View source for Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai

{{Short description|Iraqi Shi'a theologian (1842–1920)}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| honorific-prefix   = [[Grand Ayatollah]] [[Sayyid]] [[Mirza (noble)|Mirza]]
| region             =
| image              = Mohammad Tabatabaei.jpg
| caption            =
| name               = Muhammad Tabatabaei
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1842|12|22|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Karbala]], [[Baghdad Vilayet]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1920|1|28|1842|12|22|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Karbala]], [[Mandatory Iraq]]
| resting_place      = [[Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine]]
| main_interests     =
| website            =
| native_name        = {{lang|fa|میرزا محمد طباطبایی}}
| background         = #ABE9CC
| jurisprudence      = [[Twelver]] [[Shia Islam]]
| religion           = [[Islam]]
| period             =
| successor          =
| location           =
| predecessor        =
| children           =
| parents            = Sadiq al-Tabatabaei (father)
| relatives          =
| nationality        = Iranian
}}
'''Mirza [[Seyyed]] Mohammad Tabatabai''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: آیت الله میرزا سید محمد طباطبائی, also known as '''Mohammad Sang-e-laji''',;<ref group="Note">''Sang-e-laj'' (سَنگِلَج) is one of the neighbourhoods of the Old Tehran, not far from the [[Bazar, Tehran|Grand Bazar of Tehran]]. The ''Sang-e-laj Theatre'', one of the oldest theatre halls in Iran, which is still in use, is located in this neighbourhood. For further information, consult the entry [[:fa:سنگلج|''Sang-e-laj'']] in ''The Persian Wikipedia''.</ref> 22 December 1842 &ndash; 28 January 1920) was one of the leaders of the [[Iranian Constitutional Revolution]] who played an important role in the establishment of democracy and rule of law in Iran. He was the son of Sayyed Sādegh Tabātabā'i, one of the influential Scholar during the reign of [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar|Naser ad-Din Shah Qajar]]. His paternal grandfather, Sayyed Mehdi Tabātabā'i, was a reputed clergy in [[Hamedan]].<ref name="zinati">{{cite web |title=Sayyed Abdollah Behbahāni and Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i |language=Persian |url=http://www.zinati.de/Images/Images/Behbehan%20and%20Tabatabaie.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218173816/http://www.zinati.de/Images/Images/Behbehan%20and%20Tabatabaie.htm |archive-date=18 February 2010}}</ref> He is the father of Sayyed Sādegh Tabātabā'i editor of ''Ruznāmeh-ye Majles'', the [[Majles of Iran|Majles]] newspaper.
He is entombed inside a family [[tomb]] in [[Shah-Abdol-Azim shrine]] in [[Rey, Iran|Rey]].
==Biography==
Mirzā Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i was born in Karbala, [[Iraq]]. The family moved to Hamedan when he was two years old, and to Tehran, when he was eight. He received education in the sciences, (Arabic) literature, Islamic jurisprudence and doctrines from his father, and [[philosophy]] from Mirzā Abol-Hasan Jelveh. For a period of time he was also a pupil of Sahaikh Hadi Najmābādi.<ref name="zinati"/>
The latter has been the spiritual father of a number of individuals who later played significant roles in bringing about the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, such as [[Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda]] and [[Mirza Jahangir Khan|Mirza Jahangir Khan Sur-e Esrafil]].<ref>{{harvp|Bayat|1991}}</ref>
In 1881 he left Iran for the purpose of [[Hajj]], however as a result of his late arrival, he undertook an [[Umrah]] Hajj, after which he settled in [[Samarra]], Iraq, where he became a pupil of Ayatollah [[Mirza Mohammed Hassan Husseini Shirazi|Mirzā Mohammad Hasan Hosseini Shirāzi]] and completed his studies with him. Following the death of his father, he took his entire family to Samarra and for some ten years advised Ayatollah Shirāzi on political matters. On the recommendation of Ayatollah Shirāzi, he finally returned to Tehran. Due to his independent mind, in Tehran he kept away from state officials and individuals in positions of power. In his public speeches, he emphasized on the merits of freedom and incessantly stirred up the sense of loving freedom amongst his audiences. In this, he went so far as to suggesting [[republicanism]] as a viable alternative to [[monarchism]]. His latter views polarised his audiences, driving some away, and attracting some more closely instead. His ascetic lifestyle, however, very effectively protected him against personal attacks by his detractors. His emphasis permanently revolved around a national government, respect for the rule of law, equality before law, and the indiscriminate application of justice in the society.<ref name="zinati"/>
