Najaf: Difference between revisions

'''Najaf''' (Arabic: {{ia|النَّجَف}}) is a city in [[Iraq]]. It was inhabited before Islam. Najaf is very important because it is the place of the [[Holy Shrine of Imam Ali (a)]] and [[Hawzat al-'Ilmiyya of Najaf]] (the Islamic Seminary of Najaf). Currently, the city has gained more importance due to the [[Marja']]s who live in this city and are influential in the political structure of power in Iraq.

# After the [[Noah Flood]] a large lake, which was called "Nay", began to shape surrounding the raised land of Najaf. Over time the lake dried up; thus that area was called "Nay Jaff" (Nay dried) (Jaff means dried).

Located between the city of Kufa and deserts, Najaf is a very windy and hot city. At times the temperature reaches 50 Celsius. Although Najaf was always in lack of water, at some periods, such as 7th/13th century, 20 thousand date palm was watered by its water.

There is no report about Najaf until the [[Abbasid]] time. During the rulee of [[Harun al-Rashid]], as the grave of [[Imam Ali (a)]] was found in this city, many people moved there.

* During [[Safavid era]], Shah Isma'il and Shah Tahmasb, brought the water of Euphrates to the city by digging some streams. Nahr-i Shah (Shah's stream) which is dug by Shah Isma'il's order has remained from that time.

[[File:دیوار نجف.jpg|thumbnail|An old picture of Najaf, in the picture the walls of the city is visble, the picture is said to be taken at 1911.]]

* The government of Najaf removed this wall in 1350/1931-1932 and built schools and hospitals instead, also people their houses around those areas.

* In early 5th/11th century, [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] emigrated to Najaf. By holding teaching sessions in Najaf, he changed the city to one of the most important cultural and scholarly Shi'a centers.

This centrality revived again by arrival of Mulla Ahamad Ardabily, famously known as Muqaddas Ardabily, and his teaching sessions.

* During the Ba'th regime, al-Hawzat al-'Ilmiyya of Najaf was under a lot of pressure; nonetheless, it managed to continue its path. Nowadays it is regarded as one of the scholarly Shi'a centers in the world.

* Takiyya Baktashiyya: Ottomans build a [[Takiyya]] for Baktashiyya sufi sect, where their Shaykhs and adherents would stay, next to Imam Ali's holy shrine. This Takiyya was demolished for holy shrine developments.

* Tomb of Dhu l-Kifl: At 40th kilometer of Najaf-Hilla road, next to the [[Euphrates]], there is a village called Dhu l-Kifl, in which the Israelite prophet Dhu l-Kifl have been entombed. As this prophet was surety (Kafil) of Jews he was called Dhu l-Kifl (owner of suretyship). His tomb is situated in a small brick fortress in the village. In the last century Jews have built some buildings in that region. The residents of that region who were Arab Jews and immigrated to Palestine later. Every year, Jew pilgrims from all over the world would come to this place and stay for one month. There is a mosque on the other side of the tomb which is said that 4 Disciples and Dhu l-Kifl's daughter are buried there.

* Nimrod Tower: Next to the Euphrates after the village of Dhu l-Kifl, there is a hill on which a brick tower has been built. It is said the prophet [[Ibrahim (a)]] was thrown to fire from this place. These tower and hill are remnants of the ancient city of Babylon.

# It is said the prophet Ibrahim (a) stayed in this area and therefore the blessings and the grace of God were sent down to this land.

# It is narrated form Imam al-Sadiq (a): "There is a garden of Heaven's garden on the east of Kufa."

Many merits have been reported for the cemetery, such as what is quoted from Imam Ali (a): "In this land the spirits of believers talk to each others in groups, and whoever believer passes away wherever on the earth, he would be told: 'Go to Wadi l-Salam as it is a part of Heaven.'"

* [[Khabab b. Arat]]

* [[Mirza Na'ini]]: He is entombed in the fifth southern room of the Bazaar gate of the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a). He was one of the great religious scholars and political thinkers during the constitutional revolution in Iran. His book ''Tanbih al-ummah wa tanzih al-milla'' contains his political ideas about the Iranian constitutional revolution.

* 'Adud al-Dawla al-Daylami one of the greatest rulers of [[Buyids]]

* Al Hamdan were Shi'a rulers in the 5th/11th and 6th/12th centuries in Levant. They played a significant rule in the movement of resistance and fighting against the invasion of Byzantine forces. Sayf al-Dawlat al-Hamdani and Nasir al-Dawla are two famous rulers of this dynasty. According to Shaykh Ali Al Kashif al-Ghita', Al Hamdan transferred the dead form Damascus, Aleppo and Mosul to Najaf and buried them there.

