Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi

Lore & Background

Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi, also known as Allamah Majlesi, was a towering figure in Safavid Iran, buried beside his father in a family mausoleum near the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan. Born in Isfahan in 1627, he was the son of Mulla Mohammad Taqi Majlesi, a cleric of the Ja'fari school. His lineage traces back to Abu Noaym Ahmad ibn Abdallah Esfahani, though his first definitive ancestor was Kamal al-Din Darvish Mohammad ibn Hasan Ameli, a Lebanese-origin scholar who introduced Usul of Shia Hadith to Isfahan. Majlesi himself used the nisbas "al-Esfahani al-Natanzi al-Ameli." By age 25, he had earned certification to teach from Mulla Sadra, studying under 21 masters and training 181 students. Appointed Shaykh al-Islam in Isfahan in 1687 by Emperor Suleiman, he wielded immense power to suppress Sufism, philosophical falsafah, and Sunnism, reorienting Twelver Shi'ism away from its prior Sufi and rationalist influences. He fervently upheld "enjoining good" and "prohibiting evil," issuing fatwas covering daily life from clothing to hygiene. He narrowly defined science as knowledge of religious duties and hadith, warning that broader inquiry led to apostasy. A prolific writer of over 100 books, his magnum opus is *Bihar al-Anwar* in 110 volumes.

Reader's Guide

Majlesi’s significance stems from his role as a transformative figure in Twelver Shi’a Islam during the Safavid era. Appointed Shaykh al-Islām in Isfahan in 1687, he wielded considerable authority to enforce religious conformity. He actively suppressed Sufism, philosophical rationalism (falsafah), and Sunnism, marking a decisive break from earlier centuries when Shiism and Sufism were closely intertwined. His efforts successfully removed Sufi influence from mainstream Shi’a development and downgraded philosophy as a subject of study in religious colleges. Majlesi also reasserted clerical leadership under his own direction and renewed campaigns to convert Sunnis to Shi’ism. He is credited with popularizing key Shi’a rituals still practiced in Iran, including Azadari, Arba’in pilgrimage, Alam processions, Ta’ziyah, and Latmiya. His legalism extended to issuing fatwas covering nearly every aspect of daily life, from clothing and hygiene to sexual conduct and medical treatments. He defined legitimate knowledge narrowly as only religious duties, traditions, and clear Quranic verses, warning that broader inquiry led to apostasy. His most important scholarly focus was hadith; he wrote over 100 works in Arabic and Persian, including the massive 110-volume *Bihar al-Anwar*. By reshaping Twelver Shi’ism’s intellectual and ritual direction, Majlesi laid groundwork that later influenced the political and religious character of modern Iran.

Did You Know?

• Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi was a Shaykh al-Islam in Safavid Iran.
• Majlesi greatly influenced the political climate of 18th-century Iran.
• Majlesi is credited with marking the start of a genuinely Iranian expansion within Twelver Shia Islam.
• Majlesi foreshadowed the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the late 20th century.
• Majlesi influenced the final Shi'itization of Iran.