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The Muslim world has lost one of its brightest stars when, at 3:13 pm on Saturday, Safar 8, 1413 (August 8, 1992), Ayatullah al-Uzma (Grand or Supreme Ayatullah, the highest theological degree in Shi'a Islam) Abul-Qasim al-Khoei died at his Kufa home of heart failure. He was born on Rajab 15, 1317 A.H. (November 19, 1899) at Khoei in Iranian Azerbaijan, heartland of many great Shi'a thinkers and sufis, ascetics. Even in his early childhood, al-Khoei was versed in religious Persian and Arabic poetry and languages, and in Turkish as well.
It was in 1330 A.H./1912 A.D. that al-Khoei, who was then only thirteen years old, migrated to al-Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq, in pursuit of knowledge. Even then, he was characterized by brilliance and a readiness to absorb knowledge and scholarship. In all stages of his study and research, progress and success were his companions.
THE HAWZA
Ten centuries ago, a university-type hawza was founded by the
most knowledgeable person then alive, namely shaikh Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Toosi,
may Allah have mercy on his soul. Al-Toosi was an intellectual giant, a genius
by all standards, and a man who was able to absorb various types of knowledge
and science. He was the undisputed authority in fiqh, the founder of
the science of hadith, an innovative mentor of the science of usool,
nay, the scholar of scholars in all branches of knowledge related to the science
of biographies, akhlaq, and ilm al kalam. Thus did al-Toosi lay
the foundation for the hawza which has been functioning since then, i.e.
since 449 A.H.
Since that year, this blessed hawza has passed through three significant periods: The first extended from its year of establishment till early tenth century; the second period started from then and ended at the early twelfth century; the third period started from then and continued till our present time. During each of these periods, certain personalities rose to distinction and contributed to the development and improvement of the functions of this great university; here is their short list:
1) Those who were distinguished during the first period included the founder, Shaikh al-Toosi, his son al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hassan who is well known as Abu Ali al-Toosi, and Abul-Nasr Muhammad ibn Abu Ali ibn Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Toosi.
2) Scholars whose star shone during its second period were many; among them are: al-Muqaddas Ahmed ibn Muhammad al-Ardabili, then the lighthouse of knowledge Jamalud-Deen al-Hassan ibn Zaynul-Deen, the Second Martyr, then Shaikh Ahmed ibn Isma'eel al-Jazairi, author of Ayat al Ahkam, then both famous scholars Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr al-Uloom and Shaikh Ja'far Kashiful-Ghita.
3) Men of this period are innumerable, yet the most renown among them are: Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr al-Uloom, Shaikh Ja'far Kashiful-Ghita, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Najafi, author of Al Jawahir, Shaikh al-Ansari, author of Al Makasib wal Rasaail, Muhammad Kazim al-Khurasani, author of Al Kifayah, and Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Yazdi, author of Al Urwah. Less renown were scholars such as Mirza Hussain al-Naeeni, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Isfahani, Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi, Sayyid Abul-Hassan al-Isfahani, and Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabatabai al-Hakim (the grand Ayatullah who preceded the late grand Ayatullah Abul-Qasim al-Khoei). The list is concluded by men of genius such as Abul-Qasim al-Moosawi al-Khoei, may Allah be pleased with him, during whose period the hawza became like a bee-hive, full of energy and productivity and scholarly competition. Some scholars have described this particular period as the period of the Renaissance of the hawza, while others refer to it as the period of the perfection of scholarship due to the large number of those who proved their genius and due to the huge public demand from Arab and non-Arab seekers of knowledge to study there.
MENTORS OF AL-KHOEI
If we were to research the fountainheads that nurtured the intellect of
the late al-Khoei, we will come across a list of the finest among all contemporary
scholars such as Shaikh Fath-Allah who is better known as Shaikh al-Sharee'a
al-Isfahani, Shaikh Mahdi al-Mazandarani, Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi, Shaikh
Muhammad Hussain al-Kampani al-Isfahani, Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al-Naeeni,
Shaikh Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi, and others. All of these men were considered
as pioneers in the fields of their specialization. The impact of these men on
shaping the mind of the late al-Khoei is best described by al-Khoei himself
who has said,
"I have learned from each one of them a complete course in the science of usool, and digested a number of books in the science of fiqh, for many years. I used to provide a critique of the research relevant of each one of them before a number of scholars who specialized in that branch of knowledge, and my audience included a good number of very highly respected scholars. Al-Naeeni, may Allah have mercy on his soul, was the last mentor I used to accompany more frequently than anyone else."
