Shiʻā Jurist, Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ali Alawi Gurgani Passes Away

Iranian Shiʻā Jurist, Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ali Alawi Gurgani Passed away moments ago in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom, Iran.

Ayatollah Sayyid  Muḥammad ʿAlī ʿAlawī Gurgānī was a Shiite marja’ and a teacher of advanced courses of jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence in Qom. He was a student of Ayatollah Burujirdi, Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Gulpayigani and Ayatollah Araki.

Ayatollah ‘Alawi Gurgani wrote many books which are compiled and published by the Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences. His public and civil services include the construction of a mosque and a clinic in Gorgan, and the foundation of a charity fund in Tehran.

Life and Educaiton

Sayyid Muhammad Ali Alawi Gurgani was born in Najaf in May, 1939. His father, Sayyid Sajjad, was a scholar and jurist in Gorgan. Muhammad Ali moved to Iran, together with his father, at the age of seven.

‘Alawi Gurgani learned Arabic literature from his father. At the age of sixteen, he went on a pilgrimage to ‘Atabat and hajj, and upon his return from the hajj pilgrimage, he intended to stay in Najaf, but he returned to Qom at the recommendation of Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim. He studied intermediate seminary courses with people such as Mujahidi Tabrizi, Sultani Tabataba’i, and Sutuda Araki within four years.

He attended Ayatollah Burujirdi’s advanced courses of jurisprudence for three years, Imam Khomeini’s advanced courses of principles of jurisprudence for eight years, and Murtada Ha’iri Yazdi’s advanced courses of jurisprudence for fifteen years. For seven years, he went to Najaf during summers, where he attended the lectures of scholars of the Seminary of Najaf, such as Ayatollah al-Khoei and Mirza Baqir Zanjani. His other teachers include Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpayigani, Abbas Ali Shahrudi, and Muhammad Ali Araki.

Scholarly Place and Marja’iyya

Alawi Gurgani began teaching religious sciences with teaching Arabic literature, and then he began teaching Ma’alim al-din, al-Qawanin, Sharh al-lum’a, al-Rasa’il, al-Makasib, Kifaya, and Sharh al-manzuma. In 1405/1985, he began teaching advanced courses of jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence at the request of a number of his students. In 1412/1991, a number of Shi’as, particularly from Mazandaran and Gilan, asked him to publish an essay of fatwas. He wrote the essay in Persian, and then it was translated into Arabic and Urdu and was presented to his followers.

Political and Social Views

According to Ayatollah ‘Alawi Gurgani, it is permissible to use satellite TVs to watch political, social, and scientific shows, provided that it does not lead to the deviation of the family. In response to a question about genetically modified products, he believes that it is permissible to do research about them, but their commercial farming is not permissible.

Public Services

Ayatollah Alawi constructed mosques, Husayniyyas, clinics, and charity funds in different areas of Iran. He helped repair parts of the great mosque of Gorgan, founded and repaired a number of other mosques in Gorgan and its surrounding areas, built a clinic in the village of Alang, constructed the Husayniyya of Mahdishahr in Semnan, and established the charity fund of Hay’at Fatimiyya in Tehran.

His Works

Ayatollah Alawi Gurgani wrote a number of works concerning jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, hadiths, and rijal. His works are published by the Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences within one compact disc. Some of his works include:

    Tawdih al-masa’il in Farsi and Urdu

    Manhaj al-salihin (essay of fatwas in Arabic)

    Ajwabat al-masa’il (answering to the newest religious questions)

    Manhaj al-nasikin (Hajj rituals in Arabic)

    Al-Manazir al-nadira fi ahkam al-‘itrat al-tahira (Ijtihadi jurisprudence)

    Nur al-huda

    Golchini az anwar-i akhlaqi

    Rah-tusha parsayan (commentary on the will of Prophet (s) to Abu Dhar al-Ghifari)