Grand Ayatollah

Shaikh Shaikh usually refers to: * Sheikh, as an alternate Romanization; a term for elders, tribal leaders, and royalty in Arabic-influenced cultures It may also refer to: Communities * Shaikhs in South Asia, a social and ethnic grouping in South Asia ...

Muhammad Hussain Najafi (; 10 April 1932 – 21 August 2023) was a Pakistani

Twelver Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Marja. Muhammad Hussain Najafi was running a

Hawza A hawza () or ḥawzah ʿilmīyah () is the collective term (plural hawzat) for a ''madrasa'' (i.e. seminary) where Marja', Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated. The word ''ḥawzah'' is Arabic, and has been adopted into Persian as a loan word. ...

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

. Najafi was included in all the editions of "

The Muslim 500 ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

: The World's Most Influential Muslims" since 2010. He is one of the nine marja's mentioned in the most recent edition.

Childhood and family

Muhammad Hussain was born in small town of Jehania shah in

Sargodha District Sargodha District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district with wheat, rice, sugarcane and kinnow being its main crops. The Sa ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of Pakistan in April 1932. He had two paternal uncles, both of whom were

ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

: Maulana Imam Bakhsh was a religious teacher in Jahanian Shah, while Maulana Sohrab Ali Khan was a reputed

alim Alim (or 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 Ashirov (1955-1979), ...

Uch Sharif Uch (; ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (; ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the Pakistan's Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during I ...

. His father Rana Tajuddin was not an

, but he had the wish of making his son a great

. However, he died in 1944 when Muhammad Hussain was 12 years old, after which the family members persuaded the widow that Muhammad Hussain should look after the family lands, but she kept up the wish of her dead husband.

Early education in Pakistan

After secondary school education, he got an admission in Madrasah Muhammadia in Jalalpur Nankiana,

, where one of his prominent teachers was Ayatollah Allama Hussain Bakhsh Jarra. In 1947, he studied the courses of Dars-i-Nizami from Ayatollah Allama Muhammad Baqir Naqvi in

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is the capital city of Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 13th most populous city of Pakistan. Etymology The historical name of the city and dis ...

. Allama Baqir Naqvi had migrated from

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

to spread Shia formal education in Pakistan. Since (the first prominent Shia scholar in Pakistan Ustad ul ulama) Grand Ayatollah Allama Syed Muhammad Yar Shah Naqvi Najfi, the most prominent disciple of Allama Baqir Naqvi, had moved from his ancestral city Alipur to

Jalalpur Jalalpur is a town, tehsil and a municipal board in Ambedkar Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Jalalpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The city is directly connected to Azamgarh, Akbarpu ...

, Muhammad Hussain moved to Jalalpur to complete Dars-i-Nizami for the next five years. In 1953, he passed the examination of Molvi Fazil from

Punjab University Punjab University may refer to: India * Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab * I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a state university in Kapurthala, Punjab * Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Techn ...

, and moved to

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

in 1954 for higher education.

Marital life

Before going to

for higher religious education, he was married to his maternal cousin in 1952. His teacher Allama Yar Shah had links with ulema of Najaf, and he wanted Muhammad Hussain to get married in a scholarly family of Najaf, but Muhammad Hussain declined this proposal due to cultural differences. In 1954, his only son Muhammad Sibtayn was born. At the age of five, he got seriously ill and died, as Muhammad Hussain did not have enough money for his treatment. (Muhammad Hussain used to spend his stipend money on household and buying books.) After Sibtayn's death, Ayatollah Najafi did not have children for the next eleven years, later he had one daughter. He married the daughter of Haji Muhammad Shafi (

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

) in 1970. He had two daughters from this marriage. His first wife died in 1996.

