Origins & Early Life

Mohammad Baqer Majlesi (c. 1627/1628 – 29 March 1699; AH 1038–1111; Persian: محمد باقر مجلسی), also known as Allamah Majlesi, Majlesi al-Thani ("Majlesi the Second"), and Muḥammad Bāqir ibn Muḥammad al-Taqī al-Majlisī, was a leading Iranian Twelver Shi'a theologian and ʿālim of the Safavid dynasty, whose teachings and activities became a formative influence on the subsequent development, practice, and organization of Twelver Shi'ism. He has been described as "one of the most powerful and influential Shi'a Ulama of all time" , whose policies and actions helped redirect Twelver Shi'ism along the course it subsequently followed. Majlesi strongly opposed the rationalization of religion through philosophy, as well as Sufism and Sunnism, whose adherents he regarded as determined rivals.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He succeeded in persuading the Shah to exclude Sunnis from Isfahan. He wrote in both Persian and Arabic, thereby reaching a substantially wider audience with his vigorous advocacy of Twelver Shi'ism. His principal work was Biḥār al-anwār ("The Ocean of Lights"), a multivolume compilation of hadith. He also promoted devotion to the Imams and the elaboration of religious rituals, including devotion to the martyrs...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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