Draft:Sayyed Sajid Ali Naqvi

Sayyed Sajid Ali Naqvi is the current leader of the Shia Muslims of Pakistan and the Representative of the Wali Faqih, member of the Supreme Council of the World Assembly of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and the World Assembly for Approximation of Islamic Sects. He was appointed as the Representative of the Wali Faqih in Pakistan by Imam Khomeini after Martyr Arif Hussaini, and after him by the Leader of Iran Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. Sajid Ali Naqvi is recognized as one of the proponents of Islamic Unity in the Islamic World and Pakistan, and his name is on the list of the 500 most influential Muslim figures in the world. He is a graduate of the seminaries of Qom and Najaf, and has benefited from these two seminaries. Sayyed Sajid Ali Naqvi took over the leadership of the Shias of this country after the martyrdom of Sayyed Arif Hussain al-Hussaini. He has had many activities in the fields of education, culture, society, and politics. He has been able to establish many institutions to create unity among Muslims, especially among the Muslims of Pakistan.

Biography

Sayyed Sajid Ali Naqvi was born on June 1, 1940 CE in Malhu Wali, a suburb of Attock, Punjab province, Pakistan. His name is on the list of the 500 most influential Muslim figures in the world. After Martyr Arif Hussaini, he was appointed as the Representative of the Wali Faqih in Pakistan by the late Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, and after him by the Leader of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

Education

He began his religious education in the city of Multan, at the Makhzan al-Ulum Jafariya school. He also completed the Dars-e-Nizamiya curriculum in the same place. Among his teachers, Sayyed Gulab Shah and Muhammad Hussain are notable. Sayyed Sajid Ali Naqvi was engaged in teaching Sciences of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) at this school from 1958 to 1970 CE.

Najaf Ashraf

In 1970 CE, he departed for Najaf Ashraf to continue his higher education and studied until 1975 CE. His teachers were as follows:

1. Hujjat al-Islam Mudarris Afghani;
2. Ayatollah Sheikh Jawad Tabrizi;
3. Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr;
4. Ayatollah Sayyed Abul-Qasim al-Khoei;
5. Imam Khomeini.

Qom

When the Ba'ath Party of Iraq expelled Shia scholars from Iraq, he came to Qom in 1975 CE and participated in the outer lessons of Ayatollah al-Uzma Sayyed Mohammad Reza Golpaygani, and after completing his studies, he engaged in teaching in Qom and Najaf. Sayyed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi and Ghulam Rasul Irfani were among his students .

Departure to Pakistan

In 1978 CE, he returned to Rawalpindi and became the senior teacher at Ayatollah Hakim School, and since his entry, this school gained prosperity and new life. He founded the Institute of the Assembly of Imamiyyah Scholars, and this assembly held a Shia gathering in Islamabad in 1980 CE, and thereby raised the insight and political sentiment of the Shia Muslims.

In addition to activity in the fields of politics and society, he is active in the field of research and investigation. Due to this motivation and interest in research, despite his preoccupations, he wrote the translation of the book Lamhatun Faqih an Dastur al-Jumhuriyah al-Islamiyah written by Imam Baqir al-Sadr the martyr, may God have mercy on him, into Urdu, which was published by the Propagation Office of Islamabad.

Leadership of Shia Muslims in Pakistan

The Shia Muslims of Pakistan have gone through various periods, and the leadership of Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi began from the year 1988, with the leadership of Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi (First Deputy and Political Advisor to سید عارف‌ حسین الحسینی) starting on 4 September 1988. The fundamental difference between the third period and the second period lay in the macro approach of the Ja'faria Movement towards national issues. The second period was a period of idealism, during which the leader of the Movement engaged in revolutionary struggle against the influence of آمریكا and domestic tyranny, and strove to establish an حكومت‌ اسلامی‌ in Pakistan .

National Solidarity

However, in the third period, this approach was revised, and the Movement adopted a realistic and somewhat pragmatic strategy. He took measures to quell sectarian conflicts and sought to establish organized relations with Sunni Islamic parties, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, and Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Pakistan. The Federal Religious Minister, Abd al-Sattar Niazi, formed the Committee for Unity among Muslims, with the membership of 30 scholars from Islamic sects, for the unity of شیعه‌ and Sunni Deobandi, Barelvi, and Ahl-e-Hadith groups. They drafted and approved a collection titled Code of Ethics in Mehr 1370 / September 1994, which the leaders of the Movement also signed. In the Code of Ethics, sectarianism in the country was condemned, and adherence to methods for resolving disputes was recommended to the groups.

