Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi

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Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abul Ma'ali Shahab ad-Din Muhammad Hussain Mar'ashi Najafi (July 21, 1897 – August 29, 1990) [1] (Arabic : اية الله العظمى السيد شهابالدين الحسينى المرعشى نجفى‎) was an Iraqi Shia Marja'.

Marja highest clerical rank in Usuli Twelver Shia Islam

In Shia Islam, marjaʿ, also known as a marjaʿ taqlīd or marjaʿ dīnī, literally meaning "source to imitate/follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed clerics. After the Qur'an and the prophets and imams, marājiʿ are the highest authority on religious laws in Usuli Shia Islam.

Contents

Education

Sayyed Najafi began his education under the auspices of his father. His earliest endeavour was to master tajweed and to learn the doctrines of tafsir which had been taught to him by his father, as well as Mirza Aboll Hassan Meshkini, Sheikh Mohammad Hossein Shirazi, Sayid Hab Al-Din Shahrestani and Sayid Ibrahim Shafei Rafaei Baghdadi. [2] Sayyed Najafi was formally educated in the hawza of Najaf, and also spent three years studying in the Iraqi cities of Samarra and Kadhimiya; two important centres of Shia learning. [2] He excelled in areas of fiqh, `ilm al-rijal, 'aql, and kalam. Sayyed Najafi received ijazahs from numerous scholars, among them the female religious leader Banu Amin. [3]

<i>Tafsir</i> exegesis of the Quran

Tafsir is the Arabic word for exegesis, usually of the Qur'an. An author of a tafsir is a mufassir. A Qur'anic tafsir attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding and conviction of God's will.

Sheikh —also transliterated Sheik, Shykh, Shayk, Shaykh, Cheikh, Shekh, and Shaikh—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates the ruler of a tribe, who inherited the title from his father. "Sheikh" is given to a royal male at birth and the related title "Sheikha" is given to a royal female at birth.

Hawza

A Hawza or Ḥawzah ʿIlmīyah is a seminary where Shi'a Muslim clerics are trained.

Teaching

Upon attaining the level of ijtihad in 1925, Sayyed Najafi travelled to Qom, Iran, at the request of Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sheikh Abdul-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi, one of the most important revivalists of the Qom hawza. He stayed in the city of Qom until his death. He led the prayers in the shrine of Fatemah Masumeh for over half a century. [4] Among those that visited the Sayid during his life in Qom include Rashid Ridha, Henry Corbin, and the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. [2]

Ijtihad is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with taqlid. According to classical Sunni theory, ijtihad requires expertise in the Arabic language, theology, revealed texts, and principles of jurisprudence, and is not employed where authentic and authoritative texts are considered unambiguous with regard to the question, or where there is an existing scholarly consensus (ijma). Ijtihad is considered to be a religious duty for those qualified to perform it. An Islamic scholar who is qualified to perform ijtihad is called a mujtahid.

Qom City in Iran

Qom is the seventh metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located 140 km to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census its population was 1,201,158. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River.

Iran Country in Western Asia

Iran, also called Persia and officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. With over 81 million inhabitants, Iran is the world's 18th most populous country. Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world. Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. The country's central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance. Tehran is the country's capital and largest city, as well as its leading economic and cultural center.

Manuscript collection and library

Whilst studying in Najaf, Sayid Najafi became growingly concerned with the immense wealth of Islamic knowledge that was being lost in the displacement and destruction of Shia texts. He took it upon himself to purchase as many rare books and manuscripts that he could on his modest clerical stipend in order to preserve them. When his stipend was exhausted, he took a job at a rice cleaning factory in Najaf, [5] performed Qada prayers and fasts on behalf of others, and ate only one meal a day in order to raise enough money to purchase these books. [6]

Najaf Place in Najaf Governorate, Iraq

Najaf or an-Najaf al-Ashraf is a city in central-south Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2013 was 1,000,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate. It is widely considered the third holiest city of Shia Islam, the Shi'ite world's spiritual capital, and the center of Shi'ite political power in Iraq.

The Arabic word qada (قُضِي) means literally "carrying out or fulfilling". In Islamic jurisprudence it refers to fulfilling or completing those duties that one may have missed due to some reason or other. It can also mean qadee, a court judgement or the art of adjudication. A qadee is binding and enforceable, unlike a fatwa, which is merely a legal opinion. Issued by a Qaadee (judge) in response to a specific case and circumstances. The qaadee may request a fatwa to help determine the legal outcome of a specific case but is not bound to follow it. The decision is based on recognized legal precedent.

Sayid Najafi continued to collect these rare Shia manuscripts once he migrated to Iran. In 1965, he presented 278 rare manuscripts in Arabic and Persian to the University of Tehran College of Theology and Divinity. [7] He would continue to donate many of these books to libraries across Iran.

University of Tehran university in Iran

University of Tehran is the oldest modern university located in Tehran, Iran. It is also one of the most prestigious universities in the Middle East. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching profile, UT has been nicknamed "The mother university of Iran". It has been ranked as one of the best universities in the Middle East in national and international rankings and among the top universities in the world. It is also the premier knowledge producing institute among all OIC countries. The university offers 111 bachelor's degree programs, 177 master's degree programs, and 156 Ph.D. programs. Many of the departments were absorbed into the University of Tehran from the Dar al-Funun established in 1851 and the Tehran School of Political Sciences established in 1899.

In 1965, he was able to found the Marashiyah Islamic Seminary in Qom, where he allocated a number of rooms for the purpose of housing these books. It was not long before these rooms were formally designated as a library.

The large number of visitors to this library soon required that it be expanded. For this purpose, 1,000 square feet (93 m2) of adjoining land was purchased in order to expand the existing library in 1970. [7]

In 1974, the reference section of this library was inaugurated. 1,600 rare Shia manuscripts were added to this collection, which was followed by a further 500 manuscripts that were donated to the library's treasury. [7]

In 1989, the supreme guide of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Grand Ayatollah Sayid Mostafavi Mousavi Ruhollah Khomeini issued a decree ordering that the library be built an extension of 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2). At present both the old and the new buildings of the grand library occupies a total area of 21,000 sq. meters. [7] Sayid Najafi laid the first stone of the foundation of the new library.

Death and will

In his last will and testament he gave his son, Sayed Mahmoud Marashi Najafi, detailed advice on religious observances and study, good relations with close relatives, mercy to the poor and needy, and not wasting his time. He gave instructions regarding his own burial and grave, and enjoined his son if possible to use some of his wealth as Radd al-Madhaalim (money given to the poor as payment of possible unknown debts) on his father's behalf, in case he had any dues outstanding. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/5845432/مراسم-بزرگداشت-ارتحال-آیت-الله-العظمی-مرعشی-نجفی
  2. 1 2 3
  3. ↑ See Mirjam Künkler and Roja Fazaeli, ‘The Life of Two Mujtahidas: Female Religious Authority in 20th Century Iran’, in Women, Leadership and Mosques: Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority, ed. Masooda Bano and Hilary Kalmbach (Brill Publishers, 2012), 127-160.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ http://www.tebyan.net/islam_features/islamic_world/muslim_scientists_and_thinkers/2011/1/19/152739.html?pid=152739
  6. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 http://www.islam-laws.com/articles/The%20Grand%20Library%20of%20Ayatullah%20al-Uzma%20Marashi%20Najafi(R.A.).htm
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