HIS HOLINESS AYATULLA AL-UZMA SAYYID ABUL QASIM AL-KHOEI (R.A.)

He was born on Rajab 15, 1317 A.H. (November 19, 1899) at Khoei in Iranian Azerbaijan. In 1330 A.H (1912 AD), he migrated to Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq in pursuit of knowledge.

The Hawza: A university-type Hawza was established by the most learned man at that time, Sheikh Muhammad Hassan al-Toosi in 449 A.H. The Hawza passed through three stages of development: The first extended from the year of establishment till early tenth century; the second period started from then till early twelfth century; the third started from then till the present time. During each of these periods, certain personalities rose to the distinction and contributed to the development and improvement of the functions of this great university. Here is their short list:

1. Those who were distinguished during the first period included the founder, Sheikh Toosi, his son Abu Ali al-Toosi, and Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Toosi.
2. Scholars whose stars shone during the second period included al-Muqaddas Ardbaili, Jamal addin – The First Martyr, Sayyid Mahdi – Bahral Uloom, and Sheikh Jaffer Kashiful Ghita.
3. Men of this period are innumerable, yet the most renowned among them were Bahral Uloom, Kashiful Ghita, Sayyid Abul Hassan Isphahani, and Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim. The list is concluded by men of genius such as Abul Qasim al-Khoei during whose period, the Hawza became like a bee-hive, full of productivity and scholarly competition. Some people call it the Renaissance.

Mentors of al-Khoei:  The fountainheads that nurtured the intellect of the late al-Khoei include the finest among the contemporary scholars such as Sheikh Fatahallah, Sheikh Mahdi Mazandarani, Shaikh Diyaud-Deen, Shaikh Kamplani, Sheikh Muhammad Hussain al-Naeeni, and Sheikh Muhammad al-Balaghi and others.

Al-Khoei as Mentor: As a professor, he taught the higher levels of theological studies in Islam called al-sutooh and al-kharij which are equivalent to M.A. and Ph.D. A whole new generation of scholars bearing his stamp and style of learning as masters of the sciences of fiqh, usool, hadees, ilm al-rijal, tafseer and ilm al-kalam. These may be roughly translated as the sciences of jurisprudence, basics of jurisprudence, traditions, biographies, exegesis, interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, and theological philosophy.

Teaching the al-Kharij stage:

Al-Khoei passed the stage of usool and continued teaching the much more advanced stage of al-Kharij for more than 50 years. The number of his graduates is estimated at tens of thousands.

Najaf’s Hawza under his supervision: The monumental achievement of his late holiness Abul Qasim al-Khoei is his development and improvement of Najaf’s al-hawza al-ilmiya since 1970. He is described by his students as a compassionate fatherly figure who believed in moderation. He attained the coveted title of “Ayatollah” when he was in his early thirties. The number of students and teachers in its hay days reached 10,000. It contains several libraries, where ancient and rare manuscripts are treasured and guarded as a gold mine! In Najaf, in general and around the premises of the Hawza in particular, book stores outnumber grocery stores.

Some of his renowned students: It is no exaggeration to say that 70% of Shi’a scholars worldwide are either graduates of al-Khoei’s hawza or students of such graduates, and each one of them is like a bright star! Some of the renowned scholars were: Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr, Ayatollah Beheshti, Ayatollah Siestani, Ayatollah Sayyid Mekki.

A Great Administrator: Imam al-Khoei kept in touch with his followers worldwide through a very well organized and centralized network of representatives. They were charged with duties such as: making sure that social, educational, theological, cultural and even financial problems of their respective communities are properly addressed and solved. He proved his administrative genius in handling the financial aspect of running such a huge and intricate network of charitable trusts overseen and supervised by the Khoei Foundation which has been building schools and religious and cultural centers.

Institutes he established: Since he took charge of Najaf’s hawza, al-Khoei became the caretaker of all Shi’a charitable institutions, mosques, Hussainias, and theological hawzas all over the world. In India, where there are 40 million followers, he established a complex which is the largest in the world. It manages a huge hospital, many schools and colleges. Charitable institutions are also operating in other parts of India. In Qum, he started Madinatul Ilm, which is the largest theological institution in the world. More than 3000 students, including 500 students with families, are studying there. In Mashhad, there is Khoei School and Library. Al-Khoei’s Mabarrah is catering to the needs of orphans at Beirut, Lebanon. Similarly, there are centers in U.S.A. and offices in Pakistan, Malaysia.

Al-Khoei Foundation: He ordered the establishment of an international charity to look after his followers all over the world. Hence Imam Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation was founded in Najaf al-Ashraf in 1988 with branches in Europe and Middle East. In 1991, the headquarters were shifted to London controlling the activities in U.S.A., Pakistan, India, Canada and Kuwait. The Foundation helped Kuwaitis, victims of Iran Iraq war.

His Asceticism: Ayatollah al-Uzma al-Khoei was an embodiment of asceticism, scholarship and renunciation of worldly riches. His son, Majeed Khoei describes his father as: “My father never deducted his share from religious taxes, but spent from gifts handed by his followers. He never bought a new dress unless the old dress was completely worn out. When his health deteriorated and he was hospitalized, his doctors advised him to do something to entertain himself. He replied that reading always made him relax and lecturing was always entertainment to him. He used to wake up before sunrise, pray Tahajjud, followed by morning prayers. He always ate breakfast with his family. His breakfast used to be a piece of bread and domestic cheese and a tiny cup of tea.”

The Imam at home: “My father was always smiling when he used to be with us. He always arbitrated between his sons if there was any disagreement. He would never open our mail. He always instructed his family to deliver funds for highly esteemed but improvised families without doing so publicly, telling them to help those whom the ignorant mistake as wealthy because of their abstention from begging for help.

Imam’s Demise: After the failure of Intefada in March 1991, the Grand Ayatollah was briefly imprisoned then forced to appear on television by the Butcher of Baghdad-Saddam Husain who kept pressuring him to issue fatwa supporting the oppressive regime to which he never complied. Before his death, the government cut-off all telephone lines of even his relatives. He asked for water to perform wuzu and as soon as it was completed, he breathed his last on August 8, 1992. The government clamped curfew and his funeral could only be attended by close family members. The prayers were led by Ayatollah Siestani

Reference:

Al-Khoei                                                          by Yasin T. al-Jibouri