Education at Hawza Elmiye Najaf

In 1954, he moved to Hawza Elmiye

to finalize his religious education . He attended the lectures of the following marjas: # Grand Ayatollah Mohsin Al-Hakim for dars-e-kharij of ''Fiqh'' # Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Javad Tabrizi for dars-e-kharij of ''Kifaya-tul-Usool'' # Grand Ayatollah Meerza Baqir Zanjani for dars-e-kharij of ''Usool-e-Fiqh'' # Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani for ''Fehm-e-Hadees-o-Rajjal & Kutb Shanasi'' # Grand Ayatollah Mahmood Shahroudi for dars-e-kharij of ''Fiqh'' # Grand Ayatollah Abdul Aala Sabzwari for dars-e-kharij of ''Fiqh'' # Grand Ayatollah Abul Qasim Rashti for ''Rasail-o-Makatib'' # Grand Ayatollah Abdul Hussain Amini (the writer of famous Al-Ghadeer) for ''Ilm-e-Munazira'' # Grand Ayatollah Mulla Sadra for ''Satheeyat & Asfar'' # Grand Ayatollah Aqae Muhaqqiq for ''Darse Manzooma Sabzwari'' # Grand Ayatollah Aqae Fazel for ''Ilm-e-Kalam'' # Grand Ayatollah Abdul Karim Zanjani for ''Tanawwo dar Islami Uloom-o-Funoon'' and ''Ittehad-e-Islami'' In an interview to the Hawza Elmiye

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

's monthly magazine "Hawza", he was asked: :Hawza Team: Hazrat, tell us about your education at Hawza Elmiye

and your teachers there. :Ustad Najafi: My stay at Najaf was short ... I completed my education in 6 years ... At Najaf, the total number of courses I used to study and teach daily often reached up to ten. ... Once my teacher Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Jawad Tabrizi said to me in light mood: ::"Why do you take so much strain, what is the logic in taking ten courses daily? Iranians say: 'The climate of Najaf is dry, thus taking one course in Najaf is not enough, but taking two courses is more than enough.'"Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 46 He wrote the following books during his stay at Najaf: # Isbat ul-Imamat # Tahqeeqat ul-Fariqain fi Hadis as-Saqlain # Iqd ul-Juma'n (Translation of Mafatih al-Janan) # A'dab ul-Mufeed wal Mustafeed (Translation of Munia tul-Murid) # Faiz ur-Rehman (Translation of Lu'lu wal Marjan)Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 160

Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammed Mohsen Manzavi Tehrani, popularly known as Agha Bozorg Tehrani () (7 April 1876 – 20 February 1970), was a Shia scholar born and based in Tehran. He was a Shia scholar from Hawza Elmiye Najaf. He taught Grand Ayatollah ...

has mentioned these books in his famous book ''Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia'' (A list of Shia Books), and Aalulbayt Global information Center has mentioned these books in their ''Musannifat-ush-Shia'' (Shia Books). Najafi was fluent in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

languages.

Ijtihad and ''Marjiyyat''

Najafi received

ijazah An ''ijazah'' (, "permission", "authorization", "license"; plural: ''ijazahs'' or ''ijazat'') is a license authorizing its holder to transmit a certain text or subject, which is issued by someone already possessing such authority. It is particul ...

's of

ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...

from following

marjas Marja (; plural ''marājiʿ''; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Sh ...

of Hawza Elmiye

, in 1960 AD (1379 AH): # Imam

Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

# Grand Ayatollah Mohsin Al-Hakim # Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Javad Tabrizi # Grand Ayatollah Mara'shi Najafi # Grand Ayatollah Meerza Baqir Zanjani # Grand Ayatollah Bazurg Tehrani # Grand Ayatollah Mahmood Shahroudi # Grand Ayatollah Abdul Aala Sabzwari # Grand Ayatollah Abul Qasim Rashti # Grand Ayatollah Abdul Karim Zanjani # Grand Ayatollah Najam ud-Din ash-Sharif as-Samarrai # Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Raza al-Musavi # Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Mahdi al-Kazmaini # Grand Ayatollah Ahmed al-Mustanbit He published his Tawzih ul Masail (treatise) named "Qawaneen ush-Sharia fi Fiqh-e-Jafariya" in 1980 AD (1400 AH). He was being followed by a number of

Muslims in matters of

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

from Pakistan and abroad.

