Mujtaba Hussaini Shirazi

Sayyid Mujtaba al-Husayni al-Shirazi. (; ; b. ِ6 August 1943) is an Iraqi Shia jurist.

Early life and education Al-Shirazi was born to Mirza Mahdi al-Shirazi and Halima al-Shirazi. Both of his parents are from the distinguished clerical al-Shirazi family that emigrated from Shiraz to Karbala in the 19th century. He is the tenth of ten children. All of his brothers are clerics, and his brothers Muhammad al-Shirazis and Sadiq al-Shirazi are marja's. His mother is the great-granddaughter of Mirza Shirazi, the pioneer of the Tobacco Movement. His nephew, Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi is also a marja'. Education He grew up in Karbala, and studied in its seminary under his father, his older brother, Muhammad al-Shirazi and senior scholars like Sheikh Muhammad al-Hajiri and Sheikh Yusuf al-Khorasani. He moved to Najaf to complete his advanced studies, and studied under Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, as well as the founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini.

He was exiled from Iraq and migrated to Iran, after the success of the Iranian revolution. He remained in Qom for a short while, and then moved to Mashhad, where he taught in its seminaries.

Relationship with Khomeini In Najaf, al-Shirazi attended the bahth kharij (advanced research seminars) classes of Khomeini, and from there on, he grew in close proximity with Khomeini. He would also go as far as being known as the "only Arab supporting Khomeini" in the Najaf seminary. Al-Shirazi believed Khomeini to be senior to al-Khoei. However, when the Shirazi's landed in Iran, and the disputes between his brother and Khomeini surfaced, al-Shirazi also began to harvest a dispute with Khomeini, but it was over his Sufi tendencies that al-Shirazi deemed deviance and kufr.

Al-Shirazi released a very strong statement in the form a video, attacking the Saudi government, and King Abdullah personally. He called for the masjid al-haram and masjid al-nabawi, to be taken under management of the United Nations, and for the independence of the Eastern province, with its own sovereignty, referencing the independence of Pakistan from India. In response, there was a large uproar from the Saudi media towards al-Shirazi.

Al-Shirazi and his student, controversial Kuwaiti cleric, Sheikh Yasser al-Habib, were accused of provoking terror attacks against Sunni mosques, as a reaction to the al-Baqi' incident and the bombings (2006 and 2007) of the Askariayn shrine. However, al-Habib denied this, claiming: "this was a call for the mosques–satanic temples–that are proven to be dens of criminal Wahabis and terrorists; the ones that call for the slaughter of the Shia. As for the ordinary Sunni mosques, it is strictly forbidden to be destroyed, even if it is a Bakri [Sunni] mosque."

Controversy Al-Shirazi adopted an insulting rhetoric towards Iran’s politicians and their supporters and is never hesitant of using obscene language towards his political rivals and opponents from different Islamic sects.

This rhetoric also extended to the use of profane words when condemning the Saudi government for the al-Baqi' 2009 incident.

Fall out with al-Habib Al-Shirazi was considered a mentor to Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib. However, they had a fall out in 2016, and are no longer affiliated. He has two daughters and one son.

His son Mustafa is a cleric, and is married to Yasser al-Habib's sister.