Muhammad-Kadhim al-Husayni al-Modarresi was an Iranian-Iraqi Shia scholar and mystic. He was a prominent teacher at the seminaries of Mashhad and Karbala, teaching Islamic philosophy. He held the Quranic exegesischair of the Karbala seminary and taught aqaed in the al-Hindiya and al-Badkubeh schools. al-Modarresi was constantly in pursuit of spiritual self-discipline by means of self-reflection and other ascetic, religious and ethical practices.
Family
al-Modarresi was born into a distinguished religious Shia family in Mashhad in Iran. His father was Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Jawad al-Modarresi, the son of grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Baqir Golpayegani. His mother was the daughter of Ayatollah Sheikh Ali Akbar Morvarid. He claims descent from Zayd ibn Ali, the great-great-grandson of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.
Biography
al-Modarresi emigrated to Najaf with his father. One of al-Modarresi's main teachers was Mirza Mahdi al-Isfahani, the founding father of the tafkiki school of jurisprudence in its new manifestation. Tafkik–as described by Muhammad-Reza Hakimi–"comprises the belief that the truths about religion and the correct knowledge of it are the ones stated in the Quran and have been taught by the Prophet and afterwards by his appointed successors, who have inherited his knowledge." al-Modarresi was a firm believer that acquiring knowledge by other ways than the way shown by the Ahl al-Bayt is tantamount to denying them, i.e. disbelief. After his father passed away, he moved to Karbala. He completed his studies and became a teacher in the seminary. As well as other sciences, he specialised in teaching the methodologies of al-Isfahani in jurisprudence. By 1970, due to the rising pressures of the Baathist anti-Shia sentiment, al-Modarresi left for Iran. al-Modarresi established a library in Qom, and one of the most interesting books in his collection was a hand-written copy of Nahj al-Balagha, written by Muhammad bin Ali al-Hamdani in October, 1179. Some of his students included:
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Death
al-Modarresi died of heart failure in the early hours of April 5, 1994 in Tehran, whilst he was performing Fajr prayer. The night before, his son-in-law narrated that he overheard al-Modarresi talking to himself, saying: "O' Kadhim, enough of this life, do not worry. This is the path that the others have taken. O' Kadhim this is your final night. Strengthen your faith in Allah and do not be fearful." He was buried in the courtyard of Fatima Masumeh in Qom, in room no. 41, near the grave of Sheikh Fazlollah Nuri.
Works
al-Modarresi authored one of the leading books on the tafkiki school of jurisprudence named Buhuth Fi al-Ilm.
