Renowned Iranian scholar Taskhiri arrives today
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Prominent Iranian religious leader and Secretary General, World Assembly for Proximity among the Islamic Schools of Thought, Ayatoallah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri will visit Pakistan from 12th to 16th April, 2008, a press release of the Embassy of Iran said on Friday. He is scheduled to address seminar on the Unity of Islamic Ummah at the International Islamic University, Faisal Mosque Campus on Sunday. He will also visit Peshawar and Lahore to meet the leading Ulema.
Born in 1944 at Najaf Ashraf, Iraq, Tashkhiri acquired his primary and middle-level education from Najaf Ashraf while for the acquisition of highest educational level of the Hawzah i.e. "Dars-e-Kharej" which contains advanced religious courses, he gained extensively from the renowned Ulama of Najaf Ashraf.
He attained the university-level education of Arabic literature, Islamic law & Jurisprudence from the Fiqh College of Najaf Ashraf. Along with the acquisition of education, during his stay in the Theological College of Najaf Ashraf, he was also engaged in the teaching of the Islamic subjects. As regards the Arabic poetry and literature, he benefited from the distinguished mentors like Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Reza Muzzafar, Sheikh Abol Mehdi Matar and Sheikh Muhammad Amin Zain-ud-Din. Being fond of the Arabic poetry and literature in the young age, he versified many Arabic odes and on diverse occasions delivered literary lectures at different forums of poetry and literature. In the political arena, he played a dynamic role against the Bathist party of Iraq and for the same reason he was jailed and also given death sentence. But with the grace of Almighty Allah he was released later.
In 1971 AD he want to the Qom Islamic Seminary and for ten years attended the lectures delivered by the leading Ulama like Ayatollah Golpayengani, Ayatollah Waheed Khurasani, and Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amuli. During this period, he also performed the duties of teaching theological subjects and Arabic literature at all the theological centres and universities of Iran.
1- In the aftermath of the victory of the glorious Islamic Revolution in Iran, he fully got engaged in the cultural activities and the preaching of Islam, both at home and abroad. During this period, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Ali Taskhiri held different cultural, propagation and administrative positions and undertook various responsibilities.