Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani was born in 1931 in the village of Kan (Tehran Suburb). After he finished elementary school in Kan & Tehran he attended the religious school of the late Borhan for 3 years. Then he went to Qum and, until 1961, he was a pupil of great masters of the time such as:

 Ayatollahs Abdol Javad Sedei (known as Jabal Ameli), Shaheed (Martyr) Sadooghi, Soltani, Mojahedi, Rafiei, Ghazvini, Sharani, Allameh (scholar) Tabatabaei, Great Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Imam Khomeini, Great Ayatollah Golpayegani, etc. (Peace be upon them). After the demise of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, he went back to Tehran and continued his struggle against Taghoot (the tyrannical Shah), something which he had started since he was 18, during the time of Ayatollah Boroujerdi. He was very active, impressive and effective in his participation in the Islamic movement of Iran led by Imam Khomeini, which also caused him to suffer all kinds of torture, imprisonment and exile. Before the victory of Islamic Revolution, he was appointed by Imam Khomeini to the Council of Revolution and after the victory he became responsible for so many sensitive and different positions.

Currently, he is the secretary of Tehran’s Combatant Clergies' Association (Jame-e-y-e-Rowhaniat-e-Mobarez), president of Imam Sadiq(a.s.) University and also by the order of Imam Khomeini he is responsible for Tehran’s Marvi religious school.

 Some of his works published at this time are:

"The Beginning Points in Practical Ethics"

"The Origins & Basis of Islamic Economy"

"The Book of "Beest goftar" (20 Discourses)

His responsibilities in the past:

- Chief of the Islamic Revolution Committees

- Member of the Guardian Council

- Interior Minister in Shaheed Rajaie and Bahonar cabinets. After their martyrdom he acted as caretaker prime minister too

- Member of the Higher Council of Cultural Revolution

- Being in charge of the headquarters for taking care of the war-stricken areas.

- Member of the Constitution Amendment Assembly.

- Member of the Expediency Council.

- Head of the center for attending to the mosques’ affairs.