=== Constitutional Revolution ===
The spark leading to the Constitutional Revolution of Iran is by some held to be the [[foot whipping]] of some sugar merchants in Tehran in December 1905, by the then Governor of Tehran, Ahmad Alā od-Dowleh, for disobeying the government order to lower the price of sugar.<ref name="Keddie_67">{{harvp|Keddie|2003|p=67}}</ref> Following this event, a large number of people from [[Bazaar]], together with some clergy, took sanctuary (known as ''[[Bast (asylum)|Bast]]'' <ref>J. Calmard, ''Bast'', [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v3f8/v3f8a055.html ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'']{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>) in ''[[Shah Mosque (Tehran)|Shah's Mosque]]'' (''Masjed-e Shah'' &ndash; ''[[Imam Khomeini]] Mosque'' since 1979) in Tehran. They were forcibly removed from this place by the agents of the then Chief Minister of [[Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar|Mozaffar ad-Din Shah]], Ain ad-Dowleh.<ref>{{harvp|Keddie|2003|pp=66, 67}}</ref> Following this, on the suggestion of Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i a large number of [[Ulema]] of Tehran retired to Shah-Abdol-Azim shrine and formulated a set of demands to be presented to Mozaffar ad-Din Shah. The single most important demand to be made at this juncture from Shah turned out to be the demand for establishing an ''Edālat'khāneh'' (عدالتخانه - House of Justice), of which the specifics were left unspecified. According to Keddie,<ref name="Keddie_67"/> this lack of detail may have been intended for preserving unity amongst the more radical modernizers and the traditional Ulema. Mozaffar ad-Din Shah accepted the demand for setting up an ''Edālat'khāneh'' and for good measure also dismissed the unpopular Governor of Tehran. Following this, the Ulema ceased their protest and returned to Tehran. The ''Edālat'khāneh'' was to be the genesis of what later became Iran's ''[[Majles of Iran|Majles]]''.
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah and his Chief Minister, Ain od-Dowleh, reneged however on their promises. Not only did they not establish an ''Edālat'khāneh'', but violence against people continued unabated, both in Tehran and in other provinces of Iran. At this stage popular preachers such as [[Sayyid Jamal al-Din Va'iz|Sayyed Jamal ad-Din Esfahani]] (father of the Iranian writer [[Mohammad-Ali Jamalzadeh]]) and Shaikh Mohammad Vā'ez began their most vociferous attacks on the establishment. This led to Sayyed Jamal ad-Din Esfahani being ordered to leave Tehran, an act that led to strong protests by the public. In the course of ousting Sayyed Jamal ad-Din Esfahani from Tehran was shot dead by an officer, an event that led to a large mass of clergy leaving Tehran in protest and taking ''Bast'' in [[Qom]] in July 1906. This move was followed by between 12,000 and 14,000 merchants and tradesmen taking ''Bast'' in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Legation]] in Tehran, bringing the commerce in Tehran to virtual standstill.<ref name="Keddie_67"/> In passing, it should be remarked that the orthodox historical view in the present-day Iran is that the role of the British at this juncture in the history of Iran was by no means a benevolent one, but calculated, the calculation being aimed at marginalising the religious elements of the revolutionary movement. It is well known that it was for exactly the lack of clarity as regards the role of [[Islam]] in a post-revolution era that such Constitutional Revolutionary of the first hour as [[Sheikh Fazlollah Noori]] came to take the side of [[Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar|Mohammad-Ali Shah]] and became an anti-revolutionary.