ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Biography of Imam `alĪ Ibn AbĪ-tĀlib Settlement in Najaf Najaf is situated five miles to the west of al-Kūfah. There is a legend that log ago there was a mass of water at the place. When the water was totally absorbed by the soil and its substrata, the place was called annajaf or nayjaf, meaning the water had dried up. With excessive use the place came to be called Najaf.

Adjacent to Najaf, there was another habitation, three miles from al-Kūfah, that was known as al-Hirah. Between these two places, there was a desert known as maltat . The foundation of al-Hirah was laid by the Caledonian monarch, Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander of Macedonia took part in its renovation and development. After sometime the people of al-Hirah moved to al-Anbar and al-Hirah fell into ruins. Habitations keep coming up and disappearing over periods.

After its ruination, therefore, opportunity came for the revival of al-Hirah. Malik ibn Fahham, who had left Yemen fearing its submergence into the sea, came to settle down in Iraq. He succeeded in establishing his kingdom in the new area. After him, his son Judhaymah Abrash came to power. When he was killed by ²ubbah, the queen of al-Jazirah, his nephew `Amr ibn `Adi, in the year 240 A.D., during the times of Shahpur I, succeeded to the throne.

`Amr, on assuming power, adopted al-Hirah as his home and thereafter it became the permanent capital of Iraq. Its beauty was enhanced with gardens and oases. Imposing structures like al-khawarnaq and al-sadir were constructed. The people here were dependent on horticulture and agriculture. Being on the borders of Iran, it also provided security to the Iranian caravans of traders and received compensation for the service rendered to them.

When after the conquest of Iraq, the foundations for the city of al-Kūfah were laid, people started moving there from al-Hirah. The bricks and stones of the structures in al-Hirah too were moved to al-Kūfah. This place fell into ruins and became a stretch of sand. When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) got his final resting place in the neighborhood of al-Hirah, the people started re-inhabiting the area. This place came to be known as Najaf, Mashhad and al-Ghari.

Al-Hirah remained only in the pages of the books of history! The name of the place became al-Ghari because Judhaymah al-Abrash built two huge structures over the graves of his friends, Malik and `Aqil, which were called al-Ghariyyayn.