In early 1995, the Movement took another step for unity among مذاهب‌ اسلامی‌, which led to the formation of the شورای‌ همبستگی‌ ملی پاکستان (Milli Yakjehti Council) on 24 March of the same year. In this council, Islamic groups including Tehrik-e-Jafaria, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rahman and Samiul Haq groups), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Niazi Group, تحریك‌ منهاج‌ القرآن‌, and Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith participated . The goal of forming this alliance was to end religious conflicts and isolate Sipah-e-Sahaba, and to pressure those وهابی groups in Egypt to stop their violent operations; however, this alliance could not end the conflicts of the فرقه‌ احمدیه. On 27 June 2001, six Islamic parties united in Islamabad under the title Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal. The goal of this alliance was declared to be the establishment of a true Islamic republican system.

Activities

The major activities of the Ja'faria Movement during the leadership of Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi in the 1370s SH / 1990s were mainly concentrated in two sections:

Educational and Welfare Activities

1. Islamic Employees (Organization of Islamic Employees), composed of specialists and experts from all fields and branches, such as the Professors Branch, Adolescents Branch, Students Branch, and Physicians Branch. The goal of this organization was to train individuals for employment, create jobs, and combat poverty and unemployment.
2. Ja'faria Trust (Ja'fari Foundation), which was established in 1369 SH / 1990 with educational, propagational, and welfare objectives. This institution financially supported twelve new schools in the field of education, and in the field of welfare affairs, carried out 95 small projects including bridge construction, dam construction, water diversion, canalization, well digging, piping, road construction, and the like.
3. Pakistan Educational Council. This body was established with the aim of developing education and growing new skills among Shias, especially in deprived areas, on 11 Khordad 1375 / 1 June 1996 in Islamabad, and covered 26 schools and educational centers in Punjab, Baltistan, Sarhad, Gilgit, and Quetta.

Political and Legal Activities

During the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s, a period marked by efforts to quell conflicts and sectarian tensions, violent and sectarian operations by سپاه‌ صحابه‌ and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi increased significantly. In the 1980s, many individuals affiliated with the Movement for the Implementation of Ja'fari Fiqh were subject to sectarian attacks, but from the early 1990s onwards, all Shias became targets of attacks by Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in some way. Most attacks during this period were directed at gatherings and worship ceremonies, such as congregational and Friday prayers and mourning rituals, which also resulted in many casualties.

His role in the unity of Pakistani Muslims

Azam Tariq, the leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba, who was elected to the Parliament of Pakistan in the 1990 elections, submitted the Law of the Sanctity of the Companions bill to the parliament in 1993, having collected the signatures of forty representatives; its provisions mandated the preservation of respect for the Companions and deemed opponents of the Companions as apostates. Additionally, the Sharia Bill, which had been one of the important topics of discussion in the legislative parliament of Pakistan since the time of Zia-ul-Haq, was considered by the Ja'fariya Movement to be in need of amendment. The Ja'fariya Movement was able, through consultation, to prevent the approval of anti-Shia bills in the parliament and government.

With the continuation of sectarian, ethnic, and political tensions in Pakistan, the social and political situation in the late years of the 1370s SH, equivalent to the 1990s CE, had become severely critical, leading to General Pervez Musharraf's coup on 12 October 1999 and the fall of Nawaz Sharif's government. He considered the fight against sectarianism one of his main programs. The incident of 20 Shahrivar 1380 / 11 September 2001 in the America and the action of America and the Islamic community of North America to combat terrorism, compelled the President of Pakistan to take stricter measures against radical Islamic parties in the country; therefore, the Musharraf government declared Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad illegal, and on 12 January 2002, placed the Ja'fariya Movement among them, banning its activities.

Afterwards, the Movement changed its name to Islamic Tehrik-e-Pakistan and immediately began its activities under the new name; however, on 15 November 2003, the government declared any type of activity by its leaders under any other title illegal. From that date until September 2005, the government sealed the Movement's offices and prevented its gatherings. This government decision caused severe damage to the Movement's organization and practically isolated many of its activists. Sajid Ali Naqvi was compelled to continue his political activities through the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan, of which the Ja'fariya Movement is one of the members, and to continue public relations through holding or participating in mourning ceremonies and religious programs, and to express his views and positions.

