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 ...

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Hasanali Morvarid (; 1911–October 5, 2004) was a senior

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

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 ...

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

.He was a widely respected teacher at the Islamic seminary of

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

, and a well-known ''tafkiki'' figure of the second generation of ''Tafkikis''.

Early life and education

Morvarid was born in Mashhad to the clerical Morvarid family, his father was Sheikh Muhammad-Reza Morvarid. His mother was the daughter of Sheikh Hasanali Tehrani (d. 1907). His cousin Sheikh Muhammad-Taqi Morvarid was a member of the first

assembly of experts The Assembly of Experts (), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted ...

. His great ancestor was renowned laureate and calligrapher Shihab al-Din Abdullah Morvarid (d. 1514).

Education

He joined the religious seminary of Mashhad in 1924, and studied under its renowned scholars like Sheikh Hasanali Nukhadaki and Sheikh Hashim Qazwini. He joined the classes of Mirza Mahdi al-Isfahani and continued his studies in advanced jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence. He mastered doctrinal studies in the school of ''tafkik.'' He travelled to Qom in 1946 and continued to study under

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 ...

. Upon his return to Mashhad, he began to teach his own classes of jurisprudence, and ''tafkiki's'' interpretation of doctrinal topics.

Religious career

He used to lead the congregational prayers in several mosques around Mashhad, like Madrasa Mirza Jafar, Hajj Mulla Hashem Mosque and Mulla Haidar Mosque. He also founded two Islamic seminaries in Khorasan Razavi, Mashhad. The first is the Bisat Islamic seminary in Andarzgoo street, and the second is Saadat Islamic seminary in Saheb al-Zaman street.

Works

Morvarid authored ''Tanbihat Hawl al-Mabda' wal-Ma'ad'' (Remarks concerning the Beginning and Return), which is a summary of the classes he taught in Mashhad, based on the views of al-Isfahani.

Personal life

Morvardi was married the daughter of Sheikh Muhammad-Taqi Bujnurdi in 1941. He had ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Most of his children and grandchildren are clerics, residing in Mashhad and teaching in its seminaries. His son Mahdi Morvarid is a teacher of ''bahth kharij'' (advanced research seminars in religious jurisprudence), and representative of

grand Ayatollah 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 ...

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 ...

in Mashhad.

Death

Morvarid died on October 5, 2004, and was buried in the

Imam Reza shrine The Imam Reza shrine (; ) is a Shi'ite shrine, imamzadeh and mausoleum complex, located in Mashhad, in the province of Razavi Khorasan, Iran. The shrine contains the grave of Ali al-Rida, who is regarded as the eighth Imam in Shia Islam. Als ...

. Iran's

supreme leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...

Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

expressed his condolences to the Morvarid family for Hasanali's demise.{{Cite web, url=http://english.khamenei.ir/news/617/Leader-Expresses-Condolences-over-Demise-of-Ayatollah-Morvarid, title=Leader Expresses Condolences over Demise of Ayatollah Morvarid, date=2004-10-06, website=Khamenei.ir, language=en, access-date=2020-04-15