If you read Al Bayan fee Tafseer al Qur'an, you will most likely think it was written by al-Balaghi, may Allah rest his soul in piece, but worded by al-Khoei!
AL-KHOEI AS MENTOR
The above covers the stage of the life of al-Khoei when he was a student.
This chapter deals with his being a professor who taught the most significant
stages of theological studies in Islam, namely the stages of al sutooh
and al kharij, which may be compared to the M.A. and Ph.D. respectively.
Al-Khoei, may Allah be pleased with him, colored both stages with his own hue
and stamped them with his own stamp; thus, a new generation of scholars graduated
from his school; nay! A whole new generation of scholars graduated from his
school as masters of the sciences of fiqh, usool, hadith, ilm al rijal, tafseer,
and ilm al kalam. Roughly translated, these sciences may be said to be the
sciences of jurisprudence, basics of jurisprudence, traditions, biographies,
exegesis, interpretation of the Holy Qur'an, and theological philosophy, respectively.
Al-Khoei had his own style in teaching and
tutoring. Those who graduated from his courses describe his method of teaching
as immaculately minute, stunningly easy and clear, amazingly logical. They say
that there is neither undue complexity nor ambiguity in his style, and this
can be said about all the courses he taught. How was his style in discussing
and debating? The answer to this question is provided by one of his students:
the struggling scientist, the pioneer and the shining star Shaikh Muhammad Jawad
Maghniyyah who has said the following in this regard:
"He [al-Khoei] was like the sun that sends its rays everywhere, all the time. He was my professor and the professor of all other scholars at al-Najaf al-Ashraf, and the pivot round which the motion of scholarship revolved, and to whom the hawza is indebted for appreciation and loyalty... His was the golden age during which stars such as al-Shaikh al-Ansari and al-Shaikh al-Khurasani and their disciples shone... He remained [at the hawza] for more than seventy years learning, teaching, writing, helping scholars graduate, debating newcomers as well as alumni... His style in discussing and debating is that of Socrates: He deliberately feigns his lack of knowledge and pretends to accept the argument of the other party, then he confronts him with doubts and assails him with questions. He pretends to seek benefit and guidance from his opponent, just as a student or an inquirer may do, so much so that when the poor debater innocently and with naivete provides an answer, he sharply assails him, pouncing down on him like an eagle and dragging him to show him the facts that support his own argument and from which the opponent cannot rescue himself. He then causes his opponent to unknowingly contradict himself, forcing him to admit his error and ignorance."
TEACHING THE AL-KHARIJ STAGE
In order to demonstrate the extent of contribution of his late holiness
al-Khoei, consider the following facts:
* Shaikh Murtada al-Ansari founded and polished the science of usool more than a century and a half ago;
* Shaikh Murtada al-Ansari continued learning then teaching this science for more than twenty five years;
* Al-Mirza Habib al-Rashti dedicated thirty years of his life to the study of this science alone;
* Shaikh al-Akhoond al-Khurasani continued his studies of this science for more or less than twenty years;
* Al-Mirza al-Naeeni continued studying this science for twenty-five years and a few months;
* Shaikh Diyaud-Deen al-Iraqi dedicated more than thirty years of his life to the study of this science;
* Shaikh al-Kampani Muhammad Hussain al-Isfahani was distinguished by the fact that he spent thirty years of his life studying only this science;
* Al-Sayyid Abul-Qasim al-Khoei passed the stage of usool and continued teaching the much more advanced stage of al kharij for more than fifty years...! The number of his graduates is estimated at tens of thousands...
In order to form an idea about what this
stage involves, let us ask its professor himself about it, for surely his answer
is more precise than that of anyone else. He, may Allah be pleased with him,
says:
"I have taught extensively, delivering numerous lectures in fiqh, usool, and tafsir, nurturing a large number of highly respected students at the hawza of al-Najaf al-Ashraf. I delivered my lectures in the stage of al kharij for two complete courses utilizing the scholarly achievements of his holiness al-Shaikh al-Ansari, the greatest mentor, may Allah be pleased with him, and I taught a number of other books as well. Then I taught two complete courses related to the Book of Salat (prayers). On Rabi' al-Awwal 27, 1377 A.H. I started teaching Al Urwah al Wuthqa by the faqih of the school of thought al-Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Tabatabai al-Yazdi, starting with the Book of Tahara (cleanliness), after having taught ijtihad and taqleed. I continued, by the Grace of Allah, doing so for a good while till I reached the Book of Ijarah which I started teaching on Rabi' al-Thani 26, 1400 A.H., finishing it in the month of Safar of the year 1401 A.H. I delivered my lectures in the science of usool, in the stage of al kharij for six complete courses, concluding them with the research on al didd. During the past few years, I have been teaching the exegesis of the Holy Qur'an till circumstances beyond my control forced me to terminate them..."
