A Brief Biography of

Ayatollah Hashemi

Ayatollah saied Mahmud Hashemi Shahroudi was born in the holy city of Najaf in Iraq in 1948(th 2^nd of Dhu`l-Qa'dah 1367 of Muhammadan year). His ancestors are originally from Shahrood, an east-central city in Iran.

His father Ayatollah saied Ali Husayni Shahroudi, is the first one who compiled and wrote the utterances of his great teacher, the great Ayatollah Khouei (p.h )on Fiqh(Islamic jurisprudence) and Usul-al-Fiqh(the principles of Fiqh)

After graduating from Alavieh primary school, he started his Islamic studies. Due to  his brilliant talent and inteligence, He could pass the introductory and advanced levels in very few years, then he attended Ayatollah Sadr's classes on Usul-al-Fiqh and Khariji-Fiqh (post advanced Fiqh .At the same time he took part the late Imam Khumayni's and Ayatollah Khouei's  courses and not only was highly respected by these two great scholars but , other Islamic studies centers were interestingly eager to profit from his genius on Islamic sciences and Fiqh.

Before he finished his third decade of his life , on the 27th of Rabi' I, 1399 (of Muhammadan year) he was given the high title of Ijtihad (the authority of independent decision making on Fiqh) by Ayatollah Sadr. The great Ayatollah Sadr has written in a part of Ayatollah Hashemi's Ijtihad certification, "Today you are one of the Mujtahids who is a white hope for Islam and muslims, I pray to the most high God for your success".

In 1974  he was jailed and suffered many tormenting physical and psychotic tortures. After the demonstrations which were held   in Najaf for the victory of Islamic revolution of Iran, Iraqi regime accused him of holding demonstrations and pursued him but the great Ayatollah Sadr ordered him to come back to Iran as his fully authorized agent to Imam khomayni. After he came to Iran he was as a communicator between the late Imam Khomayni and the martyre Ayatollah Sadr.He had considered the reinforcement of Islamic revolution of Iran and its leadership as his duty and campaigned against Islam enemies' threats. At the same time, he tried to reinforce the Islamic campaignes of Iraqi nation against the Iraqi regime.

Due to his great genius, special talent and his domination on Islamic sciences , he inroduced himself as a brilliant scholar and Faqih (religious juriste) in many conferences and seminars on Islamic topics in Iran and abroad , such as the Congress of Islamic Development Bank in Jaddah in which he presented an article entitled,"the deposit in foreigner banks and profiting from its interest from the Islamic schools point of view", this article was published in a quarterly by the O.I.P (organization of Islamic propaganda) .He actively took part in the Congress of Islamic Thought, the Congress of Ahlulbayt World Assembly, the Assembly of Islamic Faiths Approximation,the assemblies of Hawz-E-Elmiah (the chief Islamic school)in Qom ,and the seminars in the holy city of Mashad. He was in charge of the chairman of the first Congress of Imam Khumayni on "The Role of Time and Place in Ijtihad"and also the first Congress of the Fiqh Encyclopedia based on Ahlulbait (shia Imams)school.

The great leader Ayatolla Khamenei states about him ,"You are a brilliant scholar in science and action and praise be to God that you have obtained a high rank in Fiqh and its related fields".

Since 1981, he has started his high courses on Khariji-Fiqh (post advanced Fiqh) and Usul-al-Fiqh in the holy city of Qom and a great number of scholars and Islamic centers students have profited from his courses.

In August 1999,He was apppointed by Ayatollah Khamenei as the supreme head of  Iran's Judiciary.

Ayatollah Hashemi's Ijtihad Certification

+Praise be to God, the lords of the words, peace be upon his best creatures,

Muhammad(p.b.h.) and his holy off spring .