Allamah Majlisi, an immortal scholar

Every year on the 30th of the Iranian month of Mordad corresponding to August 21, the Islamic Republic marks "Allamah Mohammad Baqer Majlisi Day” in honour of this celebrated scholar of the Safavid era, among whose services to the promotion of Islam amongst the people is compilation of the famous 110-volume Hadith Encyclopedia "Behaar al-Anwaar” (Oceans of Lights).

One of the most prolific scholars in the history of Islam, Mullah Mohammad Baqer or Majlisi the Second was born in Isfahan in 1037 AH to the scholar Mullah Muhammad Taqi, known as Majlisi, whose own father Mullah Maqsoud Ali was also a scholar. As a matter of fact, the Majlisi family traced their descent from the celebrated Iranian scholar of the 5^th century AH, Abu Nu’aym Isfahani, the author of several books, including Tarikh-e Isfahan and Hilyat al-Owliya.

Under the tutelage his father, Mohammad Baqer Majlisi acquired much of his education, starting at a tender age of four. He voraciously read the books of the scholars of the past and knew that there still existed scores of yet to be properly studies books belonging to scholars of the School of the Ahl al-Bay of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). So he took it upon himself to compile a collection of every single narration that was attributed to an Infallible Imam.

After several years, he produced the renowned Behaar al-Anwaar, his 110-volume magnum opus that contains narrations of the Infallible Imams on every topic imaginable, ranging from articles of belief and issues of jurisprudence to recommendations on personal hygiene and matters of everyday routine.

However, it must be kept in mind that Allamah's goal was to collect every single narration available, not sift through and find the reliable ones, so only a trained scholar can determine which ones are authentic.

In addition, he wrote several other noteworthy books, including Mirat ul-Uqool ("Mirror of Intellects") and His three-volume Hayat ul-Quloub (a historic account starting with Prophet Adam and culminating with a discussion regarding the Infallible Imams). Many of his works have been translated into English and other world languages.

In addition to dozens of volumes of books, Allamah Majlisi also produced over a hundred jurists, among them his own daughter. An extremely pious man, he had a keen sense of humor. During the compilation of Behaar al-Anwaar, one of his students once brought in a book in which the Allamah found a few crumbs of bread. He jovially remarked to his student, "Young man, if you wish, I will give you a cloth on which to keep your bread while you eat it! Oh my students, I wish that you are more considerate about these books. I hope you don't eat on them or leave them in the sun or use them to swat flies!"

Majlisi had a large circle of students, and was an astonishingly prolific author. His influence as a teacher was enormous. Several of his students became scholars in their own right and are known as the authors of important works of the religious sciences and ṭabaqaat, such as his son-in-law Mohammad-Ṣaleḥ Ḵhatounabadi, Seyyed Ne’matollah Jazaeri, and Sulayman bin Abdullah Baḥraani.

Majlisi collected his traditions from numerous earlier sources. As examples, we can mention a few of the works from which he derived the hadiths in the present collection, works which have been independently published in modern times.

Majlisi’s influence on the intellectual history of Islam, the politics of 18th century Safavid Iran, and the religious-cultural unification of Iran as a nation was enormous. Several biographers go so far as to suggest a direct connection between Majlisi’s death and the final decline of the Safavid Empire within the following two decades.

In post-Islamic Revolutionary Iran Majlisi continues to be held in high esteem.   Since the 1990s, his works have been published in many new editions, as well as in Arabic, Persian, English, Turkish, and Urdu translations.

Allama Majlisi fervently upheld the concepts of “enjoining the good” and “prohibiting evil”. He played an active role in society as the Sheikh ol-Islam or Chief Scholar of the realm, a position entrusted to him by Shah Solayman Safavi and Shah Sultan Hussain Safavi. He wrote books on everything from how to wear clothes to proper association with females, and treatments and cures for many illnesses and diseases. Allamah Majlisi criticized some philosophical ideas in his works, saying Muslim philosophers should not be misled by the ancient Greek philosophers, and should use the holy Qur'an and Hadith, as the basis of their thoughts. In other words, he considered the usage of intellect permissible only if its findings are in agreement with religious principles.

He himself has used rational and philosophical arguments, but in the proper framework of the holy Qur’an and the Hadith. Allamah Majlisi also criticized Sufism in his works and regarded the thoughts, habits and manners of the Sufis as against the teachings of the Prophet and the Infallible Ahl al-Bayt, although he was not against asceticism and self-purification if these concepts were in accordance with religious teachings.

Allamah Mohammad Baqer Majlisi passed away in his hometown Isfahan on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in the year 1110 AH at the age of seventy three. He was buried besides of his scholarly father, Mullah Mohammad Taqi Majlisi, next to the historical Jame’Mosque of Isfahan.

FK/AS/ME