Books written by al-Khoei and already published have already numbered ninety, not counting his numerous manuscripts. The topics his writings have covered include Islamic law, religious biographies, philosophy and commentary of the Holy Qur'an. His best known books of guidance are being used today throughout the Shi'a world, and they have been reprinted numerous times, and every Shi'a country in the world boasts eminent scholars who were his students. This figure demonstrates the power of his overflowing pen despite his numerous responsibilities as the spiritual leader of two hundred million Shi'a Muslims worldwide and the person responsible for their guidance in matters related to both secular and theological problems. It is truly a task that distracts one from reading, let alone writing.
NAJAF'S HAWZA UNDER HIS SUPERVISION
The monumental achievement of his late holiness Abul-Qasim al-Khoei is his
development and improvement of Najaf's theological school known as al hawza
al ilmiyya, the inclusive school of knowledge and scholarship over which
he presided in 1970 after being elected successor to the late Ayatullah al-Uzma
Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabatabai al-Hakim. He is described by his students as a compassionate
father, a man who believed in moderation and who led a most austere life in
strict adherence to the tenets of the Islamic faith. Al-Khoei had attained the
coveted title of "Ayatullah" when he was in his early thirties. The hawza
at al-Najaf al-Ashraf has been for the past ten centuries attracting students
from all over the world. The main topics taught at the hawza are: philosophy,
theology, and jurisprudence, and the number of its students and teachers during
its hay days reached 10,000. It contains several libraries where ancient and
rare manuscripts are treasured and guarded as one would guard a gold mine. In
Najaf in general and around the premises of the hawza in particular,
bookstores outnumber grocery stores. The hawza also accommodates facilities
for the use of manuscript copiers. Learning at it is a full-time career, and
students actually live and learn at the same place where they are offered very
modest accommodations. There were dark periods when this great center of learning
was fought and its teachers hunted. To be exact, that was the period when Iraq
was placed by strong foreign nations under the British mandate. The British,
who claim to be the most civilized people in the world and the champions of
learning, chased Muslim theologians because of the latter's opposition to their
presence in Iraq. One teacher recollects how he and other fellow teachers during
that dark period of persecution by the British had nothing to eat all day long,
so, they would wait till the dark to go out to the streets looking for the skins
of watermelons whereby they could sustain themselves.
SOME OF HIS RENOWN STUDENTS
It is no exaggeration to indicate here that 70% of Shi'a scholars worldwide
are either graduates of al-Khoei's hawza or students of such graduates,
and each one of them is like a bright star. Only Allah knows the exact numbers
of those taught directly by al-Khoei or by his students, but we would like here
to indicate some of the most renown scholars who were students of Imam al-Khoei
and who are very well known throughout the Islamic world: 1) the great Islamic
philosopher, theologian and economist Martyr Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir
al-Sadr, 2) Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Beheshti, 3) the authority-referee, scholar
and philosopher Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Taqi al-Ja'fari, 4) the scholar
Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamsud-Deen, 5) Ayatullah Sayyid Taqi
al-Qummi, 6) Ayatullah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, 7) Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad al-Roohani,
8) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Asif al-Muhsini, 9) the scholar
Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, 10) Ayatullah Shaikh Hussein
al-Waheed, 11) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Muhyi al-Deen al-Ghuraifi,
12) the scholar Hujjatul-Islam Shaikh Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyad, 13) the scholar
Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Ali Mekki, 14) the scholar, authority-referee, Martyr
Sayyid Abdel-Sahib al-Hakim, to name only a few.
