The family of al-Qazwini (
Arabic: آل القزويني,
romanized: ʾĀl al-Qazwīnī), also transliterated in a number of other ways, including al-Qazweeni or al-Qazvini are an
Iraqi religious
Shia family that settled in
Karbala from
Qazvin, in the late 18th century.[1]
The family rose to great prominence in Iraq .[2] Members of the family are notable for being the
Ayatollahs of Karbala. Some of its members are founders of a number of Islamic centres in the United States.[3][4] Additionally the family claim
agnatic descent from
Muhammad's daughter
Fatimah, carrying the honorific title of
Sayyid, and the children of the females of this family whose fathers are non Sayyids carry the title
Mirza.
History and Lineage
The al-Qazwini family is a religious intellectual family, that followed through for generations. Its patriarch is Sayyid Muhammad-Baqir al-Qazwini, who is known as muallim al-sultan (teacher of the sultan) because he was the teacher of
Dowlatshah. He emigrated from his hometown, to Najaf in 1771, and then to Karbala, where he settled in 1783. Muhammad-Baqir was accompanied by his brother Muhammad-Ali al-Qazwini.[1]
The lineage of the al-Qazwini family is as follows:[5][6][7]
During the days of the
communist red tide, under the rule of
Abd al-Karim Qasim, Sayyid Murtadha al-Qazwini supported Ayatollah Sayyid
Muhsin al-Hakim'sfatwa deeming communism an infidelity and atheist. He took a strong stance against Qasim, by rejecting to join the
iftar he had prepared for the religious convoy in Ramadan, 1960, which lead to his imprisonment, making him the first cleric to become a political prisoner in Baghdad.[8]
Baathism
With the advent of the despotic
Baathist regime in the late 1960s and early 1970s, The al-Qazwini family and other Shia scholars and clerics increased efforts to educate the masses to combat the regime. Sayyid
Mortadha al-Qazwini and his first cousin, once removed, Sayyid
Mohammed Kadhim al-Qazwini were among the leading scholars in engaging in Islamic activism against the regime. After several years, the regime identified the al-Qazwini family as an ideological threat to his regime. In 1980, Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Sadiq al-Qazwini, was arrested and imprisoned by
Saddam Hussein because he did not support the Baathist regime.[9] Amnesty International deemed him as the oldest political prisoner in the world at the time. Following the few weeks after the
collapse of the regime in 2003, the family found documents verifying his death in Saddam's prisons.[citation needed]
Notable Members
First Generation
Muhammad-Baqir al-Qazwini was the son of Abd al-Karim al-Qazwini, he was an
alim and teacher. He was known as muallim al-sultan (teacher of the sultan) as he taught
Dowlatshah. He travelled from Qazvin to Karbala in 1783.[1]
Muhammad-Ali al-Qazwini was the son of Abd al-Karim al-Qazwini, he was an alim. He travelled with his brother Muhammad-Baqir to Karbala in 1783.[1]
Second Generation
Ibrahim al-Qazwini (1799–1848) was the son of Muhammad-Baqir al-Qazwini, he was a senior
jurist, and most famous for authoring Dhawabit al-Usul, which is a book of
usul courses by Sharif al-'Ulama. He also participated in the building of the wall of Samarra, as well as the gilding of the
iwan of the Abbas shrine.[10]
Muhammad-Tahir al-Qazwini (died 1911) was the son of Mehdi al-Qazwini, and grandson of Muhammad-Baqir. He was an alim, and was most known for authoring Hidayat al-Musnafin (Guiding the Ranks), a book on
Imamate. He is buried in the
Abbas shrine.[10]
Muhammad-Ridha al-Qazwini (died 1929) was the son of Muhammad-Hashim al-Qazwini, he was an alim and lead the prayers in the Husayn shrine after his father. He is buried in the Husayn shrine.[11]
