Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i (; 16 March 1903 – 15 November 1981) was an Iranian scholar, theorist, philosopher and one of the most prominent thinkers of modern Shia Islam. He is perhaps best known for his Tafsir al-Mizan, a twenty-seven-volume work of tafsir (Quranic exegesis), which he produced between 1954 and 1972.Biography of Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei by Amid Algar, University of California, Berkeley, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He is commonly known as Allameh Tabataba'i, and the Allameh Tabataba'i University in Tehran is named after him.
Biography He received his earlier education in his native Tabriz, mastering the elements of Arabic and the religious sciences, and at about the age of twenty set out for the Shiite seminary of Najaf to continue more advanced studies.Nasr, Seyyid Hossein in the preface to the book of Shiite in Islam by Allameh tabatabaei, 2005, p. 37 He studied under masters such as Ali Tabatabaei (in gnosis), Mirza Muhammad Husain Na'ini, Sheykh Muhammad Hossein Qaravi Esfahani (in Fiqh and Jurisprudence), Sayyid Abu'l-Qasim Khwansari (in Mathematics), as well as studying the standard texts of Avicenna's Shifa, the Asfar of Sadr al-Din Shirazi, and the Tamhid al-qawa'id of Ibn Turkah.
Childhood and Adolescence Sayyid Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Qāḍī Tabataba'i Tabrīzī was born in 1902 (1281 AH) in the village of Shādābād Mashāyikh, near Tabriz. He lost his mother at the age of five and his father at the age of nine. Following the will of his father, the guardian sent him and his only brother, Muḥammad-Ḥasan Ilāhī Tabataba'i, to a traditional religious school. Between 1911 and 1917 (1290–1296 AH), he studied the Qur’an and classical Persian literature. Then, from 1918 to 1925 (1297–1304 AH), he pursued Islamic sciences, completing what he described as "...the core curriculum, except for philosophy and mysticism."
He wrote the following about his early studies:
For six years (1911–1917), after learning the Qur’an—which was the primary focus of early education at the time—Tabataba'i studied texts such as Golestān and Būstān by Saadī Shirazi. Along with his literary studies, he studied calligraphy under the supervision of Mīrzā ʿAlī Naqī Khaṭṭāṭ. He later enrolled at the Ṭālibiyya School in Tabriz to pursue more advanced studies. There, he studied Arabic grammar, and transmitted sciences, jurisprudence, and legal theory from 1918 to 1925 (1297–1304 AH).
Studies in Najaf After completing his studies at the Ṭālibiyya School, Tabataba'i went to Najaf with his brother and spent ten years studying Islamic sciences there. He studied mathematics under Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim Mūsavī Khwānsārī, the grandson of Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim Khwānsārī (Mīrkabīr). He also studied jurisprudence and legal theory under scholars such as Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Nāʾīnī and Muḥammad-Ḥusayn Gharawī Iṣfahānī, devoting ten years in total to these subjects.
His teacher in philosophy was the sage Sayyid Ḥusayn Bādkūbāʾī, with whom he and his brother Muḥammad-Ḥasan Ilāhī Tabataba'i studied extensively in Najaf. He also learned metaphysics, Qur’anic exegesis (interpreting the Qur’an through the Qur’an itself), philosophy, ethics, and *fiqh al-ḥadīth* under Sayyid ʿAlī Qāḍī Tabataba'i, under whose supervision he progressed in mystical knowledge. According to Maḥmūd Amjad, “ʿAllāma’s state would change upon hearing the name of Sayyid ʿAlī Qāḍī.”
Return to Tabriz Due to financial hardship during his time in Najaf and the discontinuation of income from their agricultural land in Tabriz, Tabataba'i was forced to return to Iran. He spent ten years in the village of Shādābād near Tabriz engaged in farming and agriculture. His son, Sayyid ʿAbd al-Bāqī Tabataba'i, stated: “During the ten years after ʿAllāma’s return from Najaf to the village of Shādābād, due to his continuous efforts, the qanats were cleaned, the ruined orchards were revived and replanted, several new gardens were established, and even a summer house was built for the family’s seasonal residence.”
