Mouood Mouood English Edition
The great renowned research scholar of Islamic history and hadith, Allama Azizullah Ottarodi was born on 5th Azar Mah 1307 Solar Hijrah/ 26 November 1928 in a village called Biglar near Quchan city in the Khurasan province, Iran. He was born in a family with deep religious background.
He belongs to the famous Kurdish tribe of Hamzahkanlu living in the Guchan, Radkan and Chenaran region of Khurasan province since the Safavid rule in Iran in the sixteenth century.
Allama Azizullah Ottarodi’s soul departed to heaven on Friday, July 25, 2014 after his brief illness and hospitalization in Tehran. May the departed soul rest in peace, Ameen.
Biglar village came into existence during the rule of Nadir Shah Afshar in the beginning of the eighteenth century and his forefathers resided in this village. This village is located in the beautiful surrounding on the slopes of the famous mountain known as Muhammad Baig in the Shah Jahan Arghiyan mountain ranges. One of the sources of the Atrak River is located near this village and it possesses a very pleasant climate.
Basic Education
He started learning elementary Islamic education in the masjid of the village and soon mastered reciting the Holy Quran and the poems from the Golestan and Bustan of Shaykh Saadi.
When his father came to know about his high talents he presented him some valuable books like the Persian translation of the Holy Quran, Meraj al-Saadah of Allama Naraqi, Shahnamah of Ferdowsi, Nasekh al-Tawarikh written by Sepher and a book containing the eulogies in praise of the Holy Ahlul Bayt (A.S.).
He successfully completes his elementary education under the guidance of learned teachers in the masjid of his village. When he was only fourteen year old he fully studied the book Jami al-Muqaddimat, the basic book in learning the Arabic literature. In 1946, when he was only eighteen years old, with the permission of his father he left his village to join the Madrasa Awaziyah, the Hawzah (theological Islamic seminary) in Quchan city. Very soon the leading jurisprudents of this Hawzah granted him the permission to join the rank of Ulama.
In the Holy City of Mashhad
After finishing the required courses in the Madrasa Awaziyah in Quchan, in 1948, he joined the historical Madrasa Balasar Mubarak located in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.). Here he attended the classes of the leading Fuqaha (jurisprudents) who lectured in the classes present in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.). He also participated in the classes of other leading Ulama of the Hawzah of the holy city of Mashhad. He regularly visited the grand library of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.), which is considered as the greatest and largest Islamic library in the world. He also attended educational and literary gatherings and meetings of the Ulama and university professors which was regularly held in the holy city of Mashhad. He mastered two books during his higher studies in the Hawzah of holy city of Mashhad like Sharh Nahjul Balaghah (the famous commentary on Nahjul Balagha) by Ibn Abul Hadeed and Bihar al-Anwar (the Great Encyclopedia of Shia Hadith in 110 volumes) compiled by Allamah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi. His deep study of these two books resulted in the compilation of many books by Allama Azizullah Ottarodi in the fields of Hadith and Nahjul Balaghah.
Reviving the Islamic Legacy
After completing his advanced studies in jurisprudence, hadith and Nahjul Balagha in the Hawzah of the holy city of Mashhad, he moved to Tehran, the capital city of Iran. In Tehran, he edited many classic Islamic works particularly the classical works in Hadith. In 1955, he compiled the Erratum of Furooh Kafi which was his first compilation. The Ulama in Tehran and the leading Marajah living in the holy cities of Mashhad and Qum encouraged Allama Azizullah Ottarodi to carry on his research endeavors.
In the Holy City of Najaf Ashraf
In 1963 he joined the world renowned Hawzah of the holy city of Najaf Ashraf in Iraq. He stayed in this holy city for a period of more than one year and participated in the classes of the leading Marajah in this holy city.
His Teachers
After his return from the Hawzah of the Najaf Ashraf in 1965, he visited Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwarah and met leading Ulama of these two holy cities. After this tour, he visited Syria, Lebanon, India and Pakistan to study the rare manuscripts available in the major libraries of these countries.
He studied under the leading Marajah and great Ulama of the Hawzah of Mashhad, Tehran, Qum and Najaf Ashraf. His masters granted him the permission to narrate Hadith whose names are as mentioned below:
1- Ayatullah al-Uzma Sayyid Muhsin Hakim
2- Ayatullah al-Uzma Sayyid Abul Qasim Khoee
3- Ayatullah al-Uzma Sayyid Muhammad Hadi Milani
4- The great research scholar Agha Buzurg Tehrani of Najaf
5- The great research scholar Allamah Shaykh Abdul Husain Ameeni
6- Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim Madani Bukhari of Madinah Munawwarah
