Muhammad Rizvi

{{Infobox religious biography

| religion = Islam

| name = Muhammad Rizvi

| image = Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi.jpg

| jurisprudence = Twelver Shia

| honorific prefix = Sayyid

| title = Hujjat al-Islam

| school = Ja'fari

| parents = Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi (father)

| native_name = {{Nastaliq|سید محمد رضوی}}

| caption = Rizvi in 2012.

| nationality = Canadian

| birth_date = 1957 (age 68 years)

| birth_place = Saran, India

| institute = Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Toronto (ISIJ) ('Ālim)

| notable works =

| background = #ABE9CC

| native name lang = Ur

| term_end1 = It

| alma_mater = {{nowrap|Simon Fraser University (MA)
Qom Seminary}}

| location = Greater Toronto Area, Canada

| period = 1996 - present

}}

Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi ({{langx|ur|{{nq|سید محمد رضوی}}}}; born 1957) is an Indian-Canadian Islamic scholar and Shia imam.Serour, G. I. “What Is It to Practise Good Medical Ethics? A Muslim’s Perspective.” Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 41, no. 1, 2015, pp. 163-180. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43283241. He is the current representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to Canada,Aatif, A. B. (2006, Dec). Iraq's sectarian violence troubles community. The Arab American News Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/iraqs-sectarian-violence-troubles-community/docview/362779114/se-2 and the head imam of the Jaffari Community Centre in Toronto.Adle, M. (2004, Mar 02). Muslims mark ashura: [liberal edition]. The Liberal Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/muslims-mark-ashura/docview/362338799/se-2{{Cite news |last=Cordileone |first=Elvira |date=12 Dec 1998 |title=Marriage rituals change with times for Muslims, Jews |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1348239089 |work=The Toronto Star |id={{ProQuest|1348239089}}}}

Rizvi was born in 1957 in what was formerly the Saran district (now Siwan) in Bihar, India, to a clerical family who claim descent from Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. His father was Sayyid Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi, a Twelver Shi'a scholar who propagated Islam and established the Bilal Muslim Mission in East Africa.Akhtar, I. S. (2014). Rizvi, Saeed Akhtar. In A. Sharma (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Indian Religions (pp. 1–4). Springer. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263854780{{Cite news |last=Teitel |first=Jay |date=1 Dec 2001 |title=Two faiths, shared parking: Since Sept. 11 a new level of tolerance has evolved between a Toronto mosque and its neighbouring synagogue: [National Edition] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329971852 |work=National Post |pages=A23 |id={{ProQuest|329971852}}}}

Career

Rizvi is has authored various works on Islamic theology, jurisprudence, ethics, history, and the spread of Shia Islam in Canada.Lizzio, Celene Ayat. “Gendering Ritual: A Muslima’s Reading of the Laws of Purity and Ritual Preclusion.” Muslima Theology: The Voices of Muslim Women Theologians, edited by Ednan Aslan et al., Peter Lang AG, 2013, pp. 167-180. JSTOR, [http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2t4f10.13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2t4f10.13.] Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.{{Cite journal |last=Rizvi |first=Sayyid Muhammad |date=1 December 2022 |title=Muslim Philanthrophy in a Canadian Context |url=https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iupjournals/index.php/muslimphilanthropy/article/view/4350/462 |journal=Journal of Muslim Philanthropy & Civil Society |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=73 |via=Indiana University Press}}{{Cite web |date=2008-11-03 |title=The Dreaded “S” Word |url=https://www.islamicinsights.com/news/community/the-dreaded-qsq-word.html |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Islamic Insights |language=en-US}} Since 1996, he has served as the chief imam and residing 'alim of the Jaffari Community Centre, where he provides religious leadership, delivers weekly sermons, and oversees communal educational initiatives.Page D3. (1992, Jul 10). Toronto Star (1971-2009) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/page-d3/docview/1355527191/se-2{{Cite web |last=Canani |first=Ammar |date=2020-08-11 |title=Eid Ghadeer: Ali is the mawla of all Muslims - a point of convergence |url=https://afosa.org/eid-ghadeer-ali-is-the-mawla-of-all-muslims-a-point-of-convergence/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Ahlul Bait Foundation of South Africa |language=en-US}} In the Greater Toronto Area, Rizvi has also facilitated cooperation among different faith communities and municipal governing bodies, and has advocated for religious understanding, participating in interfaith dialogue, and Muslim unity.{{Cite news |last=Csillag |first=Ron |date=30 Jan 1999 |title=Warmth for the homeless - Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Buddhists join forces to feed and shelter the needy this winter |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1347284623 |pages=L14 |id={{ProQuest|1347284623}}}}{{Cite news |last=Simone |first=Joseph |date=19 Sep 2006 |title=Police learn tolerance through tour; Muslims, Jews, Buddhists among groups to shed light on religions |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/362337997 |work=Markham Economist & Sun |pages=1 |id={{ProQuest|362337997}}}}{{Cite news |last=Scrivener |first=Leslie |date=23 Feb 2002 |title=Muslim celebrations recall an act of faith |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/362337997 |work=Toronto Star |pages=A6 |id={{ProQuest|362337997}}}}

File:Biography_of_Sayyid_Saeed_Akhtar_Rizvi.jpg.]]

Controversy

In 2012, Rizvi and the JCC were investigated by the York Regional Police for possessing books published by Iranian foundations that “disparaged Jews and encouraged boys to keep fit for jihad.” However, no charges were filed against them, as these writings were not found to constitute hate speech under Canadian law.{{Cite news |last=Turgeon |first=Carolyn |date=2014-02-05 |title=Cleric behind mosque's proposed condo project probed for hate crimes in 2012 |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/cleric-behind-mosques-proposed-condo-project-probed-for-hate-crimes-in-2012 |work=National Post}}

Publications

{{cite book |last1=Rizvi |first1=Muhammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wEmESgAACAAJ |title=An Explanatory Translation of the Qurʼ̄an |date=1984 |publisher=S.M. Rizvi |isbn=978-0-920675-02-1}}
{{cite book |last1=Rizvi |first1=Muhammad |title=Shí'ism: Imāmate & Wilāyat |date=1999 |publisher=Al-Ma‘ãrif Publications |isbn=0920675115}}
{{cite book |last1=Rizvi |first1=Muhammad |url=https://www.shia-maktab.info/index.php/en/library/books/english?format=raw&task=download&fid=450 |title=Business Ethics in Islam |date=2007 |publisher=Al-Ma‘ãrif Publications |isbn=}}
{{cite web |last=Rizvi |first=Muhammad |date=2004 |title=Islam: Faith, Practice & History |url=https://al-islam.org/islam-faith-practice-history-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi |isbn=}}

References

External links

[https://al-islam.org/person/sayyid-muhammad-rizvi Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi | Al-Islam.org]
[https://jaffari.org/resources/resident-alim/ Resident 'Alim and Assistants | Jaffari Community Centre]
[https://www.youtube.com/@JaffariCC Lectures | Jaffari Community Centre]