Muhammad-Ibrahim al-Qazwini (died 1941) was the son of Muhammad-Hashim al-Qazwini, he was an alim and lead the prayers in the Abbas shrine. He is buried in the Husayn shrine.[12]
Fourth Generation
Muhammad-Mehdi al-Qazwini (died 1932) was the son of Muhammad-Tahir al-Qazwini, he was an alim and
poet. He is known for authoring Huda al-Musanafin (Guidance of the Ranks), a critique on
Shaykhism.[13] He is buried in the Husayn shrine.[14]
Muhammad-Hassan al-Qazwini (1879–1960) was the son of Muhammad-Baqir Agha-Mir al-Qazwini and grandson of Mehdi al-Qazwini. He is most known for authoring al-Imam al-Kubra (The Grand Imamate), a book that rebuts
Ibn Taymiyyah'sMinhaj al-Sunnah (Syllabus of the Sunnis).[15][16]
Muhammad-Husayn al-Qazwini (died 1939) was the son of Muhammad-Tahir al-Qazwini, he was a senior
grand ayatollah, and lead the prayers in the Abbas shrine. He is buried in the Abbas shrine.[17][18]
Hussain al-Qazwini (died 1947) was the son of Muhammad-Baqir al-Qazwini, and grandson of Ibrahim al-Qazwini. He was an alim, and one of the disciples of
Mirza Muhammad-Taqi al-Shirazi, and supported him throughout the
Iraqi revolt of 1920. He was imprisoned in
Hillah with other freedom fighters. He is buried in the Husayn shrine.[19]
Muhammad-Kadhim al-Qazwini (1930–1994) was the son of Muhammad-Ibrahim al-Qazwini, he was an alim, poet and
orator. He was most known for his Min al-Mahd Ila al-Lahd (From the Cradle to the Grave) series on the biographies of the
Ahl al-Bayt. He is buried in the Husayn shrine.[20]
Muhammad-Sadiq al-Qazwini (1900–disappeared in 1980) was the son of Muhammad-Ridha al-Qazwini, he was an alim. He was abducted by the Baath regime in 1980, and has disappeared ever since.[21]
Fifth Generation
Muhammad-Salih al-Qazwini (1900–1956) was the son of Muhammad-Mehdi al-Qazwini, he was an alim and orator. He is most famous for authoring al-Mawidha al-Hasina (The Good Instruction), which is a critique of
Ali al-Wardi'sWuadh al-Salatin (The Sultans Preachers'). He is buried in the Abbas shrine.[22][23]
Ibrahim Shams al-Din al-Qazwini (1900–1981) was the son of Hussain al-Qazwini, he was an alim and
researcher. He is most known for authoring al-Buyutat al-Alawiya Fi Karbala (The Alid Households of Karbala).[21][24][25]
Hashim al-Qazwini (died 2009) was the son of Muhammad-Sadiq al-Qazwini. He was a jurist.[26] He is buried in the Abbas shrine.[27]
Murtadha al-Qazwini (b. 1930) is the son of Muhammad-Sadiq al-Qazwini. He is a renowned jurist, poet and orator. He gives lectures in the Husayn shrine every Thursday night. He is the founder of the Imam al-Sadiq School for Orphans and the al-Hujja Hospital in Karbala.[28]
Sixth Generation
Baqir al-Qazwini (died 1974) was the son of Muhammad-Salih al-Qazwini, he was an alim, and most known for performing marriage and divorce contracts. He was a firm supporter of al-shaaer al-husayniya (the Husayni symbols). He is buried in the Abbas shrine.[29]
Jawad al-Qazwini (born 1953) is the son of Muhammad-Salih al-Qazwini, he is an alim and orator. He founded the Sayyida Zaynab School of Oratory in
Damascus and Karbala.[30][31]
Mohammed al-Qazwini (born 1962) is the son of Murtadha al-Qazwini, he is an alim and orator.[33]
Hassan al-Qazwini (b. 1964) is the son of Murtadha al-Qazwini, he is an alim and orator. He is the founder and director of the Islamic Institute of America in
Dearborn Heights, Michigan.[34]
Hossein al-Qazwini (born 1982) is the son of Murtadha al-Qazwini, he is an alim and orator.[33]
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