In a message on Tuesday, the Leader said Ayatollah Taskhiri — who headed the Supreme Council of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought — was “the eloquent voice” of Islam and Shia Islam.
Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the “shining record” of the tireless scholar’s contributions to international Islamic councils.
The Leader said Ayatollah Taskhiri’s “firm determination and motivated heart” enabled him to maintain an effective presence wherever he was needed despite all the physical maladies he was suffering from during recent years.
Ayatollah Khamenei further lauded the late scholar’s role and contributions inside Iran as another “precious chapter in his endeavors,” expressing condolences to Ayatollah Taskhiri’s family and his friends over his passing.
Ayatollah Taskhiri died of heart attack at a hospital in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday at the age of 76.
A renowned religious figure in the Muslim world, Ayatollah Taskhiri also served as head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and advisor to the Leader on Muslim world affairs.
During the time he served as secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, he made great efforts towards reinforcing unity among Muslims.
He wrote and translated tens of books on Islam and the Muslim world.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Hojjatoleslam Hamid Shahriyari, secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, offered condolences over the prominent scholar’s demise.