Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ardabili ( fa, احمد بن محمد اردبیلی) 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 ...

Grand Ayatollah 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 ...

of jurisprudence. After the death of

Zayn al-Din al-Juba'i al'Amili Zayn al-Dīn al-Juba'ī al'Amilī ( ar, زين الدين الجبعي العاملي) (1506-1559), also known as ash-Shahīd ath-Thanī ( ar, الشهيد الثاني, ' "The Second Martyr") was a Twelver Shia Muslim scholar. Early life He was ...

, he became the

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 ...

of the

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

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 ...

, Iraq. He is known by the titles of ''Mohaghegh'' and ''Muoghaddas''.

Life and education

Ahmad was born in the

Safavid era The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of th ...

(16th century) in

Ardabil Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

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 ...

. He moved to

and continued his education. He moved to

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

to study philosophy under Jamal al-Din Mahmud, a student of

Jalaladdin Davani Jalal al-Din Davani ( fa, جلال الدین دوانی; 1426/7 – 1502), also known as Allama Davani (), was a theologian, philosopher, jurist, and poet, who is considered to have been one of the leading scholars in late 15th-century Iran. A na ...

. Mohaghegh studied intellectual sciences and

Fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

in the seminary of Najaf. He gave up teaching intellectual subjects during the last years of his life and taught narrative sciences at Najaf. The seminary of Najaf thrived under his management.

Titles

Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ardabili was called ''Mohaghegh'' (researcher) by other scholars because of his skills. He was also called ''Moghaddas'' (saint) by those close to him.

Moghaddas Ardabili and Safavid dynasty

The Safavid dynasty sent a message by Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī and requested Ardabili to move to Iran from Najaf. Although, he refused Shah Abbas Safavi's request to move to

, he remained connected with the Safavid court. He resolved problems of Shiites by writing letters to the Safavid kings. He also played an important role in spreading Shia religion during the Safavid era.

Scholarly works

Mohaghegh Ardabili wrote scholarly works on

, the intellectual sciences,

Principles of Islamic jurisprudence Principles of Islamic jurisprudence, also known as ''uṣūl al-fiqh'' ( ar, أصول الفقه, lit. roots of fiqh), are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law ('' ...

, theology, and

Ahl al-Bayt Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...

's life. He also wrote one of the major Shia

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

commentaries. He wrote several books in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

as Proof of the

Imamah {{expand Arabic, date=April 2021 The term imamate or ''imamah'' ( ar, إمامة, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate, in Sunni doctrine the caliphate :* Naqshb ...

, Proof of the Vejeb, Manasek of

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

. His works include * ''Zubdat al-Bayan fi Ayat al-Ahkam, a treatise'' about the juridical verses of the

. * ''Majma al-Faedeh val-Borhan fi Sharh al-Adhhan,'' an encyclopedia of inferential jurisprudence. * ''Estynas al-manawiyyah'' * ''Bahr al-Manaqib''.

Death

Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ardabili died in 1585 (993 AH) and was buried in

Imam Ali Mosque The Sanctuary of Imām 'Alī ( ar, حَرَم ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ , Ḥaram al-ʾImām ʿAlī), also known as the Mosque of 'Alī ( ar, مَسْجِد عَلِيّ, Masjid ʿAlī), located in Najaf, Iraq, is a mosque which many Musl ...

in Najaf.

Legacy

In 1978, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili (UMA) was established in Ardabil and named in honour of Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ardabili.

References

External links

Zubdat al-bayan fi ahkam al-Quràn in Google books
{{Authority control Iranian grand ayatollahs People from Ardabil Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence 16th-century writers of Safavid Iran 1585 deaths Iranian expatriates in the Ottoman Empire 16th-century births Burials at Imam Ali Mosque Mystics from Iran