One Land, Thousands of Pages; The Story of Establishing Marvarid Printing House

According to the reporter of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), books and knowledge hold a special place in Islamic culture, and a book is not merely an educational tool but a bridge connecting humans to truth and a path to spiritual elevation.

In the very first moments of the prophecy, the first divine command to the Prophet was ‘Iqra,’ meaning ‘read.’ This beginning shows that human growth is not possible without familiarity with books and knowledge. The conduct of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt also demonstrates how valuable learning and writing were, to the extent that knowledge was considered superior to worship. For this reason, reading books is essential in Islamic tradition and is part of the religious and cultural identity of Muslims. Among the scholars who well understood this truth, Sheikh Ali Asghar Morvarid can be named.

Establishment of Dar al-Ilm Printing House

From the very beginning of his entry into the clergy, Sheikh Ali Asghar Morvarid tried not to use public funds. Due to his passion for books, he sold his only asset, a piece of land in Narmak, and established Dar al-Ilm Printing House. Noor al-Din Tabataba’i and Mohyi al-Din Ha’eri Shirazi were among those who helped him.

Establishment of Dar al-Fikr Publishing House

After selling Dar al-Ilm Printing House, Sheikh Morvarid established Dar al-Fikr Publishing House. There, they printed Nahj al-Balagha Khoei, which was a commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, considered a valuable book. Even after establishing Dar al-Fikr Publishing House, financial problems did not leave Sheikh Morvarid. So they decided to start a book auction; a few people gathered and sold their books at low prices. However, one of them took all the profits from the book sales for himself, claiming to have paid his debts. Therefore, Sheikh Morvarid again did not benefit from the auction of his books.

Jahan Publishing House

Then they bought the goodwill of a shop on the upper Naser Khosrow Street, opposite Pamenar, and named it Jahan Publishing House because they intended to print books there that would benefit the world. At that time, Tarikh al-Tabari was one of the rare and scarce books, about sixteen volumes of which were printed.

Sheikh Ali Asghar Morvarid, in addition to his scientific standing in the field of jurisprudence, played an important role in compiling jurisprudential texts. One of his most important works is ‘Silsilah al-Yanabi’ al-Fiqhiyyah,’ a massive collection of about 40 volumes that collects and analyzes Shi’ite jurisprudence topically and historically. He also worked on practical jurisprudential topics, for example, the book ‘Al-Zakah wa al-Khums’ is in the field of economic jurisprudence and Islamic financial issues.

Books, an Endless Mission

Ultimately, Sheikh Morvarid invested a great deal in researching and exploring books, and this shows that reading books was not just a personal interest for him but rather a part of his scientific and intellectual mission.

The above lines are taken from the book ‘Sheikh Morvarid,’ authored by Morteza Mirdar, published by Iran Publications. This book narrates the biography of Hujjat al-Islam Sheikh Ali Asghar Morvarid from childhood to his political struggles.