Hawzah News Agency- the second international scholarly pre-conference commemorating the millennium of the founding of the Najaf seminary was held in Najaf on October 21–23, 2026, with scholars, professors, and researchers from the Najaf and Qom seminaries and academics from various countries in attendance.
The event is the second preparatory meeting ahead of the main millennium congress, which is scheduled to be held in the near future.
Titled "Scholarly and Epistemic Achievements of the Najaf Seminary from the 9th to the 12th Centuries AH," the pre-conference was supported by the General Secretariat of the al-Abbas (AS) Holy Shrine and organized by the Supreme Committee for the Revival of Heritage and the Sheikh Tusi Center for Studies and Research, in cooperation with the Al-Ameed Scientific and Intellectual Association, Al-Kafeel and Kufa universities, and the Imam Kazim (AS) College, Najaf branch.
The gathering brought together scholars from the Qom and Najaf seminaries, university professors, and researchers from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and other academic centers to examine various dimensions of the Najaf seminary's scholarly and intellectual heritage over the four centuries in question.
The opening ceremony was held on Thursday, October 21, at the Sheikh Ansari Hall of the Imam Murtada (AS) Intellectual Complex in the Hanana area of Najaf, where Hojatoleslam Syed Ahmed Safi, the Sharia custodian of the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine, delivered remarks. Representatives of the pre-conference's scholarly and executive committees also spoke.
A highlight of the opening ceremony was the unveiling of a collection of scholarly and research works published by the Supreme Committee for the Revival of Heritage on the legacy of Najaf seminary scholars from the 9th to 12th centuries AH. A documentary on the activities and preparatory measures for the millennium commemoration was also screened.
21 Scholarly Papers Presented on Various Topics
In the two-day pre-conference's specialized sessions, 21 scholarly and research papers were presented on jurisprudence and legal theory, hadith sciences and biographical evaluation (rijal), theology and rational sciences, Quranic studies, Arabic language and literature, and the history of the Najaf seminary's scholarly heritage.
In the hadith sciences and rijal section, papers addressed topics including "Rijal Innovations of Sahib Ma'alim in Muntaqi al-Juman," "Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ali Ardabili and Jami' al-Ruwat," "The Rijal Foundations of Sheikh Abdullah Tustari," "Rijal Sharing and Its Solutions in the Thought of Sahib Madarik," and "Ashab al-Ijma' in the View of Later Scholars, Particularly the Muqaddas Ardabili School."
Other topics in this section included Sheikh Hassan ibn Zayn al-Din's role in identifying problems in the chains of transmission in Tahdhib al-Ahkam and research on the life and activities of Sheikh Qasim ibn Muhammad Kazemi Najafi, known as Ibn al-Wandi, in preserving and transmitting manuscripts of Tahdhib al-Ahkam and al-Istibsar.
In the jurisprudence and legal theory section, researchers presented studies on "The Place of Following the Infallible Imams (AS) in Jurisprudential Inference from the View of Sahib Madarik," "Supererogatory Prayer During Obligatory Prayer Time and Missed Prayer in Sahib Madarik's Framework," "Conflict Between Obligatory and Restricted Obligations and Its Impact on the Validity of Worship from the Views of Muhaqqiq Karaki, Muhaqqiq Naini, and Ayatollah Khoei," and "Muhaqqiq Karaki's View on a Father's Guardianship in the Marriage of a Mature and Rational Daughter."
Also examined were Feyzullah Tafreshi's jurisprudential method in al-Nur al-Qamariyya and the jurisprudential contributions of Mirza Muhammad ibn Ali Astarabadi, particularly in Ayat al-Ahkam.
In the theology and rational sciences section, researchers examined "The Scholarly Method of Sheikh Khidr Razi Habelrudi in Miftah al-Ghurar," "The Scholarly and Critical Method of Muhaqqiq Shirvani in Theological and Philosophical Glosses," "Unity and Disagreement in the Islamic Ummah Centered on Allama Fatuni's Diya' al-Alamin," and "The Verse of Wilaya and Its Implications in Allama Fatuni's Thought."
In the Quran, language, and Arabic literature section, topics included "Fakhr al-Din Tarihi's Exegetical Method in Understanding the Quran," "Sheikh Ahmad Jazayeri's Method of Reasoning in Interpreting Verses of Rulings," "Tarihi's Method in Organizing Husseini Gatherings in al-Muntakhab," and "The Divan of Syed Sadiq Fahham A'raji as a Historical and Literary Document of Najaf's Scholarly and Social Life."
Unveiling of Scholarly Works and Honoring Researchers
Sessions on the second day were held at Al-Kafeel University, where researchers presented papers and examined the scholarly achievements of Najaf seminary scholars.
At the closing ceremony, representatives of participating scholarly delegations delivered remarks, final recommendations were presented, and researchers and organizers of the event were honored.
As part of related activities, a group of Qom seminary scholars who attended the pre-conference met with Hojatoleslam Syed Ahmed Safi on October 26, 2026. During the meeting, they discussed scholarly activities and the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine's plans to revive seminary heritage, and several researchers donated their scholarly works and publications to him.
A Preparatory Step Toward the Main Najaf Seminary Millennium Congress
The second international pre-conference commemorating the millennium of the Najaf seminary, focusing on recognizing four centuries of the institution's scholarly heritage, provided an opportunity to introduce scholars' works and ideas, examine their scholarly methods, and highlight the need for research, correction, and publication of Islamic written heritage.
The event was part of the preparatory scholarly programs for the Najaf seminary millennium commemoration and is seen as paving the way for continued research and cooperation among academic centers ahead of the main international congress, which is scheduled to be held in the near future and will examine and present broader dimensions of the thousand-year history and achievements of this scholarly center.
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