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One Thousand Years of Islamic Education in Najaf: Myth and History of the Shiʿi Ḥawza

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Zackery M. Heern
Zackery M. Heern*
Affiliation:
Middle East and Islamic Studies at Idaho State University
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Abstract

According to Shiʿi tradition, the seminary (ḥawza) in Najaf, Iraq is 1,000 years old. The origins of the ḥawza are closely associated with the famous scholar Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (385/995‒459/1067). This paper addresses the question of whether or not there is sufficient historical evidence to support the tradition that the ḥawza of Najaf is indeed 1,000 years old. On the basis of Arabic sources, the article argues that although Shiʿi educational institutions in Najaf were incepted a millennium ago, Najaf was rarely the locus of Shiʿi education prior to the thirteenth/nineteenth century. Based on statistical and historical analysis of Shiʿi scholars in Najaf, this paper outlines a short history of scholarly activity in one of the oldest college towns in the world. In addition to developing a working definition of the term ḥawza, the paper situates the rise of Shiʿi educational systems in the broader context of the evolution of Islamic scholarly institutions, including colleges (madrasas).

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Articles
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , May 2017 , pp. 415 - 438
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2017

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Footnotes

The initial version of this paper was developed as part of a grant provided by the Clerical Authority in Shiʿite Islam Project sponsored by the British Academy. The author thanks Robert Gleave for including him in the Ḥawza Project, and Ahab Bdaiwi for commenting on an earlier draft of this paper.

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