Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei

Training under Mohammad Hossein Gharavi Isfahani, Haj Mirza Sayyed Ali Aqa Qadhi Tabatabai Tabrezi and Muhammad Hossein Naini is recorded. Hussein-Ali Montazeri, Abul-Fazl Nabavi and Naser Makarem Shirazi are recorded as having studied under Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei. The recorded working language is Azerbaijani, Arabic and Persian. The field of work recorded is fiqh, tafsir and Islamic philosophy. Works named in the authority record are Tafsir al-Mizan, Shi'ite Islam and The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism.

• Name — Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i • Born — 16 March 1903 • Birthplace — Tabriz, Iran • Died — 15 November 1981 • Place of death — Qom, Iran • Era — 20th-century philosophy • Region — Iranian philosophy • School Tradition — Twelver Shia • Institutions — Qom Hawza • Spouse — Ghamar Sadat Mahdavi (1923–1964, her death) Mansoureh Rozbeh (1966–1981, her death) • Main Interests — * Epistemology • hadith studies • Islamic metaphysics • mysticism • ontology • Quranic exegesis • Notable Ideas — Interpreting the Quran with the Quran

He received his earlier education in his native Tabriz, mastering the elements of Arabic and the religious sciences, and at about the age of twenty set out for the Shiite seminary of Najaf to continue more advanced studies. He studied under masters such as Ali Tabatabaei (in gnosis), Mirza Muhammad Husain Na'ini, Sheykh Muhammad Hossein Qaravi Esfahani (in Fiqh and Jurisprudence), Sayyid Abu'l-Qasim Khwansari (in Mathematics), as well as studying the standard texts of Avicenna's Shifa, the Asfar of Sadr al-Din Shirazi, and the Tamhid al-qawa'id of Ibn Turkah.

Sayyid Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Qāḍī Tabataba'i Tabrīzī was born in 1902 (1281 AH) in the village of Shādābād Mashāyikh, near Tabriz. He lost his mother at the age of five and his father at the age of nine. Following the will of his father, the guardian sent him and his only brother, Muḥammad-Ḥasan Ilāhī Tabataba'i, to a traditional religious school. Between 1911 and 1917 (1290–1296 AH), he studied the Qur’an and classical Persian literature. Then, from 1918 to 1925 (1297–1304 AH), he pursued Islamic sciences, completing what he described as "...the core curriculum, except for philosophy and mysticism." He wrote the following about his early studies: For six years (1911–1917), after learning the Qur’an—which was the primary focus of early education at the time—Tabataba'i studied texts such as Golestān and Būstān by Saadī Shirazi. Along with his literary studies, he studied calligraphy under the supervision of Mīrzā ʿAlī Naqī Khaṭṭāṭ. He later enrolled at the Ṭālibiyya School in Tabriz to pursue more advanced studies. There, he studied Arabic grammar, and transmitted sciences, jurisprudence, and legal theory from 1918 to 1925 (1297–1304 AH).

After completing his studies at the Ṭālibiyya School, Tabataba'i went to Najaf with his brother and spent ten years studying Islamic sciences there. He studied mathematics under Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim Mūsavī Khwānsārī, the grandson of Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim Khwānsārī (Mīrkabīr). He also studied jurisprudence and legal theory under scholars such as Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Nāʾīnī and Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Gharawī Iṣfahānī, devoting ten years in total to these subjects. His teacher in philosophy was the sage Sayyid Ḥusayn Bādkūbāʾī, with whom he and his brother Muḥammad-Ḥasan Ilāhī Tabataba'i studied extensively in Najaf. He also learned metaphysics, Qur’anic exegesis (interpreting the Qur’an through the Qur’an itself), philosophy, ethics, and *fiqh al-ḥadīth* under Sayyid ʿAlī Qāḍī Tabataba'i, under whose supervision he progressed in mystical knowledge. According to Maḥmūd Amjad, “ʿAllāma’s state would change upon hearing the name of Sayyid ʿAlī Qāḍī.”

