Ahmad Huseinzadeh
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Ahmad Huseynzadeh | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Ali bey Huseynzade, 1900 | |
| Title | Third Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1812 |
| Died | 17 December 1887 (aged 74–75) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| School | Shia |
| Muslim leader | |
| Based in | Tbilisi, Russian Empire |
| Post | Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus |
| Period in office | 15 October 1852–1884 |
| Predecessor | Fazil Iravani |
| Successor | Mirza Hasan Tahirzadeh |
Ahmad Huseinzadeh (Azerbaijani: Əhməd Hüseynzadə) also known as Sheikh Ahmad Salyani[1][2] — third Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus, maternal grandfather of Ali bey Huseynzade.
He was born in Salyan in 1812 to Ali Huseynzadeh.[3] He was brought up initially from 1822 to 1832 in his hometown by his uncle Akhund Molla Muhammad Hussein.[4] Then he became a student of the Baku mujtahid Akhund Molla Ramazan, and studied with him for another six years, until 1838 when he completed the full course of Arabic sciences.[4]
Career
After graduation, he returned to Salyan in 1839 and started teaching various subjects to local children for 6 years. He later gained higher religious education in Najaf and Tbilisi. He was appointed as Sheikh ul-Islam by Alexander II of Russia after Fazil Iravani's resignation with a monthly pension of 1600 rubles on 15 October 1852. He was appointed as head of the Spiritual Council of Transcaucasian Shia Muslims, on 5 April 1875. His deputy was Akhund Mustafa Talibzadeh, father of Abdulla Shaig. He was described as a rather liberal-thinking cleric by Fatali Akhundzadeh[5] and contributed to Akinchi, first Azerbaijani language newspaper.[3] In his letter to Akhundzadeh in 1862, Yousuf Khan Mostashar al-Dowleh said of Huseinzadeh "I don't even consider him a mullah, but rather a spiritual cleric." Like Akhundzadeh, he was a promoter of the Latin alphabet for Azerbaijani and defended the idea that it is not incompatible with Sharia and Islam.[6][3]
He resigned in 1884 and lived in Tbilisi where he died 3 years later.
Family
He was married to the daughter of his uncle Mahammad Ali Huseynzadeh,[4] Husniyya Khanum and had two daughters with her:
- Fatima Huseinzadeh (b. 1 April 1844, d. 1890) — married to Hajji Muhammad agha, son of Hajji Mirza Hasan in Shamakhi[4]
- Khadija Huseinzadeh – married to Molla Hussein Huseinzadeh, son of Kazim bey Huseinzadeh of Quruzma[3]
- Ali bey Huseynzade
- Ismail Huseynzade (1868–1941) — married to his cousin Mina (b. 1878), daughter of Fatima Huseinzadeh, had issues