Hawzah News Agency- The event was organized by the Shaykh al-Tusi Center in cooperation with the High Commission for the Revival of Heritage and the Faculty of Shia Studies in Toronto, under the supervision of the Holy Shrine of al-Abbas (PBUH).
Held under the slogan “The Najaf Seminary: One Thousand Years of Scholarly Heritage,” the conference carries the theme “The Legacy of Shaykh al-Tusi in Islamic and Western Thought: Contemporary Approaches.” Researchers and academic figures from more than seven countries took part in the cultural and scholarly gathering.
Opening Address
The inaugural speech was delivered by Hojatoleslam Seyyed Ahmad Safi, the legal custodian of the Holy Shrine of al-Abbas. He thanked participating academic delegations from inside and outside Iraq and emphasized that the School of Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) possesses a vast and largely underexplored intellectual heritage.
Referring to Shaykh al-Tusi’s prominent position in Baghdad during a turbulent historical period, Safi described his migration to Najaf as a decisive turning point in the city’s scientific and religious history. “A thousand years later, the thought and works of Shaykh al-Tusi remain alive and influential,” he said, praising the extensive efforts of the organizing institutions.
Heritage Revival Initiative
In a subsequent address, Hojatoleslam Seyyed Abdul Hakim Safi, head of the High Commission for the Revival of Heritage, described Najaf as a centuries-old center for the production of Islamic thought and religious awareness.
He noted that the millennium commemoration project began several years ago and is structured around four main pillars: authorship, research, scholarly sessions and conferences, and the revival and critical edition of Shaykh al-Tusi’s works. He also announced the publication of three new scholarly works by prominent Najaf-based scholars as part of the initiative.
International Participation
Dr. Fanny Khitiyah, head of a Shia research institute in Canada, commended the Holy Shrine of al-Abbas for its role in honoring Shaykh al-Tusi and facilitating international academic cooperation, describing the institutional support as instrumental in expanding scholarly collaboration.
Unveiling of New Publications
During the ceremony, two newly edited works prepared by the Shaykh al-Tusi Center were unveiled:
- Rasa’il al-Fadil al-Fasharki by Allama Shaykh Muhammad Baqir Fasharki Isfahani (1252–1314 AH)
- Hidayat al-Anam fi Hukm Amwal al-Imam by Allama Shaykh Abdullah Mamagani (1290–1351 AH)
Academic Sessions
The first academic session, held at the al-Murtada Center Hall in Najaf, featured two specialized research presentations.
The first paper, delivered by Hojatoleslam Seyyed Mohammad Javad Shubayri Zanjani, a senior scholar and lecturer at the Qom Seminary, offered a comparative study of three major hadith works titled Amali by al-Saduq, al-Mufid, and Shaykh al-Tusi. The researcher highlighted textual challenges in existing manuscripts of Shaykh al-Tusi’s Amali and stressed the necessity of producing a new critical edition based on reliable manuscript sources.
The second presentation, titled “From One Occultation to Another: From al-Nu‘mani’s Ghaybah to Shaykh al-Tusi’s Ghaybah,” was delivered by Dr. Mathieu Terrier, director of religious studies in Paris. The study compared the methodological approaches of al-Nu‘mani and Shaykh al-Tusi in employing transmitted reports and rational argumentation to establish the doctrine of occultation.
The research illustrated a broader theological evolution from a primarily narration-based framework toward more systematic rational argumentation. It also examined Shaykh al-Tusi’s views on the necessity of the Imam, the concept of bada’, and his critique of claimants alleging direct communication with Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).
Honoring Participants
At the conclusion of the session, the custodian of the Holy Shrine of al-Abbas honored participating scholars and praised their academic contributions, noting that their research enriched the conference and helped clarify key intellectual dimensions of Shaykh al-Tusi’s legacy and the thousand-year history of the Najaf Seminary.
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