The prominent Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Seyed Abdul-Hussein Sharaf od-Din Ameli

Compiled by: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On 8th of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani in 1377 AH, the prominent Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Seyed Abdul-Hussein Sharaf od-Din Ameli, passed away in Lebanon at the age of 87 years. He was born of Lebanese parents in the Iraqi holy city of Kazemain in 1290 AH. On completion of his studies in holy Najaf he returned to Jabal Amel in Lebanon and in addition to Islamic welfare and academic activities, campaigned against French colonial rule.
He was forced to seek refuge in Egypt, where he came into contact with Shaikh Saleem al-Bishri, the Dean of Egypt’s famous seat of Islamic learning, al-Azhar. The two had a lively discussion on key issues of faith, especially the prime position in Islam of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. The discussion continued in the form of exchange of letters on the return to Lebanon of Seyyed Sharaf od-Din, and in the end Shaikh Bishri admitted the truthfulness of the school of Ahl al-Bayt. The result is the excellent book titled al-Muraja’at, which has been translated into major world languages, including English as The Right Path. The Dean of al-Azhar, as a gesture of Islamic solidarity, issued the historic fatwa of endorsing Ja’fari or Shi’ite Fiqh, as one of the five recognized jurisprudential schools of Islam.