33 replies to this topic

[Madre de Zahra]

Bismillahi-rRamaani-rRaheem

Assalam alaikum wr wb,

InshaAllah, everyone is in good health.

Here is the update for the classes by Ayatollah Seyed Reza Hosseini
Nassab www.hoseini.org :

Date: Every Saturday

Start Date: September 15th, 2007

Time: 4pm - 6pm

Venue: Bilal Muslim Community Centre,120 Bermondsey Rd. Toronto, Ontario M4A
1X5(Imam Ali Centre)

Contact Person: AbdulRazaq Raji, 647-341-1847, abdulrazaq.raji@gmail.com

Subject: Philosophy (Other Subject(s) Will be added, if all goes well)

Text: TBA

Cost: Non (Bilal Muslim Community appreciates donations)

Class Nature: Continuous, fully open to both brothers and Sisters

Lectures online availability: TBA, Working on

Availability of babysitting: TBA. Working on

Please, confirm your interest of attendance by replying to this email.

Please forward this email to other brothers/sisters who will benefit,
inshaAllah.

Also, let us know if you know anyone who will be interested to babysit
for a reasonable charge. Babysitting hours will insahaAllah be from
3:30 - 6:30 at the program venue.

Thanks,

[rahat]

Salaam,

How long will Ayatollah Nassab be in town? Does he speak English?

-
rahat

[Madre de Zahra]

He speaks English, German, Arabic, and Farsi that I know of for sure.

He lives here.

And also something has come up and classes won't start till after Shahr Ramadhan.

I believe (not positive) he is the mowlana at Al Huda masjid.

[ahmad98]

Salamunalaikum sister.

I hope you are in good health. i know this post is long out dated but i find it my resposibility to inform you that Mawlan a hosseini nassab is not an ayatolllah let alone a marja. Ask mawlana baqiri, mawlana mesbah moosavi, mawlana rizvi, and EVERY other mawlana and they will tell you the exact same. He is now claiming to be a marja when the great scholars of Iran do not even know about this. This is a lie and do not be fooled.

Islamically, he must be recommended by other scholars and must teach a couple of mujtahids in order to be one. How can he claim such a position when Alema Tabatabei refused such a position? Again, this is false and is being taken care of presently by the great scholars.

Allahuma ajil li waliyakal faraj

[Aal-e-Imran]

I came here to say that he is not an Ayatullah, but it seems that the member above has already explained it. Moulana Baqri was in Iran first week or so of Ramadhan and got it confirmed from the offices that there is no Ayatullah present in Toronto.

Edit - Oh dry, I just realized this is like a 2 year old thread.

Wassalam

Edited by Aal-e-Imran, 29 September 2009 - 10:52 AM.

[Qaid313]

Ya Allah
Salams

Why such an attack on Hojjat al-Islam Sayyed Ritha Nasab?

Quote

Salamunalaikum sister.

I hope you are in good health. i know this post is long out dated but i find it my resposibility to inform you that Mawlan a hosseini nassab is not an ayatolllah let alone a marja. Ask mawlana baqiri, mawlana mesbah moosavi, mawlana rizvi, and EVERY other mawlana and they will tell you the exact same. He is now claiming to be a marja when the great scholars of Iran do not even know about this. This is a lie and do not be fooled.

Islamically, he must be recommended by other scholars and must teach a couple of mujtahids in order to be one. How can he claim such a position when Alema Tabatabei refused such a position? Again, this is false and is being taken care of presently by the great scholars.

Allahuma ajil li waliyakal faraj

Shame on you for your false accusations against Sayyed Nasab,and who are the great scholars taking care of this? Please provide names not just speculation.

Shame on this umma.

Salams
thewave

Edited by Qaid313, 03 October 2009 - 04:38 AM.

[Qaid313]

Ya Allah
Salams

Also, http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm, http://www.hoseini.org/bio1.htm

Please be careful before slandering this amazing person.

With salams and dua's
thewave

Edited by Qaid313, 03 October 2009 - 04:39 AM.

[Qaid313]

Ya Allah
Salams

Also found this...
http://www.hoseini.org/ejazaha.htm


Wa Salam

[alpha0123210]

Aal-e-Imran, on 29 September 2009 - 10:45 AM, said:

I came here to say that he is not an Ayatullah, but it seems that the member above has already explained it. Moulana Baqri was in Iran first week or so of Ramadhan and got it confirmed from the offices that there is no Ayatullah present in Toronto.

Edit - Oh dry, I just realized this is like a 2 year old thread.

Wassalam

Dear brother and sisters,

Salamun Alaykum,

As a person who has known Mr. Hosseini Nassab for years, I should say that he is one of the greatest scholars of Shia Islam. Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani had compared him with Shahid Mutahhari.

Also I know that he is a mujtahid and has written more than 40 books on a variety of topics, including fiqh, rijal, hay'ah, osool of fiqh, etc. which are vital for being a Shia jurist.

Before judging him please read his books on fiqh, rijal, hay'ah, osool of fiqh, etc. and compare it to the works of other marjas. I am not saying that other marjas (whom I respect them all) are less than him. I am saying that before you pass a judgment about a scholar first read his/her books, or if you don't understand the books (because they might be in an advanced level) ask two "aadil" (righteous) persons with Islamic studies background to compare him with other scholars. You can read his books at http://www.hoseini.org/booka.htm (from his English website) and http://www.hoseini.org/book.htm (from his Farsi website). His books on Shia jurisprudence (fiqh, rijal, hay'ah, osool of fiqh) are in Arabic, but he also has books in other languages including English, Farsi, Urdu, Turkish, and German.