A GREAT ADMINISTRATOR
Imam al-Khoei kept in touch with his followers worldwide through a very
well organized and centralized network of representatives. The latter have been
charged with duties such as: making sure that the social, educational, theological,
cultural and even financial problems of their respective communities are properly
addressed and solved. He proved his administrative genius in handling the financial
aspect of running such a huge and intricate network of charitable trusts overseen
and supervised by the Khoei Foundation which has been building schools and religious
and cultural centers wherever there is a sizeable following community. During
the Afghani struggle against the Russians, Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei organized
aid for Afghani war victims. When natural disasters hit Bangladesh, India, Kashmir
(chopped off into Pakistani and Indian slices), and Iran, al-Khoei issued orders
to spend generously on the victims of these disasters regardless of their schools
of Muslim law. Moreover, he was credited with the task of establishing projects
to dig wells and irrigation canals for the believers who live in isolated villages
in East Africa and the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent, for undertaking numerous
housing projects, schools and both mobile and permanent clinics, all funded
by voluntary contributions from the Shi'a faithful under his supervision and
administrative guidance.
INSTITUTES HE ESTABLISHED
Since he took charge of Najaf's hawza, al-Khoei became the caretaker
of all Shi'a charitable institutions, mosques and husayniyyas, theological
hawzas, etc. all over the world. Among the most significant of such institutes
which he ordered to be founded, and which he supervised through his representatives,
are the following: 1) in India, where there are an estimated forty million followers
of his (according to his representative there Sayyid Muhammad al-Moosawi), he
established the Educational Charitable Complex in Bombay which is regarded as
the largest educational and theological project in the world, and it includes
various departments each one of which specializes in a particular activity,
and it is comprised of elementary and secondary (high) schools, various accredited
colleges, a large hospital and a huge mosque, in addition to spending on attendants
of theological centers in other parts of India such as Ali Poor, Nibras and
Hyderabad; 2) Madeenat al-'Ilm, the city of knowledge, at the holy city
of Qum, Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the largest theological institute
in Shi'a world and where more than three thousand students are studying theology,
and it includes dormitories for 500 married students, in addition to theological
centers at Mashhad and Khurasan, spending, according to his representative in
India Sayyid Muhammad al-Moosawi, more than one million Iranian toomans
a month as grants to students of theology there; 3) Al-Khoei's Mabarrah in
Beirut, Lebanon, which provides cultural and social services for a large number
of orphan children who have lost their families during the catastrophes to which
Lebanon has been subjected, and it is a five building complex housing an orphanage,
a vocational school and an institute, and it surely is a monument of what true
charity can accomplish; 4) Ayatullah al-Khoei's School and Library of Mashhad,
Islamic Republic of Iran, the building of which is a masterpiece of a marriage
between traditional and modern architecture; 5) Dar al-'Ilm School at Najaf
al-Ashraf, Iraq, from which highly qualified jurists and mujtahids have
been graduating, and which has accommodated more than 200 students of the higher
level of theological studies, in addition to dormitories and a library, and
it has been demolished by the filthy hands of Saddam Hussein's troops as part
of a plan to demolish schools and mosques in Najaf, the holiest city for the
Shi'as of the world; 6) numerous other theological studies styled after Najaf's
hawza located in Thailand, Bangladesh (in West Bengal), India, Pakistan
and other countries; 7) Imam al-Khoei's Library at Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq, which
contains 25,000 books and 6,000 rare hand-written manuscripts, and it was established
by his late holiness for the benefit of researchers, critics, and scholars of
theology, and it used to publish and internationally distribute quality Islamic
literature, but its press has been confiscated by the oppressive authority of
Saddam Hussein's regime; 8) offices in Karachi and Islamabad, Pakistan, to disseminate
religious education and the translation and distribution of quality Islamic
literature; and 9) an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the publication
and distribution of religious literature.
