- Ahl Al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic:) is a phrase meaning "People of the House", or "family". In the Islamic tradition it refers to the household of Muhammad.
- Muqtada Al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr is the fourth son of a famous Iraqi Shi‘a cleric, the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. He is also the son-in-law of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir As-Sadr. While he does not hold any official title in the Iraqi government, he is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country.
- Musa Al-Kazim
Musa al-Kazim (Arabic: الإمام موسى الكاظ (Approximately: October 28, 746 AD - September 1, 799 AD) was the seventh of the Twelver Shia Imams. He was the son of the sixth Shi’ah Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, and his mother’s name was Hamida Khatoon. He was born during the power struggles between the Umayyad and the Abbasid.
- Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ) (October 20, 1966 – June 7, 2006) was a Jordanian who ran a militant training camp in Afghanistan alongside Osama bin Laden. He became known after being blamed by United States (U.S.) and Jordanian officials for a series of bombings and attacks. He formed the organization Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad while he was in Europe, and then eventually went to Afghanistan. He was believed to have led al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, …
- Ali
‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib ("'"') Approximately: March 17, 599 - February 28, 661 was an early Islamic leader, the first Shi'a Imam and the fourth and final Sunni caliph. Ali had vast influence on the developments of events during the time of the early Muslims as a military leader, close companion, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. Later, his stature as a foremost authority on the Qur'an, …
- Shaykh Ahmad
Shaykh Ahmad b. Zayn ad-Dín b. Ibráhím al-Ahsá'í (1753 - 1826) was the founder of a 19th century Shi`i school in the Persian and Ottoman empires, whose followers are known as Shaykhís. He was a native of the Al-Ahsa region (Eastern Arabian Peninsula), educated in Bahrain and the theological centers of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. Spending the last twenty years of his life in Iran, he received the protection and patronage of princes of the Qajar dynasty.
- Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini al-Sistani Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني, Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی;. Born approximately August 4, 1930) is an Iraqi Grand Ayatollah, a Shi'a "marja". He is currently an important political figure in Post-invasion Iraq.
- Hamid Dabashi
Hamid Dabashi presents a comprehensive, passionate, and insightful personal account on the evolution of Iranian art cinema in Close Up - Iranian Cinema: Past, Present and Future.
- Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah
- Zayd Ibn Ali
Zayd ibn Ali (also spelled Zaid) (695-740 C.E.) He was given the title "Zayd the Martyr" ("Zayd ash-Shahid") by his sympathizers. He was the grandson of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695. His father was Ali ibn Husayn, The fourth Shi'a Imam. His mother was a concubine of Indian origin. Zayd led a rebellion known as the Zaidi Revolt against the Umayyads in the middle of 8th century, …
- Shaykh Tusi
Shaykh Tusi Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi, known as Shaykh al-Tayefah is a Persian of the Shi'a Twelver Islamic belief, born in Tus, Khorasan, Iranin the year 385 AH. At the age of 23, He moved to Baghdad to join the great center of Islamic knowledge. He lived in Iraq all of his life, and came to be known as the sole master of Fiqh after the death of his mentor, Sayyed Murtadha. He has several books and treatises on Kalam, Tafsir, …
- Ubayd Allah Al-Mahdi Billah
Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah a.k.a Said ibn Husayn is considered the founder of the Fatimid dynasty, the only major Shi'ite caliphate in Islam, and established Fatimid rule throughout much of North Africa. After establishing himself as the first Imam of the Fatimid dynasty he made claim to genealogic origins dating as far back as Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, through Husayn, Fatimah's son, and Ismail.
- Denis Maceoin
Denis M. MacEoin PhD (b. 1949) is a novelist and a former lecturer in Islamic studies. His academic specializations are Shi‘ism, Shaykhism, Bábism, and the Bahá'í Faith, on all of which he hs written extensively. His novels are written under the pen names Daniel Easterman and Jonathan Aycliffe. He and his wife live in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the United Kingdom.
- Ibrahim Al-Jaafari
Ibrahim abd al-Karim Hamza al-Ashaiqir al-Jaafari (born 1947) is the former Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government following the January 2005 elections. He is a Shiite and was previously one of the two vice-presidents of Iraq under the Iraqi Interim Government in 2004, and the main spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party in Iraq.
- Isma'Il Ibn Jafar
Isma'il bin Jafar was the eldest son of the sixth Shia Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq. To protect him from persecution, his father sent him into hiding and publicly declared him deceased. The majority of sources indicate that the Imam Jafar as-Sadiq designated Ismail as his successor and the next Imam after him. Ismail was also known as Imam Jafar's most beloved son. However, it appeared to most people that Ismail died before his father.
