==

After elementary education in his hometown, he learned Logic, Arabic syntax and rhetoric in Baraghith in [[Jabal 'Amil]]. Then, he took part in classes of [[Musa Shararah]].

In 1308/1891, he immigrated to [[Najaf]] and stayed there until 1319/1901. He was a student of great Shi'a scholars such as, [[Muhammad Taha Najaf]], [[Aqa Rida Hamadani]], and [[Akhund Khurasani]]. He studied [[fiqh]] and [[usul al-fiqh]] in the classes of [[Muhammad Baqir Najmabadi]] and [[Sayyid Ahmad Karbala'i]] and then attained the level of [[Ijtihad]].

In addition to faqih, he was a good poet, a literary critic and was knowledgeable in Arabic literature as well.

*Sayyid Husayn, his cousin

*Sayyid Mahdi b. Sayyid Hasan

*Shaykh Munir 'Asiran

*Sayyid Amin b. Sayyid 'Ali

*Shaykh 'Ali b. Shaykh Muhammad

*Shaykh Abd al-Latif Shibili

*Adib Taqi Damishqi

*Shaykh 'Ali Suri

*Shaykh Mustafa Khalil Suri

*Shaykh 'Ali Jamal Damishqi

As he stated in his book ''[[al-Rahiq al-Makhtum]]'', he immigrated to [[Damascus]] for revitalizing and spreading religious teachings and correcting what he considered opposite to both reason and religion. There, he engaged in scholarly and cultural activities for more than half a century.

Sayyid Amin became a member of ''Damascus's Arabic Scientific Assembly'' in 1361/1942 and remained an active member until the end of his life. He established several schools to promote cultural educations of Shi'a youth and wrote some textbooks.

To acquire certain scholarly sources, he traveled to different regions like [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], [[Palestine]], [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]] and [[Iran]].

==His Works==

[[File:A'yan al-Shi'a.jpg|thumbnail|px250|''[[A'yan al-Shi'a (book)|A'yan al-Shi'a]]''. One of the most important works of Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin]]

'''A'yan al-Shi'a'''

''[[A'yan al-Shi'a (book)|A'yan al-Shi'a]]'' is his most important work, which is a comprehensive reference containing biographies of [[Twelver Shi'a|Shi'a]] noble figures. A remarkable portion of the book is dedicated to biographies of Shi'a [[Imams (a)]]; however regarding the expansion of the notion of Twelver Shi'a, the book has included biography and the works of 11733 individuals to present Shi'a cultural identity and show the role of Twelver Shi'as in the progress of Islamic civilization. The book is a great biographical reference of important Shi'a figures, from early years of Islam to scholars contemporary to the compiler, including [[Sahaba]] (companions of the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]]) [[Tabi'in]] (companions of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and experts of different fields including narrators, experts of [[Hadith]], reciters and exegetes of the [[Qur'an]], jurists, Islamic philosophers, theologians, preachers, poets, experts in Arabic syntax, lexicography, morphology and rhetoric, logicians, mathematicians, astronomers, and even political figures like kings and ministers.

A'yan al-Shi'a consists of ten large volumes, of which the first one and half volumes are the introduction and the biographies of the Prophet (s), Lady [[Fatimah al-Zahra (s)]] and Shi'a Imams (a). The rest are biographies of other Shi'a figures.

'''Other works'''

[[File:Kashf al-irtiyab fi ’itba' Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab.jpg|thumbnail|px250|''[[Kashf al-irtiyab fi 'itba' Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab]]''. one of the important work of Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin]]

His other work is ''[[Kashf al-irtiyab fi 'itba' Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab]]'', in which he refutes the beliefs of [[Wahhabbism]]. The book has been translated to Persian by 'Ali Akbar Fa'izipur under the title ''Tarikh va Naqd-i Vahhabiyyat''. Also, a synoptic Persian translation of the book has been published with the title ''Farasuy-i Pardiha''.

His other famous work is ''[[Lawa'ij al-'ashjan fi maqtal al-Husayn]]'' (a), in which he discusses the event of [['Ashura]]. The book has been translated to Persian with two different titles of ''Ashk va matam dar sug-i sibt-i naby-i Khatam'' (s) and ''Imam al-Husayn (a) va hamasey-e Karbala''.

 

*''Tarikh Jabal 'Amel''

*''al-Bahr al-zakhkhar fi sharh ahadith a'immat al-athar'' (a)

*''al-Durr al-munazzam fi mas'alat al-taqlid al-a'lam''

 

He is known as a brave scholar in expressing his ideas, like his objection to some rituals in the mourning for [[Imam al-Husayn]] (a) which put him in a very difficult fighting situation. He had the two qualities of criticizing some sects and attitudes and endeavoring for building [[Islamic Unity]] together in his scholarly character. Although he refuted beliefs of [[Wahhabism]] in his works ''[[ Kashf al-irtiyab fi 'itba' Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab|Kashf al-irtiyab]] and [[al-'uqud al-durriyyah]]''. He emphasizes the necessity of unity in Islamic Ummah in his work ''[[Haqq al-yaqin fi luzum al-ta'lif bayn al-muslimin]]''.

Sayyid Muhsin Amin passed away in 1347/1928 in [[Damascus]] and was buried in front of the main entrance of the Shrine of [[Sayyidah Zaynab]] (s) (daughter of [[Imam 'Ali]] (a)).

==External Links==

The material for this article is mainly taken from[http://fa.wikishia.net/view/سید_محسن_امین سید محسن امین] in Farsi Wikishia.