Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Agha Maleki Tabrizi

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Agha Maleki Tabrizi (1857 Tabriz – July 3, 1925 Qom) was a renowned faqih (jurist), ʿarif (mystic), and teacher of Islamic ethics in the seminaries of Najaf and Qom.

Birth:

Born in 1857 in Tabriz, Iran, into a devout and affluent merchant family. His father, Mirza Shafiʿ, was initially involved in financial affairs under Nasir al-Din Shah, but later turned to spiritual refinement under the guidance of Mirza Ali Naqi Hamadani [1, 2].

Education:

He began his early religious studies in Tabriz, covering disciplines such as nahw, sarf, manṭiq, and maʿani wa bayan [3]. After completing the intermediate level (sath), he travelled to Najaf al-Ashraf, seeking deeper knowledge and spiritual purification.

Teachers:

During his time in Najaf, Mirza Jawad Agha Maleki Tabrizi studied under several prominent scholars in various fields, including:

• Mirza Husayn Nuri – a leading muḥaddith (hadith scholar), who trained him in the transmitted sciences.
• Akhund Muhammad Kazim Khurasani – one of the foremost authorities in fiqh and usul, known for his rational methodology.
• Agha Reza Hamadani – a distinguished jurist who nurtured his jurisprudential insight.

However, the most profound and enduring influence on his spiritual life came through his 15 years of dedicated training under the legendary mystic Mulla Husayn Quli Hamadani [2, 4]. Under his guidance, Maleki Tabrizi underwent rigorous spiritual refinement (tazkiyah) and disciplined suluk (spiritual wayfaring). Mulla Husayn Quli was renowned not only for his deep gnosis but also for his transformative effect on the souls of his disciples. He helped elevate seekers from the realm of mulk (the material world) to malakut (the spiritual kingdom), purifying their hearts and instilling divine presence through both gaze and word.

This long mentorship under Hamadani became the foundation for Maleki Tabrizi’s own spiritual teachings and writings, especially as reflected in al-Muraqibat and Risalah Liqaʾ Allah.

Death:

He passed away on 3 July 1925 (11 Dhu al-Hijjah 1343 AH) in Qom [5]. He is buried in the historic Sheikhan cemetery, near the shrine of Lady Fatima Maʿsumah.

References:

1. IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency), Darbāre-ye Mirza Jawad Agha Maleki Tabrizi, June 23, 2021, https://www.irna.ir/news/84376696.
2. Beytoote, Zendeginame-ye Hajj Mirza Jawad Agha Maleki Tabrizi, n.d., https://www.beytoote.com/religious/bozorgan-din/biography01-hajjmirza-javad.html.
3. Jamaʿi az Pajooheshgaran-e Ḥawzah-ye ʿIlmiyyah-ye Qom, Golshan-e Abrar (in Persian), vol. 2, Qom: Nashr-e Maʿroof, 1385 SH, p. 502.
4. Husayn Quli Hamadani – WikiShia, https://en.wikishia.net/view/Husayn_Quli_Hamadani. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
5. ʿAlī Ḥāʾerī, Ruzshomār-e Shamsī (in Persian), vol. 1, 1386 SH, p. 217.