Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Hassan Isfahani

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On 9th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah in 1365 AH, the Source of Emulation, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abul-Hassan Isfahani, passed away at the age of 81 in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq.
He was born in the vicinity of the central Iranian city of Isfahan and after preliminary studies traveled to Iraq to attend the Seminary in holy Najaf. He studied under prominent scholars such as Akhound Khorasani, and attained the status of Ijtehad. He was considered as one of the prominent lecturers of the Najaf Seminary for more than thirty years, grooming numerous scholars.
He also paid attention to political developments and strongly opposed the British invasion of Iraq, which led to his deportation to Iran. The Iraqi government, however, was pressured by the people and the ulema to revise its decision, and allow Grand Ayatollah Isfahani to return to Najaf.
He was very patient and modest. Among his most important works is “Wasilat-an-Najat”. Many major Islamic scholars and scientists have written annotations on this book, including the Founder of Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini (RA).