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

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. He was among the founding members, along with Abdolhossein Teymourtash, of the reformist party ''Hezb-e Eslaah-talab'', which was formed during the fourth national Majlis of Iran. 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 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 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, Modarres became a religious teacher in an Isfahan's madrasa. 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 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, he migrated to 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 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 (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 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) is known in Iran as Majlis day (day of the parliament). 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 Hassan Modares, former prime minister of Iran. 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 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 of the Iranian 100

rials Rial, riyal, or RIAL may refer to: * Rial (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning, McGill University * Rial Racing, a former German Formula One team Various currencies named rial ...

banknote.

References

Sources

* The Persian Encyclopedia's entry on Modarres. *

Mohammad Taghi Bahar Mohammad-Taqi Bahar ( fa, محمدتقی بهار; also romanized as Mohammad-Taqī Bahār; 10 December 1886 in Mashhad – 22 April 1951 in Tehran), widely known as Malek osh-Sho'arā ( fa, ملک‌الشعراء) and Malek osh-Sho'arā Bahā ...

, ''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