Moḥsen Kadīvar was born in 1959 in Fasa, in the southern province of Fars, Iran. Initially, he started his studies in mathematics and engineering, but he gave up engineering studies after the onset of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. In 1980, Kadīvar changed orientation and began his theological studies at the Shiraz Seminary, an institution designed for the training of beginner students in religious studies. Upon graduation in 1981, he joined the highest institution of Shīʿī learning, the Qom Seminary. For seventeen years, Kadīvar studied with prominent traditionalist shīʿī jurists in Qom several subjects, including Islamic shīʿī legal theory, jurisprudence, Islamic theology, philosophy, mysticism and Qurʾānic exegesis. At the end of his training, Kadīvar obtained the title of Ijtihād, the highest degree in the shīʿī learning tradition (becoming a proof of Islam – ḥojjat al-islām), a title conferred to him by his mentor Grand Ayatollah Ḥusayn ʿAlī Montaẓerī (1922–2009), who played a major role in his studies, religious and political thought as well as his career, with its ups and downs.1 Furthermore, Kadīvar was granted a license at the Qom Seminary, which stipulates that “its holder is proficient in ḥisbiyya affairs and financial matters, i.e. he can manage khoms and zakāt money”.2 Additionally, Kadīvar excelled in his studies at Qom, receiving a prize from three ayatollahs: the leader of the revolution Khomeini, Ayatollah Seyyed Moḥammad-Reżā Golpāyegānī (1899–1993) and Ayatollah Ḥusayn ʿAlī Montaẓerī which showcases the trust and scholarly reputation he came to enjoy at Qom.3