Remember that in order to be a great scholar one does not have to live in Qum or Najaf. And also remember that there is a judgment day and we will be asked to answer to for every single thing that we do in this world.

Unfortunately there has been a fitna within the Iranian community where some people want to prevent the community to buy a mosque for themselves and therefore they have targeted Ayatollah Hosseini Nassab by fabricating letters and forging signatures. May Allah help the Iranian community to overcome this fitna.

Wassalam

[ahmad98]

In the name of Allah the most mercifull,

1. recently seyed hosseini nasab claimed to be the most knowledgeable mojtahed. when someone claims to be a physician or surgeon, what do others do? They refer to the association of physicians and surgeons, if they approved of him, or if that person displays his certificate, we may trust him. How come mr. Hosseini Nasab who does not hesitate to put a public library card as a proof of his research, does not bring some cerified letter from marjas acknowledging his ijtehad, let alone be a mujtahed.

2. All religious scholars in both Toronto and Montreal including Mawlana Rizvi, Mawlana Jazaeri, Mawlana Mesbah Moosavi, Mawlana Baqeri and mawlana al Haj Seyed Nabil Abas in Montreal reject and deny that Seyed Reza Hoseini Nasab be a Mojtehed let alone marja.

3. A marja is an Ayatollah Al-Ozma like Wahid Khorasani who spent more than all of Hosseini Nasab's life (more than 50 years) in teaching and raising numbers of Mojtaheds.

4. How come no Marja is ready to support Hossein Nasab's claims?

5. Did you ever wonder why in his website,he mentions the deceased Marjas as his teachers and not the alive marjas? Because they are dead and can not deny his claim. but the current majas are avilable and are not ready to write anything in supporting his claims.

6. some people try to minimize the issue of marjaeiat by saying that there are some Aalims who do not like Hosseini Nasab to buy Jaffari Mosque. But this is a wrong justifications; how come all Alims in both Montreal and Toronto are against Hosseini Nasab?!

7. Hosseini Nasab is not a Mojtahed. He is 50 years old. lets assume he spent 15 years for his childhood and elementory school, 8 years in Hawzeh, 7 years working as a clerk in Tehran Ministry of Irshad, 20 years in Germany and Canada. So could you ask him when did he have time to learn, to teach to become a mojtahed and to Become Marja the most knowledgeable one. To become a marja, fifty years of training many other Mojtaheds is required.So how then did he teach for 50 years, was he teaching since birth,because he's only 50 years old.

Salam alyakum brother,
First of all, how do you know that ayatullah jafar Sobhani has said that about Hossein Nasab, does he publically announce that. Many mowlanas have written lots of books as well, does that make them a marja. this forging signature you have mentioned, is a BIG LIE. the singnature holders themselves which are alive CLEARLY AND LOUDLY, announce their mistrust and do not accept him as a marja or a mujtahed. Ask around all the alims of toronto. Seyed mowlana Zaki Baqeri in his lecture said there IS NO AYATULLAH IN CANADA, ANYONE WHO CLAIMS THIS IS A CON AND A PHONY.
i see this as an advertisement of hosseini nasab, so you must be no one but the man himself. if all the signitures are forged...why dont you ask the mowlanas themselves..(rizvi,moosavi,baqeri,jazeri and more), i asked the mowlanas and they told me this. SO you need to spend time with all other Mujtaheds,training and challenging them in order to become a great scholar, once must be introduced by other marjas not introdiced by himself.
ARE YOU READY TO FACE THE ALIMS YOU HAVE JUST SAID..SO CALLED FORGED THEIR OWN SIGNITURES?

brother, please be afraid of the day of judgement and dont spread lies.
MAY Allah GUIDE ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOST

[alpha0123210]

I am not here to defend or defy a Muslim scholar for the sake of my worldly pleasures but for the sake of God and for the sake of Truth. Let's discuss according to logic, evidence and documents.

Neither age nor place of residence are the preconditions to become a marja, but knowledge is the main determinant. So there is nothing wrong with a scholar who becomes a marja at the age of 50 in Canada. Abu Ali Sina was the greatest physician of his time at the age of 18 and allama Sabzevari who was one of the greatest scholars of his time, was always immigrating from place to place.

Certainly we do not want to commit ghaybat here since Mr. Hosseini Nassab is not here to defend himself. So I find it my religious duty to defend him. Mr. Hosseini Nassab had enterred Hawza in 1976 and graduated in 1991 with the highest scientific certificate and professorship document from Hawza of Qum (http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm). He had studied and taught at Hawza for 15 years before he directly came to Canada 18 years ago. And no he has not worked for the so called Tehran Ministry of Irshad for 7 years. His certificate has been signed by Ayatollah Tahir Shamsi who himself is a mujtahid and the representative of the council of management which consisted of 5 mujtahids including late Grand Ayatollah Fazil Lankarani. Mowlana Hosseini Nassab's writings cover Mantiq, Fiqh, Osool of Fiqh, Rijal, Hay'ah, etc. which are essential to become a Shia jurist. As I mentioned before they are vailable online at http://www.hoseini.org/book.htm

You can compare his works with other scholars and make your own conclusion before you pass a judgment.

