He is Abulfazl, Ali son of Hassan son of Fazl son of Hassan Tabresi. His father, Hassan ibn-e Fazl, was the writer of the book entitled Makārim-ul-Akhlāq.
His grandfather was the great Islamic scholar of 6th century Hegira known as Amīn-ul-Islam Fazl ibne Hassan Tabresi who had written the collection Majma-ul-Bayān, a famous exegesis on the holy Qur'an.
The Tabresi family has been always glorified by honor in the Islamic history. Ali ibne Hassan Tabresi was not an exception either. He was an outstanding figure of his time, well known for his knowledge and wisdom. He was at the zenith of reputation for his virtuousness and piety, and this is well discernible in his book Mishkāt-ul-Anwār.
His father, Hassan ibne Fazl, was accounted as a talented pupil of his own father, and second to him in erudition and virtue.
His great grandfather, Amīn-ul-Islam Fazl ibne Hassan Tabresi, needs no introduction; his exegeses entitled Majma-ul-Bayān and Jawāmi-ul-Jāmi' are among the first reference books each Islamic researcher or student has to study.
Allāmah Majlesi's saying about the house of Tabresi would be sufficient to highlight their exalted status: "Tabresi family members are so reputed from the standpoint of their erudition that resemble the brilliance of the sun in the sky, and thus, require no introduction".
His Origin
With regard to the title Tabresi' and its origination, there have been a lot of discussions. Many luminaries have connected "Tabresi" to "Tabaristān" in Mazandarān province in northern Iran, but they all have repeated the same thing, and it seems that this concept originally belongs to an elder, and the others have repeated his words. However, the available proofs do not attest to the accuracy of this idea. The distinguished researcher, Allāmah Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Sayyid Hassan Kharsān proves the inaccuracy of the above-mentioned idea in the preface of his book I'lām-ul-Warā.
Attribution of the title Tabresi to Tabaristān is not correct because in Persian language, the people from Tabaristān are called as Tabari (not Tabresi).
Abulhassan Behyaqī (d. 565 Hegira), who was contemporary with Amīn-ul-Islam Tabresi and knew him well, in his book "The History of Beyhaq" states: "Tabres is the Arabic version of the Iranian city of Tafresh, which is located in a geographical area between Isfahan, Qum and Hamadān."
Some great personalities bear the title "Tabersi Qummi" which testifies to this truth.
His Teachers
Unfortunately there is no trace of the names of his teachers in the history, except for Sayyid Jalāluddin Mūsawi. Of course, another teacher of Ali ibne Hassan Tabresi has been his own father Hassan ibn-e Fazl, the author of the book entitled Makārim-ul-Akhlāq.
His Writings
Nasr-ul-La'āli
Kunūz-ul-Nijāh, extracts from which have been quoted in Majma-ul-Da'awāt and Misbāh, authored by Sayyid ibne Tāwūs and Kaf'ami, respectively.
Accordingly, there is no doubt about the book Kunūz-ul-Nijāh. The only difficulty concerns the author of this book; there is a strong possibility that Kunūz-ul-Nijāh has been written by Amīn-ul-Islam Tabresi, the grandfather of Ali ibne Hassan.
Mishkāt-ul-Anwār: this is the only book available with us in its completeness, and there is no difficulty about its authentication. The basic contents of the book were derived from the author's father, after whose death his son (Ali ibne Hassan Tabresi) codified and prepared the book and published it with his own additions. This fact has been mentioned in the preface of the book.
His Death
Date of his demise as well as his birth is not exactly known. However, his grandfather Amīn-ul-Islam Tabresi has passed away in (548 Hegira), and due to the fact that Ali was born before his grandfather's death, therefore Ali's death is surmised to be around the year 600 Hegira.