Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Taqi al-Husayni al-Modarresi (b. 1945) is an Iraqi-Iranian Shia marja' and political theorist. al-Modarresi is the author of over 400 books on theology, historiography, jurisprudence, philosophy, logic, and social science. The Anglican Centre in Rome has stated that "Grand Ayatollah al-Modarresi is probably the second most senior Shia cleric after al-Sistani.

Biography

Family

al-Modarresi was born into a distinguished Shia religious family in Karbala in Iraq. His father is Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Kadhim al-Modarresi, the grandson of grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Baqir Golpayegani (also known as Jorfadiqani). His mother is the daughter of grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mahdi al-Shirazi. He claims descent from Zayd ibn Ali (died c. 740 AD), the great-great-grandson of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

Early life

al-Modarresi began his religious education in the religious seminaries of Karbala, at the age of 8. He studied under some of Karbala's most senior scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad al-Karbassi, Shaykh Jafar al-Rushti, Shaykh Yusuf al-Khurasani and his uncle, Sayyid Muhammad al-Shirazi. Due to the rising pressures of the Bathists anti-Shia sentiment, al-Modarresi emigrated to Kuwait in 1971. He settled there until 1979, after which he moved to Iran after the Islamic Revolution.

Activism

The Risali Movement

In 1967, under the jurisprudential guidance of Muhammad al-Shirazi, al-Modarresi established a religious activist group known as the Risali Movement. The word risali (follower of the message) was inspired by the Quranic verse: "[Allah praises] those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allah. And sufficient is Allah as Accountant." [ 33:39]. Before the Iranian revolution, the group remained a secret organisation, working on raising religious awareness, however, after the 1979 Iranian revolution, it went public, calling for Islamism in the region, with different aliases across various countries. In Iraq, it was known as the Islamic Action Organisation. In Saudi Arabia, it was known as the Islamic Revolution of the Arabian Peninsula. In Bahrain, it was known as the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain and headed by his brother Hadi. But all these groups were identified as the risalis in the Islamic world. The movement inspired some Sunni activists to support the movement in their writings, this included Dr. Ahmed al-Abyadh of the Renaissance Organisation in Tunisia and various activists from Morocco. Many books were issued to propagate the Risali Movement, some of the ones al-Modarresi wrote included: The movement had an anthem written by al-Modarresi's brother, Abbas, that was recited in their gatherings, and then recorded and published as a sound track :

Return to Iraq and role

Arrest by Coalition forces

With the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by American-led forces in 2003, al-Modarresi along with other Iran-based clerics returned to Iraq. On his return to Iraq on 22 April 2003, al-Modarresi was arrested along with his entourage by US military personnel. He was released after being brought to an undisclosed location.

Iraqi politics

The Islamic Action Organization became an Iraqi Shia Islamist political party with al-Modaressi as its leader. The party contested the Iraq 2005 general election and was part of the National Iraqi Alliance of Shia Islamist parties including SCIRI, the Islamic Dawa Party and the Iraqi National Congress. In 2006, the Islamic Action Organization had one minister in government, State Minister for Civil Society Affairs, Adil al-Asadi. In an interview with PBS in 2004 al-Modarresi affirmed his commitment to a democratically elected government for the new Iraq, stating that he had derived this from "the true interpretation of Islam.. which says, "Religion shall not be imposed ... Reason emerges from the unknown." He also stated that he had traveled to Europe and America, and that he believed "democracy would solve many of the problems" in the Middle East.

Call against ISIS

al-Modarresi was the first Shia religious leader (with Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani following shortly after) to issue a call to popular resistance against ISIS, after its swift capture of large swathes of land in Iraq in June 2014. In his statement, al-Modarresi warned against the destruction of churches and temples belonging to all religions.

COVID-19

al-Modarresi made an official statement regarding the COVID-19 strain, saying that the people of Iraq should self-isolate, and utilise the month of Rajab, by performing the recommended prayers and supplications at home. He also stated that Muslim community needs to increase its faith in God, so that He may protect us from all evil. al-Modarresi also called for the Iraqi government to take up all measures to face this new viral strain, which threatens the lives of many today. He added, the Iraqi people are always willing to stand by its government and provide aid, as is seen in the Arbaeen pilgrimage.

International stage

Bahrain 2002

al-Modaressi traveled to Bahrain in 2002 on an official visit, at the invitation of the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Abdullah bin Khalid Al Khalifa.

Vatican 2014

In December 2014, al-Modarresi was invited by the Pope to attend a summit of world religious leaders at the Vatican. This made him the first Grand Ayatollah to have met the Pope. In his speech, al-Modarresi asked world religious leaders to "engage in a symbiosis of civilizations and religions". He condemned terrorism, nuclear proliferation, modern day slavery and said:"'At its core, divine religion is one, but failure to understand religion has divided human beings and created barriers between us.. We must exert extra effort to tear down those barriers and join religions under the umbrella of a common term.. We have a calling to love one another.. to protect the environment, to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and to end slavery in all its forms.'."

Australia 2016

In 2016 he went to Australia, where he met community leaders as well as the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. The two discussed Iraq, the war on terrorism, as well as how Muslims can be better integrated into the Australian community.

Established institutions