About

Mohsen Mohammadi Araki (Araki) was born in 1334 A.H. Sh. (1955 CE) into a virtuous scholarly family in the holy city of Najaf al-Ashraf.
His esteemed father, the late Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Habibullah Araki (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), was one of the great jurists and prominent scholars of the Najaf seminary, distinguished by a lofty scholarly rank that placed him among the foremost scholars of his time. He was also a pioneer in the field of religious service and social action. He was known for his piety, devotion, worship, and asceticism, as well as for his rare moral qualities. He held an eminent position in the realm of spiritual conduct and inner knowledge, marked by purity, sincerity, and spiritual perfections, and he was blessed with divine unveilings and mystical experiences.
His noble mother was the daughter of the great Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Safar Ali Araki (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), one of the senior jurists and ascetics of the Najaf seminary, author of numerous works in jurisprudence and legal theory, including a complete cycle of jurisprudential reasoning and a full course in principles of jurisprudence.

Teaching

From the very beginning of his studies, after completing each stage of learning, he would take on the responsibility of teaching the previous stage.
In Najaf, he taught the preliminary levels up to al-Lum‘a. After moving to Qom, he taught: Sharh al-Lum‘a, al-Rasa’il, al-Makasib, Nihayat al-Hikmah, Sharh al-Manzuma, al-Asfar, al-Isharat, Sharh al-Tajrid, and Kifayat al-Usul.
In Ahvaz, he taught al-Makasib, al-Rasa’il, and al-Lum‘a. In Haqqani School, he taught subjects such as Arabic composition, philosophy, and fundamentals of Islamic beliefs. After the martyrdom of Ayatollah Quddusi (may Allah’s mercy be upon him), he continued teaching at the Shahidayn School.

When he was sent to Britain as the Representative of the Supreme Leadership, he established a seminary in the capital and taught advanced jurisprudence (including discussions on Islamic governance and judiciary), usul al-fiqh, philosophy, al-Rasa’il, al-Makasib, Durus fi Usul al-Fiqh, and Qur’anic exegesis in Persian, Arabic, and English.

At present, His Eminence Ayatollah Araki (may Allah preserve him) continues teaching in the Qom seminary in the following fields: advanced usul al-fiqh, political system, economic system, cultural system, jurisprudence of urban development, principles of jurisprudence of the system, ilm al-rijal (biographical evaluation), and Qur’anic exegesis.

Authorship and Research

In 2012, he obtained a Ph.D. in Western Philosophy from the University of Portsmouth in Britain. His dissertation was titled Freedom and Causality.

Despite his many responsibilities, His Eminence has given great attention to writing, authoring numerous works in Persian, Arabic, and English, including:

A) Works in Persian:

  • Jurisprudence of the Political System (Vol. 1)

  • New Principles of Jurisprudence (Vols. 1 & 2)

  • Introduction to Islamic Mysticism

  • Studies on the Theoretical Foundations of Religious Government

  • Movements and Pioneers of the Islamic Awakening

  • Freedom and Causality

  • Imamate in the Qur’an

  • Principles of Sajjadi Mysticism

  • Islamic Economics (Vol. 1)

  • A Look at Prophethood and Imamate

  • Jurisprudence of the Cultural System (in progress)

  • Foundations of the Islamic Worldview

  • Critique of the Ideology of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization

B) Works in Arabic:

  • Divine Guardianship and the Guardianship of the Jurist

  • Introduction to the Method of Islamic Knowledge

  • Islamic Knowledge: Method and Conception

  • The Doctrine of Imamate in the Qur’an

  • The Treaty of Imam Hasan and the Revolution of Imam Husayn (peace be upon them)

  • Dialogue on Imamate

  • Introduction to Islamic Mysticism

  • The Theoretical Foundations of the Islamic State

  • The Basis of Governance in Islam

  • Landmarks of the New Usuli Thought

  • The Authority of the Companion’s Tradition: A Study and Critique

  • The Contemporary Islamic Awakening: Roles and Leaders

  • The Theory of Governance in Islam

  • Sighting of the Crescent Moon

  • Laws of Social Development in the Qur’an

  • Laws of Divine Leadership in History

  • The Book of Khums (Vols. 1 & 2)

  • Jurisprudential Standards for Husayni Rituals

  • The Book of Judiciary

  • Ownership of Minerals in Islamic Jurisprudence

  • The Principle of Causality and Free Will (in progress)

C) Works in English:

  • Contemporary Islamic Awakening

Other Scholarly Activities

His Eminence has written numerous articles published in journals such as Risalat al-Qur’an, Risalat al-Thaqalayn, Islamic Thought, and al-Tawhid (Arabic), among others.

He also wrote the introduction to the book Sharh al-Irshad by al-Muqaddas al-Ardabili, published in 1397 A.H. (lunar) after being edited and corrected by a group of scholars.

He has participated in editing scholarly works, including:

  • Maqalat al-Usul by al-Muhaqqiq al-Araki (may Allah rest his soul), in collaboration with Sayyid Mundhir Hakim.

  • Al-Lawaami‘ al-Ilahiyyah fi al-Mabahith al-Kalamiyyah by Miqdad al-Suyuri, in collaboration with Sayyid Ammar Aburaghif.
    Both were published by the Islamic Thought Center.

He also has ongoing jurisprudential works of reasoning (fiqh istidlali) in the fields of: prayer, Friday prayer, traveler’s prayer, ijtihad and taqlid, as well as in usul al-fiqh and philosophy.