Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

Ata'ollah Ashrafi Esfahani (; 1902 – 15 October 1982) was an Iranian religious leader. He was born near

Esfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city has a population of approximately ...

and educated in Esfahan and at the

Qom Seminary The Qom Seminary (') is the largest and one of the foremost Shia Islam, Shia hawzas (Islamic seminaries), located in the city of Qom, Iran. It is the largest seminary in Iran, established in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi in Qom to ...

. He became a

mojtahed ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with ''taqlid'' (im ...

when he was 40. After the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

of 1979, he was selected as the

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Jumu'ah Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

(the chief

mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...

for

Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

) for the city of

Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

. He was killed during Friday prayer on 15 October 1982.

Early life

Esfahani was born in 1902 in Khomeyni Shahr (then called Sadeh), a city located some west of the central city of

. His father, Mirza Asadollah, was a religious scholar; his mother, Lady Najmeh, was a daughter of Sayyed Mohammad Taghi MirDamadi. He is a descendant of one of the

Jabal Amel Jabal Amil (; also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila) is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Muslim inhabitants. Its precise boundari ...

() scholars who converted to Islam in the early days of Islam; his ancestors then moved to the area near Esfahan.

Education

Esfahani lived in his birthplace, Sadeh (later called Khomeyni Shahr after the

), until the age of 12. He then attended the Esfahan

Hawza A hawza () or ḥawzah ʿilmīyah () is the collective term (plural hawzat) for a ''madrasa'' (i.e. seminary) where Marja', Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated. The word ''ḥawzah'' is Arabic, and has been adopted into Persian as a loan word. ...

(Seminary) for around 10 years, learning from such scholars as Ayatollah Besharati and

Hassan Modarres Seyyed Hassan Modarres (; , Sarabeh1 December 1937, Kashmar) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric and a notable supporter of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He was among the founding members, along with Abdolhossein Teymourtash, of the ...

. In 1923, at age 20, he moved to the

to continue his education. At first, he went to the Razawieh Seminary () for one year, then the Feyzieh Seminary () for about one more year before starting to study with Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi. After Haeri Yazdi's death in 1937, he studied under Mohammad Taghi Khansari, Seyed Mohammad Hojjat Kuh-Kamari, and Seyed Sadreddin Sadr. At age forty, he was certified for

ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...

() by Mohammad Taghi Khansari. When

Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Hossein Ali Tabatabaei Borujerdi ( Luri/; 23 March 1875 – 30 March 1961) was a leading Iranian Shia Marja' in Iran from approximately 1947 to his death in 1961. He was a major proponent for the elimination of Baha'is in I ...

went to Qom, Esfahani studied with him for 15 years.

Relationship with Khomeini

Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

said about Esfahani: "This our dear altar martyr that was martyred in last Friday, was the great person who I have devotion towards him. I know this Blessed person almost sixty years." The feelings were apparently mutual; Esfahani said that "No one can be compared with Imam Khomeini." After death of Boroujerdi in 1961, Esfahani tried to declare Khomeini the Grand

Marja' Marja (; plural ''marājiʿ''; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Sh ...

, replacing Boroujerdi.

Religious and political activities

Going to Kermanshah

In 1956, Esfahani moved to

at Ayatollah Borujerdi's command, to spread the teachings of Islam and reopen the seminary in Kermanshah. In 1963, Khomeini appointed him as his representative in Kermanshah. After the Islamic Revolution on 6 October 1979, Khomeini selected him as Imam Jumu'ah of Kermanshah.

Role in the Islamic Revolution in Iran

Esfahani was one of the followers of Khomeini during the Iranian Revolution. Commemoration of the demise of

Mostafa Khomeini Sayyid Mostafa Khomeini (; 12 December 1930 – 23 October 1977) was an Iranian cleric and the eldest son of Ruhollah Khomeini. He died before the Iranian Revolution. Early life and education Khomeini was born in Qom on 12 December 1930. He ...

by Esfahani was the base of the revolutionary movement in Kermanshah. On 5 January 1978, with the publication of an insulting article in the ''

Ettela'at ''Ettela'at'' () is a Persian-language daily newspaper of record published in Tehran, Iran. It is among the oldest publications in the country, and the oldest running Persian daily newspaper in the world. The paper has a conservative stance, a ...

'' newspaper against Khomeini, there were

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Protest, a public act of objection, disapproval or d ...

in many Iranian cities, including Kermanshah. Esfahani was the leader of the demonstration in Kermanshah, as well as many others in that city.

Iran–Iraq war

During the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, he went to the war zones and spoke with Iranian soldiers. Also he stressed the importance of the war in sermons during Jumu'ah prayers.

Trying to unite Sunni and Shia

He tried to unite Sunni and

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

in Kermanshah. To attempt this, he visited Paveh, Javanrood, and

Ravansar Ravansar () is a city in the Central District of Ravansar County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Archaeology and history Archaeology Ravansar has important prehistoric and historical sit ...

, the Sunni cities of Kermanshah, and held many meetings with Sunni scholars.

Books

* ''Al-Bayan'' * ''Interpretation of

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

'' (A brief review of Shia and Sunni interpretations) * ''Majma-Al-Shatat'' * The books about Muqatta'at * A book about Imam Mahdi.

Death

On 15 October 1982, after two unsuccessful attempts to kill him, he was assassinated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esfahani, Ashrafi 1902 births 1982 deaths 20th-century imams People assassinated by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran Burials at Takht-e Foulad Burials at Golestan Shohada of Isfahan