Wassalam

[Shaheed]

I have tried to go through these "Ejazaha" - but not sure what they prove? Can you be more specific as to what these are for??

Qaid313, on 03 October 2009 - 04:45 AM, said:

Ya Allah
Salams

Also found this...
http://www.hoseini.org/ejazaha.htm


Wa Salam

[alpha0123210]

The Ejazeha section shows the permission letters that the maraje have given Ayatollah Hosseini Nassab to receive the Khums money on their behalf and spend half of it in Canada for charity and send the other half to the maraje offices in Qum or Najaf. They are not indicated to be any other sort of permission but they are simply ejaze of vojoohat shar'i (permissions to receive khums (shar'i vojoohat)). Mr. Hosseini Nassab's scientific certificates are available at http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm

Wassalam

Edit: I just reread the post by ahmad98, and realized that I missed his statement of "i see this as an advertisement of hosseini nasab, so you must be no one but the man himself".

lol, no I'm not mowlana Hosseini Nassab. I defend him because I see him being abused in this thread and people do ghaybat on him. I have talked to Mr. Hosseini Nassab about his marjaeit and I suggest you and all the mowlanas that you claimed are against him to sit and talk to him and perhaps have a debate on this issue with him. I'm certain that he would accept this, he is very open and humble.

In what court is a scholar attacked and not given a single moment to defend himself? Mr. Hosseini Nassab should be given the oppurtunity to defend his decision. I suggest you and the mowlanas (that you claim) to read his books, take notes, and have a debate with him about the issues that he raises in his books.

Wassalam

Edited by alpha0123210, 26 October 2009 - 08:50 PM.

[Shaheed]

Salam Alaykum,

I begin by noting to you that I merely enter this discussion to understand how Sayyid Nassab has been elevated to the rank of a supreme religious authority and under what proof does he claim this - as anyone who claims any rank in society needs to have concrete proof.

1. If the Ejaza section only shows his permission letters that the Mara'ja have given him permission to collect khums on their behalf and spend it, surely this in itself does not prove to me - nor should it be proof for anyone else - that he is a Mujtahid or Mar'ja. If having such papers is a show of 'greatness' or 'high status' then many people in the community - and indeed I am sure many on this forum - would be able to use such things are proofs. I personally know people who have Khums permissions from 5 to 8 Mara'ja and although this may prove "at the time when they got the written permissions" the level of trust that the Marja has in them, it is by no means a 'ticket to honour' for perpetuity nor does it mean "anything great".

2. If he is truly a Mujtahid and Marja' that why would he as a Mar'ja be collecting the khums of other Mara'ja - people would do his Taqleed and give him their Khums. A person who is a Mujtahid CAN NOT do taqlid of another person as he is now at the level of formulating laws of Islam - so if a Mujtahid would not follow others, would he collect Khums of other Mara'ja if he feels he is the most knowledgeable?

3. Not related to the discussion but brother, Ghaybat is "occultation" - as in our 12th Imam is in Ghaybat - I think you mean "Gheebat" - they are two COMPLETELY different things.

4. Why is there a need for the other scholars of Toronto to debate the "marjaiyyah" of Sayyid Nassab with him??? Surely if Sayyed Nassab possesses his license in Ijtihaad from recognized Mara'ja and the senior scholarship of the various theological seminaries of Najaf and Qum (and perhaps others), then this should be enough for the scholars of Toronto and those on this forum. I did go to the link you provided (http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm) and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING there to suggest he is a Mujtahid or a Marja - where do you get the impression that he is at this great ranking?? If having a library card is proof, then anyone can go to the U of T and being a member of the library; there is ABSOLUTELY no written proof from any of the 10 to 15 presently-living Mara'ja in Qum, Isfahan, Tehran, Najaf, Mashad and other regions of them giving written permission to Sayyed to call himself with titles such as Ayatullah or Ayatullah al-Uzma or any other future titles that may appear. I would indeed be interested in seeing such written proofs of Ijtihad - I have seen such letters written by past Mara'ja - such as the late Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Ridha Gulpaygani to his son in law Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Lutfullah Safi Gulpaygani so I know that such things do exist and are kept as proof..


Please assist me in better understanding this issue.

was Salam

alpha0123210, on 26 October 2009 - 08:14 PM, said:

The Ejazeha section shows the permission letters that the maraje have given Ayatollah Hosseini Nassab to receive the Khums money on their behalf and spend half of it in Canada for charity and send the other half to the maraje offices in Qum or Najaf. They are not indicated to be any other sort of permission but they are simply ejaze of vojoohat shar'i (permissions to receive khums (shar'i vojoohat)). Mr. Hosseini Nassab's scientific certificates are available at http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm

Wassalam

Edit: I just reread the post by ahmad98, and realized that I missed his statement of "i see this as an advertisement of hosseini nasab, so you must be no one but the man himself".

lol, no I'm not mowlana Hosseini Nassab. I defend him because I see him being abused in this thread and people do ghaybat on him. I have talked to Mr. Hosseini Nassab about his marjaeit and I suggest you and all the mowlanas that you claimed are against him to sit and talk to him and perhaps have a debate on this issue with him. I'm certain that he would accept this, he is very open and humble.

