Seyed ''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 ...

Mohammad Shahcheraghi , (born 10 June 1934) is an Iranian

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 ...

. He represented the

Supreme Leader of Iran The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...

in Semnan province, as well being the

Imam of Friday Prayer The Imam of Friday Prayer (), or ''Imam Jom'a'' (''Jumu'ah''), is the person who conducts the Friday prayer in Islam and preaches related sermons. Qualifications to serve An Imam of Friday Prayer is expected to be distinguished for intellect ...

in Semnan. He was elected by the people of Semnan province to represent them in the

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 ...

for two terms. He was a member of

until May 2024.

Early life and education

Mohammad Shahcheraghi was born on 10 June 1934 in Hasanabad,

Damghan County Damghan County () is in Semnan province, Semnan Province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Damghan. History The area suffered damage in the 856 Damghan earthquake. After the 2011 National Census, the village of Kalateh was elevated to city ...

to a religious family. His father, Seyed Hassan Shahcheraghi, was a cleric who gave prayers in their local village. After finishing school in his hometown, he entered the Islamic seminary in

Damghan Damghan () is a city in the Central District (Damghan County), Central District of Damghan County, Semnan province, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is east of Tehran on the high-road to Mash ...

, where he was taught by Sheikh Mohammad Reza Khodaei. After six years there, he left to

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 ...

to further his Islamic studies in

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 ...

. It was here he attained

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'' ( ...

, and reached the rank

Teachers

Here are some of Shahcerhaghi's teachers during his times in seminaries. * Sheikh Mohammad Reza Khodaei * Sheikh Gholam Hossein Kheiri * Haj Mirza Agha Alemi *

Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani (; March 20, 1899Hossein 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 ...

Ruhollah 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 ...

Morteza Haeri Yazdi Morteza Haeri Yazdi (; 12 October 1916 – 16 March 1986) was an Iranian cleric and Twelver Shia scholar. He was the son of Iranian Shia scholar Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi, and was one of the students of Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme lead ...

* Seyed Mohammad Mohaghegh Damad *

Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i (; 16 March 1903 – 15 November 1981) was an Iranian scholar, theorist, philosopher and one of the most prominent thinkers of modern Shia Islam. He is perhaps best known for his '' Tafsir al-Mizan'', a twenty-seven-vol ...

Politics and views

After the resignation of Abbas Ali Akhtari in 2003,

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 ...

chose Shahcheraghi to replace him as the representative of the

in Semnan province. He was also the

in Semnan. He held those positions until 2021, where he resigned and was replaced by Morteza Motei by Ali Khamenei. He was elected by the people of Semnan province to represent them in the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

elections for the

. He currently retains that position. He has spoken out about the water issues in Semnan, and urged the management to fulfil the needs and satisfactions of the people. He also urged the protestors during the 2021 Khuzestan protests to not "fall into the trap of the enemies" i.e. the oppositions of the Iranian Government. He has also stated that having good hygiene and abiding by health and safety guidelines is an "Islamic Duty". He urged the people of Semnan to follow the health and safety precautions of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

.{{Cite web, date=2020-09-27, title=Observance of the health guidelines is a Religious Duty, url=https://www.farsnews.ir/semnan/news/13990706000850/%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D9%88%D8%B8%DB%8C%D9%81%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA, access-date=2022-02-17, website=www.farsnews.ir

References

1934 births Living people People from Semnan province Iranian ayatollahs Members of the Assembly of Experts

Early life and education

Teachers

Politics and views

See also

References