SMFNews: Najaf's Seminary Marks 1,000 Years of Shia Scholarship
NAJAF, Iraq — Scholars, university leaders and shrine officials gathered in Najaf for the second preliminary conference, which opened October 22, 2026, marking 1,000 years of the Najaf Hawza, a Shia Muslim seminary. The seminary traces its beginnings to the arrival of the scholar Sheikh Muhammad al-Tusi in the city in 448 AH, around 1056 CE, according to the Al-Abbas Shrine, which organized the event with several universities. It is one step in a series of events planned by Iraq's holy shrines.
The Al-Abbas Shrine's reports describe the October event as the second preliminary conference. The first, held in Najaf in February 2026, was organized in collaboration with the Shi'a Research Institute (SRI), a Toronto-based academic nonprofit, according to the shrine's Al-Kafeel news site. SRI's role is explained in the next section.
Shi'a Research Institute: the Toronto partner behind the first conference
The Shi'a Research Institute is a private nonprofit in Toronto that exists to further the academic study of Shia Islam. According to its website, SRI is supported by the grassroots Shia community and works with academic institutions in North America and Europe. It aims to become a leading North American center for Shia and Islamic studies by investing in education, thought leadership, a manuscript library and lifelong learning. Its academic director is Dr. Vinay Khetia, who holds a PhD in Religious Studies from McMaster University and teaches at the University of Toronto.
The first preliminary conference was held under the slogan "The Hawza of Najaf Ashraf: A Thousand Years of Giving" and the title "The Heritage of Sheikh al-Tusi in Islamic and Western Thought: Contemporary Approaches." It was organized by the Sheikh al-Tusi Center for Studies and Research, part of the Supreme Committee for the Revival of Heritage at the Al-Abbas Shrine, in collaboration with Al-Kafeel University and the Shi'a Research Institute in Toronto.
SRI's conference page notes that it is one of four sponsoring and co-hosting organizations, along with the Al-Abbas Shrine, Al-Kafeel University and the shrine's heritage committee, which together work as the Grand Council for the Preservation of Intellectual History in Iraq.
Al-Kafeel's English reports say the first day opened at the Imam al-Murtada complex in Najaf with speeches, including one from SRI, and the unveiling of new publications. The second day was held at Al-Kafeel University, with two research sessions, one in Arabic and one in English. The program also included the unveiling of three heritage books, a documentary on the life of Sheikh al-Tusi and a selection of Najaf seminary scholars, and an honoring of participants and researchers, according to its concluding report.
Dr. Khetia presented a paper on al-Tusi's work Misbah al-Mutahajjid and its legacy in the Shia scholarly tradition. SRI also announced that it took part in an Islamic-Christian dialogue forum at the Al-Khoei Institute in Najaf on Feb. 4, 2026, where Dr. Khetia presented a paper titled "Human Dignity as a Cornerstone of Interreligious Dialogue," according to its report on the forum.
SRI described the gathering as "a bridge between traditional seminary learning and modern academic research" and as "a significant milestone in international academic partnership."
Why it matters to American Shia Muslims
For many Shia Muslims in the United States, the Najaf Hawza is not only history. Religious scholar Dr. Liyakat Takim of McMaster University writes in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion that senior scholars, the marja's, reach followers in North America through representatives, websites and social media. He adds that they have issued rulings on questions facing Shia minorities in the West, and describes the marja' tradition as meeting the community's religious, social and financial needs.
A 2015 study of Iraqi Shia Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan, found that most participants followed Najaf-based clerics, particularly al-Sistani and the late Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei, according to the Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. The study covered one community, and Shia Muslims in other parts of the country follow a range of scholars. The Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya describes itself as "the liaison office of the religious authority in North America".
Americans also study in Najaf. Respected Sheikh Azhar Nasser, who was born and raised in Michigan, studied at the Najaf Hawza and has taught introductory courses to Western students at the seminary, according to his biography on Al-Islam.org. How individual U.S. mosques and centers connect to particular scholars varies from one community to another.
"For many Shia families here in America, Najaf is a source of guidance and learning. We hope that same spirit of knowledge, service and care for our neighbors is felt in every one of our mosques and community centers," said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, born in 1930, is the Najaf-based cleric whom Britannica describes as a leader of Iraq's Shia community. As a young man he moved to Najaf to study and became a student of Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei. After al-Khoei's death in 1992, al-Sistani became a marja', according to Britannica. He lives in a modest rented home near the Imam Ali Shrine, Reuters reported.
Britannica describes him as a "quietist," meaning he has generally avoided holding political office or directing day-to-day politics. It says he nonetheless intervened at key moments in Iraq's modern history. In 2004 he issued a ruling urging Iraqis to register to vote, and Britannica says he supported free elections after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. In 2014 he called on Iraqis to join the fight against the Islamic State, and in 2019 he called for the government to resign and for electoral reform after violent crackdowns on protests.
He has also urged Iraqis to give to those in need. In 2017, as numbers of displaced people grew, a statement attributed to him said, as translated by researcher Abbas Kadhim: "Due to the increase in IDPs, shortages of resources, we call on ALL respected Iraqi citizens to contribute all they could to reduce suffering." Kadhim reported that about 1,000 trucks of supplies followed, according to a paper from the Project on Middle East Political Science. In 2008, UN refugee chief António Guterres met him in Najaf and praised his efforts toward reconciliation and stability.