Clerical activities in Pakistan

Principal of Dar-ul-Uloom Muhammadia

After returning to Pakistan in 1960, Pir Fazal Shah (Parhezgar) asked him to become the principal of Dar-ul-Uloom Muhammadia,

, which he eagerly accepted.
In 1971, due to increased involvement in

Majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

and

political movements it became impossible for him to run the affairs of Dar-ul-Uloom Muhammadia, therefore he stepped down from this post.

Participation in Shia educational affairs

In 1963, the principals of Shia

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

s from all over Pakistan gathered in Karbala Gamey Shah,

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and founded ''Tanzeeme Madarise Arabia Shia Pakistan'' (Organization of Shia Madrasahs of Pakistan). Ayatollah Najafi was elected its president. In 1965, a high-level organization of Shia ulema ''Mautamar Ulemae Shia Pakistan'' (Conference of Shia Ulema of Pakistan) was formed with Ayatollah Najafi as its president. and Mufti Jafar Hussain as its patron. Other members included Allama Gulab Ali Shah, Allama Akhtar Abbas,

Allama Hussain Bakhsh Jarra Ayatollah Allama Hussain Bakhsh Jarra (5 January, 1918 – 1990) was a prominent Shia scholar from Punjab, Pakistan. He earned his degree of ijtihad from Hawza Elmiye Najaf, Iraq. He wrote famous tafsir (exegesis) of Quran named bAnwar Najaf f ...

, Hafiz Saifullah Jafari,

Allama ''Allamah'' () is an Islamic honorary title for a profound scholar, a polymath, a man of vast reading and erudition, or a great learned one. The title is carried by scholars of Islamic fiqh (jurisprudence) and philosophy. It is used as an hon ...

Syed Safdar Hussain Najafi, Mufti Inayat Ali Shah, Allama Muhib Hussain, Allama Riaz Hussain Najafi and Allama Ghulam Hassan Jarra.

Participation in Shia politics

In 1964, Ayatollah Muhammad Hussain Najafi played a pivotal role in gathering about 250 Shia ulema and leaders in Imam Bargah Rizvia,

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, where "Shia Mutalbat Committee" was formed with

Syed Muhammad Dehlavi Ayatollah Allama Syed Muhammad Dehlavi was a first Official Supreme Leader of Shiites of Pakistan & Shia scholar, who was elected as the first president of Shiite Demands Committee(A Shia Organization founded by the efforts of Grand Ayatollah Muha ...

as its president. In 1978, after

Zia ul Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

's announcement of promulgating

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

, Shia ulema and leaders gathered in

Bhakkar Bhakkar () is the principal city of Bhakkar District, Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th most populous city in Pakistan. Administration Bhakkar is the administrative centre of Bhakkar Tehsil, which ...

and founded Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafaria (later called

Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan (; TJP), formerly Tehreek Nifaz Fiqah-e-Jafaria Arif Hussaini/Sajid Naqvi Group (TNFJ Sajid Naqvi Group) was the Shia political party in Pakistan from 1979 to 2000. Belonging to the Ja'fari school of Islamic jurisprudence ...

) with

Mufti Jafar Hussain Mufti Jafar Hussain (; 1914 - 29 August 1983) was a Pakistani, Shia Islamic scholar. Life His father Hakeem Charagh Deen took his son to his uncle Hakeem Shahab-ul-deen to teach his son the basics of Islam. His uncle started teaching him Quran ...

as its president. Ayatollah Najafi was a part of this organization's supreme council.In 1980,Shias protested in Islamabad against the forced collection of money by Zia on the name of Zakat. It was Ayatollah Najafi Who held talks with the regime and because of his extra-ordinary debating abilities Shias were exempted from this law. After Mufti Jafar's demise, it was upon Ayatollah Najafi's recommendation that Allama Arif Hussain Hussaini was elected the new president of the organization. No Doubt, Ayatollah Najafi was the most powerful support for all of the Shia Political Leaders (Presidents Shia Ulmaa Council). He was the one from whose efforts Shias of Pakistan got their first official Political Supreme Leader and he supported them all till his last breath.

