Grand
Ayatollah
Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیتالله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Etymology
The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...
Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi ( ar, آية الله العظمى بشير النجفي) (born 1942) is a Pakistani
Twelver
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
Marja'
Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...
and one of the
Four Grand Ayatollahs of
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. He was born in
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
, a city in then British
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Migration to Pakistan
After the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in 1947, his family moved to Pakistan and settled in the city of
Gujranwala,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
. In Gujranwala he had his initial education in religion. He was then able to move to
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
for studies in the early 1960s. He is one of many individuals from
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
and one of the few
Pakistanis to have ever been elevated to the highest rank of
Grand Ayatollah
Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...
in
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
. He was one year senior to Grand Ayatollah
Ali Sistani
Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani ( ar, علي الحسيني السيستاني; fa, , Ali-ye Hoseyni-ye Sistāni; born 4 August 1930), commonly known as Ayatollah Sistani, is an Iranian–Iraqi Twelver Shia Ayatollah and marja'. He has been describe ...
.
Al Najafi was attacked on 6 January 1999 by a group of armed men, reportedly members of
Fedayeen Saddam
Fedayeen Saddam () was a paramilitary Fedayeen organization loyal to the Ba'athist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000–40,000 members.
Irregular force ...
, while he and members of his seminary were performing religious duties. The attack, which included use of a
hand grenade, resulted in the death of three persons and injury to a number of members of the seminary, including the Grand Ayatollah.
History
He is from a family of religious background, born in Jalandhar a city in British India. After the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in 1947, his family migrated to the city of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
He undertook his basic religious studies at a religious school in Lahore known as Jamia tul Muntazar. After completing his basic studies there in 1965, in order to further his religious knowledge and to continue his studies in higher Islamic education, he arrived in Najaf-e-Ashraf (the city of Ameer ul Momineen) in Iraq.
In Najaf, he remained with his Dars and Tadrees (studying and teaching), eventually becoming widely considered a Marjah of the Shia world, and since then the routine of Dars-e-Kharij is continuing.
He is one of the
Ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
signatories of the
Amman Message
The Amman Message ( ar, رسالة عمان) is a statement calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world that was issued on 9 November 2004 (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.[Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
Jamal Ja'far Muhammad Ali Al Ibrahim ( ar, جمال جعفر محمد علي آل إبراهيم ', 16 Nov 1954 – 2 January 2020), known by the kunya Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis ( ar, أبو مهدي المهندس, lit=Father of Mahdi, the Engine ...]
receiving a briefing on on-going operations in the
Third Battle of Fallujah
The Third Battle of Fallujah, code-named Operation Breaking Terrorism ( ar, عملية كسر الإرهاب) by the Iraqi government, was a military operation against ISIL launched to capture the city of Fallujah and its suburbs, located abou ...
. He is reported as having praised the ongoing successes of Iraqi forces against the
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
and proclaimed, “all of Iraq must be cleansed from
Daesh
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...
terrorists.” He also stressed the necessity of protecting public and private property during the Fallujah operation and said, “Members of the security forces and popular mobilization are the pride of the clergy.”“Iraqi holy warriors and fighters must have serious will to liberate the remaining areas under the occupation of terrorism and not to give an opportunity for the invasion of this country’s soil.”
The head of his office and his son, Sheikh Ali Najafi, also called for the protection of civilians in Fallujah “so they are free the clutches of terrorism with the least harm.” He likewise praised “members of popular mobilization who with faith and courage have once again demonstrated to the world and proved that they stand against the enemies with strength and treat innocent humans with kindness and gentleness.”
Hawzah Najaf al Ilmiya Projects
![Syed Aqeel ul Gharavi with Ayatollah Bashir al-Najafi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Syed_Aqeel_ul_Gharavi_with_Ayatollah_Bashir_al-Najafi.jpg)
The Grand leader of the Shia community, Ayatollah Al-Uzma Sheikh hafiz Basher Hussain al Najafi has initiated different projects to serve the community and religion. Some of these projects are completed while others are not.