On March 6, 2021, al-Sistani met Pope Francis in Najaf for about 50 minutes, Business Recorder reported. His office's statement on the meeting said he spoke about the role of religious leaders in curbing injustice and war, and about peaceful coexistence and mutual respect among followers of different religions.
His role in the millennium is described mostly through his office. On Oct. 1, Imam Hussain Radio reported that Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala'i, identified as the representative of the supreme religious authority, met the secretary-general of the Imam Ali Shrine to discuss preparations. They discussed forming a joint coordination committee of the shrines to unify plans while letting each shrine keep its own programs. The report is in Arabic and does not quote al-Sistani himself.
A thousand years, counted on the Islamic calendar
The anniversary uses the Islamic lunar calendar, known as Hijri. Lunar years are about 11 days shorter than solar years, so 1,000 Hijri years pass in roughly 970 years on the calendar most Americans use. Al-Tusi arrived in 448 AH, and the Hijri year 1448 began this summer, which is why 2026 is being marked as the millennium.
How the Najaf Hawza began
In the mid-11th century, Sheikh al-Tusi was one of the leading Shia scholars in Baghdad. Modern scholars describe a period of unrest there after the Seljuk Turks took control of the city in 1055, according to an academic study. In that account, his home was attacked and some of his books were burned.
In 448 AH (1056-57 CE) he left for Najaf, the city that grew up around the shrine of Imam Ali, according to a study of the hawza's history. He lived there about 12 years and died in 460 AH (1067 CE), the same study says. Scholars note that his circle in Najaf was small at first.
Dr. Abdul-Hakim al-Safi, director of the Higher Institute for Heritage at the Al-Abbas Shrine, said al-Tusi left a significant mark on Quranic commentary, jurisprudence, legal principles, theology and hadith, the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet and his family. He said al-Tusi's move to Najaf helped revive the religious seminary there and shifted the scholarly movement from Baghdad. He said the move also energized schools in Karbala, Hilla and elsewhere, according to Al-Kafeel.
Najaf's role as a center of learning has lasted "for many centuries," and Najaf tradition dates it to al-Tusi's arrival, according to a Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society article on the hawza's curriculum.
Centuries of study, and what the conference covered
The second preliminary conference focused on the 9th to 12th centuries AH, roughly the 1400s through the 1700s CE. Its title was "The Scientific and Intellectual Contributions of the Najaf Hawza from the 9th to the 12th Century AH."
Organizers were the Sheikh al-Tusi Center for Studies and Research, part of the Supreme Committee for the Revival of Heritage at the Al-Abbas Shrine, together with the Al-Ameed Scientific and Intellectual Society, Al-Kafeel University, the University of Kufa and the Imam al-Kadhem College. On the first day, a documentary on the millennium preparations was shown and new books on scholars of the period were unveiled, according to the Al-Abbas Shrine.
Four research papers were presented on the first day. They dealt with how scholars evaluated the reliability of hadith narrators, a work on narrators by Sheikh Muhammad bin Ali al-Ardabili, and how jurists reasoned from evidence to legal rulings.
The millennium program
Al-Safi said the conference follows an earlier preliminary conference on al-Tusi's thought in Islamic and Western views, and that a third preliminary conference will come before the main millennium conference. He said the scientific committee received nearly 100 papers, and 60 were accepted after peer review, according to Imam Hussain Radio. The report is in Arabic, and these details are translated. The reports reviewed do not give dates for the third or main conference.
The planning involves the major shrines of Iraq. Imam Hussain Radio reported on Oct. 17 that representatives of the Imam Ali, Imam Hussain, Al-Abbas, Kadhimiya and Askari shrines held a first coordination meeting at the Imam Ali Shrine to set plans, divide tasks and prepare the cultural and scientific events, according to a statement from the Imam Ali Shrine. The Imam Hussain Shrine's intellectual and cultural affairs department also hosted a meeting of the Najaf millennium committee, reported on Oct. 18. Its head, Sheikh Ali al-Qar'awi, said proposals would be presented to senior authorities in Najaf and Karbala.
What comes next
According to Al-Safi, a third preliminary conference is planned, followed by the main millennium conference. Dates have not been announced in the reports reviewed. SMF will follow the program as it develops.
Key terms in plain words
Hawza. A Shia seminary: a community of teachers, students and study circles that trains religious scholars. "The Najaf Hawza" means the network of scholars and students centered on the city of Najaf.
Marja'. Arabic for "source of reference." A marja' is a senior scholar whom Shia Muslims choose to follow for guidance on religious practice. The system is voluntary, and each believer picks one.
Ayatollah. An honorific for a high-ranking Shia scholar. "Grand Ayatollah" is reserved for the most senior, according to Britannica.
Fiqh. Islamic jurisprudence, the study of how religious teachings apply to daily life, including prayer, fasting, charity, contracts and family matters.
Imam Ali. Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, is the most revered figure in Shia Islam. His shrine in Najaf is a major pilgrimage site, and he is widely believed to be buried there, according to Britannica.
Comments