Life in Qom After residing in Tabriz for some time, Tabataba'i decided to move to Qom, a decision he finalized in 1946 (1325 AH). According to his son, they initially stayed at a relative’s house, later renting a home with a small two-part room totaling about 20 square meters.
When he first arrived in Qom, he was known as “Qāḍī,” but due to his lineage from the Tabataba'i sayyids, he preferred to be called by that name. He wore simple clothes: a small turban, a cotton robe of blue fabric, his cloak unbuttoned, without socks, and overall with fewer garments than customary. He lived in modest housing and had few acquaintances in Qom, including Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥujjat Kuh-Kamari.
Among his achievements in Qom was his designing of the Ḥujjatiyya School. Initially, this school had limited capacity, so Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥujjat Kuh-Kamari purchased several thousand square meters of adjacent land. Architects and designers from cities such as Tehran submitted plans, but none was satisfactory. Eventually, Tabataba'i submitted his own design, which was approved, and the new building was constructed based on his plan.
Works
In Najaf, Tabataba'i developed his major contributions in the fields of Tafsir (interpretation), philosophy, and history of the Shi'a faith. In philosophy the most important of his works is Usul-i falsafeh va ravesh-e-realism (The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism), which has been published in five volumes with explanatory notes and the commentary of Morteza Motahhari. If Ayatollah Haeri is considered the reviver of Qom's hawza in an organizational sense, Tabataba'i's contributions to the field of tafsir, philosophy and mysticism represent the intellectual revitalization of the hawza with lasting implications for the curriculum. List of publications Source:
A Shi'ite Anthology, translated into English by William Chittick Tafsir al-Mizan Shi'a Islam () The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism ( Usul-i falsafeh va ravesh-i ri'alism) in five volumes, with the commentary of Murtada Mutahhari. Glosses al-kifayah (). Glosses upon the new edition of the Asfar of Sadr al-Din Shirazi Mulla Sadra appearing under the direction of 'Allameh Tabataba'i of which seven volumes have appeared. Dialogues with Professor Corbin () Two volumes based on conversations carried out between 'Allameh Tabataba'i and Henry Corbin of which the first volume was printed as the yearbook of Maktab-i tashayyu’, 1339 (A.H. Solar) Risalah dar hukumat-i islami, (Treatise on Islamic Government). Hashiyah-i kifayah (Glosses upon al-Kifayah). Risalah dar quwwah wafi'(Treatise on Potentiality and Actuality). Risalah dar ithbat-i dha~t (Treatise on the Proof of the Divine Essence). Risalah dar sifat (Treatise on the Divine Attributes). Risalah dar ata (Treatise on the Divine Acts). Risalah dar wasa'il (Treatise on Means). Risalah dar insan qabl al-dunya (Treatise on Man before the World) Risalah dar insan fi al-dunya (Treatise on Man in the World). Risalah dar insan ba'd al-dunya (Treatise on Man after the World). Risalah dar nubuwwat (Treatise on Prophecy). Risalah dar wilayat (Treatise on Initiation). Risalah dar mushtaqqat (Treatise on Derivatives). Risalah dar burhan (Treatise on Demonstration). Risalah dar mughalatah (Treatise on Sophism). Risalah dar tahlil (Treatise on Analysis). Risalah dar tarkib (Treatise on Synthesis). Risalah dar i’tibarat (Treatise on Contingents). Risalah dar nubuwwat wa manamat (Treatise on Prophecy and Dreams) Manza’mah dar rasm-i- khatt-i-nasta’liq (Poem on the Method of Writing the Nasta’liq Style of Calligraphy). Ali wa al-falsafat al-ilahiya (Ali and Metaphysics) Qur'an dar Islam (The Qur'an in Islam). Tabataba'i has two primary works that have received more attention than his other writings.