* Mongol Ilkhanate is one of the Shi'a governments in Iran who also ruled in Iraq in the 8th/14th and 9th/15th centuries. Some rulers and statesmen of Ilkhanate, Jalayirid and Timurid were buried in the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a); but the exact location of their grave is unknown. Hibat al-Din al-Shahristani reported that he had seen the grave of Timur the Lame, the founder of Timurid dynasty, next to the tomb of al-Shaykh al-Tusi in the Sardab (hypogeum).

* Aqa Muhammad Khan Qajar

* Aqa Khan Mahallati, the leader of Isma'ilism.

* Masjid al-Shaykh al-Tusi: At beginning it was his house. He made this will to bury him in this place and change it to a mosque. Nowadays this mosque is very well-known in Najaf. It is located in "al-Mishraq" neighborhood on the north of the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a).

* Masjid al-Hindi: It is one of the biggest mosque in Najaf. It was reconstructed in [[1323]]/1905-1906, and has a strong and solid construction. Mourning sessions of [[Muharram]] are held in this mosque every year. Al-'Allama al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim developed its building in the current century.

* Masjid al-Shaykh al-Ansari: This mosque is located in "al-Huwaysh" neighborhood and was built by support and under supervision of [[al-Shaykh al-Ansari]]. Some elites and scholars of [[Hawzat al-'Ilmiyya of Najaf]] held their teaching sessions in this mosque. Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i, the great scholar in Qajar era, and Imam Khomeini held their sessions in this mosque.

* Masjid al-Shaykh al-Turayhi: This mosque in attributed to al-Muhaqqiq al-Karaki, a great scholar of [[Safavid]] era. It was renovated and reconstructed in 1376/1956-1957.

* Masjid 'Imran b. Shahin: This mosque in one of the oldest mosques in Najaf and is attributed to 'Imran b. Shahin, a ruler of Al Buyih in 4th/10th century. It is located at the entrance of the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a) at Bab al-Tusi.

* Masjid al-Khadra': It is located on the east of the courtyard of the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a). It is the mosque where [[Ayatollah Khoei]] held his teaching sessions. This mosque is very old and attributed to Ali b. Muzaffar. It was reconstructed by Shaykh Ahmad Ansari Qummi in 1380/1960-1961.

* Madrasat Mirza Husayn Khalili: It was a big school located in al-'Imara neighborhood. It was destroyed by Ba'th regime in [[1367]]/1947-1948 and its properties and endowments were confiscated.

* Madrasat al-Qazwini: This school is located in al-'Imara neighborhood near Masjid al-Hindi. It was built in [[1324]]/1906-1907 and reconstructed in [[1384]]/1964-1965. In 1441/1991 uprising in Iraq (al-Intifadat al-Sha'baniyya) Ba'th forces exploded the school by dynamites and set its library on fire.

* Madrasat Dar al-Hikma: This school was built by [[Ayatollah al-Hakim]]'s order. Ba'th forces destroyed this school after the 1991 uprising in Iraq (al-Intifadat al-Sha'baniyya). However, it was rebuilt after Saddam and reopened in 1392/1972-1973.

* Madrasat Dar al-'Ilm: This school was built by Ayatollah Kho'i's order. Ba'th forces destroyed this school after the 1991 uprising in Iraq (al-Intifadat al-Sha'baniyya).

* Maktabat al-'Alawi ('Alawi library): It is also called "al-Haydariyya", "al-Khizanat al-Gharawiyya", and "Maktabat al-Sahn." It was founded in 4th/10th century or earlier. 'Adud al-Dawla al-Daylami played an important role in foundation and development of this library. In [[755]]/1345-1355 the library caught fire; many books including a handwritten 3-volume Qur'an by Imam Ali (a) burned away. However, by the effort of the scholars, the library was revived again. But afterward, due to inattention, the library lost its importance and many of its book were lost or damaged. Nowadays, except for very few books, nothing has remained from that precious repository.

* Maktabat al-Imam Amir al-Mu'minin (a): was founded by the effort of [['Allama Amini]] and was opened in [[Eid al-Ghadir]] [[1373]]/1954. It is one of the richest and most reliable libraries in Najaf.

* Maktabat Madrasat al-Sadr: This library was founded in the early 13th/19th century by Muhammad Husayn Khan Sadr. It was one of the most famous libraries in Najaf at that time; but due to inattentions many of its books were disappeared. Nowadays, this library is not noteworthy.

==External Links==