TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed his condolences over the demise of prominent cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, saying he himself is mourning the demise of a “dear brother”.

In a message on Saturday, the Leader said Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi’s demise is a loss for the seminary and the Islamic studies, IRNA reported.

He termed Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi as a prominent thinker, a qualified manager, with an eloquent language in expressing truth and perseverance in the right path.

In the meantime, the Leader condoled with the bereaved family of the late ayatollah, his students and the seminary.

Mesbah Yazdi died on Friday evening at the age of 85 due to gastrointestinal disease.

He had been hospitalized since December 26 after his condition deteriorated.  

Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi played a major part in the uprising — led by late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini — that overthrew the U.S.-backed Pahlavi regime in 1979.

Following the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi first founded the Baqir-ul-Uloom Institute and then the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in the city of Qom, which he headed for the rest of his life.

Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, a philosopher and political theorist, was a member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom.

He also served as a member of the Assembly of Experts — the body responsible for electing and monitoring the performance of the Leader — and the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution.

The cleric was first hospitalized at home on December 4 in the city of Qom, but following the progression of his clinical symptoms, he was transferred to Tehran for further treatment. He died in hospital six days later.

In separate messages, President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf offered condolences on the passing of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi.

MH/PA