AL-KHOEI FOUNDATION
In addition to all the projects enumerated above, his late holiness had
ordered the establishment of an international charity to look after the followers
of our creed in all corners of the earth and to establish a high quality cultural
and social system; therefore, Imam al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation was founded
and first headquartered in Najaf al-Ashraf in 1988 with branches in Europe (including
one in London, U.K.) and the Middle East. The London branch office had been
established by a select committee of nine highly respected dignitaries who formed
its Central Committee. Those nine founding members were: 1) Sayyid Muhammad
Taqi al-Khoei (son of the late Imam al-Khoei), 2) Shaikh Muhsin Ali al-Najafi,
3) Shaikh Yousuf Nafsi, 4) Sayyid Muhammad al-Moosawi (of Bombay, India) 5)
Sayyid Fadil al-Meelani, 6) Sayyid Majeed al-Khoei (son of the late Imam al-Khoei),
7) Shaikh Hajj Kazim Abdel-Hussein, 8) Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Shahristani, and
9) al-Hajj Mustafa Kawkal. After the Rajab 1412 (March 1991) Intifada
(uprising) of the people of Iraq against the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, the
Najaf headquarters were transferred to London, U.K., where the said Committee
was charged with overseeing the activities of all branch offices of al-Khoei
Foundation in India, Pakistan, U.S.A., Canada and Kuwait. Kuwaitis who suffered
untold atrocities at the bloody hands of Saddam Hussein after he had invaded
their country secretly received huge sums of money from the late ayatullah who
instructed his representatives there to help all families that suffered from
the invasion regardless of their sect. No other Muslim organization in the world
helped Kuwaitis who were trapped inside the country, or who lost their means
of income because of the execution of their bread earners, as they were helped
by al-Khoei... His benevolence also reached all families that suffered from
the Iraq-Iran war, and his assistance to them infuriated Saddam's government
and led the latter to once confiscate his entire funds at al-Rafidain Bank in
Baghdad. The Deputy Director of the now London Headquarters is also Director
of the al-Khoei Foundation in New York which supervises cultural and theological
studies of the Medina school and the Khoei Center. He is Mawlana Hujjatul-Islam
Shaikh Fadil al-Sahlani who has been representing al-Khoei in the U.S. and Canada
since 1990. In addition to all the above, his late holiness also sponsored and
funded the activities of students of theology in Syria, Turkey, Palestine and
the African continent. In Canada, he fairly recently established an Islamic
school and center at Montreal. During the war between Afghani heroes and Communist
kafir forces, the deceased Imam provided all support he could to the
Mujahidin, and he even permitted the distribution of collected religious taxes
to Afghani Mujahidin.
HIS ASCETICISM
Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei was the embodiment of asceticism, scholarship,
and renunciation of worldly riches. His son Sayyid Abdel-Majeed al-Khoei narrates
anecdotes about the simple life his holy father used to lead. He says that his
father never deducted his own share of the religious taxes his representatives
were collecting on his behalf; instead, he used to spend on his family, relatives
and friends from whatever gifts handed to him by some of his followers. "My
father," says Sayyid Abdel-Majeed al-Khoei, "never bought himself a new outfit
except after the one he wears is totally worn out. Some of those who were very
close to him criticized him for wearing such shabby clothes, telling him that
it did not fit his status as the supreme leader of the faithful to dress like
that. His answer to them was that as long as the outfit he was wearing was clean,
there was nothing wrong with its being old. Some even suggested to him to give
his worn-out clothes to others and replace them with new ones." He was also
passionate about seeking knowledge and sharing it with others. When his health
deteriorated prior to his demise, and he was hospitalized, his medical team
advised him to do something to entertain himself. He told them that reading
always made him relaxed while lecturing was the only entertainment he had ever
known. He used to wake up before sunrise, make tahajjud, perform his
morning prayers, then eat his breakfast with his family. His breakfast most
often was no more than a piece of bread, some domestic cheese, and a tiny cup
of tea, and he never ate by himself. Instead, he insisted on eating with other
members of his family or those who helped them at home, or with his guests.
Before midnight, he used to read a book, then listen to world news, tuning to
local, Arab or international stations. He was often seen the next morning with
blackness around his eyes. The sage could not sleep because of hearing some
disturbing news about what was happening to the Muslims in this country or that.
THE IMAM AT HOME
His son, Sayyid Abdel-Majeed al-Khoei, says the following about his father,
"My father was always smiling when he was with us. He always arbitrated between
his sons whenever there was a dispute, and he was quite witty. If he saw one
looking forlorn or happily excited, he would ask him about the reason, and every
evening he would distribute candy for the children in addition to whatever other
gifts he had received that day from the admiring faithful." Despite his extremely
lofty status, he never hesitated to help his family in domestic chores, including
kitchen chores. He never opened the mail coming to any of his family members.
One of his sons told him once that nobody in the house had any secret to hide
from him, and that it was perfectly alright with them if he opened their mail,
but he insisted never to do so. He always instructed members of his family to
deliver funds for highly esteemed but impoverished families without doing so
publicly, telling them to help those whom the ignorant ones mistake as wealthy
because of their abstention from begging for help.
