Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abdul-A'la Musavi Sabzevari

Compiled by: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On August 15, 1993 AD, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abdul-A'la Musavi Sabzevari, passed away in holy Najaf, Iraq, at the age of 83 years. Born in the northeastern Iranian city of Sabzevar, Khorasan, he learned Islamic sciences in his hometown until the age of 14 before moving to holy Mashhad the provincial capital to continue his studies.
After completing his basic studies, he left for Iraq to pursue higher studies at the famous Islamic seminary of holy Iraqi Najaf, where he studied philosophy and jurisprudence under the prominent scholar, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussain Nae'ni of Iran. He soon attained the status of Ijtehad and for almost 50 years taught at the seminary.
He was a firm supporter of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), and in 1992 following the death of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abu'l-Qassem Khoi, became Chief of the Najaf Seminary. He has left behind several compilations, including the two-volume book: “Tahzib al-Osoul”, and the 21-volume exegesis of the holy Qur'an: “Mawaheb ar-Rahman fi Tafsir al-Qur'an”. He was succeeded as the senior-most Source of Emulation by Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani.