A scholar and jurist. Ayatollah Murtadha was one of the most renowned scholars that Najaf, where he was born, has produced this century. It was to Burujerdi that Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Abualqasim al-Musawi al-Khoei entrusted his works to be researched, analysed and interpreted, including the Mustanad al-Urwath al-Wathqa (an exegesis relating to the collectivity of Islamic laws). This 10-volume work is the standard universal text for the highest stage of teaching in Shi'ite Islamic jurisprudence. An unknown assailant that sent shock-waves through the Muslim community assassinated him. He was an unassuming person, of social and cultural insight described as, 'who knew and loved the people he led, not only in prayers but also in example'.