On the anniversary of the passing of the late Ayatollah Mīrzā Mahdī Gharawī Iṣfahānī, this is a short primer on one of the most influential scholars of modern times and his school, which went on to influence many of today’s leading scholars and Shi’a movements.

[Thread] Mīrza Mahdi is credited with the founding of the Ma’arifi (aka Tafkiki) school; a reformist movement designed to revive the Shi’i seminary and purify it from foreign elements that had crept into it, especially remnants of Greek theosophy & Sufi mysticism (see Hakimi, Reza)

In a mere whimper, one of the world’s most notorious tyrants and oldest dictators just died. Here’s a snapshot of his life of crime and savagery.. [Thread] Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (KBS) was the longest running Prime Minister in the world. Along with his brother (and now his nephew) he ruled Bahrain with an iron fist for 50 years! In classic mafia tradition, he amassed a massive fortune, partly by extorting all capital ventures

We could never do justice to the Prophet, especially while the Exalted Lord has said, “And you possess an exalted character.” وإنك لعلى خلق عظيم [68:4]) but this is a and perfunctory thread on the #HolyProphet Mohammad and some of his angelic features: He came with a divine mandate to purify the soul, revive the intellect, and guide humanity toward its Creator, all without ever taking the slightest advantage or enriching himself. In fact, when offered, he repeatedly said, “I ask you not for any compensation..” #ProphetOfMercy

Many misinterpret the statement of Lady Zainab, “I saw nothing but beauty” as some kind of mystical esoteric code, or a reference to ghastly monstrosity. Not quite.

Context is key. It‘s in response to a question posed by the tyrant: “How did you see God’s actions toward you?” What this means is obvious: insofar as the crimes of the Umayyads, they are the greatest and most heinous anyone has ever seen. But in the eyes of this holy saint, God is exalted from the actions of the wicked ones. What He does to His righteous creatures is beautiful in the end.

Imam Mahdi’s race [14 part thread]:

The skin color of divine guides or prophets does not matter. Because racism is a form of arrogance, it is a despicable trait and God tests our faith with it. And since very community suffers from it, one way or another, it must be eliminated Our 9th Imam, al-Jawad is described as “dark-skinned”, and despite not being black, some found it challenging to believe in him because of his skin color. Add that to the Imam’s very young age (he was just 8 years old), it was a difficult test for some of the people of his time.

Look at verses 6 & 7 in Sura al-Dhuha and how they’re translated (most English translations are the same on this point). Notice how the translations (and comments in brackets) seem to contradict the Prophet’s infallibility; he was orphaned & lost then guided.. [1/6] That apparent contradiction has caused much debate and confusion, and has even led Sunni Muslims to unanimously claim that his infallibility does not extend to the period prior to being appointed as messenger, or worse, that it is limited to his message only.

🔸 Eminent scholars who were buried in their libraries [thread]

1️⃣ Allamah Abdul Hussein Amini, author of the al-Ghadeer Encyclopedia, chose to be buried at his library in the holy city of Najaf. He is said to have reviewed 100,000 books/manuscripts to compile his magnum opus. His library now boasts over 500,000 books, including a collection of rare manuscripts, available to the public.

After al-Ghadeer (translated to Urdu by Syed Akhtar Rizvi), Allamah Amini write an autobiographical appendix on his travels in a quest to compile the encyclopedia.

Today marks the passing of Sheikh Shaltout, dean of Al-Azhar who issued a groundbreaking fatwa recognising the Shi’a faith as the 5th Islamic sect. The edict (attached) followed correspondence with Sayed Sharafuddin, under the direction of Ayatollah Borujerdy [thread] The correspondence was later compiled in the book al Muraja’at in which major doctrinal differences of the Shi’a school were discussed by Sharafuddin, convincing Shaltout that Shi’a weren’t heretics as previously assumed. The book is found here: al-islam.org/al-murajaat-ab…

The Mirza Shirazi Seminary in Samarra was once the center of Shi’a learning and the seat of its most influential religious leaders. Under Sayed Sistani’s direction, today it opened its doors again and will hopefully thrive what is now the city of Imam Mahdi.. For some background on Mirza Shirazi, known today as Al Mojadded (the Reviver) and the leader of the Tobacco Revolution: islamicinsights.com/religion/histo…