Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar: Difference between revisions

'''Shaykh Muḥammad Riḍā Muẓaffar''' (Arabic: الشیخ محمدرضا مظفر) (1322-1383 A.H./ 1904-1964) was a Shiite scholar of the 14th century A.H. (20th century). He began his studies in the Islamic seminary of [[Najaf]], and attended lectures by [[Muhammad Husayn Na’ini]], [[Diya’ al-Din al-‘Iraqi]], [[Qadi Tabataba’i]], and he had a lot of students. Because of his influence in Najaf and in order to realize his ideas, Muzaffar founded several scholarly and cultural institutes. He also took remarkable measures to approximate Shiite and Sunni Muslims. He wrote books in a new and simple style, some of which are now textbooks in Islamic seminaries.

Muhammad Rida Muzaffar was born on Sha’ban 5, 1322 A.H. (October 15, 1904) in a district of Najaf called “Barraq”, 5 months after his father’s death. His father, Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Muzaffar was from the Al-i Muzaffar household and a scholar of [[fiqh]] in Najaf. His mother was the daughter of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Husayn al-Turayhi (d. 1293 A.H./ 1876). He was brought up fist by his elder brother, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Nabi (d. 1337 A.H./ 1919), and after his death, by another brother of his, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan al-Muzaffar (d. 1375 A.H./ 1956).

In 1355 A.H. (1936), Muzaffar founded an Islamic seminary school in which fiqh, exegesis of the [[Quran]], usul al-fiqh, and philosophy were taught. The school was called Muntada University. Scholars such as [[Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi]], [[‘Abd al-Husayn Dashti]] and [[‘Abd al-Husayn Hilli]] taught in this university.  

Muzaffar’s next step was the foundation of Muntada schools that was welcomed by scholars of Najaf and well-known households there, and this helped develop the schools. During decades in these schools, primary, secondary and pre-university levels were taught. The idea was to teach modern courses with a lean towards a religious culture.

The books, al-Mantiq (logic), Usul al-fiqh, and ‘Aqa’id al-Imamiyya (Imamiyya beliefs), upgraded the way textbooks of Islamic seminaries were written. They are textbooks of Islamic seminaries today.

'''Usul al-fiqh:''' Muzaffar wrote this book as a textbook for the College of Fiqh in Najaf, and he intended it to fill the gap between two other textbooks in usul al-fiqh: [[Ma’alim al-din]] and [[Kifaya al-usul]]. In the structure of the book, he followed the lead of his teacher, [[Muhammad Husayn Gharawi Isfahani]]. Like his other written work, Usul al-fiqh was written in a simple style. He tried to cash out complex issues of usul al-fiqh in a very clear and comprehendible way.

'''’Aqa’id al-Imamiyya:''' the book is a collection of Islamic beliefs in accordance with [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] in a summarized and eloquent style. Before writing the book, he had lectured the material in Muntada University in 1363 A.H. (1944), and then published it both as ‘Aqa’id al-Imamiyya and ‘Aqa’id al-Shi’a. His purpose of writing the book was to approximate Islamic sects.

'''Al-Mantiq:''' the book consisted of Muzaffar’s lectures regarding logic since 1357 A.H. (1938) in Muntada al-Nashr College. The book is taught as a textbook in both the Islamic seminaries and universities.