Mullah Habibullah Sharif Kashani

Mullah Habibullah Sharif Kashani, Iranian jurisconsult, born in 1845. After his father’s death (1853), he was brought up by one of his father’s students “Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Kashani” (d.1878) and also studied in his presence for ten years. Mullah Habib travelled to Isfahan and continued his studies in the presence of “Miraz Mahdi Kalbasi”. Also in Tehran he studied under the following masters:
1- Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Kashani (d. 1876)
2- Sheikh Muhammad Isfahani ####
3- Mulla Hadi Mudarres Tehrani (d. 1877)
4- Mullah Abdul Hadi Tehrani
5- Mirza Muhammad Andremani
6- Mirza Abul Qasem Tehrani [Kalantar] (d. 1820 – 1873)

In 1864, he travelled to Iraq to study in the presence of “Sheikh Murteza Ansari”, but when he arrived, the scholar had died, therefore he decided to continue his studies under celebrated jurisconsult “Mullah Muhammad Fazel Ardakani”. Then returned to Iran and went to Golpayegan in order to study in the presence of great scholar “Mullah Zain al-Abedin Golpayegani” , but he was ill and could not teach, although Mullah Habib could not study but Ayatollah Golpayegani gave him helpful advice on his personal life. Ayatollah Sharif had political activities. Constitution of Iran was the most importan political issue of that time; first he agrred with the constitution but when it was deviated from its general plan, he tended to disagree.

Some of his students:
1- Seyyed Muhammad Alawi Boroujerdi (d. 1942)
2- Seyyed Ali Yathrebi (1893 – 1959)
3- Seyyed Hossein Razawi ( 1874 – 1939)
4- Mirza Ahmad Arani (1863 – 1949)
5- Mullah Abdul Rasul Madani
6- Seyyed Khalil Allah Faqih
7- Mirza Hossein Mahalati
8- Muhammad Qarawi Kashani
9- Seyyed Fakhr al-Din Imamat
10- Sheikh Muhammad Solaymani
11- Reza Madani Kashani

Works:
Ayatollah Sharif around 300 books and treatises but only 200 of them are known.
1- Muntaqed al-Manafe’ (on jurisprudence), this book is his most important work. Most of the contemporary jurisconsult know this book as the Shia encyclopedia.

Ethics: On giving advice (poem), On complaining (poem), Road of guidance, Spiritual fleshes, Essence of purpose, Lights of fasters (faster is a Muslim who fasts during Ramadan), Introduction of teaching and learning.
Methodology (Osul): Treatise on association, Treatise on suspicion, Explanation of “Meftah al-Osul” (Key of methodology) , etc.
Literature: The chosen essays from the book “the positions”, Badr al-Balaqeh ,etc.
Commentary: commentary of the following surahs (chapters of the Quran):
Kothar (Plenty) / Fateha (The opening) / Insan (Every man) / Mulk (Control) / Al-e Imran (The House of Imran) / Jom’eh (Friday) / A’laa (Glory to Your Lord in the Highest) / Tawhid (Sincerity) / Fat’h (Victory).
History: Biography of martyrs
Theology (Kalam): Marginal notes on “The beliefs” (written by Saduq), Sun of the east, The Devil, Treatise on “Raj’at” (Returning), The valuable jewels (poem).
Jurisprudence: Expalnation of blood-mony and punishment, Treatise on “acts of haj”, The collection of glosses, Muntaqed al-Mnafe’ vol. 1-8), Muntaqed al-Manafe’ (vol.13), On music, Treatise on “inheritance”, Gloss on the scientific treatise (written by Sheikh Murteza Ansari) , etc.
Theosophy: The secrets of theosophists, Strophic poem, Gardens of theosophy (poem) , etc.
Literature and theosophy: The hidden pearls
Syntax: Summary of sytactic words, Lights of darkness, etc.
Explanation of Islamic prayers: Key of prosperity, Beliefs of faith, Explanation of the prayer “Wareth” , etc.
Strange sciences: Treatise on “arithmetic”, Rules of arithmetic, etc.
Poems: On praising Imam Ali (p.b.u.h), Elefies, Gardens of secrets and Virtues of the Imams.
And many other books on: Hadith, Rhetoric, Inflexion, Ethics & jurisprudence, Logic, Mathematics, Terms of Sufism, Some stories and a book of his collected poems.

Ayatollah Sharif died in 1921 in Kashan.

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