Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad-Hoseyn Boroujerdi

Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad-Hoseyn Tabatabai-Boroujerdi one of the greatest marja’ (source of emulation) of his time, was born in Boroujerd in 1875. After finishing his preliminary studies in Boroujerd, he went to the Islamic Seminary of Esfahan in 1892 to pursue Islamic studies.

Ayatollah Boroujerdi went to Najaf in 1902 and studied under scholars such as Akhound Mohammad-Kazem Khorasani for eight years. But in 1911, following the death of his father on the one hand and the death of his teacher, Akhound Khorasani, on the other hand, and also at the request of the people of Boroujerd, he returned to Iran and settled in Boroujerd.

Ayatollah Boroujerdi was one of the most popular and respected religious authorities in the west of Iran. He engaged in scientific and social activities in Boroujerd until 1944, and in the same year, he was transferred to Firouzabadi Hospital in Tehran due to heart disease. At that time, the Islamic Seminary of Qom was managed by Sayyed Sadroddin Sadr, Sayyed Mohammad-Hojjat Kouh-Kamarei and Sayyed Mohammad-Taqi Khansari. With his seniority and high academic status, prestige and influence, Ayatollah Boroujerdi could strongly support and revive the Islamic Seminary of Qom, which was severely had been affected by the pressures of the Pahlavi regime, especially after the death of Ayatollah Abolkarim Haeri-Yazdi, the founder of the Islamic Seminary of Qom in 1937. Therefore, in 1944, following the request of the elites of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, including Ayatollah Khomeini (ra) and the people of Qom and Tehran, Ayatollah Boroujerdi went to the city of Qom.

After the death of Ayatollah Sayyed Abolhasan Esfahani in 1946 and Ayatollah Hoseyn Qommi in 1947, both of whom resided in Najaf, Ayatollah Boroujerdi became one of the greatest maraje’ (sources of emulation) throughout the Shi’ah world until his death in 1961. His unparalleled influence at that time was such that the ruling governments tried not to arouse his opposition. Ayatollah Boroujerdi did not remain silent against the anti-religious actions of Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, did not hesitate to accompany political-religious movements if necessary and in this way used his religious and social influence.

Some of his political activities include: threatening to leave Boroujerd in protest against the activities of the heretical Baha’i sect in this city; explicit defence and declaration of solidarity with Ayatollah Hoseyn Qommi in 1941 (in the case of women’s freedom to wear hijab and the right of the clergies to wear special clothes); strong opposition to changing the script from Persian to Latin; making efforts to prevent the trial of Ayatollah Sayyed Abolqasem Kashani in Pahlavi courts (after the Shah’s assassination in the University of Tehran in 1949 and the coup d’état of August 18, 1953); opposing the proposal of the regency of the Shah’s sister; financial support of Fadaiyan-e Islam group, supporting the Mossadegh government; and issuing a statement protesting the occupation of Palestine. Another political activity of Ayatollah Boroujerdi was expressing objection to the implementation of the Shah’s Land Reforms. In 1960, the Shah decided to carry out Land Reforms. In response to Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s objection, the envoys sent by Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi told him that the same thing has happened in the neighbouring countries, to which Ayatollah Boroujerdi replied, “At first, a republic had been established in those countries and then these things were done.” Perhaps what Ayatollah Boroujerdi meant was that if there are going to be reforms in the country, they should start from the body of the government. After the demise of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi started implementing Land Reforms in the country. In one of his speeches, the Shah confirmed Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s opposition to this plan and said: “We delayed this program because we knew he would not approve it.” During the lifetime of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, many religious and social measures were taken including the construction of mosques, libraries, hospitals and schools in different parts of the country, the expansion of the Great Mosque of Qom and participation in the construction of the Nekouei Hospital in Qom. He provided the Iranians living in Hamburg with financial aid to build the Hamburg Islamic Centre. He also introduced Professor Hoseyn Lurzadeh, a famous architect, to design this centre. Ayatollah Boroujerdi had authored about forty books. The most important of them is “Jami Ahadith al-Shi’ah,” which was compiled in twenty volumes with the help of his students.

On March 24, 1961, Ayatollah Boroujerdi was transferred to Nekouei Hospital in Qom due to a heart attack and six days later he passed away. A huge number of people attended his funeral and his body was buried in the Great Mosque of Qom.

After the demise of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, the Shah sent a telegram of condolence to Ayatollah Sayyed Mohsen Hakim in Najaf so that Iran would no longer be seen as a centre for religious authority. Because when the Shah expresses his condolences to a certain Shi’ah marja’ after the death of another one, it means the government recognizes this new marja’ as a religious authority for Muslims.

However, the Islamic Seminary of Qom and the press referred to Sayyed Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani, Sayyed Kazem Shariatmadari, Ruhollah Khomeini (ra), Sayyed Ahmad Khansari, Sayyed Shahaboddin Marashi-Najafi, etc. as marja’. In addition, On April 3, 1961, Kayhan newspaper by publishing his biography, described Ayatollah Khomeini (ra) as a marja’ for the first time in the country’s official media.

Reference: The Encyclopedia of the Islamic Revolution.