Jamia Sultan ul-Madaris

In 1978, Raja Mumtaz Ali Khan gifted land to Ayatollah Najafi for

, on which Jamia Ilmia Sultan ul-Madaris al-Islamia was constructed. In 2004, he founded Jamia Aqeela bani Hashim for the religious education of women. He was also the patron of the following madrasahs: # Madrasah Muhammadia,

# Madrasah Ahya ul-Uloom Haideria,

Mandi Bahauddin Mandi Bahauddin () is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is also the capital of Mandi Bahauddin District. It is the 41st most populous city in Pakistan, according to the 2017 census. The city is about 220 metres above sea level and is located ...

# Madrasah Baqir ul-Uloom,

# Madrasah Wali ul-Asr,

# Madrasah Hazrat Amir ul-Momineen,

Layyah Layyah ( Saraiki and ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in Layyah District of Punjab province of Pakistan.

# Madrasah Jamia tul-Qaim,

Layyah Layyah ( Saraiki and ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in Layyah District of Punjab province of Pakistan.

# Madrasah Jafaria,

# Madrasah Bab ul-Hussain,

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...

Burning of library

After the publication of "Tajalliat-e-Sadaqat", which was written in response to the anti-Shia book "Aftab-e-Hidayat", his family library was set ablaze by followers of the sunni sect in

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

1983. He was in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

for reciting

Participation in 17th Islamic Unity Conference, Tehran

On the invitation of the Iranian Supreme Leader

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

, he attended the 17th Islamic Unity Conference in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in May 2004. Najafi also visited Hawza Elmiye

, where he had meetings with Ayatollah Morteza Moghtadai, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani and Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi. He was interviewed by the state television and the Hawza Elmiye Qom's official magazine

Participation in 21st Islamic Unity Conference, Tehran

On the invitation of the Iranian Supreme Leader

, he attended the 21st Islamic Unity Conference in

in May 2008, along with Allama Sajid Naqvi, Shaikh Mohsin Najafi, Hafiz Riaz Hussain Najafi and Maulana Sami ul Haq. Najafi also visited Hawza Elmiye

, where he had meetings with Ayatollah Jafar Subhani, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Shahroudi, Grand Ayatollah Mousa Shubairi Zanjani, Grand Ayatollah Qorban Ali Kaboli, Ayatollah Ahmed Mobalighi and Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi. He also addressed a gathering arranged in memory of Shaikh Aktar Abbas Najafi and Shaheed Ghulam Hussain Najafi in Madrasah Hojatieh, Hawza Elmiye Qom.

Majalis and Q&A sessions

In the later years of his life, he addressed

in almost all parts of

, Pakistan. He also addressed

in Imambargah

Shah Gardez Shah Yousuf Gardez was an Islamic Sufi saint who came to Multan, (present-day Punjab, Pakistan) in 1088 AD. He is said to have restored the city of Multan, converted many people to the Islamic religion, and performed numerous miracles. He came fro ...

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

where all the major

address majalis before him, including

Akhter Abbas Naseem, Principal of

Madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

Jamia tus-Saqlain,

. The famous

Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

Syed Aqeel-ul-Gharavi also addressed majalis at the same place. Najafi also addressed post-

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

for many years.Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 175–176 After his

, questions pertaining to

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

, aqaid and

tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

were put before him from the gathering. He gave answers to these questions with references from

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

The Fourteen Infallibles The Fourteen Infallibles (, '; , ') in Twelver, Twelver Shia Islam are the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima Zahra, Fatima, and Twelve Imams, the Twelve Imams. All are considered to be ismah, infallible under the theological conce ...

. At certain occasions, these Q&A sessions spanned hours.

