Ayatollah Sadr invited Ayatollah Boroujerdi to Qom to establish his supreme authority

According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr News Agency, in the year 1299 AH, the holy city of Kazmin, near the heavenly shrine of Imam Kazmin (peace be upon them), witnessed the rise of a star in the sky of knowledge and jurisprudence; Sayyid Muhammad Ali, who was later known by the famous title of Sadr al-Din. He was born in the holy city of Qom from a family with a long history and reputation in the field of jurisprudence and authority, namely the Jalil al-Qadr Sadr family. His noble mother, the honorable Lady Safiya, was the daughter of the rabbinical scholar Ayatollah Sayyid Hadi Sadr, who was himself considered a prominent figure in the seminary.

The Sadr family is a branch of the Sadat from the descendants of Sayyid Saleh Mousavi Ameli, headed by Sayyid Sadr al-Din Mousavi Ameli. This family is a descendant of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon them) and one of the famous religious families in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon that have served as the authority of Shiite followers in different centuries.

Sayyid Sadruddin spent his childhood and adolescence in the city of Samarra, a city that at that time, thanks to the presence of the great authority, Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi, had become the center of attention of the Shiite world. In this environment full of spirituality and knowledge, Sayyid Sadruddin cultivated the seeds of knowledge in his soul from the very beginning of his youth. He devoted himself to learning basic sciences, including mathematics, literature, and logic, in the presence of esteemed professors, and also completed the elementary levels of jurisprudence and principles during this period.

Learning from the presence of the great in the holy shrines

On his path full of ups and downs in acquiring divine knowledge, Sayyid Sadruddin also benefited greatly from the presence of famous professors and brilliant figures in the seminaries of Najaf Ashraf and Karbala. The great Ayatollahs Mirza Hossein Na’ini, author of the book Tanbiyyah al-Ummah wa Tanziyyah al-Millah, Sheikh Hassan Karbala’i and Agha Zia al-Din Iraqi are among his prominent teachers in the advanced level, in whose presence Sayyid Sadr al-Din entered the depths of the discussions of the late Sheikh Ansari’s Rasa’il and Makasib and the writings of Agha Zia al-Din Iraqi. In addition, the Ayatollahs Hajj Sheikh Abdul Karim Ha’eri Yazdi and Sayyid Abul Hasan Isfahani are also mentioned as teachers in his advanced level.

Around the years 1314 to 1331 AH, Sayyid Sadr al-Din attended the circles of the lessons of the greatest masters of knowledge in the ancient schools of Najaf and Karbala and was saturated with their boundless sea of ​​knowledge. His studentship in the presence of Ayatollahs Akhund Khorasani, Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Yazdi, Agha Reza Hamadani, Sheikh Taha Najaf and Sayyid Muhammad Bahr al-Uloom shows the depth of his studies and proficiency in religious sciences. After this fruitful period, he returned to the holy city of Karbala to complete his high academic degrees and remained with his father for many years, and was recognized as one of the prominent scholars and experts in the academic circles of that land. In addition to his academic activities, he also devoted himself to education and taught at a high school in Karbala, and in this regard, he wrote two valuable educational works entitled "Risalah fi al-Haqq" and "Mukhtasar Tarikh al-Islam".

Migration to Mashhad al-Rida (AS) and Scientific and Social Activities

In 1331 AH, a bitter ups and downs occurred in the life of Sayyid Sadr al-Din, and after the loss of his beloved wife and children, he left Iraq and headed for Iran. Upon the invitation and warm welcome of the scholars of the holy Mashhad, he settled near the heavenly court of Hazrat Thamen al-Hajj Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (may Allah be pleased with him) and in the Goharshad Mosque, he spread religious teachings, led congregational prayers, and guided and guided the people.

After about five years of blessed residence in Mashhad, in 1337 AH, due to the illness of his venerable father, he returned to Iraq. After his death, he returned to Mashhad for another five years and pursued his scientific and social activities with seriousness. It was during this period that he married the virtuous lady, Bibi Safiyeh, the daughter of the eminent authority Ayatollah Hajj Agha Hussein Qomi, and their first child, Seyyed Reza, was born in this holy city.