<ref group="Note">The Officiate Website of [http://iichs.org/index_en.asp ''Iranian Institute for Contemporary Historical Studies''] ([http://iichs.org/index.asp مؤسسۀ مطالعات تاریخ معاصر ایران]) should be consulted. In particular, [http://www.iichs.org/PDF_files/A_BaresiyeElal.pdf this article], in Persian, by Dr Farzad Jahān'bin, is worth considering. The idea being advanced is that whereas the taking of ''Bast'' of between some 12,000 to 14,000 men in the British Legation in Tehran seems to have been spontaneous, preparations for hosting such large numbers (providing for both meals and sanitation of the individuals taking the ''Bast'') had been in the making for months in advance. There are eye-witness reports indicating how months in advance of the event, the British middlemen had been purchasing large quantities of rice and other foodstuff in various food markets in and around Tehran and transported these at night-times into the complex housing the British Legation in Tehran.</ref> After the [[Iranian Revolution]] of 1979, the status of Sheikh Fazlollah Noori as a revolutionary has been fully restored.<ref group="Note">According to {{harvp|Keddie|2003|p=180}}, "The third main leader of the Tehran ulema, Shaikh Fazlollah Nuri [the other two being Mirzā Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i and Ayatollah Sayyed Abdollah Behbahāni], did turn against the movement once it became clear that the constitution was not going to reinstate the [[sharia]], but bring in many Western-style institutions and laws."</ref>
During this time Iranians began to increase their demands, demanding not only the dismissal of Shah's Chief Minister, Ain od-Dowleh, but also establishment of a national consultative assembly, what came to be known as, and become, ''Majles''.<ref name="Keddie">{{harvp|Keddie|2003}}</ref> The name of ''Mashrouteh'' (مشروطه), signifying a new political system, was floated around this time.<ref group="Note">The orthodox viewpoint in contemporary Iran (consult [http://iichs.org/index_en.asp ''Iranian Institute for Contemporary Historical Studies'']) is that the word ''Mashrouteh'' (مشروطه), in opposition to ''Mashrou'eh'' (مشروعه) (meaning, ''based on religion'' or ''based on religious traditions''), was insinuated and popularised by the British. According to [[Dehkhoda Dictionary]] (3rd edition, Tehran University Press, 2006), ''Mashrouteh'' is a form of state government according to which introduction and elimination of laws are the sole prerogatives of Parliament, or Houses of Parliament. In this connection, Sheikh Fazlollah Noori insisted on a ''Mashrou'eh'' form of government, according to which the sole role of ''Majles'' would be the safeguarding of the [[Islamic]] laws.</ref> At the end of July 1906, Mozaffar al-Din Shah dismissed his unpopular Chief Minister Ain od-Dowleh, and in early August 1906 he accepted the proposed institution of ''Majles''. The first ''Majles'' came into being in October 1906, immediately after the Deputies of Tehran were elected.<ref name="Keddie"/> A committee of experts drafted the ''Fundamental Law'', which Mozaffar al-Din Shah signed, after some delay, in December 1906. A longer ''Supplementary Fundamental Law'', drafted in 1907, was signed by the new Shah, Mohammad-Ali Shah, in October 1907 (Mozaffar al-Din Shah died on 3 January 1907). These two charters formed the core of the Iranian written Constitution, to be supplanted by a new written Constitution after the Revolution of 1979.<ref name="Keddie"/>
The rules governing the election of Deputies of ''Majles'' were originally drafted by Mozaffar al-Din Shah. His delay in making this document available led Mirzā Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i to visiting him personally at [[Niavaran Palace Complex|Sāheb'qrāniyeh Palace]] for enquiry. He left the Palace with the draft of these regulations in his hands. After some changes in this draft, it was finally ratified by Mozaffar al-Din Shah. Copies of this were subsequently dispatched to all cities in Iran. This event was celebrated on Monday 10 September 1906 by ornamenting the streets of Tehran with decorative light bulbs.<ref name="zinati"/>
Tabatabai died in Tehran in 1920, at the age of 77.
