Sheikh Asadullah Mamaghani ( fa, اسدالله ممقانی; sometimes transliterated Mamqani) was an anti-

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

Persia 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 ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, who helped theorize the relationship between the Pahlavi state and religious leaders.Memoirs of

Hibatuddin Shahrestani Sayyid Muhammad Ali Hosseini Shahrestani known as Hibatuddin Shahrestani, was an Iraqi Shiite cleric and an Islamic scholar and Mujtahid, Quran exegete. Birth and lineage ''Hibatuddin Shahrestani'' was born in Samarra on the morning of 20 ...

excerpted
by (banned) Iranian

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...

magazine Mehrnameh an
archived
by the

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(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 ...

Life

Asadullah Mamaghani was born in 1881 in

Mamqan , native_name_lang = fa , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_alt = , image_seal = , seal_alt = , image_shield = , shield_alt = , etymology = , nickname = , m ...

, and first learned

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and

literature in

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

. Following the 1908 bombardment of the Majlis, Mamaghani left for

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 ...

, where he became one of the foremost disciples of

Mohammad-Kazem Khorasani Ayatullah Sheikh Muhammad Kazim Khurasani ( fa, ; 1839 – 12 December 1911), commonly known as Akhund Khurasani ( fa, ) was a Shia jurist and political activist. He is known for using his position as a Marja as legitimizing force behind the ...

, eventually representing the Najafi exiles in Anjuman Sa'adat. At the close of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Mamaghani returned to

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 ...

and was immediately offered a position in the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, but declined to complete his legal education in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. He later served as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

in the Sa'ed cabinet, after which he was appointed to the

Philosophy

Mamaghani is known for his clever and innovative theories of

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 ...

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

. He may be the second generation of Muslim intellectuals to pioneer in the field of religion and state in

. Mamaghani challenged conventional wisdom on theories of

establishment Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...

, arguing that disagreement between the secular power and the (Shia) clerics necessarily leads to popular disaffection and rebellion."شیخ اسدالله ممقانی تئوریسین تعامل روحانیت و دولت" heikh Asadullah Momqani, a theorist of clergy-government relations ''Modern Citizen'' �هروند امروز

References

{{authority control Iranian grand ayatollahs People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Pupils of Muhammad Kadhim Khorasani