Qom Seminary

The Islamic Theological College of Qom is the most important Shiite theological college ( Hawza ) in Iran. It lies in the central Iranian city of Qom ( Qom ), 140 kilometers southwest of Tehran. In addition to the Hawza of Qum is the shrine of Fatima Masuma, the sister of the eighth Shiite Imam Ali ibn Musa ar - Rida (d. 818).

After the city of Najaf in Iraq Qom is considered the second most important religious training center for the Shiites.

It was originally founded in 1533 in the time of the Safavids ( 1501-1722 ) and later to the well-known Shiite theologian Muhammed Muhsin Faiz Kashani ( 1598/9-1680 ), also known as Mullah Muhsin named Faiz, who had studied there and later taught there.

These Shiite educational institution was revived by the influx of Shiite scholar after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and expanded under the spiritual guidance and administrative supervision of Ayatollah Haeri Yazdi Abd al- Karim ( 1859-1937 ). Since it is an important Shiite science center. "Who has the final say in Qom, the policy determined in Iran. "

In 1963 was the Islamic Theological University of the scene of riots in Iran between government security forces and demonstrators, which ultimately led to Ayatollah Khomeini's arrest and ultimately his banishment from the country.

Former Iranian President Rafsanjani here received his clerical training.