IMAM'S DEMISE
After the failure of the Intifada of March 1991, the Grand Ayatullah
was briefly imprisoned then forced to appear on television with the Butcher
of Baghdad Saddam Hussein who always kept pressuring him to issue fatawa,
religious verdicts, supportive of Saddam and his government, something which
he never did despite all the persecution to which he, his representatives and
family members were subjected. Because of refusing to cooperate with the dictatorial
government of Saddam Hussein, he was put under house arrest till his death.
Saddam also exiled, jailed, or assassinated many of the gifted students, representatives
and distinguished followers of al-Khoei and ordered the destruction of their
mosques and libraries particularly those in Najaf and Kerbala. As if the Iraqi
government predicted the death of al-Khoei, it cut off all telephone connections
with his Kufa residence in the morning of Saturday, August 8, 1992 and with
the houses of those who were close to him. Having performed the afternoon prayers
that day, the health of his late holiness suddenly deteriorated and a severe
chest swelling was visible. Doctors in the medical team charged with supervising
his health conditions was called in, but they could not tend to him early enough.
He informed his family and those in his presence that last night he felt that
it was the last night he was spending with his family. He asked for water to
perform his ablution, and as soon as he finished his ablution his soul passed
away to its Maker exactly at 3:13 pm. Throngs of the believers started pouring
into Kufa, surrounding his residence, and it was not long before the whole country
came to know about the sad news. Military units of Saddam's "Special Forces"
moved quickly to close all highways leading to both Najaf and Kufa as well as
other cities in Iraq's central regions, then they moved to disperse the thronging
crowds in the pretext of making preparations for the Grand Ayatullah's funeral
the next morning. Curfew was enforced in the cities of Najaf, Kufa and other
central cities, and heavily armed police and military units started patrolling
the streets. Armed forces stationed at Baghdad and in central and southern Iraqi
cities were all placed under maximum alert in anticipation of a popular reaction
to the sad news and to the ambiguous way it happened and was handled by the
Iraqi government. Patrol vehicles were visible throughout the streets of al-Thawarah,
al-Shu'lah and al-Kazimiyyah, all of which are major Shi'a towns in metropolitan
Baghdad. Iraq's radio and television stations suspended their usual programs
to announce the sad news of the demise of the great leader, informing the public
that his funeral services were scheduled for Sunday morning. At midnight on
Saturday, however, the family of the deceased was ordered to bury the Imam before
sunrise. Local government authorities prohibited the public in Najaf and Kufa
from taking part in his funeral services, angering the faithful in Iraq and
the world. His body was washed Saturday evening at his Kufa house in the presence
of a handful of his family members, and the funeral prayers were conducted by
his eminence Ayatullah Ali al-Sistani, one of his closest aides and a member
of his four-member juristic Shura (Consultative) Committee. (The other
three members have been: Ayatullah Shaikh Murtada al-Burujardi, Ayatullah Shaikh
Ali Azghar al-Ahmadi, and, of course, Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei himself.) A
three-day mourning period was announced by the government which prohibited the
family of the deceased dignitary from holding the traditional Fatiha majlis,
while the Ministry of Awqaf (Islamic Trusts) declared that it would conduct
such majalis for his soul. Telephone connections between the cities of
Kufa and Najaf and the rest of the world were by now cut off, too, till Sunday
evening. The hypocritical news media of the Butcher of Baghdad Saddam Hussein
was busy circulating lies about the demise of Imam al-Khoei, claiming that he
had received a great funeral service wherein the people and representatives
of the Iraqi government participated, that his corpse was carried around all
religious sites in the area, and even calling him "the martyr of the nation
and the country." Baghdad's official newspaper Al-Jumhuriyyah called
him "the martyr of Islam and the nation," publishing his photograph on its front
page. International news agencies, on the other hand, published photographs
of his coffin escorted by no more than six persons. Shortly before his death,
the greatest scholar and leader al-Khoei expressed no concern about anything
in this vanishing life more than the possibility of the loss of his precious
manuscripts the writing of which had exhausted so many years of his life...
Surely the Islamic world will find it very hard to compensate for the loss of
such a man, nay, a legendary institute and a lighthouse of knowledge and scholarship...
Inna Lillah wa Inna Ilyahi Raji'oon.
[1]
This article was abridged and published in Noor al-Islam magazine
of Beirut, Lebanon, in its issue dated November/December 1992.