The first is Tafsir al-Mīzān, a 20-volume Quranic exegesis written in Arabic over the course of 20 years. This tafsir uses the method of “interpreting the Qur’an through the Qur’an,” and in addition to interpretation and linguistic analysis, it contains separate discussions—depending on the topic of the verses—on narrative, historical, theological, philosophical, and social matters. The work has been published in two formats: initially in 40 volumes, and later condensed into 20 volumes. It was translated into Persian by Sayyid Muhammad Bāqir Musavī Hamadānī.
His other major work is *The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism*. This book consists of 14 philosophical essays, written during the 1940s and 1950s, and explained by Murtazā Mutahharī with a focus on comparative philosophy. It is one of the first and most important books that examined philosophical topics in light of both Islamic philosophical wisdom and modern Western philosophy.
Mehdi Khalaji writes:
Among his important intellectual gatherings were his discussions with Henry Corbin, attended by Hossein Nasr and many others, as well as sessions held in Tehran with figures such as Dariush Shayegan.
Tabataba’i himself said the following about these dialogues:“Revisiting the scholarly friendship between Tabataba’i and Henry Corbin,” *Porseman*, Aban 1382 [Nov 2003], Issue 14
Poetry Although primarily recognized for his philosophical and exegetical contributions, Tabataba'i also composed poetry in both Persian and Arabic. His poetry addresses themes such as divine love, metaphysical reflection, and spiritual inquiry.
One collection of his Persian poetry is titled Kish-e Mehr (The Creed of Love), which includes over 200 ghazals composed in a style that combines classical Persian lyric forms with themes drawn from Islamic spirituality and Shiʿi metaphysics. The poems reference concepts commonly found in Islamic mysticism (ʿirfān).
In fear that they might be exploited and "...misused by the wicked offsprings of worldliness, unjust rulers, and irreligious governments," otherwise fearing his religious works would be dismissed by the Iranian clergy due to his status as a poet, Tabataba'i burned and destroyed many of his poems.
Family Tabataba'i was of the lineage of the Tabataba'i Sayyids of Azerbaijan, and he was related to Sayyid ‘Ali Qāḍī and Sayyid Muhammad ‘Ali Qāḍī Tabataba’i. Tabataba’i’s first wife, Qamar al-Sādāt Mahdavī Tabataba’i, was a relative of his who died in 1964 (1343 AH), and two years later he married his second wife, Mansoureh Ruzbeh, the sister of Reza Ruzbeh. She was a descendant of Abd al-Wahhab Tabrizi, whose lineage is said to trace back to Hasan al-Muthanna, the son of the second Shi‘i Imam, Hasan ibn Ali.
Henry Corbin An event pertinent to the intellectual life of Tabataba'i during his time in Qom was the arrival of Henry Corbin from France to Iran and his meetings with Tabataba'i in Qom and Tehran. These meetings, which led to the formation of a significant philosophical circle of that era, were initiated by Henry Corbin. Many later contemporary Iranian philosophers, alongside Corbin, studied philosophy and engaged in extensive philosophical discussions with Tabataba'i. Corbin, a Heideggerian philosopher, had come to Iran in search of answers to his unanswered questions, hoping to find them in the presence of Tabataba'i, who was seen as an interpreter of Shia philosophy. Corbin himself acknowledged that Tabataba'i provided him with precise and convincing answers.
When Corbin came to Iran, he established relationships with many Iranian scholars. However, Corbin was especially interested in connecting with scholars who were engaged with literature, art, and philosophy of Iran, rather than those considered “intellectuals,” who were often individuals that had studied in the West. During this same period, Corbin, along with Tabataba'i, formed a philosophical circle in Tehran. The meetings were held at the home of Ahmad Dhū al-Majd Tabataba'i, a lawyer with specific interest in divine philosophy.