- Execution Of Saddam Hussein
Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal following his trial for the murder of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites in the town of Dujail in 1982 in retaliation for an assassination attempt against him. Saddam was president of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led forces.
- Nasīr Al-Dīn Al-Tūsī
"' (18 February 1201 in Tus, Khorasan - 26 June 1274 in Kadhimain near Baghdad), better known as "', was a Persian of the Twelver Shi'a Islamic belief. He was a philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, theologian, physician, and a prolific polymath writer. K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Iran is named after him.
- Aşık Mahzuni Şerif
Aşık Mahzuni Şerif (b. 17 November 1940, Berçenek / Afşin / Kahramanmaraş / Turkey – d. 17 May 2002, Porz / Köln / Germany) was a Turkish folk musician, minstrel, composer, poet, and author. Mahzuni Şerif was born in Berçenek village in early 40's. The word "Aşık" preceding his name is a title used to indicate his position as a respected musician, but also indicates his affiliation with the Alevi variety of Shi'a Islam.
- As-Saffah
Abu al-`Abbās `Abdu'llāh as-Saffāh ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas ibn Mutalib ibn Hashim (Arabic: أبو العباس عبد الله بن محمد السفاح, As-Saffah السفّاح literally means: the Slaughterer, in Arabic) (721-754) was the first Abbasid caliph. He ruled until his death in 754. As-Saffa was the head of one branch of the Banu Hashim, who traced their lineage to Hashim, a great-grandfather of Muhammad, via al-Abbas, …
- Abdul Majid Al-Khoei
Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei, 16 August, 1962 – 10 April, 2003) was a Shia cleric and the son of Ayatollah Al-Udhma Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khoei who was born in the holy city of Najaf. He lived and studied under his father in Najaf until 1991. During the Shia uprising of 1991 he actively took part in the fighting against Saddam's Ba'ath Party but also acted as a force of moderation attempting to minimize revenge killings.
- Charles Glass
Charles Glass is an American author, journalist, and broadcaster specializing in the Middle East. He writes regularly for "The Spectator", was "ABC News" chief Middle East correspondent from 1983-93, and has worked as a correspondent for "Newsweek" and "The Observer". His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines, and on television networks, all over the world.
- Ali Asgher Razwy
Ali Asgher Razwy (d. September 15, 1996) is a Shi'a Muslim scholar known for authoring Restatement of History of Islam. He was born in Simla, India in 1925, his father Aqa Seyyid Muhammad Shah had migrated there from Baluchistan
- Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi
Grand Ayatollah Hajj Shaykh Abdolkarim Haeri Yazdi was a Shia Muslim cleric and marja. He founded the important Islamic seminary (hawza) of Qom, Iran. Among his students was Ruhollah Khomeini.
- Al-Muntasir
Al-Muntasir was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 861 to 862. His pious title means "He that Triumphs in the Lord". Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari records that in A.H. 236 (850-851) al-Muntasir led the pilgrimage. The previous year al-Mutawakkil had named his three son's heirs and seeming to favour al-Muntasir. However, this appeared to change and al-Muntasir feared his father was going to move against him. So, it seems he struck first.
- Mahmud Shaltut
Shaykh Mahmud Shaltout (1893-1963) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar. He was the shaykh or grand imam, i.e. the leader, of Al-Azhar Islamic Institute in Egypt from 1958 to 1963. He is known for introducing the teaching of the fiqh (jurisprudence) of Zaydi and Twelver Shi'a Islam to the university alongside the fiqh of the four Sunni madhhabs (traditions of jurisprudence).
- Umayya Ibn Abd Shams
Umayya ibn Abd Shams is whom the clan of Banu Umayyad is named after. Umayya was son of Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf, and the father of Harb ibn Umayya. However, the Shi'a Islam History claims that Umayya was not the real son of Abd-Shams, but that the latter, when visiting Rome, he saw a child being sold in miserable conditions. Being childless he adopted Ummaya and took him to Arabia where he was brought up. When Ummaya was young he departed from Quraish tribe
- William McElwee Miller
William McElwee Miller (December 12,1892-July 7,1993) was an American missionary to Persia, and author of several books. Born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Miller received his M.A. in 1913 from Washington and Lee University. In 1919, Miller received the B.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He went to Persia (Iran) as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church and, except for a short period around 1932, he remained in Persia until 1962.
- Abu-Bakr Muhammad Ben Yahya As-Suli
Abu-Bakr Muhammad ben Yahya as-Suli (c. 880 - 946) was an Arab shatranj (an ancestor of chess) player who came to prominence sometime in between 902 and 908 when he beat al-Mawardi, the court shatranj champion of al-Muktafi, the Caliph of Baghdad. Al-Mawardi was so thoroughly beaten he fell from favour, and was replaced by as-Suli. After al-Mukafti's death, as-Suli remained in the favour of the succeeding ruler, al-Muqtadir and in turn ar-Radi.
