Hawzah News Agency- Preparations are in full swing for a landmark event celebrating a millennium of uninterrupted scholarship, as Iraq's revered religious institutions gear up to honor the founding of the Islamic Seminary of Najaf al-Ashraf — the venerable seat of Shia learning that has shaped the intellectual and spiritual landscape of the Muslim world for ten centuries.
Senior Ayatollah Sistani's Representative: This Event Reveals the Immense Intellectual Weight of Najaf
During a visit to the Supreme Heritage Revival Committee affiliated with the Holy Abbasid Shrine, Hojatoleslam Sayyed Ahmad al-Safi, legal custodian of the shrine of Hazrat Abul Fadhl al-Abbas (PBUH) and representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued a clarion call for all-out efforts to ensure the millennium commemoration befits the grandeur of the institution it honors.
"This event carries profound meanings that unveil the intellectual and scholarly magnitude of this blessed seminary — a seminary that has nurtured thousands of jurists, thinkers, and literary figures, and has shouldered the mission of disseminating Islam and the Shia creed across the entire globe," Sayyed al-Safi declared after being briefed on the committee's most significant achievements and ongoing cultural projects.
The Najaf Seminary, founded by Sheikh al-Tusi in the 11th century, stands as one of the oldest continuous centers of Islamic learning in the world, predating Oxford and Cambridge by decades. For a thousand years, it has served as the beating heart of Shia jurisprudence, theology, and resistance against intellectual and colonial encroachment.
Third Preparatory Conference to Spotlight Linguistic and Literary Heritage
In a parallel development, the Supreme Heritage Revival Committee and the al-Ameed Scientific and Intellectual Society have convened a coordination meeting to finalize preparations for the third preliminary conference of the millennium commemoration.
The upcoming conference will be held under the title "Linguistic and Literary Heritage in the Najaf Seminary During the 13th and 14th Centuries" and is scheduled for December, coinciding with World Arabic Language Day.
Chaired by Sheikh Muslim al-Ridha'i, advisor to the committee, the meeting outlined organizational blueprints to guarantee the success of a gathering that aims to cast light on the monumental scholarly contributions of Najaf's clerics over a thousand-year arc.
Committee Visits Imam Kadhim College, Donates Scholarly Works
In a further step toward mobilizing academic institutions, a delegation from the Supreme Heritage Revival Committee visited the Imam Kadhim (PBUH) College in Najaf to coordinate joint efforts for the millennium conference. The two sides explored avenues of collaboration to align the event with its scientific and cultural objectives and to strengthen the presence of university institutions in reviving this historic occasion.
The parties also agreed to hold a dedicated academic session on the life and scholarly legacy of Sheikh Miqdad al-Suyuri, the renowned theologian and jurist whose works remain foundational texts in seminary curricula.
Concluding the visit, the delegation donated a collection of scholarly publications to the college's library, reinforcing research resources for students and scholars alike — a gesture underlining the seminary's enduring commitment to intellectual armament.
The millennium commemoration is set to draw scholars, researchers, and religious figures from across the Muslim world, transforming Najaf into a global stage where a thousand years of resistance, knowledge, and devotion to the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) are brought into sharp focus.
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