24th of blessed month of Sha’aban marks death anniversary of Shia jurist, Ayatollah Mirza Shirazi
Born on the 25th of April 1815 in Shiraz, Iran, the late Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Hassan Shirazi, also known as Mirza Shirazi, and is remembered in history as Mirza the Great or Mirza Mujaddid, is from the well-known Hosseini Shirazi family, a family that has served people and defended Shia rights as clerics and religious authorities.
At the age of 18, his consuming passion for learning led him to study at the Islamic seminary of Isfahan, and at the age of 27, he mastered his studies at the seminaries in the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. Very soon, he joined the circle of the special disciples of Sheikh Ansari.
After the demise of Sheikh Ansari, the scholars of Najaf unanimously recognized the religious authority of Mirza Shirazi. At this point, he moved to Samarra, and lived in this city until the end of his noble life. For about thirty years, he served the Shia community. His fight against British colonialism earned him permanent fame.
On the 24th of Sha’ban al-Azm 1312 AH (1895 AD), Mirza passed away in Samarra at the age of 82, and his body was buried in the shrine of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
The fatwa of Mirza Shirazi against tobacco monopoly had such an influence that Naser-ud-din Shah canceled his contract with the British company and had to pay compensation.
But this is not the end of the story of the anti-colonial struggles of the Shirazi family. Later in 1919, Mirza Mohammad Taghi Shirazi, known as Mirza The second, decreed Jihad against British colonialism, which became known as the 1920 Iraqi Revolution or the 10th Revolution.
In the initial stages, this movement was met with success and received widespread acceptance from the Shia and Sunni tribes of Iraq.
However, once the British agents succeeded in poisoning Mirza Mohammad Taqi Shirazi, the situation altered in favor of colonialists and they were able to take down the pro-independence protests.
The zeal for fighting colonialism and tyranny never ebbed in the Shirazi family, and was passed down to the next generations. Therefore, pro-colonialism forces continue their enmity towards this noble family.