Due to financial hardship during his time in Najaf and the discontinuation of income from their agricultural land in Tabriz, Tabataba'i was forced to return to Iran. He spent ten years in the village of Shādābād near Tabriz engaged in farming and agriculture. His son, Sayyid ʿAbd al-Bāqī Tabataba'i, stated: “During the ten years after ʿAllāma’s return from Najaf to the village of Shādābād, due to his continuous efforts, the qanats were cleaned, the ruined orchards were revived and replanted, several new gardens were established, and even a summer house was built for the family’s seasonal residence.”

After residing in Tabriz for some time, Tabataba'i decided to move to Qom, a decision he finalized in 1946 (1325 AH). According to his son, they initially stayed at a relative’s house, later renting a home with a small two-part room totaling about 20 square meters. When he first arrived in Qom, he was known as “Qāḍī,” but due to his lineage from the Tabataba'i sayyids, he preferred to be called by that name. He wore simple clothes: a small turban, a cotton robe of blue fabric, his cloak unbuttoned, without socks, and overall with fewer garments than customary. He lived in modest housing and had few acquaintances in Qom, including Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥujjat Kuh-Kamari. Among his achievements in Qom was his designing of the Ḥujjatiyya School. Initially, this school had limited capacity, so Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥujjat Kuh-Kamari purchased several thousand square meters of adjacent land. Architects and designers from cities such as Tehran submitted plans, but none was satisfactory. Eventually, Tabataba'i submitted his own design, which was approved, and the new building was constructed based on his plan.

In Najaf, Tabataba'i 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-i 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 Motahhari. If Ayatollah Haeri is considered the reviver of Qom's hawza in an organizational sense, Tabataba'i's contributions to the field of tafsir, philosophy and mysticism represent the intellectual revitalization of the hawza with lasting implications for the curriculum.

Although primarily recognized for his philosophical and exegetical contributions, Tabataba'i also composed poetry in both Persian and Arabic. His poetry addresses themes such as divine love, metaphysical reflection, and spiritual inquiry. One collection of his Persian poetry is titled Kish-e Mehr (The Creed of Love), which includes over 200 ghazals composed in a style that combines classical Persian lyric forms with themes drawn from Islamic spirituality and Shiʿi metaphysics. The poems reference concepts commonly found in Islamic mysticism (ʿirfān). In fear that they might be exploited and "...misused by the wicked offsprings of worldliness, unjust rulers, and irreligious governments," otherwise fearing his religious works would be dismissed by the Iranian clergy due to his status as a poet, Tabataba'i burned and destroyed many of his poems.

Tabataba'i was of the lineage of the Tabataba'i Sayyids of Azerbaijan, and he was related to Sayyid ‘Ali Qāḍī and Sayyid Muhammad ‘Ali Qāḍī Tabataba’i. Tabataba’i’s first wife, Qamar al-Sādāt Mahdavī Tabataba’i, was a relative of his who died in 1964 (1343 AH), and two years later he married his second wife, Mansoureh Ruzbeh, the sister of Reza Ruzbeh. She was a descendant of Abd al-Wahhab Tabrizi, whose lineage is said to trace back to Hasan al-Muthanna, the son of the second Shi‘i Imam, Hasan ibn Ali.