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Ayatollah Hajj Agha Hossein Qomi was a jurist residing in Najaf who took over the role of the marja’ after the death of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Hasan Isfahani. He protested against Reza Shah’s actions and was exiled from Iran to Iraq. The arrest of this prominent scholar by order of Reza Shah’s government paved the way for the gathering and incident at the Goharshad Mosque in July 1314.

During Seyyed Sadr al-Din’s stay in Mashhad, in addition to his scientific activities, he also devoted himself to establishing public buildings and providing social services to the people, and during the famine, with his effective actions, he saved the lives of many needy people. Also, electric lighting was introduced to the Goharshad Mosque for the first time through his efforts, and during the third period of his stay, in addition to his high scientific status, he enjoyed unparalleled popularity among the people.

Return to Najaf and then migration to Qom

In 1344 AH, Sayyid Sadr al-Din once again decided to visit Najaf and for more than two years, he attended the lessons of jurisprudence and principles of his esteemed teacher, Ayatollah Mirza Hossein Naeini, and gathered the harvest of his knowledge. In 1346 AH, at the invitation and request of the esteemed authority, the founder of the Qom Seminary, Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi, he migrated to the holy city of Qom and began teaching, leading congregational prayers, and guiding and guiding the people in this fledgling scientific center. After staying in Qom for about two years, he returned to Mashhad and continued his scientific and social activities. During his stay in Qom, he was also remembered for his numerous charitable acts, including digging water wells and building water reservoirs to solve the problems of water shortages and providing electricity to some deprived neighborhoods of the city.

Leadership of Qom Seminary after Ayatollah Ha'eri

In 1314, Ayatollah Seyyed Sadr al-Din Sadr returned to Qom permanently and played a significant role as an advisor and assistant to the faithful Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Abdul Karim Ha'eri in the administration and development of the Qom Seminary. After the death of the late Ayatollah Ha'eri in 1315, he, along with Grand Ayatollahs Seyyed Mohammad Hojjat and Seyyed Mohammad Taqi Khansari, assumed the important responsibility of leading the Qom Seminary as the "three authorities". During this dangerous period, which coincided with the increasing pressures of the Reza Shah Pahlavi regime and the unfortunate consequences of World War II, these three rabbinical scholars, with exemplary empathy, prudence, and patience, protected the Qom Seminary from the ravages of events and not only kept it afloat, but also endeavored to develop it to the best of their ability. During this period, Ayatollah Seyyed Sadr al-Din Sadr was practically the main axis of the seminary's administration due to his good management and public spirit. He played an effective role in preserving and expanding the institution of the clergy through numerous development and cultural measures, including the renovation of the seminary's schools and the dispatch of scholars and missionaries to different parts of the country.

Understanding the scientific and managerial position of Ayatollah Seyyed Hussein Boroujerdi, Ayatollah Sadr sent a group of scholars, including Imam Khomeini, to him to invite that distinguished scholar to attend the seminary of Qom, to this holy city.

With the arrival of the esteemed authority, Ayatollah Boroujerdi, to Qom in 1323 AH, Ayatollah Seyyed Sadr al-Din Sadr, with great magnanimity and precedence over others, stepped down from the position of president and leader of the seminary and handed over all responsibilities, including the place of teaching and conducting his congregational prayers, to him. After this resignation, he spent the last decade of his noble life teaching, researching, and writing, and until the moment of his death, he remained the supporter and refuge of the seminary, the students, and Ayatollah Boroujerdi. His response to those who were unhappy with this resignation was the noble verse, “That is the home of the Hereafter, We shall make it for those who do not desire exaltation in the earth or corruption, and the end is for the righteous,” which showed his asceticism and disinterest in worldly positions.

The late Hojjatoleslam Dr. Sadeghi, son-in-law of the late Ayatollah Sadr, says about this issue: “In the last seven or eight years of Mr. Sadr’s life, Mr. Boroujerdi took over the administration of the seminary, and Mr. Sadr entrusted all the administrative aspects of the seminary to him. In those circumstances, Mr. Sadr generally did not interfere in the affairs of the country at all. In the last few years of his life, the late Mr. Sadr withdrew from even the administration of the seminary and entrusted all matters to Mr. Boroujerdi.”

Ayatollah Seyyed Sadr al-Din Sadr passed away on January 5, 1953, corresponding to Rabi’ al-Thani, 1973 AH. Ayatollah Boroujerdi prayed over his holy body and buried him next to the grave of Ayatollah Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri, in the shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh (PBUH).