Death

Grand Ayatullah Muhammad Hussain Najafi died on 21 August 2023, around 7 A.M in morning at the age of 91 in Quaid E Azam International Hospital, Islamabad. Thousands of people (Approximately 1 Lac) attended the funeral prayer. Many devotees could not reach due to shortage of Funeral Time. Namaz e Janaza(Funeral Prayer) was performed in his seminary Jamia Ilmiya Sultan Ul Madaris, Sargodha and led by Maulana Syed Taqi Shah Naqvi. All senior Islamic scholars from all over the Pakistan participated. Due to the extreme number of devotees, many people were not able to perform Namaz E Janazah (As the vast ground was full and entrance was blocked). On assistance of those momineens who were not able to perform Janazah, two additional Namaz E Janazah were performed so that the remaining ones could also pay their last tribute to their Marja E Taqleed. Marjas/Grand Ayatullahs from all over the world sent Letters of condolence and arranged Majlis E Tarheem and recitation of Holy Quran for the only Marja' of South Asia, Ayatullah Muhammad Hussain Najafi. He is buried in his Seminary Jamia Sultan Ul Madaris, Zahid Colony, Sargodha.

Books

*Faizan ur-Rahman fi

Tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

ul-Quran It is a 10-volume comprehensive

. *Masail ush-Sharia (Translation of Wasael ush-Shia) It is the

translation of the great Shia book of Hadith Wasael ush-Shia by

Shaikh al-Hur al-Aamili Muḥammad bin al-Ḥasan bin ʿAlī bin al-Ḥusayn al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī al-Mashgharī (; 1033/1624 - 1104/1693), commonly known as Al-Ḥurr Al-ʿĀmilī (), was a prominent Akhbari Twelver Shia muhaddith. He is best known for his comprehensive ...

. 13 volumes out of 20 have been published. *Kawakib-e-Muzayya (Translation of Al-Jawahar as-Sunnia fil-Ahadees-al-Qudsia) It is the

translation & explanation of

's book on

Hadith Qudsi Hadīth qudsī (, meaning ''sacred tradition'' or ''sacred report'') is a special category of Hadith, the compendium of sayings attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is stated these Hadiths are unique because their content is attrib ...

. *Ahsan ul-Fawaid fi Sharh al-Aqaid It is a 2-volume

translation & explanation of

Sheikh Saduq Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (Persian: ; –991), commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh (Persian: ) or al-Shaykh al-Saduq (Persian: ), was a Persian Shia Islamic scholar whose work, entitled '' Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih'' ...

's famous Risala " Al-Aqaid". It contains all the

beliefs, and their truthfulness in the light of

and

. *Usool ush-Sharia fi Aqaid ush-Shia This book discusses the beliefs of Ghali's, Tafwizi's and Shaykhi's (which they have spread in the name of Shia Islam), and negates them in the light of

and

. *Aitaqadat-e-Imamia It is the

translation & explanation of

Allama Majlisi Mohammad Baqer Majlesi ( – 29 March 1699; ), also known as Allamah Majlesi or Majlesi Al-Thani (Majlesi the Second), was an influential Iranian Akhbari Twelver Shia scholar and thinker during the Safavid era. He has been described as "one of th ...

's "Risala tul-Lailia".Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 154 *Aqsam-e-Tauheed *Mukhtasir Aqaid ush-Shia *Qawaneen ush-Sharia fi Fiqh-e-Jafariya (Tawzih ul-Masail) It is a 2-volume

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

i book, covering all the aspects of human life according to Jafari Jurisprudence, including the modern human issues. *Khulasa tul-Ahkam It is an abridged version of Qawaneen ush-Sharia.Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 156 *Hurmat-e-Ghina Aur Islam This book discusses the hurmat of ghina in Islamic

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

. *Hurmat-e-Reeshtarashi This book discusses the hurmat of shaving beard in Islamic

. *Namaz-e-Juma Aur Islam It is a book which attempts to prove that Juma Prayers are

wajib ' () or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bangla (''spelled farz or faraz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims wh ...

even in Imam Mahdi's Ghaibat. It was published by

. *Iqd ul-Juma'n (Translation of Mafatih al-Janan) Ayatollah Najafi translated Mafatih al-Janan during his stay at

, but did not publish it as another translation was published from

has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A list of Shia Books), and Grand Ayatollah Hussaini in his book "Ziyarat".Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 159Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Bazurg Tehrani, ''Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia (A list of Shia Books)'' *Zaad-ul-Ibad li-youmil-Ma'ad It is a collection of supplications from reliable

books. *Saadat ud-Darain fi Maqtal al-Hussain It is a comprehensive account of the

Battle of Karbala The Battle of Karbala () was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 Hijri year, AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad caliph Yazid I () and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, th ...

in 61 AH and the tragic martyrdom of

Husayn ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...

