Allama Muhammad Hussain Najafi B

Allama Muhammad Hussain Najafi

Allama Muhammad Hussain Najafi (Arabic: آيت الله العظمى علامه شيخ محمد حسين; 10 April 1932 21 August 2023) was a Pakistani Twelver Shia Marja. He was the only marja in South Asia and one of the nine marjas mentioned in the most recent edition of "The Muslim 500: The World's Most Influential Muslims". He was running a Hawza (Islamic seminary) in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.

Childhood and Family

Allama Najafi was born in a small town of Jahanian Shah in Sargodha District of Punjab province of Pakistan in April 1932. He belonged to the Dhakku branch of Jat people. He had two paternal uncles, both of whom were Shia ulema: Maulana Imam Bakhsh was a religious teacher in Jahanian Shah, while Maulana Sohrab Ali Khan was a reputed alim of Uch Sharif. His father Rana Tajuddin was not an alim, but he had the wish of making his son a great alim. However, he died in 1944 when Allama Najafi was 12 years old, after which the family members persuaded the widow that Allama Najafi should look after the family lands, but she kept up the wish of her dead husband.

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Early Education in Pakistan

After secondary school education, he got admission in Madrasah Muhammadia in Jalalpur Nankiana, Sargodha, 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. Allama Baqir Naqvi had migrated from Iraq to spread Shia formal education in Pakistan. Since Ayatollah Allama Muhammad Yar Shah Naqvi, the most prominent disciple of Allama Baqir Naqvi, had moved from his ancestral city Alipur to Jalalpur, Allama Najafi 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, and moved to Najaf in 1954 for higher education.

Marital Life

Before going to Najaf 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 Allama Najafi to get married in a scholarly family of Najaf, but Allama Najafi declined this proposal due to cultural differences. In 1954, his only son Muhammad Sibtain was born. At the age of five, he got seriously ill and died, as Allama Najafi did not have enough money for his treatment; he used to spend his stipend money on household and buying books. After Sibtain's death, Allama Najafi did not have children for next eleven years. He married the daughter of Haji Muhammad Shafi (Faisalabad) in 1970. He had three daughters from this marriage. His first wife died in 1996.

Education at Hawza Elmiye Najaf

In 1954, he moved to Hawza Elmiye Najaf to finalize his religious education . He attended the lectures of the following marjas:

Grand Ayatullah Mohsin Al-Hakim for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh

Grand Ayatullah Syed Javad Tabrizi for dars-e-kharij of Kifaya-tul-Usool

Grand Ayatullah Mirza Baqir Zanjani for dars-e-kharij of Usool-e-Fiqh

Grand Ayatullah Bazurg Tehrani for Fehm-e-Hadees-o-Rajjal & Kutb Shanasi

Grand Ayatullah Mahmood Shahroudi for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh

Grand Ayatullah Abdul Aala Sabzwari for dars-e-kharij of Fiqh

Grand Ayatullah Abul Qasim Rashti for Rasail-o-Makatib

He also studied Tafsir, Hadith, Kalam, Fiqh, Islamic philosophy, and Islamic ethics from various scholars. He wrote several books and treatises on various topics of Islamic sciences. He was known for his piety, humility, and generosity. He died on 21 August 2023 at the age of 91.

References:

[Muhammad Hussain Najafi - Wikipedia]

[Muhammad Hussain Najafi The Muslim 500]

[Biography - Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussain Najafi's Official Website]

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