In what court is a scholar attacked and not given a single moment to defend himself? Mr. Hosseini Nassab should be given the oppurtunity to defend his decision. I suggest you and the mowlanas (that you claim) to read his books, take notes, and have a debate with him about the issues that he raises in his books.

Wassalam

[alpha0123210]

I know Mr. Hosseini Nassab very well, and have asked your questions from him before. So here is what I know:

The ejazeha section on Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website is not indicated to be a proof for his ijtihad. Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website had posted the ejazeha (which had been titled ejazaat vojoohate shar'i (permissions for shar'i payments)) in order for those who wanted to spend half of their khums in Canada to be assured that he has received the permission from their marja. Yes he did not follow a particular marja because he was a mujtahid, but you should know that it is perfectly fine for a mujtahid to represent a marja (or several marajes) in a city and receive the khums on behalf of the marja to spend half of it in his city for charity and send the rest to the marja's office.

As far as I know, Mr. Hosseini Nassab had received the ejazeha (permissions) of the marjas while he was mujtahid at a younger age and long before he announced his marjaeit. But I think just before or after he announced his marjaet, his website had removed any links to the ejazeha section in order to prevent any speculations such as the one you raised (you can only access the ejazeha section from its URL).

Unfortunately the Hawza of Qum did no have a document titled Ijtihad Certificate when Mr. Hosseini Nassab became a mujtahid 18 years ago, and I'm not sure that if they do have such a certificate today. The system of Hawza is a bit inefficient I think. The highest degree that the Hawza of Qum has is the first one posted on Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website (http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm) which is given only to graduating mujtahids. The document is sealed by the Council of Management Center of the Hawza of Qum and signed by Ayatullah Tahir Shamsi as the representative of the 5 member council which consisted of well known mujtahids such as the late Grand Ayatullah Fazil Lankarani at that time (18 years ago).

I'm not Mr. Hosseini Nassab's speaker here, but once he was asked by someone of the proof of why he claims to be more knowledgeable or at least as knowledgeable as the marjas today, he kindly responded that his books are his proof. Unlike some other mowlanas who usually respond to such questions by saying "it has nothing to do with you" he kindly asked the person to read the books that he has written on jurisprudence (Mantiq, Fiqh, Osool of Fiqh, Hay'ah, Rijal, etc. which are available online) and judge according to them. And he has also said that he is ready to debate with anyone on Shia jurisprudence in order to prove his claims.

And about the UofT card, I think when Mr. Hosseini Nassab was asked about his proof of what is written on his biography about doing research in UofT, his website posted his researcher reader card. I'm not sure if his research there is independent or for UofT. You can ask him this or any other question that you might have from himself.

Before you judge a person first do research about him, talk to him, and let the person to defend himself. You can easily access Mr. Hosseini Nassab's contact information from his website.

Wassalam

Edited by alpha0123210, 27 October 2009 - 09:32 AM.

[Shaheed]

Salaam `alaykum,

1.     Thank you for clarifying this point on the Khums and permissions - points taken.

2.     This is more of a concern to me and others I am sure as thereis no proof what-so-ever on the site of his level of study while in Qum. Yes,the Hawza of Qum may not have a document proving Ijtihad, but surely histeachers would be able to accredit him and prove to him and to you and I thathe has truly studied and has reached to the level allowing him to formulateIslamic laws from their primary sources and to guide people on the path. Whether or not you think the Hawza system is abit inefficient isof no concern to me or others (have you studied in the Hawza by the way that you would know that the system is inefficient) – the question remains that do any of his DIRECTteachers who are Mujtahids and accomplished Mara'ja vouch for him and if so,who are his teachers? Have they given him written proof that he has the permission to narrate hadith on their authority; to delve into Islamic laws and extract the Fiqh which we are to follow and to be a guide on the path??? If you can provide me with a detailed list of all of his teachers who are PRESENT or even DECEASED Mara'ja and/or Mujtahids, I will personally get in contact with them to confirm his level of studies if need be.

3.     You gave me the link of http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htmwhich shows a letter from the Council of Management Cetnre of the Hawza of Qum –however this only says he has studied there and has reached to a level which isequivalent to a 'Doctorate'. I fully understand the meaning of this word inEnglish and its definition, however the letter does not clearly specify he is aMujtahid – if we presume a doctorate to be a Ph.D., this does not mean he is aMujtahid or Marja. I am sure the Hawza, if they were to send a person to Canada or another foreign country as a Mujtahid and Marja would ensure that the people of that country are given clear guidance as to who is coming and his level of education so as not to be fooled.

4.     As for his books, yes, it is an impressive lineup ofbooks he has written, but writing a book is no proof that a person is at thelevel of a Mujtahid or Mar'ja – yes, it proves you can write or at least thatyou can publish a book with your name on it (with others perhaps compiling it)but it still does not mean you are a Mar'ja. In today's day and age, anyone canwrite and publish a book or hundreds of books – does that make him fit tofollow in terms of religious and spiritual guidance – obviously not. Yes, he has a Risalah and other books of practical laws, but I have personally met people who claim Marjaiyyah and have a Risalah published in Arabic and Farsi but they have no accreditation from the senior scholars who should be their teachers - so such people are discounted in the circles of Islamic scholarship.

