Mahdi al-Modarresi

Mahdi Al-Husseini Almodarresi comes from a scholarly family which includes supreme religious jurists (Marja'a) such as Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Taqi Almodarresi . His father is Ayatollah Sayyed Hadi al-Modarresi , a prominent scholar, speaker, and author in the Islamic world who has published over 250 books. His is a well known family that dominated the Hawza (Islamic seminaries) of Karbala , Iraq – his native city - for many years. Sayed Mahdi Almodarresi's lineage goes back to the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad through his grandson Imam Hussain . . Under his father's tutelage, Sayed Mahdi followed a solid traditional curriculum, studying, step-by-step, the major classical works on the various disciplines of the Islamic law as well as the instrumental disciplines including the English language. A graduate of the Islamic Seminary of Damascus, and the Hawzah Ilmiyah of Qom, Sayed Mahdi Al Modarresi has reached the level of Al Sotouh Al Ulya (Upper Foundations). He has written 3 books in Arabic and 2 books in English and numerous papers on Islamic sciences as well as contemporary Islamic issues including social and political Islamic thought. Sayed Al Modarresi’s most recent Arabic book is a comprehensive analytical study of the prophetic narration known as Hadeeth Al Thaqalayn (Narration of the Two Precious Items) which looks into the religious implications of this controversial narration and provides a deep and thorough view of the Shia /Sunni arguments surrounding this Hadeeth. The former is a wide-ranging study of the main Islamic concepts regarding belief in God which represents the core principle within the Islamic doctrine. The book also focuses on the main Islamic theological arguments for the existence of the supernatural Creator. The latter is a deeply intellectual introduction to the religion of Islam to non-Muslims. The author has used a radically new and unorthodox approach to addressing this oversaturated yet intricately complex subject. Another work in progress is a collection of essays about contemporary problems facing Muslim youths with a special focus on challenges which are more tangible in the West. Issues which often receive less attention despite being rampant are thoroughly analyzed. The book, thus, includes chapters on pornography, alcohol, marriage, drugs, and masturbation. The author taps into intellectual reasoning as well as his years of youth counseling to offer solutions to such insistent issues. Another book published in 2004 was "No To Terrorism" examining the Shia stance from terrorism and how the very idea of violence is emphatically alien to the Shia school of thought. Al Modarresi lectures worldwide on traditional as well as contemporary Islamic issues and has spoken in countless mosques, churches, universities, and seminaries in 3 languages; English, Arabic, and Persian. He is a certified professional level translator (Arabic/English) as well as an accredited interpreter. Sayed Al Modarresi has also edited & supervised the translation of a book by Ayatollah Sayed Hadi al-Modarresi titled THE FACE OF DESPOTISM; A Psychoanalysis of the Personality of Saddam Hussein . Almodarresi has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and has appeared on TV and radio programs such as the BBC and the Ahlulbayt Satellite Channel . He has also lectured at universities and colleges on issues relating to Islam and is a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue, engaging in such discussions on a frequent basis. Almodarresi has traveled to over 30 countries worldwide preaching the message of Islam and introducing thousands to the teachings of the Shia faith. Often Almodarresi's annual travel itinerary includes Detroit, Washington DC, New York, London, Dubai Toronto, Los Angeles, Damascus, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Karbala , Baghdad, Orlando, and many other cities in Europe and the US as well as the Far East.¹