- Maulana Syed Hamidul Hasan
Maulana Syed Hamidul Hasan (entitled "Ameer-ul-Ulama") is a prominent Shia Alim of India. He has been giving religious lectures in India and abroad, especially during the Muslim month of Muharram, for the last 30 years. He is also the current principal of Jamia Nazmia (the oldest religious institution in India). He has been working with in the institution since 1969, after his return from Najaf from religious studies.
- Zeid Heidar
Zeid Heidar belongs to the tiny Shiite community of Damascus. Born in Syria in the mid-1930s to an upper-middle class family of Arab nationalist lawyers and intellectuals, he studied political science and international relations in Beirut, were he joined the Arabian Revivalist a.k.a. “The Baath” youth movement in 1956.
- Sa'Dun Hammadi
Sa'dun Hammadi was briefly Prime Minister of Iraq under President Saddam Hussein from March until September of 1991. He succeeded Hussein, who had previously been prime minister in addition to being president, but was forced out due to his reformist views. Hammadi was born in Karbala and was a Shi'ite. He joined the Ba'ath Party during the 1940's. In addition, he earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1956.
- Aisha
Aisha bint Abi Bakr (Arabic "`ā'isha", "she who lives", also transcribed as A'ishah, Ayesha, 'A'isha, or 'Aisha, Turkish Ayşe, Ottoman Turkish Âişe etc.) was a wife of Muhammad. In Islamic writings, she is thus often referred to by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين "umm-al-mu'minīn"), …
- Arwa Al-Sulayhi
Arwa bint Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Al-Qasim al-Sulayhi-also known as Sayyida Hurra and the Little Queen of Sheba-was the ruler, first through her two husbands and then alone, of Yemen for over 50 years, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the greatest of the rulers of the Sulayhid Dynasty and was also the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of "hujja" in Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam.
- Uthman Ibn Affan
‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān ("'"' is the third Caliph of Islam and is regarded by Sunni Muslims as the third of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam. He reigned from 644 until 656. However, Shia Muslims believe Ali was the first legitimate ruler, and discount the rule of the first three Caliphs, including Uthman.
- Abdul Kadir
Abdul Kadir (born circa 1952) is a former member of Guyana's parliament, the National Assembly, and was the mayor of Guyana's second-largest city, Linden, from 1994 to 1996. A chemical engineer by trade, he served in the National Assembly from 2001 to 2006 as a member of the main opposition party, the People's National Congress Reform. Born Michael Seaforth in Buxton, Guyana, the son of Victor Seaforth, Kadir converted to Islam in 1974 and changed his name.
- Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani
Mahmoud Dawud al-Mashhadani is an Iraqi politician and the former Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. He was elected to the Council of Representatives as part of the Sunni Arab-led Iraqi Accord Front list. He was nominated to the speakership by the IAF after the main coalition in the Council of Representatives, the United Iraqi Alliance, objected to the nomination of Tariq Al-Hashimi. He was nominated as part of a deal on government posts between the IAF, …
- Mirza Malkom Khan
Mirza Malkom Khan was an Iranian proponent of Freemasonry active during the period leading up to the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. A believer in Social Darwinism, Malkom Khan espoused an Iran modeled on the values of the enlightenment and urged a return to a "Persian" heritage. Khan was educated at the Samuel Muradian school in Paris from 1843–51. He later returned to Persia, converted to Shia Islam, and entered government service.
- Allameh Tabatabaei
Allameh Tabatabaei (1892-1981) is one of the most prominent thinkers of contemporary Shia Islam. He is famous for the historical landmark work "Tafsir al-Mizan".
- Ayatollah Bashir Najafi
Grand Ayatollah Bashir al-Najafi is one of the four Grand Ayatollahs in Iraq. He was born in Jalandhar, a city in India. After the division of British India in 1947, his family moved to Pakistan and settled in the city of Gujranwala. In Gujranwala he had his initial education in religion. He was then able to move to Iraq for studies in the early 1960s. During his time in Iraq, he was classmate to now Ayatollah of Lebanon.
- Al-Shahrastani
Al-Shahrastani distinguished himself by his desire to describe in the most objective way the universal religious history of humanity. This is reflected in his "Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal" (The Book of Sects and Creeds), a monumental work, which presents the doctrinal points of view of all the religions and philosophies which existed up to his time. The book was one of the earliest systematic studies of religion, and is noted for its non-polemical style and scientific approach.