The circle in Tehran...

The circle in Tehran, which included not only such well-known Shi'ites scholars as Murtacza Mutahhari, but also (during the fall season) Henry Corbin, and occasionally other Western scholars of Islam, helped to spread the influence of the 'All amah's teachings further, and soon he became recognized as one of the major intellectual figures of Shi'ism, at once master of the religious sciences (especially Qur'anic commentary), Islamic philosophy and gnosis ('irfin).

Despite eye-problems which continued to hamper his active ties to the very end, 'Allamah Tabataba'i was ~ extremely prolific author. In addition to teaching throughout CS the week and training countless students, he wrote nearly every day, and important books and articles continued to flow from his pen.

After writing such major philosophical works as Usul-i Falsafay-i Ri'ilism in five volumes, he edited the Asfir of Sadr al-Din Shir?zi with his own commentary, and a selection of commentaries on other masters prior to Shir?zi, in seven volumes Later, at our request, he composed two of masterly summaries of Islamic philosophy: the Bad4~i' al-Hikam and the Nah4yat al-Hiram.

Meanwhile, parallel with all this activity in the domain of traditional philosophy and gnosis (about which he wrote less In a direct manner but alluded to frequently in his philosophical works and certain shorter treatises), 'Allamah Tabataba'i continued to work indefatigably on his Qur'anic commentary, Tafsir al-Mizan, which he finally corn- pleted in his mid-seventies.

This monumental commentary, re Consisting of some twenty-seven volumes (written in Arabic, 1 but also translated into Persian), is one of the most important of Qur'anic commentaries of this century and is a blinding ct witness to the remarkable mastery of its author in the domain of .

This commentary, based on the principle of having one part of the Qur'an interpret other parts (al-Qur'an yufassiru badahu ba 'dan), is a summa of Islamic religious thought, in which the Sciences of the Qur'an, theology, philosophy, gnosis, sacred history and the social teachings of a Islam are all brought together.