One of the religious and magnificent buildings built under the instructions of Grand Ayatollah Hāj Aghā Husain Tabātabā’ī Burūjerdī (R.I.P.), marja of Shi`a world, is Masjid-e A`zam, which was built beside the holy shrine for the spiritual use of pilgrims.
Construction of the mosque was started with a special ceremony on 11th Dhul Qa`dah, birth anniversary of Imam Ali ibn Mūsā al-Ridā (PBUH) equivalent to July 12, 1957. The mosque was inaugurated by holding Jama’ah prayer and religious program in 1961.
The mosque is built in the style of Islamic architecture. It has four shabestans, three lofty, beautiful porches, and a huge dome with a diameter of 30 meters long, a height of 15 meters long above the roof, and 35 meters long above the shabestan floor.
The mosque also has minarets with a height of 25 meters long above the roof and 45 meters long above the ground and two galleries [Mazaneh] with a height of 5 meters long above the roof. Furthermore, there is a clock tower in the north of the mosque, which is seen from four directions.
Due to the high popularity of the holy shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (PBUH) among pilgrims and the further need for worshiping-spiritual spaces, because Masjid-e A`zam with its vast spaces was adjacent to the holy shrine, during the last 10 days of Ramadan in 1992 the wall between Masjid-e A`zam and Masjid-e Bālā Sar was removed, subsequently, the services of Masjid-e A`zam was entrusted to the custodians of the holy shrine
Now, due to the presence of this mosque, there is a suitable environment for education of students and researchers in the field of religious studies. A majority of grand marāji lecture at this holy place during educational term of the Hawzah Al-‘Ilmīyah, and a larger number of students and scholars benefit from their scientific bounty. Moreover, the congregational prayers, religious ceremonies and various gatherings are held in this mosque with special grandeur.