Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the Qom Seminary, 15 March 2016
Qom Seminary
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The Qom Seminary (Persian: حوزه علمیه قم) is the largest Islamic seminary (hawza) in Iran, established in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi in Qom.[1] It trains Usuli scholars.

History

See also: Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi

Although big Shi'a academies existed in Qom dating back as early as 10th century CE,[2] the hawza (seminarium) of the city became prominent at the time of the Safavids when Shi'a Islam became the official religion of Iran in the 16th century. The famous teachers of that era included Mulla Sadra and Shaykh Bahai. The modern Qom hawza was revitalized by Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi and Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi and is barely a century old. There are nearly three hundred thousand clerics in Iran’s seminaries.[3] Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani heads the Qom Seminary.

Law school

Because Sharia is legally binding in Iran, the Qom seminary also functions as a law school in Iran. Ebrahim Raisi, the former Chief Justice and former President of the Islamic republic of Iran, was one of the alumni of the Qom seminary.

All judges in the Islamic Republic of Iran must have received education in Islamic Law; most qadis are "members of the group of ruling clergies."[4]

Notable teachers

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ Walbridge, Linda S. The most learned of the Shiʻa: the institution of the Marjaʻ taqlid Oxford University Press, p.217.
  2. ^ "Thinking ahead: Shi'ite Islam in Iraq and its seminaries, Christoph Marcinkowsi, Nayang Technological University, Singapore" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  3. ^ A History of Tension between Iran's Clerics and the State, Mehdi Khalaji July 26th 2010 Washington Institute
  4. ^ "UPDATE: A Guide to the Legal System of the Islamic Republic of Iran - GlobaLex".

External links

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