, all narrated from reliable sources only. *Faiz ur-Rehman (Translation of Lu'lu wal Marjan) Ayatollah Najafi translated Allama Noori's famous book Lu'lu wal Marjan during his stay at

, but did not publish it as another translation "Jawahir ul-Bayan" was published from

has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A list of Shia Books), and has written that its foreword about hurmat of ghina is indeed useful. *Shuhda-e-Khamsa kay Haalat-e-Zindagi It contains biographies of the five martyr Shia ulema: # Shaheed-e-Awal Muhammad Jamal uddin Makki Amili # Shaheed-e-Sani Zain uddin Amili # Shaheed-e-Salis Qazi Nurullah Shustari # Shaheed-e-Rabey Mirza Muhammad Kamil Dehlavi # Shaheed-e-Khamis Mohammad Baqir al-SadrHojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 161 *Isbat ul-Imamat It is a book on the issue of

Khilafat A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entir ...

Imamat The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...

, and establishes that

Imam Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

was the true successor to Muhammad.

has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A list of Shia Books). *Tahqeeqat ul-Fariqain fi Hadis as-Saqlain It is a book presenting extensive research from both the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

books of

, as regards the truthfulness of Hadith of the two weighty things (Hadis as-Saqlain).

has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A list of Shia Books). *Tajalliat-e-Sadaqat fi Jawab Aftab-e-Hidayat It is a 2-volume book in response to the anti-Shia book "Aftab-e-Hidayat" by Maulvi Karam Deen. *Tanzeeh ul-Imamia amma fi Risala Mazhab ush-Sha It is the book in response to the anti-Shia risala "Mazhab ush-Shia" by Pir Siyyalvi. *Khatm-e-Nabuwwat bar Khatmi Martabat This book attempts to prove Khatme Nabuwwat (i.e. Prophethood has come to an end after

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

.) *A'dab ul-Mufeed wal Mustafeed (Translation of Munia tul-Murid) Ayatollah Najafi translated Shaheed-e-Sani's famous book

Munia tul-Murid ''Lonchura'' is a genus of the estrildid finch family, and includes munias (or minias) and mannikins. They are seed-eating birds that are found in South Asia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippi ...

during his stay at

, but did not publish it as another translation by Mufti Inayat Ali Shah was published.

has mentioned it in his famous book "Az-Zariya ila Tasaneef ush-Shia" (A list of Shia Books). *Islah ul-Majalis wal-Mahafil This book discusses the wrong customs associated with

Imam Hussain Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter ...

, and how to correct them. *Islah ur-Rusoom az-Zahira ba Kalam al-Itrat at-Tahira It is a comprehensive book discussing all the

bid‘ah In Islam and sharia (Islamic law), ( , ) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically, as an Arabic word, the term can be defined more broadly, as "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy". It is the subject of many hadit ...

's and perceived false customs in Islamic society, and how to correct them.Hojatol Islam Tahir Abbas Qomi, ''Mard-e-Ilm Medan-e-Amal Mein'', pp. 162

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

Childhood and family

Early education in Pakistan

Marital life

Education at Hawza Elmiye Najaf

Ijtihad and ''Marjiyyat''

Clerical activities in Pakistan

Principal of Dar-ul-Uloom Muhammadia

Participation in Shia educational affairs

Participation in Shia politics

Jamia Sultan ul-Madaris

Burning of library

Participation in 17th Islamic Unity Conference, Tehran

Participation in 21st Islamic Unity Conference, Tehran

Majalis and Q&A sessions

Death

Books

See also

References

Bibliography

External links