Completed Projects
Reconstruction of Hawza Ilmiya Najaf e Ashraf
Hawza Ilmiya Najaf e Ashraf, which is the centre of all the madaris, was demolished by Sadaam. Enemies wanted to close down the doors of Ilm e Rasool, and to remove Najaf as the central point of the world of knowledge. For the same reason he demolished the madaris, the historical places, mosques and Imambarghs. To add up all, printing press, bookshops and libraries were burnt down. Only those valuable things were protected which were hidden and buried underground and were covered. He availed the chance, hence he reconstructed the above-mentioned madaris to save the epicenter of Ilm and that the doors of Ilm e Rasool to be opened so that the world and people be benefited from it.
* Jamia tun Najaf known as madrassa Jamia Qalantar.
* Madrassa Abdul Aziz Al Baghdadi.
* Madrassa Al Mahdi
* Madrassa Yazdi.
* Madrassa Lebnaniya (Khanal Mukhazar).
* Madrassa Shubariya Bazurg.
* Madrassa Imam Ali.
* Madrassa Afghaniya (Established by Mudaris Afghani).
* Madrassa Kazmiya known as Sadrul Azam.
* Madrassa Brujardy (Established by Ayatollah Al Uzma Brujardy).
* Madrassa Akhund Al Kubra.
* Madrassa Akhund Al Sughra.
* Madrassa Al Imam Al Sadiq known as Madrassa Shubariya.
* Madrassa Hindiya
* Madrassa Mahdiya Kashif ul Ghita.
* Madrassa Al Kashif ul Ghita.
* Madrassa Al Qizwini.
* Madrassa Dar Ul Abrar.
* Madrassa Dar Ul Mutaqeen.
* Madrassa Al Hussainiya Al Shiraziya.
Projects in process
He is continuously trying that in South Asia there should be continuity of Marjiat. The following projects are under completion:
# Madrassa for male students.
# Madrassa for female students.
# Hussainian Hall (imambargah): a place for classes and to perform majalis so that students and zawaar from
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
can pay their respects to Ahle Bayt according to their culture and language.
# Imam Ali hospital: where free medical treatment shall be provided to students and zawaar (pilgrims) and for this, place has been purchased near baab ul qibla of Imam Ali shrine and it is awaiting construction.
# Najaf colony Madina tul Ilm: along with the difficulties faced by students, regarding courses, teachers, residence permit from government (iqama), they are also facing accommodation problems. They live in small rented quarters where sometimes rent is raised and sometimes they have to move to another place, and due to this problem many leave the Hawsa without completing the studies. He has obtained permission for the construction of 1000 quarters from the government and the area has been purchased at baab ul qibla of Imam Ali shrine, but is waiting for respectable momineen to sponsor the construction. This project has been included in the map of the colony madrassa for male and female and hussainia is also included.
Beside these in all the parts of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
:
* Madrassa to be established as in Najaf e Ashraf.
* Syllabus of Hawza Ilmiya Najaf e Ashraf to be taught all around.
* Construction of mosques and imambargahs in areas of momineen.
* To support ulema when momineen can't afford there expenses and accommodation.
Works
Below are some of Ayatullah Al-Najafi's works:
Biography in English
/ref>
* ''Al-Deen Al-Qayim: Rules and Verdicts for worships and interactions'' - a total of three volumes, it has been translated to English, Urdu and the Kijrati language.
* ''Following Late Clerics'' -(multiple issues were published)
* ''Improving your level in Usool (Murqat al-Usool) '' - (multiple issues were published
* ''Laws of Hajj'' - (published)
-Rules of Modesty (a number of issues were printed)
* ''100 Questions Regarding Khums'' - (published)
* ''Guidance for the Youth'' -(published)
* ''The Laws and Rituals of the Holy Month of Ramadan'' (multiple issues were published)
* ''Najaf: the Pioneer for Hawzas around the World'' - (multiple issues were published).
