Ayatollah Motahhari

Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari ( February 3, 1920 – May 1, 1979) was an Iranian scholar, cleric, University lecturer, and politician.Prof. Motahhari is considered among the important influences on the ideologies of the Islamic Republic, and was a co-founder of Hosseiniye Ershad and the Combatant Clergy Associatei. Prof. Motahhari was a disciple of Ayatollah Khomeini during the Shah's reign and formed the Council of Revolution of Iran at Imam Khomeini's request. He was chairman of the council at the time of his assassination. Professor Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari (1298-1358 AHS) was born on Bahman 13, 1298 AHS [February 3, 1920] in the village of Fariman near Mashhad, Khorasan, to a family of clergymen. His father Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad Husayn Mutahhari was one of the pious ‘ulama’ of his time. At the age of 12, after finishing his preliminary education in Fariman, he proceeded to the theological center at Mashhad to receive instruction under Mirza Mahdi Shahidi Radawi.
At the age of 18, he set off for Qum for further pursuits of his studies under the supervision of such great teachers as Ayatullah Burujerdi and Imam Khomeini and others. At this time, he was considered one of the most brilliant students at the theological center of Qum and a favorite student of Imam Khomeini. Beside the philosophy lessons given by Imam Khomeini, the late Mutahhari also attended the Imam’s classes on akhlaq (ethics). It seems that these lessons had a profound influence in forging his personality. He himself recalls Imam Khomeini’s lessons in these words:
The lessons in ethics delivered by my beloved and favorite teacher (Imam Khomeini) on every Thursday and Friday were actually exercises and training in treading the spiritual path of gnosticism and were not a dry lesson in lifeless ethics. His teachings overwhelmed me to such an extent that I found myself a great deal under their influence that lasted until the next Monday or Tuesday. A great part of my intellectual and spiritual personality was formed during those classes which I underwent for 12 years from that divine teacher.
Moreover, he himself conducted lessons in subjects like Arabic literature, logic, kalam [scholasticism], jurisprudence, and philosophy. In 1331 AHS [1952] Mutahhari was transferred from Qum to Tehran and in 1334 AHS [1955] he was invited to teach Islamic sciences at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, Tehran University.
He was arrested at the midnight of Khordad 15, 1342 AHS [1963] and spent 43 days in prison. After Imam Khomeini’s migration to Paris in France, Mutahhari went to meet him and His Eminence assigned him the responsibility of organizing the Revolutionary Council. On the night of Ordibehesht 11, 1358 AHS [May 1, 1979] Mutahhari was martyred by an agent of the Furqan terrorist group. He wrote more than 50 books and tens of articles, and delivered scores of speeches.