5.     Again, a library card is no proof of anything. As faras I have been told by friends who also have cards from U of T – if you are nota student or faculty member, you can 'purchase' the usage of the library by becominga member for a yearly fee. I am sure this information can be looked up on the U of  T website...

In closing, I am not judging him nor pointing fingers at him – I am merely concerned for the fact that theseclaims which are coming have no apparent, valid proofs right now on the websiteto make me believe that he is a Mujtahid or Maraja. Given a website is not "proof" of anything or anyone, but it is the most commonly used and accessible way to find out anything about anyone, anywhere, at any time. Not everyone can travel around the country or call and get such direct answers. Perhaps if you know him, you can forward my email to him and ask him to reply to it, if that is not too much trouble for you. If it is, please provide an email contact to him and I will do the needful.

Thanks!

[Edited to remove extra spaces!]

alpha0123210, on 27 October 2009 - 09:24 AM, said:

I know Mr. Hosseini Nassab very well, and have asked your questions from him before. So here is what I know:

The ejazeha section on Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website is not indicated to be a proof for his ijtihad. Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website had posted the ejazeha (which had been titled ejazaat vojoohate shar'i (permissions for shar'i payments)) in order for those who wanted to spend half of their khums in Canada to be assured that he has received the permission from their marja. Yes he did not follow a particular marja because he was a mujtahid, but you should know that it is perfectly fine for a mujtahid to represent a marja (or several marajes) in a city and receive the khums on behalf of the marja to spend half of it in his city for charity and send the rest to the marja's office.

As far as I know, Mr. Hosseini Nassab had received the ejazeha (permissions) of the marjas while he was mujtahid at a younger age and long before he announced his marjaeit. But I think just before or after he announced his marjaet, his website had removed any links to the ejazeha section in order to prevent any speculations such as the one you raised (you can only access the ejazeha section from its URL).

Unfortunately the Hawza of Qum did no have a document titled Ijtihad Certificate when Mr. Hosseini Nassab became a mujtahid 18 years ago, and I'm not sure that if they do have such a certificate today. The system of Hawza is a bit inefficient I think. The highest degree that the Hawza of Qum has is the first one posted on Mr. Hosseini Nassab's website (http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htm) which is given only to graduating mujtahids. The document is sealed by the Council of Management Center of the Hawza of Qum and signed by Ayatullah Tahir Shamsi as the representative of the 5 member council which consisted of well known mujtahids such as the late Grand Ayatullah Fazil Lankarani at that time (18 years ago).

I'm not Mr. Hosseini Nassab's speaker here, but once he was asked by someone of the proof of why he claims to be more knowledgeable or at least as knowledgeable as the marjas today, he kindly responded that his books are his proof. Unlike some other mowlanas who usually respond to such questions by saying "it has nothing to do with you" he kindly asked the person to read the books that he has written on jurisprudence (Mantiq, Fiqh, Osool of Fiqh, Hay'ah, Rijal, etc. which are available online) and judge according to them. And he has also said that he is ready to debate with anyone on Shia jurisprudence in order to prove his claims.

And about the UofT card, I think when Mr. Hosseini Nassab was asked about his proof of what is written on his biography about doing research in UofT, his website posted his researcher reader card. I'm not sure if his research there is independent or for UofT. You can ask him this or any other question that you might have from himself.

Before you judge a person first do research about him, talk to him, and let the person to defend himself. You can easily access Mr. Hosseini Nassab's contact information from his website.

Wassalam

Edited by Shaheed, 27 October 2009 - 06:45 PM.

[alpha0123210]

Wa alaykumassalaam

I don't have a "detailed" list of every single teacher that taught mowlana Hosseini Nassab, but here are the most prominent scholars that his website introduced: Grand Ayatollah (G.A.) Muhammad Taqi Bahjat, G.A. Fazil Lankarani, G.A. Shaikh Jawad Tabrizi, and Allama Hassanzade Amoli. Of this list Ayatollah Bahjat was the last marja' that passed away, however Allama Hassanzade Amoli is present; he is a well known scholar in Qum who is also a mujtahid. But you can try contacting the office of the deceased marjas as well, since I know that for example mowlana Hosseini Nassab used to be close friends with one of the marjas' sons.

You can also ask the alive marjas today who might have not been his teachers. I am saying this because once one of my trustworthy friends asked one of the greatest marjas alive today (who was not mowlana Hosseini Nassab's teacher) about the beginning of the month of Ramadhan or Shawal (I don't remember which month) in Canada; the response he got was to "follow mowlana Hosseini Nassab who lives in Canada"; which is perfectly fine since a marja can refer his follower to another mujtahid on an issue. So from this, I'm certain that some marjas today know mowlana Hosseini Nassab as a mujtahid although they had not taught him. I also know that one of the Islamic websites that worked under the supervision of a present marja's office introduced mowlana Hosseini Nassab's website as Ayatollah Hosseini Nassab's website long before mowlana Hosseini Nassab's website had used the Ayatollah title for him. What I just said might not be concrete evidence for you since you don't know me, so I suggest you to contact the alive and deceased marjas offices and ask of mowlana Hosseini Nassab's ijtihad, because of what I just said above I'm pretty certain that they know him. I found Allama Hassanzadeh Amoli office's email address from his Farsi website (http://abolfazael.co...esh/Porsesh.asp); it is abolfazael@yahoo.com

If you have any questions about the validity of his books, I suggest you ask a question about one of the contents of his books and see how he responds. Or if you don't have the skills to understand those books then you can ask a scholar who is familiar with Shia jurisprudence (mantiq, fiqh, osool of fiqh, rijal, hay'ah, etc.) to read the books and ask him a question to test his knowledge. Mowlana Hosseini Nassab has already announced his preparedness to debate "anyone" on the Shia jurisprudence. His contact information are available at http://www.hoseini.org/cont.htm

Wassalam

Edited by alpha0123210, 28 October 2009 - 11:11 AM.