* ''The Laws of Taqleed'' - (multiple issues were published)
* ''Mustafi Al-Deen al-Qaim'' -(multiple issues were published)
* ''A Friendly Guide to the Holy Kaa'ba'' - (published)
* ''A Fresh Guide for Muslims in the West'' - (published)
* ''Research in Modern Jurisprudence'' - (published)
* ''Explaining the features of Usool - (Handwritten)
* ''The Rules Surrounding Qiblah'' -(Handwritten)
''Rules and Laws of I'tikaf'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Justice'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Laws of Backbiting'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Rules of Correct & Incorrect Guarantees''
* ''Explaining Kifayat Al-Usool'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Classifying Narrators'' - (unfinished)
* ''An Intensive Paper Regarding the Science of Intellect'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Explaining Manthoomat Al-Sibzawari'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Reviewing the theme of "Qawaneen (laws) of Usool"'' - (handwritten)
* ''The Indian Circle used for Defining Qiblah'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Commentary on Sharh Al-Tajreed'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Explaining Inheritance in "Luma'ah"'' - (Handwritten)
* ''Rules of Radio, Television, and Acting'' (Handwritten)
* ''Khums'' - (Handwritten)
* ''The Rules of Friday Prayers''
* ''Upholding Traditions for Imam Hussain and the Mourning Ceremony''
* ''Those Who Repent are the Beloved of Allah'' - multiple issues were published
* ''Nasabi'' - a reply to misconceptions brought up by one of the Nasabis (handwritten)
* ''The Birth of Imam Mehdi'' - multiple issues were published, translated to Urdu
* ''A Summarized Edition of Rules & Verdicts'' - translated into Urdu. (Published)
* ''For the Youth'' - (advice and instructions from Ayatollah Al-Najafi to the youth - (multiple issues were published)
See also
*Ali al-Sistani
Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani ( ar, علي الحسيني السيستاني; fa, , Ali-ye Hoseyni-ye Sistāni; born 4 August 1930), commonly known as Ayatollah Sistani, is an Iranian–Iraqi Twelver Shia Ayatollah and marja'. He has been describe ...
*Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khoei ( ; ar, أبو القاسم الموسوي الخوئي; fa, ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian- Iraqi Shia marja'. Al-Khoei is considered one of the most influential t ...
*Muhammad Hossein Naini Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad-Hossein Naini Gharavi ( fa, ; May 25, 1860 – August 14, 1936) was Iranian Shia marja'.
His father Mirza Abdol Rahim and grandfather Haji Mirza Saeed, both one were Sheikhs of Nain and Mohammad Hussein proved him ...
*Muhammad Kazim Khurasani
Ayatullah Sheikh Muhammad Kazim Khurasani ( fa, ; 1839 – 12 December 1911), commonly known as Akhund Khurasani ( fa, ) was a Shia jurist and political activist.
He is known for using his position as a Marja as legitimizing force behind the ...
*Mirza Husayn Tehrani
Ayatollah Mirza Husayn Khalili Tehrani (Persian: میرزا حسین خلیلی تهرانی) was an Usuli Shi'a jurist and among the four sources of emulation at the time of Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He worked alongside Akhund Khurasan ...
* Abdallah Mazandarani
*Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi
Mirza Ali-Aqa Tabrizi, () known as Thiqat-ul-Islam Tabrizi (; January 19, 1861 - December 31, 1911) was an Iranian nationalist who lived in Tabriz, Iran, during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and was a reformist Shia cleric. He was hanged b ...
*Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai
Mirza Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabai ( Persian: آیت الله میرزا سید محمد طباطبائی, also known as Mohammad Sang-e-laji,;''Sang-e-laj'' (سَنگِلَج) is one of the neighbourhoods of the Old Tehran, not far from the Grand B ...
*Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani
Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani ( fa, سیدعبدالله بهبهانی, 1840–1910) was a Shi'a theologian and a prominent leader of the constitutional movement. He was born in Najaf and was educated by scholars such as Morteza Ansari.
During the c ...
References
External links
Official Website (Arabic)
Official Website (English)
Imamia Mission (followers of Ayatollah Bashir)
Official Twitter Account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Najafi, Bashir
1942 births
Living people
Pakistani grand ayatollahs
Pakistani Shia Muslims
Pakistani expatriates in Iraq
Iraqi grand ayatollahs
20th-century Islamic religious leaders
21st-century Islamic religious leaders
Iraqi people of Pakistani descent
People from Jalandhar