Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani

[navaye borhan]

Do any of you know about him? If you do, I’d like to listen your thoughts. I have realized there’s not much about him or in English discourse. 

[Abu Hassanain]

1 hour ago, navaye borhan said:

Do any of you know about him? If you do, I’d like to listen your thoughts. I have realized there’s not much about him or in English discourse. 

Salam

he doesn’t have a particularly widespread following especially outside of Iran, but I am aware of him.

He had some controversial rulings that were being discussed while I was lecturing in Milwaukee, like 13 years back

I wouldn’t say he’s the most knowledgeable or one of the most knowledgeable if you’re looking for someone to follow

He had a number of odd liberal opinions that really with respect to his right of the deduction the principles of deduction and the principles approve don’t line up with

very similar to Ayatullah Sanei Ayatullah Jannati and somewhat too Ayatullah Gorgani in Ilm Dariyat 

Like Ayatullah Sanei he was a student of Khumanyi Tabatabai etc that’s similar to him. He won a different way rejected guardian ship of the jurist endorsed. The green movement stood against the hardline, cleric, and government supported more liberal ideas, but without clear basis.

He is teaching the number of classes that are use so particularly issues on purgatory and philosophy however, I wouldn’t understand if his opinions are particularly brilliant or unique. He’s just a less unknown scholar.
 

I remember, he calls controversy because he said drinking small amounts of water due to extreme thirst didn’t break the fast space in the narration if you fill extreme thirst, take a few small sips of water, but based on other narrations, it’s clear that drinking water breaks the fast the narration was saying it’s OK to drink water, but obviously it breaks your fast. He said it didn’t. 

Wallahu Alam 

[navaye borhan]

when he starts making moves like seyyed yusef sanei or mohammad jannati, it often feels like the ijtihaad is being influenced by external pressures rather than a rigorous engagement with ilm-ur-dirayah. that water ruling is the perfect case study; trying to use a specific riwayah to say drinking doesn't break the sawm just seems to bypass the ijma and the much stronger, clearer narrations we’ve relied on for centuries. as you said, even if his dars on philosophy or barzakh are available, if the risalah doesn't show that absolute mastery of the principles of proof, it’s hard to justify shifting one’s taqlid to someone less known and more odd in his methodology.

[AbdusSibtayn]

11 hours ago, Abu Hassanain said:

I remember, he calls controversy because he said drinking small amounts of water due to extreme thirst didn’t break the fast space in the narration if you fill extreme thirst, take a few small sips of water, but based on other narrations, it’s clear that drinking water breaks the fast the narration was saying it’s OK to drink water, but obviously it breaks your fast. He said it didn’t. 

Salam shaykhna, 

The fun fact is that that particular narration is extremely weak in both its sanad and matn. Using it to override much stronger Quranic and Hadith-derived proof doesn't really seem very convincing, to put it very mildly. 

Shaykh Makarem Shirazi (ha) criticized his fatwa very strongly and openly in a public statement (without naming him, of course), but I don't think he bothered to respond or defend his position. 

 

[AbdusSibtayn]

1 hour ago, navaye borhan said:

when he starts making moves like seyyed yusef sanei or mohammad jannati, it often feels like the ijtihaad is being influenced by external pressures rather than a rigorous engagement with ilm-ur-dirayah. that water ruling is the perfect case study; trying to use a specific riwayah to say drinking doesn't break the sawm just seems to bypass the ijma and the much stronger, clearer narrations we’ve relied on for centuries. as you said, even if his dars on philosophy or barzakh are available, if the risalah doesn't show that absolute mastery of the principles of proof, it’s hard to justify shifting one’s taqlid to someone less known and more odd in his methodology.

Salam dadash, 

*Sheikh Yusuf Sanei (غفر الله أغلاطه) . 

A lot of such 'rowshanfekr' or reformist ijtihaad- in both its istidlaal and istinbaat- is just post-hoc justifications, in my humble and extremely uninformed opinion. A conclusion that fits in with modern secular-liberal sensibilities is decided upon, and then all the aqli and naqli dala'il and barahin which support the ijma, or the position of the jumhoor, are dismissed one by one. 

This is not to say that I am blindly opposed to any and everything non-mainstream/unorthodox fatwa (indeed, who even am I to oppose these?), because there are non-mainstream fiqhi positions which have very strong and good reasoning behind them. It is just that this methodology of post-hoc reasoning doesn't sit well with me. 

[navaye borhan]

2 hours ago, AbdusSibtayn said:

Salam dadash, 

*Sheikh Yusuf Sanei (غفر الله أغلاطه) . 

A lot of such 'rowshanfekr' or reformist ijtihaad- in both its istidlaal and istinbaat- is just post-hoc justifications, in my humble and extremely uninformed opinion. A conclusion that fits in with modern secular-liberal sensibilities is decided upon, and then all the aqli and naqli dala'il and barahin which support the ijma, or the position of the jumhoor, are dismissed one by one. 

This is not to say that I am blindly opposed to any and everything non-mainstream/unorthodox fatwa (indeed, who even am I to oppose these?), because there are non-mainstream fiqhi positions which have very strong and good reasoning behind them. It is just that this methodology of post-hoc reasoning doesn't sit well with me. 

wa alaykum as-salam dadash, you’ve honestly hit the nail on the head regarding the core tension in modern ijtihad; it’s not really about being modern or traditional, but about whether the istinbat is truly seeking the divine will or just working backward to fit into secular-liberal sensitivities. when scholars like sheikh yusuf sanei—may allah forgive his slips—seem to decide on a conclusion first and then strip away the aqli and naqli proofs that support the ijma, it feels less like a discovery of truth and more like a post-hoc justification that lacks the rigorous mabani we expect from a true marja. it’s a humbling but frustrating thing to witness as a devoted twelver, because while we aren't against non-mainstream fatwas if the reasoning is rock-solid, this specific methodology of forcing the shariah to mirror contemporary values risks losing the very essence of submission to the ahl al-bayt. at the end of the day, i’d rather struggle with a difficult ruling that has a thousand years of solid istidlal behind it than find comfort in an opinion that’s built on the shifting sands of modern sensibilities. ya ali madad, it’s just about keeping the integrity of the path alive without letting our own biases steer the ship.

[AbdusSibtayn]

20 hours ago, navaye borhan said:

wa alaykum as-salam dadash, you’ve honestly hit the nail on the head regarding the core tension in modern ijtihad; it’s not really about being modern or traditional, but about whether the istinbat is truly seeking the divine will or just working backward to fit into secular-liberal sensitivities. when scholars like sheikh yusuf sanei—may allah forgive his slips—seem to decide on a conclusion first and then strip away the aqli and naqli proofs that support the ijma, it feels less like a discovery of truth and more like a post-hoc justification that lacks the rigorous mabani we expect from a true marja. it’s a humbling but frustrating thing to witness as a devoted twelver, because while we aren't against non-mainstream fatwas if the reasoning is rock-solid, this specific methodology of forcing the shariah to mirror contemporary values risks losing the very essence of submission to the ahl al-bayt. at the end of the day, i’d rather struggle with a difficult ruling that has a thousand years of solid istidlal behind it than find comfort in an opinion that’s built on the shifting sands of modern sensibilities. ya ali madad, it’s just about keeping the integrity of the path alive without letting our own biases steer the ship.

Thank you for your opinion! 

May Allah keep us all steadfast!