Name Mohammad al-Ansari | ||
Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein AlAnsari (born 1952) is a well known scholar of Twelver Shi'a Islam from Iraq and Australia.
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Importance of the Ulema in Shia Islam
According to the Shia faith, in the time of the absence of Imam Mehdi, the responsibility of moral leadership and guidance to the Shia people is given out by the Imams to orthodox scholars called ulama. Therefore, they hold an important position of responsibility in the Shia faith. There were many of them serving Shia Islam in all the periods after the absence of the twelfth Imam. Within Islam, they have pressed for a more logical and academically researched theology, and are increasingly promoting and encouraging new ideas and scientific thinking.
Family background
The Al Ansari family was one of the families that has given many scholars in all fields of knowledge and served Islam from the early days of the religion. This family is named after its ancestors who were the first helpers of the Prophet Mohammad; therefore, they were called Ansar and were mentioned in the Quran by this name. From this family was the famous companion of the Prophet and five of the Imams and the first Zair of Imam Husayn ibn Ali in the fortieth day after his martyrdom Jabber Bin Abdullah AlAnsari. Also, Sheikh Ala’adham AlAnsari (d. 1864) who was one of the greatest scholars of the Shiites in all times and all of the knowledge of Fiqh (jurisprudence) and Usul al-fiqh (principles) are based on his works which were written two hundred years ago. The other one is Ayatollah Sheikh Ahmed AlAnsari known as "Sheikh Agha" who had many honoured works and deeds; he was Sheikh AlAnsari’s grandfather. The other mentionable scholar of this family was Sheikh’s father, Sheikh Abdul Ghaffar Alansari who was well known among the ulama for his Iman (faith), goodness and knowledge.
Life
Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Hussein AlAnsari was born in Iraq in 1952. He was brought up into a family known for its religious background and scholarship. He gained much knowledge from his father AlHujah AlSheikh Abdul Ghaffar AlAnsari in the period of his academic studies. After finishing high school he went to Baghdad University to complete his studies. After finishing a degree in Civil engineering he went to Najaf AlAshraf in the middle of the seventies and started his studies in that well-known university of Islamic knowledge and law until he got the position of Ijtehad. He studied and taught there until the year 1991 when he migrated to the Holy city of Qum in Iran. His lecturers in Annajaf will be mentioned below. In Qum he continued teaching and attending the lectures of his cousin, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Ahmed Sebt Sheikh AlAnsari until the late Marjea died in about 1996 where he did not attend any other lectures and continued giving lectures in high levels of Fiqh (jurisprudence), Usool (principles), Aqaed (believes) Tafseer (commentaries on the Quran), etc., until he left Qum towards Australia in 1999. He is recently in Sydney, Australia serving the religion of Islam by his written works and lectures.
Educational background
Some of his lecturers in Annajaf AlAshraf were their eminences:
He is highly appreciated by the Olama and has a special position among them. Some of his degrees and qualifications are mentioned below. He has Ijtehad Degrees from their Eminences:
Other qualifications from their Eminences:
Ayatollah Sheikh AL Ansari has many books and written works which all in Arabic language and some are translated into English and made available through his official website www.ayatollahalansari.org such as:
1. Concise Treaties on The Rules of Hajj
2. Human Cloning: An Islamic Study on its Permissibility and Implications
3. Who and Why? Islamic Creed Answers
4. Ultimate Knowledge: Islamic Principles, Simplified
5. Infallibility in Shia School of Thought
6. A heartily talk with the Muslim Youth in the West