Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i

Allameh tabatabaei, one of contemporary Shi'a Islam's greatest thinkers. Allameh Seyyed Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i ( 1892 - 1981 ) is one of the most prominent thinkers of contemporary Shia Islam . He was a prolific writer and an inspiring teacher, who devoted much of his life to non-political Islamic studies. His interests were varied and the scope of his learning was vast. His books number about forty-four titles, three of which are collections of his articles on various aspects of Islam and the Qur'an. Born in Iran , he studied at Najaf , where he developed his major contributions in the fields of tafsir (interpretation), philosophy, and history of the Shi'a faith. In philosophy the most important of his works is Usul-e falsafeh va ravesh-e-realism (The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism), which has been published in five volumes with explanatory notes and the commentary of Morteza Mutahhari. His other major philosophical work is a voluminous commentary of Asfar al-'arba'ah , the magnum opus of Mulla Sadra , the last of the great Muslim thinkers of the medieval age. Apart from these, he wrote extensively on philosophical issues. His humanist approach is underlined by his three books on the nature of man - before the world, in this world, and after this world. His philosophy is focused upon the sociological treatment of human problems. His two other works, Bidayat al-hikmah and Nihayat al-hikmah , are considered among works of a high order in Muslim philosophy. He wrote several treatises on the doctrines and history of the Shi'ah. One of these books comprises his clarifications and expositions about Shi'ah faith in reply to the questions posed by the famous French orientalist Henry Corbin . Another of his books on this topic Shi'ah dar Islam was translated into English by Seyyed Hossein Nasr under the title The Shi'ite Islam . These books serve as an excellent method by which popular misconceptions about the Shi'a faith may be removed and can furthermore pave the way for a better ecumenical understanding amongst the various Muslim schools of thought. If a single work is to be named as his masterpiece, al-Mizan can be mentioned immediately without hesitation, which is the outcome of the 'Allamah's lifelong labor in the sphere of Qur'anic studies. His method, style and approach are uniquely different from those of all other exegetes of the Qur'an. Among the many aspects of Allamah Tabatabaei's personality was his unprecedented success as a great and accomplished teacher. Among his pupils we find a group of such thinkers of eminence in their own right as Morteza Mutahhari, Beheshti, Hasanzadeh Amuli, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr . Allamah Tabatabaei was also an accomplished poet. He composed his poetry mainly in Persian , but occasionally in Arabic also. He was also the author of numerous articles and essays.¹