Sayyid usayn Burūjirdī  Tabāabāeī , was one of the great Shi'a scholars of the 20th century. He was the leader of Shi'a seminary of Qom for 17 years and was officially the only Shi'a religious leader (Marja-e-Taqleed) for 15 years.

He was born in Borujerd in Safar 1292 / March 1875. His father was Sayyid 'Ali Tabataba'i, also a religious scholar, and his mother was Sayyidah Agha Beygum, the daughter of Sayyid Mohammad 'Ali Tabataba'i. His lineage traces back generations to Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a).

After entering elementary school at the age of seven, Sayyid Husayn's father realized his talent for learning and sent him to Nurbakhsh seminary in Borujerd.

At 18, he left Borujerd for Isfahan to continue his education. There, he attended the classes of Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Durchih'i, Mirza Abu l-Ma'ali Kalbasi and Sayyid Mohammad Taqi Mudarris. He also benefited from the philosophy lessons of Akhund Kashi and Jahangir Khan Qashqa'i.After four years of study, he left Isfahan and returned back to his hometown.

He emigrated to Najaf at the age of 27 and attended the classes of Akhund Khurasani for nine years. He also studied under Sayyid Kazim Yazdi and Shari'at Isfahani.