Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

Fadhil al-Hosseini al-Milani (; ; 30 May 1944 – 2 September 2024) was an Iranian-Iraqi

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 ...

academic, author and community leader. Al-Milani was the appointed representative of the late grand Ayatollah Abul Qasim Al-Khoei in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

since his arrival in 1986, and was accredited on behalf of grand Ayatollah

Ali al-Sistani Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani (; born 4 August 1930) is an Islamic scholar and the dean of the Hawza of Najaf in Iraq. A Grand Ayatollah, Sistani is considered one of the leading religious leaders of Twelver Shia Muslims. After the invasion of ...

. Al-Milani was considered one of the main leading Islamic religious authorities in the United Kingdom and Europe. He was the Dean of the International University of Islamic Studies and the head of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence at the Islamic College. He was also the resident

alim Alim (or ʿAlīm , also anglicized as Aleem) is one of the Names of God in Islam, meaning "All-knowing one". It is also used as a personal name, as a short form of Abdul Alim, "Servant of the All-Knowing". Given name * Alim Ashirov (1955-1979), ...

of the Imam al-Khoei Foundation in London.

Family

Al-Milani was born to a prominent religious family, that emigrated from

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

, and settled in

Milan, West Azerbaijan Milan () is a village in, and the capital of, Sari Su Rural District of Bazargan District of Maku County Maku County () is in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Maku. History After the 2006 National Census ...

in the 14th century. al-Milani's great ancestor was Ali al-Asghar, the son of the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abideen.

Lineage

Early life and education

Al-Milani was born to Sayyid Abbas al-Milani (died 1982) and the daughter of Sayyid Muhammad-Sadiq al-Qazwini (died 1980), in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

. al-Milani studied in the Islamic seminary of Najaf in 1962, under Ayatollah Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khoei for eight years. In 1968, he studied under grand Ayatollah Sayyid

Muhsin al-Hakim Muhsin al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim (; 31 May 1889 – 2 June 1970) was an Iraqi Shia religious authority. He became the leading marja' of Najaf in 1946 after the death of Abu al-Hasan al-Isfahani, and of the majority of the Shia world in 1961, afte ...

, until al-Hakim's death in 1970. He studied in a Beirut Law school and attained a BA in 1967. He then went on to achieve an MA in Arabic Literature from the

University of Baghdad The University of Baghdad (UOB) (, also known as Baghdad University) is a public university, public research university in Baghdad, Iraq. It is the largest university in Iraq and the tenth largest in the Arab world. History The College of Isl ...

. He moved to Mashhad in 1971, and completed his advanced studies under the guidance of his grandfather, grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hadi al-Milani. He was awarded ijtihad at the age of thirty. He remained in Mashhad for just under thirteen years, organising the seminary of Mashhad, that had 3,500 students at the time, under the supervision of his grandfather. He briefly visited Damascus in 1983, and taught in the Zainabiya Seminary until 1986. That same year, he immigrated to the United Kingdom, to pursue further academic studies. Whilst in London, he noticed that the West was hugely lacking in Islamic awareness, and the community was in dire need of services and religious guidance. So he wrote to al-Khoei, informing him of his observations, to which al-Khoei responded positively and informed him of his plans to establish an institution (later becoming the Imam al-Khoei Foundation). al-Milani graduated from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

with a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Islamic Philosophy in 1994.

Opinions and activities

ISIS

Al-Milani told

British Muslims Islam is the second-largest religion in the United Kingdom, with results from the 2021 Census recording just under four million Muslims, or 6.0% of the total population in the United Kingdom. London has the largest population and greatest p ...

not to join fight against

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

in Iraq. He stated in a video that it was clear that Ayatollah Sistani was calling on citizens of Iraq living in that country only to fight and even then, only by joining the official security forces. This was not a call for open jihad. However, in an act of unity with other Muslims, al-Milani met in the

Palace Of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

with other Muslim leaders from cities across the UK, agreeing that there was nothing Islamic about the "Islamic state". They expressed grave concerns at the repeated attacks by ISIS on shrines and places of worship in Iraq, and other parts of the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

Interfaith

Al-Milani had been an active supporter of interfaith relations. As part of Al-Khoei Foundation's ongoing faith strengthening campaigning, al-Milani regularly met with Christian and Jewish leaders to discuss common issues and the importance of standing together against hate and intolerance. On the topic of donating blood to non-Muslims (a controversial topic within the faith), al-Milani was of the view that it was a form of religious sacrifice and 'īthār'' (altruism).

Works

Al-Milani authored seven books in Arabic, nine in English, and one in Persian. His work on ijtihad and jurisprudence is used in the seminaries of Mashhad and

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

. * ''Frequently Asked Questions on Islam''. London. 2000. * ''Commentary on the Qur’anic Chapter of Night Journey''. London. 2002. * ''Islamic Family Law''. London. 2012. * * ''Fatimah al-Zahra Ummu Abiha: Mother to her Father''. London. 2018.

Death

Al-Milani fell ill in the early summer of 2024, being diagnosed with cancer. He later succumbed to the illness, and died in his home in London on 2 September 2024, at the age of 80.