An event pertinent to the intellectual life of Tabataba'i during his time in Qom was the arrival of Henry Corbin from France to Iran and his meetings with Tabataba'i in Qom and Tehran. These meetings, which led to the formation of a significant philosophical circle of that era, were initiated by Henry Corbin. Many later contemporary Iranian philosophers, alongside Corbin, studied philosophy and engaged in extensive philosophical discussions with Tabataba'i. Corbin, a Heideggerian philosopher, had come to Iran in search of answers to his unanswered questions, hoping to find them in the presence of Tabataba'i, who was seen as an interpreter of Shia philosophy. Corbin himself acknowledged that Tabataba'i provided him with precise and convincing answers. When Corbin came to Iran, he established relationships with many Iranian scholars. However, Corbin was especially interested in connecting with scholars who were engaged with literature, art, and philosophy of Iran, rather than those considered “intellectuals,” who were often individuals that had studied in the West. During this same period, Corbin, along with Tabataba'i, formed a philosophical circle in Tehran. The meetings were held at the home of Ahmad Dhū al-Majd Tabataba'i, a lawyer with specific interest in divine philosophy. Both Corbin and Tabataba'i emphasized the role of taʾwīl (esoteric interpretation) in gaining knowledge. Tabataba'i believed that true spirituality was impossible without taʾwīl; this shared perspective created a common horizon between the two philosophers, allowing for meaningful dialogue. The sessions, attended by various recognized Iranian professors of philosophy and theology, continued for years in northern Tehran, involving extensive discussions on Shia philosophy. Corbin's connection with scholars like Tabataba'i and Sayyid Jalāl al-Dīn Āshtiyānī was one of the most significant events in his life, as he believed they were the continuers of the same divine wisdom whose 'light' had never gone out in Iran since ancient times. According to Corbin, Iranian thought serves as the guardian and preserver of a heritage that transcends a limited national outlook, resembling a spiritual world in which guests and pilgrims from other places are welcomed and hosted. Corbin deeply believed that Iranian-Islamic philosophy was an indestructible wisdom, and he often spoke of the “indestructible potential of the Iranian spirit.”

Tabataba'i did not participate in the Iranian revolution. He and Ruhollah Khomeini were among the clerics who, alongside teaching jurisprudence, were also committed to philosophy, unlike the common approach in the seminary. However, it is said that Tabataba'i’s classes were more vibrant than Khomeini’s. Even before the revolution, Tabataba'i and Khomeini did not have a warm relationship. Tabataba'i was Khomeini’s tenant, and his rent had been delayed for several months. But Mortazā Pasandideh, Khomeini’s brother, refused to grant an extension, and Tabataba'i was forced to vacate the house. Najmeh Sādāt Tabataba'i, Tabataba'i’s daughter and the wife of Ali Qodusi, confirmed the essence of this incident but provided a different version. She stated: “They spread a lot of misinformation about the relationship between the Imam and ‘Allāma Tabataba'i…” and said: “The Imam Khomeini sent a message saying that if you want to stay, I will pay the rent from the Imam’s share (khums), but my father, since he didn’t use the Imam’s share, said: ‘We will not live in a house paid for by the Imam’s share,’ and therefore they left.” Mohsen Kadivar, a religious scholar, stated that after Qodusi's assassination, some went to express condolences to Tabataba'i, and he said: “This revolution had one true martyr who was martyred in utter injustice—and that was Islam.” Or, in another version: “The first martyr of the revolution was Islam.” According to Kadivar, this sentence by Tabataba'i was a concise and precise statement. Mohammad-Hossein Qodusi, Tabataba'i’s grandson, denied this narrative, writing that his grandfather “had a clear and distinct political stance” in opposition to Khomeini. In Khomeini’s view, the transformation and reform of society was based on political and governmental change, though Tabataba'i viewed social reform as being centered on cultural, social, and human transformation. Najmeh Sādāt Tabataba'i, the wife of Ali Qodusi, stated that during the two months that Tabataba'i lived after her husband’s death, he was hospitalized for a heart problem, and due to his poor condition, they could not inform him of his son-in-law’s passing.

Tabataba'i did not hold an optimistic view of the West. He repeatedly portrayed Western civilization as a symbol of corruption and moral decay in his opinions. In Tafsīr al-Mīzān, when discussing law, he criticizes Western legal systems by saying, “Modern civilization enacts and implements its laws based on the whims of the majority.” Tabataba'i asserted that the laws of Western nations are not based on moral principles, and thus lead to societal corruption and the breakdown of law and order (ibid., p. 173). Ahmad Ahmadi stated that Tabataba'i’s view of the West changed after his medical trip to London. Ahmadi says: Tabataba'i was not fond of the customs and ethics of European nations. However, his medical trip altered his opinions.

The authorities additionally record the headings Muhammed Hüseyin Tabâtabâî, al-ʿAllāma al-Ṭabāṭabāʾī and ‘Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i. His recorded languages were Azerbaijani, Arabic and Persian. His recorded confession was Islam.