[macisaac]

Shaheed, on 27 October 2009 - 05:51 PM, said:

3.     You gave me the link of http://www.hoseini.org/certificate.htmwhich shows a letter from the Council of Management Cetnre of the Hawza of Qum –however this only says he has studied there and has reached to a level which isequivalent to a 'Doctorate'. I fully understand the meaning of this word inEnglish and its definition, however the letter does not clearly specify he is aMujtahid – if we presume a doctorate to be a Ph.D., this does not mean he is aMujtahid or Marja. I am sure the Hawza, if they were to send a person to Canada or another foreign country as a Mujtahid and Marja would ensure that the people of that country are given clear guidance as to who is coming and his level of education so as not to be fooled.

I also notice it refers to him as a Hujjat al-Islam in it.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that usually used nowadays for someone who has completed their sutuh but not completed (or necessarily even started) their kharij studies (i.e. is not a mujtahid)?

[alpha0123210]

macisaac, on 28 October 2009 - 11:30 AM, said:

I also notice it refers to him as a Hujjat al-Islam in it.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that usually used nowadays for someone who has completed their sutuh but not completed (or necessarily even started) their kharij studies (i.e. is not a mujtahid)?

macisaac, this document was issued 18 years ago, not nowadays. I mean like in 100 years ago the Hujjat al-Islam title was only used for the most top scholars; there didn't exist a title such as Ayatullah or even Grand Ayatullah then, but currently the HujjatulIslam title is given to lower level Hawza graduates. I am personally certain that mowlana Hosseini Nassab has achieved ijtihad and he has even taught at the kharij level in the Hawza of Qum based on my personal experiences that I explained before. And you are free to reject them since you don't know me, and that's perfectly fine. As I suggested before, you should look for more evidence by asking the marjas' and his teachers' offices and read his books and ask questions from him perhaps in a debate where scholars of Islam would be there to judge.

Wassalam

Edited by alpha0123210, 28 October 2009 - 02:14 PM.

[Shaheed]

Salam `alaykum,
I am not going to get into a debate of titles such as 'Hujjatul Islam', 'Ayatullah', 'Ayatullah al-Uzma' and the newly fabricated title of 'Ayatullah al-A'dham' as they are mere names which ANYONE can attribute to themselves, but I would say that if you are claiming that you are 'PERSONALLY CERTAIN', then can you please share HOW you are arriving to such a high level of certainty in this regards so we too can reach to this level? I am not the type of person to accept/reject you or your statements simply because I do not know you, but I would require more concrete information and I humbly suggest that you too do not just 'accept' things without concrete information from reliable sources.

As for the statement of asking the Mara'ja - that is my next step; reading his books offers me no certainty - as mentioned, in the age of today, ANYONE can publish anything and put their name on the cover - that is not proof of anything; a debate is also redundant as I am not a Mujtahid that I can personally question someone who claims Ijtihaad - the only people who can "question" Mr. Nasab are those who are Mujtahid and Mara'ja themselves and I don't think that we would have that scenario come up anytime soon and thus, the only way, which is the way of the Hawza Ilmiyyah is for the claimant to produce proof of his studies - and not just a book or library card or a letter for the Hawza - I letter from a MARJA is what is required as the Hawza IS NOT a Mar'ja.

was Salam

alpha0123210, on 28 October 2009 - 01:40 PM, said:

macisaac, this document was issued 18 years ago, not nowadays. I mean like in 100 years ago the Hujjat al-Islam title was only used for the most top scholars; there didn't exist a title such as Ayatullah or even Grand Ayatullah then, but currently the HujjatulIslam title is given to lower level Hawza graduates. I am personally certain that mowlana Hosseini Nassab has achieved ijtihad and he has even taught at the kharij level in the Hawza of Qum based on my personal experiences that I explained before. And you are free to reject them since you don't know me, and that's perfectly fine. As I suggested before, you should look for more evidence by asking the marjas' and his teachers' offices and read his books and ask questions from him perhaps in a debate where scholars of Islam would be there to judge.

Wassalam

[alpha0123210]

Wa alaykumassalam

As you've mentioned Shaheed, the only thing that will be enough evidence for you is to make an estefta from the marjas' offices. My personal experiences that have given me certainty about mowlana Hosseini Nassab's ijtihad are similar to the one that I explained in two posts before (the story about my trustworthy friend asking a marja about the beginning of the month and the marja replied: to follow whatever mowlana Hosseini Nassab's opinion is). My experiences are not the kind of concrete evidence on the paper that you want. So I suggest you to go ahead and ask the marjas.

