Najaf: Difference between revisions

Najaf is located 165 km southwest of [[Baghdad]], 77 km southeast of [[Karbala]] and 10 km south of [[Kufa]]. The existence of the ancient city of Hira, which held of the bright civilization in the history of Iraq, in that region indicates the historical background of it. Najaf is bordered by [[Wadi l-Salam Cemetery]] from north, dried sea of Najaf form west and a desert connected to Badiyat al-Sham, which stretches to [[Arabia]], [[Jordan]] and [[Syria]], from the west.

* Najaf is an Arabic word means "Manjuf". Manjuf, in Arabic, is a rectangular raised land which is enclosed by water. Thus, the area was called Najaf because, geographically, it was shaped like a rectangular and was higher than its surrounding areas.

* After the [[Noah's 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).

Al-Ghari or al-Ghariyyan, Hadd al-'Adhra', al-Hiwar, al-Judi, Wadi l-Salam, al-Zahr, Zahr al-Kufa (behind Kufa), al-Rabwa, Baniqiya, and Mashhad are other names for this land.

Being neighbor to the ancient city of al-Hira, which was the birthplace of Lakhmid (Al Mundhir) civilization in the first millennium before Christ, Najaf was considered as a cultivated, civilized and prosperous city. The Arab residents of the city were Christian at that time. They built many churches, including "Mary Mart Church", which continued to exist to the Islamic era.

[[Alawis]] from [[Tabaristan]] constructed a building over the tomb of Imam Ali (a) and built a wall around the city to provide security for the city. The Shi'a rulers of [[Dailamites]] worked a lot for maintenance and reconstruction of the shrine of Imam Ali (a) and also the city. Abu al-Hayja' 'Abd Allah b. Hamdan, the Shi'a governor of [[Mosul]], reconstructed the wall around Najaf and put gates for that. In the 7th/13th and 8th/14th century, Jalairid and Ilkhanate allocated a great sum of money for development and reconstruction of the city and the holy shrine of Imam Ali (a). Amir Firuz and Amir Ahmad I, two rulers of [[India]] in the late 8th/14th century, allocated some endowments of Deccan for management of the holy shrine and reconstruction of the city.

During the [[Safavid era]], [[Isma'il I|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. Sultan Sulayman Qanuni, the Sunni Ottoman Sultan, devoted a lot of efforts for development of Najaf. He and Shi'a Safavid Shahs were rivals for constructing the city and making it more prosperous.

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

During the Qajar era, for blocking the attacks of [[Wahhabis]], Nizam al-Dawla Isfahani, the vizier of Fath Ali Shah (1217/1802-1803 - 1257/1841-1842), built a strong wall around Najaf. The government of Najaf removed this wall in 1350/1931-1932 and built schools and hospitals instead. Also, people built their houses around those areas.

 

==Shi'a Seminary of Najaf==

 

In the early 5th/11th century, [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] emigrated to Najaf. By holding teaching sessions in Najaf, he transformed the city into one of the most important cultural and scholarly Shi'a centers. The seminary of Najaf had its ups and downs in the course of history, the scholarly center of Shi'a has moved to other cities, yet it returned to Najaf after a while. As an example in 12th/18th century, as [[al-Wahid al-Bihbahani]] moved from Najaf to [[Karbala]], the seminary of Najaf lost its prosperity. However, it gained its centrality in 13th/19th century due to the existence of great scholars such as [[Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita']], [[Bahr al-'Ulum]], and [[Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari]].

 

 

Seminary of Najaf was influential over other countries. As during the [[Iranian constitutional revolution]], [[mujtahid]]s in Najaf, such as [[Akhund Khurasani|al-Akhud al-Khurasani]] and [[Muhammad Husayn Na'ini]], led and supported the revolutionists intellectually and religiously.

 

During the Ba'ath regime, seminary 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 disciples would stay, next to Imam Ali's holy shrine. This Takiyya was demolished for holy shrine developments.

* It is narrated from [[Imam 'Ali (a)]]: "The first land in which God was worshiped is the back of Kufa (Najaf) because at that land angels prostrated to Adam by the order of God."

* It is said that the Prophet Ibrahim (a) stayed in this area and therefore the blessings and the grace of God was sent down to this land.

* It is narrated from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]]: "70 thousand martyrs will be resurrected from this land without reckoning."

* It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a): "Imam 'Ali announced Kufa (Najaf) as a sacred shrine as Ibrahim did for Ka'ba and prophet Muhammad did for Medina."

* It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a): "I advise you to [visit] the back of Kufa (Najaf). There is a tomb that whoever sick person goes to it God will cure him."

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

* It is narrated from Imam 'Ali (a): "If the veil was removed from you[r eyes], you would see the spirits of believers in this land (Najaf) in groups visiting each other and talking to each other. The spirit of all believers is here and those of non-believers are in a deserted wasteland."

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