''
Hujjatul Islam Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
'' Muhammad Mussa Shariefi (1942 – 11 December 2013) was a senior
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
Twelver Shia
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 ...
religious scholar/
alim
Alim (''ʿAlīm'' , also anglicized as ''Aleem'') is one of the Names of God in Islam, meaning "''All-knowing one''". It is also used as a personal name, as a short form of Abdul Alim, "''Servant of the All-Knowing''":
Given name
* Alim ad-Din A ...
from the
Kargil district of
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
. He was renowned for his philosophical and mystical
Friday prayer sermons which were always attended by thousands of people from the length and breadth of Kargil. He became the Imam e
Jumu'ah
In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...
of Jamia Masjid Kargil after the death of the immensely popular Shia mystic and scholar,
Hujjat ul Islam wal Muslimeen Aqa Sheikh Khanteypa. He gained immense popularity for his usage of the local dialect for delivering his Friday sermons.
He was one of the last members of a group of religious scholars from Kargil who attained higher Islamic Studies in the Hawza
'Ilmiyya Najaf, before the rule of
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
in Iraq. He is renowned for his piety and his role in propagating Islam and establishing numerous Islamic institutions in Kargil.
Early life
Sheikh Muhammad Mussa Shariefi was born in 1942 in the village Akchamal, near
Kargil
Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Ja ...
in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
,
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 ...
.
Education and positions
Shariefi received his basic education in religious studies from Sheikh Rahmatullah, a religious scholar from Akchamal. On completion of the basic course of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
and
Islamic studies
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
(Diniyat) in Kargil, he migrated to
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 ...
in
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 Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
for higher studies. He stayed in Iraq for 20 years and served there as a religious teacher (mudarris). He returned to India in 1971 and continued his religious services as a teacher. He was associated with the
Islamia School Kargil and offered services as the Principal, Huzia Ilmia for about a decade and then served as the Imam of the Jamia Masjid Kargil. His sermons from the Jamia Masjid Kargil have always been taken as a scholarly message for peace and humanism.
Death
Shariefi died after a brief illness on 11 December 2013, aged 71 years, at his residence in Chanchik. He was buried in Chutumail the day after. More than 25,000 people attended his funeral.
See also
*
Ghulam Rasool Noori
References
1942 births
2013 deaths
People from Kargil district
Balti people
Shia scholars of Islam
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