Alireza Panahian

Alireza Panahian is an Iranian cleric and lecturer from Tehran, known for his lectures and books on religious education and ethics. ¹ English Wikipedia describes him as an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar and Hojatoleslam, and Persian Wikipedia describes him as an Iranian Shia cleric and religious speaker. ^{2 1} His voice reaches its largest audience through his official Instagram account, which counted 1,352,604 followers in November 2026 per an on-platform profile read — a dated platform figure, not a measurement the museum makes itself. ³

Alireza Panahian was born in Tehran on 28 Farvardin 1344 SH, corresponding to 17 April 1965; his father was one of Tehran's clerics and preachers. ¹ He studied at the Qom seminary up to the kharij level, and holds university studies in psychology alongside his seminary education. ¹ His seminary teachers included Ali Khamenei, Hossein Wahid Khorasani and Javadi Amoli. ¹

Panahian has held several cultural offices, among them membership of the board of trustees of the University of Arts and the headship of the Supreme Leader's think tank for universities. ^{1 2} In February 2011 he was among some seventy high-ranking officials who established the Ammar Headquarters, of which he was a founding member and deputy head. ^{2 1} In 1392 SH (2013) he founded the Dar al-Hikmah seminary in Tehran, which he still runs. ¹ He is one of the speakers at official ceremonies held in the Supreme Leader's presence. ¹

He lectures extensively on the apocalypse and Mahdism, on family and raising children, and on publishing Shiism. ² He holds that religiosity must be accompanied by inner passion and happiness. ² His books include Shahr-e Khoda, Entezar (Expectation: Popular, Scholarly, Mystical), Chegune yek Namaz-e Khub Bekhanim (How to Pray a Good Prayer), Rahayi az Gonah (Freedom from Sin) and Takabbor-e Penhan (Hidden Pride). ¹ In 2010 he addressed the Islamic Unity Seminar in Lahore, Pakistan, on the Prophet ﷺ Muhammad's character and Islamic unity. ²

His political positions and statements have repeatedly caused controversy in Iranian news circles. ¹ In July 2010 he issued a statement calling for the purge of "liberal-minded and clean-shaven" individuals from government offices, as English Wikipedia reports. ² In September 2020 Iranian press published documents about a construction partnership and property of his; he replied that he owned only one unit of the house, received as a gift from friends, and the published debate over those documents and his replies ran in the Iranian press. ¹

Panahian's official Instagram account stood at 1,352,604 followers when read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ³ The hafi.pro tracker reads a total audience of 1,353,304 for the same account for August 2026, close to the on-platform read and corroborating its scale. ⁴ An earlier harvest read of the account gave 1.5 million followers from post metadata dated January 2025; the fresher read replaces it in this record. ³

• The English Wikipedia article on Alireza Panahian, read in full on 7 November 2026. ²
• The Persian Wikipedia article on Alireza Panahian, read in full on 7 November 2026. ¹
• His official Instagram account (@panahian_ir), profile read on the platform on 7 November 2026. ³
• The hafi.pro page for the account, August 2026 figures, read on 7 November 2026. ⁴