ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shi'ah and Islamic Disciplines About The Author [This section has been written by Allamah Sayyid Abdul Husayn Sharaf al–Din, the author of Al–Muraja’at ( Sunni–Shi’ah Dialogue )]. His Birth and Early Life He was born–may Allah exalt his station–in the city of Kazimiyyah at noon on Friday, the 29th of the blessed month of Ramadan in the year 1272 A. H.

Indeed he was raised in the household of wisdom and piety under his saintly father, who made every effort to educate his son. He succeeded in placing his son on a firm intellectual footing and raising him to reach the peak of guidance. He first taught him the various branches of Arabic. Our author hardly clocked fifteen before mastering grammar, rhetoric and making good progress in logic.

He was tutored by pious and accomplished professors from among the scholars of Kazimiyyah, chosen by his father who supervised the studies of his son. This honorable father would spare no effort in stimulating him and strengthening his resolve to attend to his studies. In his early life he had loftiness for mind and always aspired for perfection.

Thus he engaged himself in learning and distinguished himself among his peers, finishing the sutooh (levels) in fiqh and usul (jurisprudence and its principles) at the early age of eighteen. He studied both subjects and mastered them under the supervision of his father. Sometimes he would attend the classes of other professors of Kazimiyyah also, and, as a result, became known to all the people as a keen student.

He became famous for his exceptional intellect, moral excellence and sound views; he was a real model for the youth, both in outward behaviour and inner uprightness. In the Holy City of Najaf Since the time the sheikh of the sect, Imam Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn al–Hasan al–Tusi (448 A. H.) migrated to Najaf, it has been the center of learning that attracts the scholars and to this day it remains the source of all branches of knowledge.

Najaf is indeed the greatest center of Islam, especially the Imamiyya school of thought. It is like a great university where both the intellectual and transmitted sciences are acquired yielding thousands of masters of religious knowledge. These graduates, then carry good tidings and warn mankind everywhere, reminiscent of the apostles from among the Children of Israel. The author was one of those luminaries. He left for Najaf at his father’s bidding in the year 1290 A.