Muhammad Salih Baraghani (; born 1753) was one of three or four brothers from

Baraghan Baraghan () is a village in, and the capital of, Baraghan Rural District in Chendar District of Savojbolagh County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the village's popul ...

who all established themselves as leading

mujtahid ''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'' (i ...

s in

Qazvin Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...

. Muhammad Salih was an

Usuli Usulism () is the majority school of Twelver Shia Islam in opposition to the minority Akhbarism. The Usulis favor the use of (reasoning) in the creation of new rules of jurisprudence; in assessing hadith to exclude traditions they believe u ...

Twelver Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...

Shi'i 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 to ...

mujtahid. He opened the Salehiyya Madrasa in Qazvin in 1817; it soon gained prominence. As many as 700 students attended it. The madrasa also had a women's section. Muhammad Salih's older brother Mohammad Taqi was also a fervent Usuli. Against common practice, Muhammad Taqi took money for issuing legal opinions and putting them into writing. The younger of the brothers, Mulla Ali, was closer to

Shaykhism Shaykhism () is a term used by Shia Muslims for the followers of Shaykh Ahmad in early 19th-century Qajar Iran. While grounded in traditional Twelver Shiʻi doctrine, Shaykhism diverged from the Usuli school in its interpretation of key ideas s ...

in his beliefs. Muhammad Salih married Amineh Salehi, sister of an influential Shaykhi

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), ...

, Abd al-Wahhab Sharif Qazvini (d. 1853), imam of the Shah Mosque in Qazvin. Baraghani's wife as well as his four daughters studied in the Salehiyya. His oldest daughter Fatimah, better known as

Táhirih Táhirih (Ṭāhira) (, "The Pure One," also called Qurrat al-ʿAyn ( "Solace/Consolation of the Eyes") are both titles of Fatimah Baraghani/Umm-i Salmih (1814 or 1817 – August 16–27, 1852), an influential poet, women's rights activist and th ...

, was one of the most reputed religious scholars and poets of 19th century Iran. She eventually turned towards

Bábism Bábism () is a Messianism, messianic movement founded in 1844 by Báb, the Báb ( 'Ali Muhammad). The Báb, an Iranian merchant-turned-prophet, professed that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible GodEdward Granville Browne ...

and was eventually executed for her rejection of orthodox

faith. His other daughters, Marziye, Robabeh and Khadija Sultan, also became religious authorities, though none was as prominent as Fatimah. Muhammad Salih Baraghani is remembered for his interpretations of the

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 ...

, his

eulogies A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term of en ...

of the tragedies of

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 ...

, his zeal for the execution of

punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon an individual or group, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a deterrent to a particular action or beh ...

s, and active opposition to the consumption of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

References

Iranian Islamic religious leaders 1753 births Year of death unknown 18th-century Iranian people {{Islam-bio-stub