Hawzah News Agency - Ebrahimi Turkaman, calling the late Ayatollah Taskhiri a benevolent and good intention individual, said he had two very good and useful tools in his command for advancing interreligious dialogue and proximity of various Islamic schools of thought: first his vast and comprehensive knowledge and second being master of Arabic language and literature to and extend that he has left behind a Divan in Arabic poems.
According to Public Relations Department of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, son of the late Hojatoleslam Haj Sheikh Ali Akbar, who was born in 1323 in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf and his father originally was from the northern city of Tonekabon of Mazandaran province.
He completed his primary and secondary education in Najaf Ashraf and attended seminary courses up to the stage of so called "Kharej" in classes of great Scholars such as Martyr Seyer Mohammad Baqher Sadr, Khoi, Seyed Mohammad Taqi Hakim, Sheikh Javad Tabrizi, Sheikh Kazem Tabrizi, Sadr Badkoubei and Sheikh Mojtaba Lankari. In addition, he took university courses in the field of Arabic literature, jurisprudence and Usool (principles) at the Faculty of Jurisprudence in Najaf.
After the late Ayatollah Vaezzadeh Khorasani, Ayatollah Taskhiri was the Secretary General of the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought for many years, and due to his scientific ability and familiarity with Arabic and English languages, he took effective measures to unite the Islamic world.
This wise scholar, made numerous efforts to achieve the unity and proximity of various Islamic sects through numerous trips to different parts of the world, and his warm and cordial treatment of all Muslims, especially the Sunnis, made him a beloved and lasting figure in the minds of his audience. He passed away in August at the age of 76 due to a heart disease, and the Islamic world lost one of great scholars after a lifetime of struggle.
Turkaman said Ayatollah Taskhiri was a high- profile scholar who during his studies in the Holy city of Najaf was among the seminary students of Garand Ayatollah Martyr Sadr. He had good education and after being expelled from Iraq, he came to the Holy city of Qum and started his lectures and brought up highly successful clerics.
According to Turkaman, following the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Taskhiri because of his good knowledge about Shiite and Sunni jurisprudence was quite familiar with matters of proximity among various schools of Islamic thought and used his skill in interreligious dialogue and discourses.
He said ayatollah Taskhiri had two very good and useful tools in his disposal for advancing interreligious dialogue and proximity of various Islamic schools of thoughts: first his vast and comprehensive knowledge and second being master of Arabic language and literature to and extend that he has a Divan in Arabic poems and because of such quality he could best defend the Mohammadi religion and his infallible household..