=== As deputy ===
Of the religious minority groups in Iran, only [[Zoroastrians]] had a Zoroastrian Deputy in First ''Majles''. During the legislative period of this ''Majles'', Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i deputised also the [[Assyrians in Iran|Iranian Christians]] in ''Majles''. During this period, the [[Persian Jews|Iranian Jewish community]] were deputised by Ayatollah Sayyed Abdollah Behbahāni.<ref name="zinati"/>
=== As private person ===
According to Keddie, Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i "appears to have had genuinely liberal proclivities and considerable contact with other liberals, believed that a constitution would be the best way to limit the power of uncontrolled autocrats who were selling Iran to the Western powers."<ref>{{harvp|Keddie|2003|p=180}}</ref>
With the sudden rise in the price of sugar in 1905 (see above), Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i proposed that instead of serving tea at religious gatherings, such as at ''Rozeh-Khāni'''s, the poor be given cash. In making this suggestion, he was also aiming at improving the state of public health, as he believed that not in all large gatherings the tea was being served in hygienically clean utensils, thus spreading transferable diseases amongst the population.<ref name="zinati"/>
== School and modern teaching methods ==
Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i founded the ''Islāmieh School'' (مدرسه اسلامیه) in Tehran where modern teaching methods were used. He appointed his brother, Assad'o'llah Tabātabā'i, as the Head of this school. During a celebration, on 28 October 1905, Sayyed Mohammad Tabātabā'i delivered a speech to the school in which he expanded on the necessity of learning and establishment of modern schools in Iran.<ref name="zinati"/>
== Further reading ==
* [[Ahmad Kasravi]], ''Tārikh-e Mashruteh-ye Iran'' (تاریخ مشروطهٔ ایران) (History of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran), in Persian, 951 p. (Negāh Publications, Tehran, 2003), {{ISBN|964-351-138-3}}. This book is also available in two volumes, published by ''Amir Kabir Publications'' in 1984. ''Amir Kabir's'' 1961 edition is in one volume, 934 pages.
* John Foran, ''The Strengths and Weaknesses of Iran’s Populist Alliance: A Class Analysis of the Constitutional Revolution of 1905 - 1911'', Theory and Society, Vol. '''20''', No. 6, pp.&nbsp;795–823 (December 1991). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/657604 JSTOR]
== See also ==
* [[Muhammad Kazim Khurasani]]
* [[Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi]]
* [[Tobacco Protest]]
* [[Iran-United Kingdom relations]]
* [[Iran-Russia relations]]
== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=Note}}
==References==
{{reflist|24em}}
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Keddie |first=Nikki R. |year=2003 |others=with a section by [[Yann Richard]] |title=Modern Iran - Roots and Results of Revolution |edition=updated |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, CT |isbn=0-300-09856-1 }}
*{{cite book |last=Bayat |first=Mangol |year=1991 |title=Iran's First Revolution: Shi'ism and the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1909 |series=Studies in Middle Eastern History |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-506822-X }}
{{refend}}
== External links ==
* [http://iichs.org/index_en.asp Iranian Institute for Contemporary Historical Studies] ([http://iichs.org/index.asp مؤسسۀ مطالعات تاریخ معاصر ایران])
{{Persian Constitutional Revolution Persions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabatabai, Mirza Sayyed Mohammad}}
[[Category:1842 births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution]]
[[Category:People from Karbala]]
[[Category:20th-century revolutions]]
[[Category:Moderate Socialists Party politicians]]