And about the comments you made on mowlana Hosseini Nassab's books, how would you have felt if I made the same comments about your own website? How would you have felt if I had made the same comment you made of mowlana Hosseini Nassab's books on the helpful articles and the beautiful graphic designs posted on your website? By the way, nice website, I went there through your profile, keep up the great work; and I hope I haven't offended you...

I respect mowlana Hosseini Nassab because of his good reputation, while I give the right to you to be pessimistic since you don't know him. To me mowlana Hosseini Nassab is a trustworthy scholar. As trustworthy and outstanding as the leader of the Islamic Center of Hamburg in Germany should be; since mowlana Hosseini Nassab used to be the head of that Islamic center. One of my friends who used to live in Germany and was very familiar with the Islamic Center of Hamburg, used to explain how this huge mosque was established by Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi about 50 years ago. The first leader to this mosque, Mr. Mohammad Mohagheghi was selected by G.A. Boroujerdi himself, and since he passed away any other head of the mosque was selected from the top students of marjas and was approved by the marjas of the time. Some of the former heads of that mosque are Shaheed Ayatollah Beheshti, the former secretary general of the Islamic Republic Party in Iran and the former head of Iran's Judicial system who was martyred in 1981, Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari, a highly influential philosopher in Iran, etc. And recently when I visited the Islamic Center of Hamburg's website I realized that mowlana Hosseini Nassab's successor in the mosque today is Reza Ramazani who according to the website is a member of the Assembly of Experts in Iran which is the body of 86 mujtahids that are in charge of electing, removing, and supervising the Supreme Leader of Iran.

I have learned these information by doing research on Mr. Hosseini Nassab online. I suggest you to do the same while asking the marjas about his ijtihad.

Wassalam

[ahmad98]

Assalam alaikum,
i have a few points here:
1) Mr. Nassab has been compared to Ibn-Sina in this discussion to show that someone can become a great scholar at a young age. one thing that mr. alpha didn't mention is that Ibn-Sina WAS actually approved by everyone at his time to be the greatest scholar in his field. can you show me ONLY ONE other scholar who has officially approved Mr. Nassab??? yes, you encouraged people to go and ask the offices of Marajis. don't you think someone who puts his library card on his website as a proof wouldn't put such an approval as well??? this just shows that he does not have any document to show that he is approved by at least one  Marja "WHO IS ALIVE" that he is at the level he is claiming to be at!!!!
2) As for his so-called books. as br. Shaheed mentioned before, anyone can wrtie about anything these days with the amount of information that is readily available to everyone. what he has put on his website is in no way an indication of a person who claims to be a Marja. what does he have in his books? is it more than basics of each topic such as fiqh or osool, which anyone can write about. there are hundreds of these kind of books and even better available in Iran. do you think all of the authors of those books are claiming they are Marja?????? for example his writing on substantial motion (harkat johari) is very very basic and simple. if he calls himself a philosopher, can he show what new things he has brought to the filed? what is new about his ideas in philosophy???? by the way, how many pages in total is his books? they look more like a few articles which are not even original, something like papers made by undergrad students at school.
3) Mr. alpha, the fact that it is proven to you that Mr. Nassab is a Marja just because one of your friends asked about the beginning of a month and he was refered to Mr. Nassab for that is very interesting. a lot of people go to other mawlanas in their city or area for these things, does it make them Marja????? how is this a proof of his knowledge. let's assume that Marja had trust in him at that time in the subject of the beginning of the month. does it mean he approved mr. nassab as marja?????????????????

one more note, mr. alpha please don't repeat what you have already mentioned and please answer my comments specifically.

[alpha0123210]

Salaams,

First of all, I did not compare mowlana Hosseini Nassab to Ibn Sina. I brought an example that one could achieve the highest levels of knowledge at younger ages than others, and Ibn Sina is an example of this. As far as I know, age is not a precondition for a Shia jurist. If you guys, just like me, have recently asked the marjas about mowlana Hosseini Nassab's ijtihad, why don't we allow some time for the reply to come before we jump into conclusions and build on our speculations?

Secondly, many marjas today, write books on basic topics for the general public in a very simple language beside their advanced writings. And there is nothing wrong with that. According to its abstract, the book that you mentioned on Substantial Motion is not solely about Substantial Motion. It is about both the Substantial Motion theory of Sadr al-Mota'allehin (r.a.) and Einstein's Relativity theory. Thanks for bringing this up, this really raised my interest to read the book. Apparently, this book is trying to compare one of the Islamic philosophical theories with one of the scientific theories of today; which is not necessarily possible to be written in a deep format with all the detailed formulas of physics and the philosophical arguments and outcomes of Substantial Motion being compared and contrasted. By the way, ahmad98 do you know another book that tries to fuse these two theories together? If you do could you please let me know of their names and authors, since this topic really grasped my interest and I want to learn more. Mowlana Hosseini Nassab has many other books that are at advanced levels where he actually brings up his own theories and ideas. For example, once I was scanning through his Osool of Fiqh book, I repeatedly encountered his analysis of the old and new Shia jurists' ideas (including G.A. Bahjat and G.A. Sistani) and from my broken Arabic language skills I realized him accepting or rejecting their theories and explaining his reasons and bringing up his own ideas about the issues.

