Seyyed Hassan Modarres ( fa, سید حسن مدرس c. 1870 Sarabeh, 1 December 1937,

Kashmar Kashmar () ( fa, کاشمر, also Romanized as ''Kāshmar''; formerly ''Keshmar'', '' Torshīz'' or ''Soltanabad'') is a city and the capital of Kashmar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Kashmar is located near the river Shesh Tara ...

) was an Iranian

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 ...

Shi'a 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 ...

cleric and a notable supporter of the

Iranian Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...

. He was among the founding members, along with

Abdolhossein Teymourtash Abdolhossein Teymourtash ( fa, عبدالحسین تیمورتاش; 25 September 1883 – 3 October 1933) was an influential Iranian statesman who served as the first minister of court of the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1932, and is credited w ...

, of the reformist party ''Hezb-e Eslaah-talab'', which was formed during the fourth national

Majlis of Iran The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...

. He has been called "brave and incorruptible" and "perhaps the most fervent

mullah Mullah (; ) is an honorific title for Shia and Sunni Muslim clergy or a Muslim mosque leader. The term is also sometimes used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and sharia law. The title has also been used in some Miz ...

supporter of true constitutional government."

Biography

The sources disagree on his birthplace. Some mention that he was born in

Ardestan Ardestan ( fa, اردستان, also Romanized as Ardestān and Ardistān) is a city and capital of Ardestan County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 14,698, in 4,077 families. Ardestan is located at the southern foo ...

around 1870, while others mention that he was born in a village named Sarābe-Kachou ( fa, سرابه‌کچو) near Ardestan in the early 1870s, and that he moved to

Shahreza Shahreza ( fa, شهرضا, also Romanized as Shahrezā and Shahriza; formerly Komsheh, then Qomsheh (Persian: ), also Romanized as Kowmsheh, and Qowmsheh) is a city and capital of Shahreza County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...

when he was six.

Activities

Having studied

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 ...

ic sciences in

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

and

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 ...

, Modarres became a religious teacher in an Isfahan's

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

. The name Modarres, which means "teacher", is because of his job there. In 1910, he was chosen by Najaf's cleric community and sent to

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

to supervise the laws passed by the Majlis, to make sure they did not violate the rules of ''

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

''. Later, in 1914, he was elected as a Majlis representative of Tehran. In 1916, during

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 ...

, he migrated to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

together with a handful of other politicians, and served as the Minister of Justice in a cabinet formed in exile by Nezam os-Saltaneh. After returning to Iran, he was elected in the Majlis elections a few more times. Modarres fought against the presence of British forces in Persia, vigorously opposing the proposed 1919 agreement that would have transformed Iran into a British protectorate. In the early 1920s he also played a role in preventing

Reza Khan , , spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort)Turan AmirsoleimaniEsmat Dowlatshahi , issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess ShamsMohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza Prin ...

(the prime minister at the time) from abolishing the monarchy (the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...

) and declaring a republic, and less successfully opposed Reza Khan's deposing of the Qajar dynasty in 1925. Sayyed Modaress was openly critical of Reza Shah's rule and was placed under imprisonment in retaliation for his criticisms. A few years after a November 1926 assassination attempt against him, Modarres was expelled to Khaf and later to

Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

, who later became the

Supreme Leader of Iran The Supreme Leader of Iran ( fa, رهبر ایران, rahbar-e irān) is the List of heads of state of Iran, head of state of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader directs the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, executiv ...

after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, was affected by him.

Death

He was killed in prison in December 1937. His death is regarded as martyrdom and the martyrdom day (10th of

Azar Azar ( fa, آذر, ) is the ninth month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Azar has thirty days. It begins in November and ends in December by the Gregorian calendar. Azar corresponds to the Tropical Astro ...

) is known in Iran as Majlis day (day of the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

). According to

Tasnim Tasnim (''Tasnīm'') or Tasneem may refer to: *a well of water in Paradise according to Islam Given name * Tasneem Essop, South African politician * Tasneem Motara (born 1982), South African politician * Tasneem Roc, Australian television and fi ...

he was poisoned in prison and then suffocated while praying. Modarres93

Tomb of Hassan Modarres

The Tomb of Sayyid Hassan Modarres is the burial site of

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...

Hassan Modares, former prime minister of

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 ...

. It was built in 1937 in

, Iran, as opposed to using the former tomb of

in the vast gardens of Kashmar. The tomb building consists of a central dome, four dock and a dome made of turquoise, in the style of

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...

and the

Safavid dynasty 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 ...

Hassan Modarres Museum

The Hassan Modarres Museum is a Museum belongs to the 21st century and is located in

, Razavi Khorasan Province in Iran.

Reception

Modarres is depicted on the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

of the Iranian 100 rials banknote.

References

Sources

The Persian Encyclopedia ''The Persian Encyclopedia'' ( fa, دایرةالمعارف فارسی; Romanized as ''Dāyerat-ol-ma'āref-e Fārsi'') is one of the most comprehensive and authoritative Encyclopedias written in Persian. It is a ''two-volume'' encyclopedia pub ...

's entry on Modarres. * Mohammad Taghi Bahar, ''Taarikh-e Mokhtasar-e Ahzaab-e Siaasi-e Iraan'' (A Short History of Political Parties of Iran), Amirkabir, 1978. * Yadegari, Amir Hossein (November 2005). "''Siāsatmadār-e Dindār''", ''Hamshahri-e Māh'', ("''Religious Politician''", ''Our Fellow Citizen'') Ābān 1384 A.P., page 4. * Abrahamian, Ervand, Iran Between Two Revolutions, Princeton University Press, 1982 * Mottahedeh, Roy, ''The Mantle of the Prophet : Religion and Politics in Iran'', One World, Oxford, 1985, 2000

External links

Seyyed Hassan Modaress
at www.qajarpages.org

* ''Modarres Dar Ā'in-e Che'hel Sāl Mobārezeh'' (Modarres in the Reflection of Forty Years Struggle)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Modarres, Hassan Iranian Shia clerics People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Iranian democracy activists 1870 births 1937 deaths Moderate Socialists Party politicians Reformers' Party politicians Members of the 2nd Iranian Majlis Members of the 3rd Iranian Majlis Members of the 4th Iranian Majlis Members of the 5th Iranian Majlis Members of the 6th Iranian Majlis Deputies of Tehran for National Consultative Assembly People from Kashmar Pupils of Muhammad Kadhim Khorasani