Ayatollah Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیت‌الله, āyatollāh) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Etymology The title is originally derived from ...

Shaykh Abdallah Mazandarani ( fa, عبدالله مازندرانی) (AD 1840–1912; AH 1256–1330) was a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

Marja' Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...

and a leader of the constitutional movement against the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

dynasty. He was a pupil of Mirzaye Rashti. He worked alongside Akhund Khurasani and Mirza Ḥusayn Khalīlī Tihranī to support the first democratic revolution of Asia, Iran's Constitutional Revolution, and co-signed all major statements of the main source of emulation, Akhund Khurasani.

Early life

His full name was Molla Abdullah Langrudi. His father was Shaykh Muhammad Nasir Gilani who traveled from Gilan to Mazandaran province in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Abdullah was born in the city of Barfrus, known today as

Amol Amol ( fa, آمل – ; ; also Romanized as Āmol and Amul) is a city and the administrative center of Amol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran, with a population of around 300,000 people. Amol is located on the Haraz river bank. It is less than ...

, in the north of Iran. After completing his early education in Iran, he traveled to Atabat. In

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

, he took part in the scientific courses of Zayn-al-ʿābedīn Māzandarānī and Shaikh Ḥasan Ardakānī. Then he went to

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

, another important Shia city, to continue his studies. It is thought that he remained there for the rest of his life.

Teachers

He Started his education in

Barforush Babol ( fa, بابل, , known as "Orange Blossom City" , also Romanized as Bābol; formerly known as Barfrouch) is the capital of Babol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. Babol is divided into two metropolitan areas (under Iranian law). At the 201 ...

Seminary. He took part in Mulla Muhammad Ashrafi classes. Then He moved to Iraq. Mazandarani's teachers included Shaykh Mahdi Kashef AlGhata, Zayn AlAbedin Mazandarani, Shaykh Hasan Ardekani, Molla Muhammad Iravani, and Mirza Habib Allah Rashti.

Political life

He was, along with Mohammad Kazem Khorasani and Hossein Khalili, counted among those

Ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

who resisted the

dynasty. They were also known as "Ulama Thalathah of

" city. Abdullah was one of the primary figures in the constitutional movement. He played an important part in the constitutional movement, which included encouraging people to resist the Russian invasion and unfair contracts, and writing letters in support of the

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

. Along with Mohammad Kazem Khorasani, Mazandarani protested against the policies and interference of the English government in the internal affairs of Iran. He supported the movement of Iranian people during constitutionalism and sent telegrams and letters to encourage them. Akhund Khurasani,

Mirza Husayn Tehrani Ayatollah Mirza Husayn Khalili Tehrani (Persian: میرزا حسین خلیلی تهرانی) was an Usuli Shi'a jurist and among the four sources of emulation at the time of Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He worked alongside Akhund Khurasan ...

and Shaykh Abdullah Mazandarani, theorized a model of religious secularism in the absence of Imam, that still prevails in Shia seminaries. The period from the destruction of the first parliament under the orders of Mohammad Ali shah on June 23, 1908, to the Shah's deposition on July 16, 1909, is called as the Lesser Despotism in the history of modern Iran. The shah repeatedly delayed the elections under the guise of fighting sedition and defending Islam. Mohammad Ali shah wrote letters to the sources of emulation in Najaf, seeking their support against the perceived conspiracies of Babis and other heretics. However, Akhund Khurasani, Mirza Tehrani and Mirza Abdullah Mazandarani responded by affirming the religious legitimacy of democracy and advised the shah to work within the constitutional framework in improving the conditions of society and defending the country against colonial influence.Bayat, Mangol (1991). ''Iran's First Revolution: Shi'ism and the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909''. Studies in Middle Eastern History. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 232. .

Death

He died in 1912.Farzaneh, Mateo Mohammad (2015). “''The Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Clerical Leadership of Khurasani”''. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 13. .

References

External Links