Thirdly, as I mentioned earlier, my reasons for concluding that mowlana  Hosseini Nassab is a mujtahid are personal. Brother Shaheed asked me to raise my personal experiences here and I did raise one of them, while noting that they are not the concrete on the paper evidence that he is looking for. And I did not expect you to accept them either as I mentioned before.

I defend mowlana Hosseini Nassab here because firstly he is absent here to defend himself, especially of his books, and secondly because of the respect I have gained for him by knowing his excellent reputations.

Wassalaam

Edited by alpha0123210, 31 October 2009 - 11:04 AM.

[Qaid313]

Ya Allah
Salams,

Wow, didn't know this thread came back to life, brother alpha, jazak Allah for your efforts. Sadly, the trend is see with the opposing brothers is like the that of people who simply closed their ears, pick up on the stupidest of things (comparing Sayyed Nasab (HA) to Ibn Sina)--thats just childish and shows thier intention is not to learn, it is to argue, i hope they review their iman and aqida, for certinaly there is a problem, either they are loyal to the personality they believe in (aka loyal to people who are spreading these lies and fitna against Sayyed (HA) as opposed to loyal to Allah and Ahl ul Bayt and Haqq and truth, or they are here to simply here to create mistrust and fitna. Brothers, what proof do you have against Sayyed Nasab (HA). Mr Ahmad, again, I kindly ask you "who are the great scholars taking care of this? Please provide names not just speculation." Untill you have proof, please keep your comments to yourself and remember that fitna is worse then murder. Its disgusting that this garbage happens, we live in the west, and instead of working hard for one umma and the hastening the reappearance of Imam Mahdi , this type of discussion takes place. Then we question why Imam only will have 313 initial followers.

May Allah Guide Us All.

Salams
thewave

[Shaheed]

Salam `Alaykum, I do not direct this comment to the on-going discussion – rather, it is meant to be general in nature.Indeed, working for the advent of the Imam is of utmost importance and this working can take place in many ways (as are detailed in the recently published book The Last Luminary and Ways to Delve into the Light), but in my humble opinion and my readings and discussions with scholars both locally and in other regions of the world, one of the ways to work towards the advent of the Imam is to ensure that the faith of the believers is safeguarded and that they have correct facts on Islam and that those who are guiding the masses are ‘capable’ and ‘have the right’ to guide others to The Path. When people go to the Theological seminary for self-improvement, self-knowledge and a better understanding of the fundamentals of the faith and then return back to their locality - if they are merely "keeping to themselves" and not active preachers and propagators of the faith, then titles make no difference as they are only working on themselves and their families; however when people study in the Hawza `Ilmiyyah and then become propagators of the faith and are in the public spotlight, then rightly or wrongly, every act of theirs is put under great scrutiny. With that said, many people feel that when scholars are giving themselves grand and lofty titles, they need to have concrete proof for why they are doing this - just as the example has been given that if a person becomes a medical doctor or lawyer or any other professional, we would expect them to have written certificates from the school(s) they attended which attest to the fact that they are now able to carry out their responsibilities within society. No one would go to a doctor who called himself as such but had no proof of his studies and just put up a sign at his door that he is a doctor! We as human beings are perhaps so particular that we will not even get a haircut at a friend’s house unless he/she has studied as a hair dresser and can guarantee that they will not make us look bad with a bad hair cut! People I have met pay upwards of $100.00 for a good haircut as they go to “reputable” barbershops – if we spend so much time and effort to find the best doctor, lawyer, mechanic and hair dresser and ensure that they have the credentials to carry out their task, should we not do the same for our religion which is infinitely more important than the examples given as religious knowledge relates to the Nafs which is infinitely more important than our hair, car, teeth, etc….The purpose of discussion is not to point fingers at anyone and degrade them on this forum or in public – rather, people are asking for proof of how/why a person is calling himself as a ‘supreme authority with the most knowledge’ (Ayatullah al-Uzma). If the person has the credentials and his teachers will vouch for him and there is proof of this, so be it, I am sure the people on this forum and where the individual lives, will be more appreciative for having someone with such a grasp on Islamic sciences in their midst. If there is no proof, then that is another story...was Salam

Qaid313, on 01 November 2009 - 12:20 AM, said:

Ya Allah
Salams,

Wow, didn't know this thread came back to life, brother alpha, jazak Allah for your efforts. Sadly, the trend is see with the opposing brothers is like the that of people who simply closed their ears, pick up on the stupidest of things (comparing Sayyed Nasab (HA) to Ibn Sina)--thats just childish and shows thier intention is not to learn, it is to argue, i hope they review their iman and aqida, for certinaly there is a problem, either they are loyal to the personality they believe in (aka loyal to people who are spreading these lies and fitna against Sayyed (HA) as opposed to loyal to Allah and Ahl ul Bayt and Haqq and truth, or they are here to simply here to create mistrust and fitna. Brothers, what proof do you have against Sayyed Nasab (HA). Mr Ahmad, again, I kindly ask you "who are the great scholars taking care of this? Please provide names not just speculation." Untill you have proof, please keep your comments to yourself and remember that fitna is worse then murder. Its disgusting that this garbage happens, we live in the west, and instead of working hard for one umma and the hastening the reappearance of Imam Mahdi , this type of discussion takes place. Then we question why Imam only will have 313 initial followers.

May Allah Guide Us All.

Salams
thewave