About Ayatollah al-Yaqoobi

Quotations from the Biography of The Religious Referential Authority,

the Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Hajj Muhammad al-Yaqoobi

Study in the Seminary

Sheikh al-Yaqoobi joined the al-Najaf University of Religious Studies, which was headed by the late Sayyid Mu¦ammad Kalantar, because this university was the one and only institution where study was regularly organized. As for the other religious institutes, they all were almost inactive because of the consequences of the uprising of Sha`b¡n as a result of which the military forces of the Iraqi regime broke into the uprising cities, causing mischief and damage. Without excluding the university which was relatively safe, the students did not have the courage to study in the campus of the university, lest the ruling authorities would be enraged; therefore, the students had to study inside their rooms for a while although they were no more than eleven persons.

Swing to the highly appreciated scientific and educational background of His Eminence Sheikh al-Yaqoobi, the head of al-Najaf University of Religious Studies; namely Sayyid Mu¦ammad Kalantar who was well-known for his strictness in the commitment to the sequence of the study stages in the university, permitted the Sheikh to begin with an advanced stage in which the book of al-Lum`ah al-Dimashqiyyah (a reference book on Shi`ite jurisprudence) by al-Shahid al-Awwal and the book of U¥£l al-Fiqh (a reference book on the principles of Muslim jurisprudence) by Sheikh al-Mu¨affar were studied as curricula. Sheikh al-Yaqoobi used to attend two lectures in the earlier book along with a lecture in the latter every day. Immediately after the termination of Rama¤¡n holidays, he gave an exam in the office of the late Sayyid al-Khoi and could pass the exam with a mark of 95 out of 100.

>He then studied the Principles of Muslim Jurisprudence under Sheikh Mu¦ammad Jaw¡d al-Mahdawi and Muslim Jurisprudence (inferred from the aforementioned book of al-Lum`ah al-Dimashqiyyah) under Sheikh al-Mahdawi and Sayyid Hasan al-Mar`ashi. At certain times, he used to attend another class in the earlier branch of religious study and a third one in the latter. Immediately after the termination of Rama¤¡n holidays AH 1413, he studied the reference book of al-Kifayah under Sheikh al-Mahdawi after he had completed successfully the book of U¥£l al-Fiqh. After more than three years of studying the book of al-Ras¡'il by Sheikh al-An¥¡ri under Sheikh Mu¦ammad Amin al-M¡muq¡ni, he began with studying Sheikh al-An¥¡ri’s other book of al-Mak¡sib under the late Sayyid Mu¦ammad Taqi al-Kh£'i in al-Kha¤r¡' Mosque in Rabi` al-Awwal 1414 AH. He had completed the part of the book appertained to the forbidden earnings (al-Mak¡sib al-Mu¦arramah) and a part of Laws of Vendition (Kit¡b al-Bay`) before his teacher passed away in a car accident in Safar 1415 AH. He therefore had to study the other part of the same book under the well-versed scholar, Sayyid `Ali al-Sabzaw¡ri. 

He then studied the Rights of Cancellation (khay¡r) up to the end of the aforementioned book under the well-versed scholar, Sheikh Mu¦ammad Amin al-M¡muq¡ni. During this period, he used to seize any opportunity to present himself in the office of Martyr al-Sadr II, which was relatively empty of visitors, in the first days of the declaration of Martyr al-Sadr II as a referential authority (marji`), in order to submit to him the lectures that he had intended and ask him about his views. In that office, many discussions took place and many ideas were kindled in the mentality of Sheikh al-Yaqoobi. These discussions have had the greatest effect on the polishing of his scientific talents.

In addition to knowledge, Sheikh al-Yaqoobi learnt from his mentors the commitment to and abidance by seeking knowledge with accuracy and in terms of reciprocal respect. He also learnt supreme courtesy that he later put out in his books on morality, especially in the field of the relationship between students and their mentors.

Although he did not have in mind the idea of joining the stage of independent research (ba¦th kh¡rij: the highest level of study in religious seminaries) before he would complete the final stage (su§£¦), his mentor Martyr al-Sadr II encouraged him to attend the classes of this stage after finishing half of the book of al-Kif¡yah. In one of his discussions with Sheikh al-Yaqoobi, Martyr al-Sadr confirmed to him that he was competent enough to understand the topics that must be studied in the stage of independent research. So, Sheikh al-Yaqoobi had no other choice than responding to his mentor’s desire and making his dream come true through attending these highest researches under well-versed mentors. Of course, attending these classes did not contradict with his other studies, because he used to attend the classes of the Principles of Muslim Jurisprudence in late hours of the day.

On the last days of Shaww¡l 1414 AH (April 1994), Sheikh al-Yaqoobi attended the first class of the independent research stage, which was on polysemy (words that have several or multiple meanings). A few days later, he started his initial research, which was on derivatives (words that are derived from another word, base, or root by a process of word-formation) that took more than a whole year. When he accomplished this research, it was written down in a two-volume book that was recently published. He then kept on attending the classes of his mentor, Martyr al-Sadr II, up to the martyrdom of the latter in Dhu’l-Qa`dah 1419 AH. The last research he had attended was the research of prohibitions (naw¡hi: matters that are deemed prohibited in the Islamic Law)

In Dhu’l-Hijjah 1415 AH, Sheikh al-Yaqoobi began attending the classes of Muslim Jurisprudence under His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyid al-Sist¡ni. During these classes, he made conclusive researches on the ritual fasting (¥awm) and other researches on the ritual poor-rate (zak¡t). He preserved in attending these classes until their conclusion in Safar 1420. For two years (AH 1416-1418), he studied researches on Muslim Jurisprudence according to the book of al-Mak¡sib under the late martyr al-Mirz¡ `Ali al-Gharawi. In order to complete what he had already studied under Martyr al-Sadr II, Sheikh al-Yaqoobi joined the classes of Sheikh al-Fayy¡¤, al-Gharawi’s mentor, when he started classes on the second half of the U¥£l al-Fiqh (Principles of Muslim Jurisprudence). He studied there for four years (1417-1421 AH) as a result of which he had completed an entire course on U¥£l al-Fiqh.

In addition to logic, ethics, and social awareness, Sheikh al-Yaqoobi taught Fiqh and U¥£l al-Fiqh in all degrees of the final stage (su§£¦). Of course, he delivered many lectures on these topics some of which have been recently published. He used to take advantage of the religious occasions as well as the beginning and end of academic years in order to give such lectures.

He has been given three licenses of narration (riw¡yah: narration of traditions); one by Sayyid Mu¦ammad Kalantar on the authority of Sayyid al-Sabzaw¡ri, Sayyid al-Beheshti, and ªgh¡ Buzurg al-±ahr¡ni, another by the well-versed Dr. Husayn `Ali Ma¦f£¨ who was given license to narrate from seventy ways of narration, and the third by Sayyid `Abd al-Satt¡r al-Hasani who had his own ways of narration.

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