Mohammad Kazem Khorasani
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Kazem Khorasani (1839–1911) was a Twelver Shi'a Marja
, Persian (Iranian) politician, philosopher, reformer, born in Tous
in northwestern Iran. He is known for using his position as a marja
for political use in the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911).
Khorasani started his education in Mashhad
and Sabzevar
where he got familiar with philosophy
and continued his education in Tehran
where he learnt Logic
and Hekmat. In 1861 he moved to (what is now) Iraq and in Najaf
worked on complementary studies under Grand Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi
who he succeeded as marja following Shirazi's death. He was a lecturer at Najaf seminary for years. His most famous work is The Sufficiency which ranks "only after Morteza Ansari
's treatice on commercial law" among the legal works written by mullahs in the last two centuries. In The Sufficiency, Khorasani gathered the jurispurdential ideas such as `continuity` and "presented them in a yet more rigorous fashion as a unified theory of jurisprudence." Shirazi was not a sayyed but "owed his position almost purely to his intellectual accomplishments."
Mohammad Kazem Khorasani was one of the main clerical supporters of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. When Sheikh Fazlollah Noori
declared journalists non-Muslims for their support of the new Constitutional Assembly, Khorasani retaliated by announcing that Sheikh Fazlollah was himself no longer a Muslim, leading to Fazlollah's execution. The reaction to Noori's execution in Najaf harmed Khorasani and other constitution supporters and led to a rivalry with Mohammed Kazem Yazdi
.
Khorasani had a significant role in popularizing the modern concepts introduced by non religious intellectuals of his time. He emphasised "natural rights" of people and pushed the Iranian government and Shah to defend "natural rights".
His most notable student was Mirza Hossein Na'ini whose ideas are still very much influential among contemporary Iranian religious intellectual circles. He is buried in Najaf
.
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
, Persian (Iranian) politician, philosopher, reformer, born in Tous
Tous, Iran
Tus also spelled as Tous, Toos or Tūs, is an ancient city in the Iranian province of Razavi Khorasan. To the ancient Greeks, it was known as Susia...
in northwestern Iran. He is known for using his position as a marja
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
for political use in the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911).
Khorasani started his education in Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
and Sabzevar
Sabzevar
Sabzevar is a city in, and the capital of Sabzevar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 208,172, in 57,024 families.It is approximately 220 kilometres west of Mashhad, the provincial capital...
where he got familiar with philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and continued his education in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
where he learnt Logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and Hekmat. In 1861 he moved to (what is now) Iraq and in Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
worked on complementary studies under Grand Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi
Grand Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi
Grand Ayatollah Mirza Sayyid Mohammed Hassan Al-Husseini AL-Shirazi was a famous cleric in the History of Iran and History of Iraq...
who he succeeded as marja following Shirazi's death. He was a lecturer at Najaf seminary for years. His most famous work is The Sufficiency which ranks "only after Morteza Ansari
Morteza Ansari
Morteza Ansari , was a Shia jurist who "was generally acknowledged as the most eminent jurist of the time." Ansari has also been called the "first effective" model or Marja of the Shia or "the first scholar universally recognized as supreme authority in matters of Shii law", and the first to...
's treatice on commercial law" among the legal works written by mullahs in the last two centuries. In The Sufficiency, Khorasani gathered the jurispurdential ideas such as `continuity` and "presented them in a yet more rigorous fashion as a unified theory of jurisprudence." Shirazi was not a sayyed but "owed his position almost purely to his intellectual accomplishments."
Mohammad Kazem Khorasani was one of the main clerical supporters of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. When Sheikh Fazlollah Noori
Sheikh Fazlollah Noori
Sheikh Fazlollah Noori was a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric in Iran during the late 19th and early 20th century who fought against the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and was executed for treason as a result...
declared journalists non-Muslims for their support of the new Constitutional Assembly, Khorasani retaliated by announcing that Sheikh Fazlollah was himself no longer a Muslim, leading to Fazlollah's execution. The reaction to Noori's execution in Najaf harmed Khorasani and other constitution supporters and led to a rivalry with Mohammed Kazem Yazdi
Mohammed Kazem Yazdi
Mohammed Kazem Yazdi was a prominent Shia Islamic scholar centered in Najaf, most famous for his anti-constitutionalist stand during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911...
.
Khorasani had a significant role in popularizing the modern concepts introduced by non religious intellectuals of his time. He emphasised "natural rights" of people and pushed the Iranian government and Shah to defend "natural rights".
His most notable student was Mirza Hossein Na'ini whose ideas are still very much influential among contemporary Iranian religious intellectual circles. He is buried in Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
.
See also
- Iranian Constitutional Revolution
- Intellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in IranIntellectual movements in Iran involve the Iranian experience of modernity and its associated art, science, literature, poetry, and political structures that have been changing since the 19th century.- History of Iranian modernity :...
- Mirza Malkom Khan
- Mirza Hossein Na'ini