Najaf: Difference between revisions

According to ibn al-Manzur, the word, "najaf", literally means a high and rectangular place around which water is accumulated, although the water does not go above its level. [[Al-Shaykh al-Saduq]] appeals to a [[hadith]] from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]], claiming that "Najaf" comes from the phrase, "nay jaff" which means "the nay sea has dried" which gradually changed into "Najaf".

"Najaf" is usually accompanied with the adjective, "al-Ashraf" (dignified). According to the author of ''al-Hawza al-'ilmiyya fi l-Najaf al-ashraf'', this is because Imam 'Ali (a), one of the most dignified persons, is buried in the city.

According to historical accounts and hadiths, Najaf is a very old city where many well-known people lived. The city was residential before the emergence of Islam. However, it flourished only after the burial of Imam 'Ali and the construction of his shrine in the city.

Before Islam, there were two Najafs: the Najaf of Kufa and the Najaf of Hira. Today's Najaf is the Najaf of Kufa which is part of the old Najaf and encompasses a number of towns and villages, including Hira.

Before the Islamic Conquests, there were many Christian monasteries in Najaf. When the city was conquered by Muslims, it was an Arab area with gardens, palm groves, and many streams.

Imam 'Ali (a) was buried in an area called "Thawiyya" near Najaf. Later, Thawiyya became part of Najaf. The account has been confirmed by certain historical sources, such as ''al-Buldan'', ''Tarikh al-umam wa l-muluk'', and ''al-Kamil fi l-tarikh''.

The burial place of Imam 'Ali was hidden for 90 years except to a few of the companions of the Imams (a). However, in 135 AH, Imam al-Sadiq (a) exposed 'Ali's burial place, and since then, Najaf turned into a pilgrimage destination for lovers of [[Ahl al-Bayt]].

In 170 AH, [[Harun al-'Abbasi]] commanded the construction of the Shrine of Imam 'Ali, and because of certain obstacles, the Shi'as mostly visited the Shrine of Imam 'Ali. Since then, constructions began around the Shrine and a number of Shi'as resided in the area. The city was then expanded and Shi'as continued to migrate to Najf. In the 4th century, in addition to other Shi'as, 1900 'Alawi Sadat inhabited the city.

In 370 AH, [['Adud al-Dawla al-Daylami]] gathered a number of architects in Najaf and asked them to construct a new city. 'Adud al-Dawla supported them with money and workers. When the construction of the city by the architects was accomplished, 'Adud al-Dawla held a huge celebration in which he opened the new city of Najaf. Since then, he invited scholars to live in the city and employed servants for the Shrine of Imam 'Ali. Moreover, he recruited a number of physicians in the city and paid them monthly salaries.

In the middle of the 5th century, [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] left [[Baghdad]] and migrated to Najaf. After his migration to Najaf, the city turned into a scholarly center for Shiite [[jurisprudents]], although a number of Shiite scholars had chosen to live in Najaf before al-Shaykh al-Tusi.

In the 7th and 8th centuries (the period of Shiite Ilkhanate and Jalairid rulers), Najaf underwent a remarkable progress in its construction and scholarly activities and was host to a large population of people, because these governments spent a considerable amount of money for the expansion of Shiite schools and mosques in the city.

In the [[Safavid]] Era, [[Isma'il I|Shah Isma'il]] and [[Tahmasp I|Shah Tahmasp]] commanded the construction of water streams to move the water of [[Euphrates]] to the city in order to solve the water supply problem. "Nahr-shah" (literally: the king's stream) which was constructed at the command of Shah Isma'il has still remained from that period. In that period, Suleiman the Magnificent, a Sunni Ottoman king, helped the construction of Najaf because of his close relationships with Shiite Safavid kings. In the period of Qajar and in 1217AH, a solid impenetrable wall was built around Najaf in order to prevent Wahhabi attacks. The wall existed until 1385 AH.