Arrest

Concurrently with the banning of the Islamic Movement's activities, Sajid Ali Naqvi was also arrested on charges of involvement in the murder of Azam Tariq, the head of Sipah-e-Sahaba. His arrest led to collective protests by Shias, and prominent Shia elders and scholars formed a committee to resolve the issue and take further actions. He was finally released after four months, on 14 March 2004.

Release and Resumption of the Movement's Activities

Since 2005, the Movement has been trying through legal channels to regain its activity license. In the current situation, its most important goals and demands from the government are:

• Lifting the ban on its activities;
• Securing the social and religious rights of Shias;
• Proportional participation of Shias based on their population in government departments and institutions, especially religious institutions, such as the Council of Islamic Ideology, "Federal Shariat Court", "Shariat Court of the Whole Country", "Ministry of Religious Affairs", "Islamic Research Bureau";
• Freedom to hold mourning ceremonies.

The Ja'fariya Movement has shown attention to participating in political and electoral activities since approximately 1984. The Movement's policy initially was alliance with other parties or support for candidates of other parties. However, in the 1998 elections, it entered the electoral contest as an independent party, although it failed to send a representative to the parliament..

Political Activities

The Movement achieved tangible successes only in two elections, 1994 and 1997. In the October 1997 elections, in the northern areas, it was able to secure eight out of 24 seats of the Northern Areas Council (Council of Northern Regions). In the 1997 elections, it joined the Muslim League coalition and, by supporting Nawaz Sharif, managed to send Sayyid Jawad Hadi, one of the clerics of Pakistan, to the Senate and individuals to the Council Parliament. The Ja'fari Movement's relations with the government, based on political conditions, have had ups and downs. So far, the Movement has mostly been in the opposition front against the government, such that it is a member of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal coalition, which forms the strongest opposition grouping in the parliament. The Movement also has good relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Hawza Ilmiyya of Qom, and sources of emulation in Qom and Najaf Ashraf. Friendly relations with Islamic movements in other countries and support for the Palestinian Intifada and holding rallies on Quds Day (the last Friday of the month of Ramadan each year) are among other actions of the Movement.

Sources

1. Eskandari, Mustafa, An Introduction to the Recognition of Religious Currents in Pakistan, Tehran, World Assembly for Approximation of Islamic Sects, 1st ed, 1401 SH.
2. Saeidi, Farman Ali, Analysis and Critique of the Shia Religious Reformists Current in Pakistan, Qom, Al-Mustafa International University, 1399 SH.
3. Naqvi, Sayyed Arif Hussain, Tazkirat Ulama-e-Imamiya Pakistan, translated by Mohammad Hashem, Mashhad, Islamic Researches, Astan Quds Razavi, 1370 SH. Islamic *Tehrik Pakistan, Constitution of Islamic Tehrik Pakistan, Rawalpindi 2002 CE.
4. Pakistan Educational Council, Pakistan Educational Council: An Overview, Rawalpindi, n.d.; Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan, Ban on Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan: In the Mirror of Facts, Rawalpindi, 2002 CE.
5. Jawadi, Malik Aftab Hussain, Research Documents, Rawalpindi.
6. Cheragh, Mohammad Ali, History of Pakistan, Lahore, 1990 CE.
7. Hussainabadi, Mohammad Yusuf, History of Baltistan, Skardu 2003 CE.
8. Hussaini, Arif Hussain, Covenant of Blood, Lahore 1997 CE.
9. Biography of Martyr Ayatollah Arif Hussain al-Hussaini from Birth to Martyrdom, Prepared by: Shahid al-Hussaini Institute, Qom: Shahed Publishing.
10. Arefi, Mohammad Akram, Islamic Movement of Pakistan: Examining the Factors of Failure in Establishing an Islamic System, Qom 1382 SH.
11. Fahim Abbas, From Karbala Mualla to Which Karbala: History of Jafaria Martyrs of Balochistan, Quetta 2004 CE.
12. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan, Constitution and Charter of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan, Faisalabad: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan.
13. Al-Nasrah, No. 12, March – May 1988 CE.
14. Naqvi, Sajid Ali, "Shias and Emerging Challenges: Political, Economic and Cultural Status of Shias in Pakistan", Specialized Quarterly of Shia Studies, Year 3, No. 10 (Summer 1384 SH).
15. Gahlo, Imdad Ali, Ethnic Movement and the Role of Leadership, Islamabad, Ashiqan-e-Millat Quaid Jafaria Pakistan, 2nd ed, 2019 CE.