A brief glimpse into blessed life of late Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Shirazi, son of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi

The late Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al-Shirazi, the eldest son of the Supreme Religious Authority Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Al-Husseini Al-Shirazi, was born on the 28th of Shawwal, 1389 AH.

Before leaving for Kuwait, he lived in the vicinity of Imam Hussein Holy Shrine for more than two years. In Kuwait, he completed his primary education in public schools, then immigrated to Holy Qom in the year 1401 AH.

From the early days of his settlement in the holy city of Qom, he began absorbing the fundamentals of religious sciences ‘Muqad’dim’maat’, quickly completing what is known in the seminaries as the “Intermediate Stage” (Satooh)  and the “Advanced Stage” (Sotooh ‘Ulya).

He then moved on to the pre-ijtihad stage, attending the “Kharij” lessons, where he benefited from the teachings of his esteemed father and his great uncle, the Sultan of Authors and Jurist of the Era, Sayyid Muhammad al-Shirazi, may Allah have mercy on him. He attained the level of ijtihad at a young age.

Ayatollah Ali al-Shirazi wrote numerous works in the field of jurisprudence (Fiqh) and paid attention to many points that had been overlooked by previous jurists.

Those who were close to him knew that they were in the presence of a vast ocean of knowledge, particularly in jurisprudence, as well as other fields. His diligence, dedication, and perseverance in seeking religious knowledge were of such a high caliber that it is rare to find someone of such standing.

His very modest and old home, which lacked many of the simplest necessities of life and where he had lived as a tenant for over thirty years, reveals his asceticism. Thus, he was often cited as an example of asceticism among many ascetics.

Throughout his life, he avoided fame with great determination. He did not allow even a single volume from his extensive jurisprudential encyclopedia to be published, despite having written over forty volumes on jurisprudence.

At sunset on the night of the 7th of Holy Safar for the year 1446 AH, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-Zaki, peace be upon him, the star of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali, son of the Supreme Religious Grand Authority Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Husseini al-Shirazi, set and was buried in the honourable Hawza of Sayyid al-Shuhada in Holy Karbala.