Ataollah Ashrafi Esfahani

Early life

Esfahani was born on 1902 in Khomeyni Shahr, a city located some 10 km to the west of the central city of Esfahan. His father (Mirza Asadollah) was one of the religious scholars and his mother Lady Najmeh was daughter of Sayyed Mohammad Taghi MirDamadi. He descends to one of the Jabal Amel(Arabic: جبل عامل‎‎) scholars who convert Islam in early times of Islam then his ancestors moved down to near Esfahan.

Education

Esfehani spent his preliminary studies in his birthplace, Sadeh (After the Islamic Revolution in Iran this city called Khomeyni Shahr). Then when he was 12 he went to Esfahan Hawza (seminary). He stayed for about a decade and benefited from such renowned scholars of Esfehan hawza (seminary) as Ayatollah Besharati, Hassan Modarres and others. On 1923 when he was 20, for continuing the education, he moved to Qom Seminary. At first he went to Razawieh Seminary (Persian: مدرسه رضویه‎‎) for one year, then he moved to Feyzieh Seminary (Persian: مدرسه فیضیه‎‎). After that, near one year, he attended the teaching sessions of Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi. After the death of Haeri Yazdi in 1937, he enjoyed the classes of Mohammad Taghi Khansari, Seyed Mohammad Hojjat Kuh-Kamari, and Seyed Sadreddin Sadr. At age forty, he got permission of Ijtihad (Persian: اجتهاد‎‎) from Mohammad Taghi Khansari. When Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi went to Qom, Ashrafi Esfahani attended teaching sessions of Borujerdi for 15 years.

The relationship with Khomeini

Since the beginning of his entry into the Qom Seminary, for his desirable traits such as virtue and his scientific and practical efforts, Ayatollah Khomeini paid attention to him. Khomeini said about him: «This our dear altar martyr that was martyred in last Friday, was the great person who I have devotion towards him. I know this Blessed person Almost sixty years.» and said:«For long years I had known him, admired his calm, peaceful, and assuring spirit, as well as vast knowledge and good deeds.» Also Ashrafi Esfehani said about Khomeini:«No one can be compared with Imam Khomeini.» After death of Boroujerdi, Ashrafi Esfehani tried to declare Khomeini as the Grand Marja'.

Personality

The following has been said bout him:

Going to Kermanshah

At first in 1956, he moved down to Kermanshah in order of Ayatollah Borujerdi to spread the teachings of Islam and reopening Seminary in Kermanshah. Then in 1963, Khomeini appointed him as his representative in Kermanshah. After victory of Islamic Revolution in Iran, on October 6, 1979, After asking people of Kermanshah, Khomeini selected him as Imam Jumu'ah of that city.

In Islamic Revolution in Iran

He was one of the fellowships of Khomeini in Iranian Revolution. Commemorating of demise of Mostafa Khomeini by Ashrafi Esfehani was the base of the revolutionary movement in Kermanshah. Some times thereafter, On January 5, 1978, with the publication of an insulting article in Ettela'at Newspaper against khomeini,against that article was demonstrated in many Iranian cities such as Kermanshah. Ataollah Ashrafi Esfahani was the leader of that demonstration in Kermanshah. In general, most of the demonstrations in Kermanshah were led by Ashrafi Esfahani.

Iran Iraq war

During the Iran-Iraq War he went to the war and spoke with Iranian Soldiers. Also he laid stress on presence of people in war in sermons of Jumu'ah prayers.

Trying to unite Sunni and Shia

He tried to unite Sunni and Shia in Kermanshah. For this he was going to Paveh, Javanrood and Ravansar the Sunni Cities of Kermanshah and had held many meetings with Sunni Scholars.

Books

Death

On Friday, October 15, 1982, after two unsuccessful attempts to kill him, in the third attempt one member of Mujahideen-e Khalq succeeded to kill him at the age of 80 when he was praying Jumua'h prayers.