Yousef Saanei: Difference between revisions

There has been widespread criticism of the specific fatwas of Yousef Saanei. The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom stated in response to a question regarding his religious authority: "based on investigations conducted over the past year and numerous sessions, The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom has concluded that he lacks the necessary criteria to be a religious authority."<ref>[https://jameehmodarresin.org/1139/849/ “Opinion of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom regarding the Marja'iyyah of Mr. Hajj Shaykh Yousef Saanei”], Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom.</ref> At the same time, the Farda website claimed that they had inquired about the opinions of other Maraji' offices about Marja'iyyah of Yousef Saanei, and none of them considered this statement sufficient to disqualify him from Marja'iyyah in this regard, and the office of the Supreme Leader had not answered explicitly and had refered to one of the other Maraji'.<ref>Opinions of the Maraja' Offices regarding the followers of Ayatollah Sa'anei, Khabar Online.</ref> The Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of the Qom Seminary also issued a statement expressing regret over this action.<ref>[http://majmaqom.ir/بیانیه-ها-و-اطلاعیه-ها/99 “Number 99: The Status of Marja'iyyah in the Seminaries”], Website of the Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of the Qom Seminary.</ref>

Books and articles have been written in criticism of Yousef Saanei's jurisprudential views, including:

"Guarding Jurisprudence; A Critique of Ayatollah Sa'anei's Jurisprudential Views," by Husayn Hashemian, Ali-Asghar Hematian Sadrollahi Damghani, and Mahmoud Moqaddami, Tehran, Vosough, 1387 SH.

"Rereading the Jurisprudential and Political Views of Ayatollah Sa'anei," by Omid Hosseini, Tehran, Center for Islamic Revolution Document Center, 1392 SH.

"Defense of Islamic Fiqh and Politics," by Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hasheminia, Tehran, Vosough, 1386 SH.

"Examination and Critique of the Evidence for Ayatollah Sa'anei's Theory on the Equality of Diya for Muslim Men and Women," Contemporary Comparative Law Studies, by Muhammad Ibrahim-Nezhad, No. 7, 1395 SH.

"Critique and Review: Contemporary Jurisprudential Innovations according to Jurisprudential and Ijtihadi Standards," by Mahdi Nikouei, Tehran, Athar-e Amin, 1385 SH.

"Critique of Productive Riba," Ahl al-Bayt (AS) Fiqh Journal, by Reza Mohammadi Karaji, No. 58-59, 1388 SH.

Some of the criticisms of Sa'anei focus on his jurisprudential foundations and, in fact, reject them in terms of the major premise (kubra); such as the critiques aimed at the Principle of Justice.<ref>Ali-Akbarian, The Principle of Justice in Imami Fiqh, pp. 60-73.</ref> Other criticisms relate to the application of jurisprudential subjects to the aforementioned principles and are raised in terms of the minor premise (sughra); such as the criticism regarding the Mahramiyyah of adopted children, where the existence of hardship in this issue was not accepted.<ref>Shariati-Nasab, Mahramiyyah in Adoption, pp. 241-242.</ref>

Despite the critiques and opposition to Sa'anei's jurisprudential opinions, some of his critics maintain that his jurisprudential views cannot be called heresy (bid'ah); because not every innovation is bid'ah, and the condition for calling a view bid'ah is that, firstly, it must be presented as a part of religion, and secondly, no specific or general proof can be established for it from valid religious sources.<ref>Turayhi, Majma' al-Bahrayn, vol. 4, pp. 298-299; Raghib, Mufradat Alfadh al-Quran, p. 111.</ref>