Ibn al-Sheikh ( fa, ابن‌الشیخ), or Sheikh Mohammad Haeri Mazandarani, was an important spiritual figure in the Persian Constitutional Revolution. He served on the Supreme Court.

Early life

Ibn al-Sheikh was the third child of Zine al Abidine Haeri Mazandarani. He was born in Karbala and educated by his father. After his father's death, he became a disciple of Mirza Habibollah Rashti in

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 ...

. After the death of Mirza Habibollah Rashti, he went to India to gather disciples and stayed there for fourteen years. While living in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, he was surrounded by people of different backgrounds, who introduced him to anti-imperialism and helped to set him on his revolutionary path.

Constitutional revolution

He returned to Iran shortly before the start of the Constitutional Revolution and collaborated with the

Constitutionalists Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional ...

. After the bombing of Parliament (23 June 1908), he went to

and organized actions by its leaders, including

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 ...

and Sheikh Abdullah Mazandarani, to support and defend the Constitution. He experienced conflict and oppression upon his arrival in Iran with

Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan ( fa, مسعود میرزا ظل‌السلطان, "Mass'oud Mirza the Sultan's Shadow"; 5 January 1850 in Tabriz – 2 July 1918 in Isfahan), or Massud Mirza, was a Persian prince of the Qajar dynasty; he was know ...

. After he strongly protested he was beaten and forced to apologize.

Supreme Court

After the fall of

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, محمدعلی شاه قاجار; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925, San Remo, Italy), Shah of Iran from 8 January 1907 to 16 July 1909. He was the sixth shah of the Qajar dynasty. Biography Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ...

and the reopening of the National Consultative Majlis by the Supreme Court, he was appointed by the national government and given approval by the authorities to practice in Najaf. After a conflict with Doctor Francis Adolf Gamer, known as Monsieur Parni, Ibn al-Sheikh resigned from the Supreme Court and later went to Qom.

Death

After Ibn al-Sheikh retired he relocated to Qom in 1960, where he died of a stroke ten years later.

Survivors

His son Abdul Amir Rashidi Haeri served as Iran's ambassador to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. His grandson was the actor

Davoud Rashidi Davoud Rashidi ( fa, داوود رشیدی; July 16, 1933 – August 26, 2016) was an Iranian actor. His daughter, Leili Rashidi, is also an actress. Career His first film was ''Escape from the Trap'' (1971, Jalal Moghadam) after years of stage ...

References

{{Reflist Iranian Shia scholars of Islam