A Different View of Karbal

IDB Research Dept.

Last year, we witnessed the publication of H?d? ƒli £u`mah’s Mu`jam rij?l al-fikr wa ’l-adab f? Karbal? (Beirut). In it, the author lists the brief biographies of 1,161 thinkers and scholars, who had their residence in Karbal?; a place that £u`mah designates “a stronghold of knowledge and scholarship”. In his opinion, Karbal?, apart from being a holy city, was made into one of the major centers of learning within the Muslim, and especially the Shiite, world. This was the result of the establishment of numerous schools and other scholarly institutions. The seminary founded by Œam?d b. Ziy?d Niynaw?, in 310 AH, attracted a large number of students, who came to this school in pursuit of religious sciences such as fiqh. The attention lavished upon the city by `A»ud al-Dawlah Buwayh? and other B?yid officials had a direct bearing on the flourishing of various schools. Najaf Seminary was established after the settlement in that city of Ab? Ja`far MuEammad b. Œasan £?s?. Simultaneously, the migration to Karbal? of Hish?m b. Ily?s Œ?’ir? (d. 490 AH), the author of al-Mas?’il al-Œ?’iriyyah, and Ibn Œamzah `Im?d al-D?n £?s?, the author of al-Was?lah, went a long way toward bolstering the scientific stature of that city.

Although, Najaf was always the prominent center of learning in the region, Karbal? also managed to hold its own by being host to such figures as Ibn Mashhad? (d. 510 AH), Sayyid Fakhkh?r b. Sa`d M?saw? Œ?’ir?, and Sayyid `Am?b al-D?n b. `Abd al-Muïïalib (ca. 7th c. AH). This was especially true following the migration, in the ninth century, of such a notable religious and scientific personality as AEmad b. Fahd Œill?. Œill?’s choice of residence in Karbal? became a turning point in the city’s scientific career and formed the initial impetus for the subsequent developments, which culminated in Karbal?’s scientific ascendancy in the 12th century. This preeminence was owing to the presence of such scholars as Sayyid Naêr All?h Œ?’ir? M?saw?, Shaykh Mahd? Fut?n?, Shaykh Y?suf BaEr?n?, ƒq? B?qir WaE?d Bihbah?n? (the founder of Neo-Us?lism), and Sayyid `Al? £ab?ïab?’?.

It should be born in mind that this scientific efflorescence was in spite of the anti-cultural measures of the rulers and the violent incidents to which the city was repeatedly subjected to. From the third century onwards, Karbal? was the scene of numerous mass killings and plunders, the last instance of which was carried out by Saudi soldiers. A list of these incidents is provided by ƒli £u`mah in his introduction.

ƒli £u`mah has attempted to prove the scientific significance of Karbal? by showing a continuous presence in that city by a notable community of scholars. Through reference to a large number of sources, he has collected the biographies of some 1,161 scholars, who were either born, or took residence in that city. There also are brief accounts of their works. The list is arranged according to the alphabetical sequence of the first names. The patronymics and honorifics are also included, but they do not affect the order of the listing.

Source references are indicated at the bottom of each page, however, they do not include complete details. This also applies to the bibliography at the end of the book.

The brevity of some of the biographies has rendered them, somewhat, unintelligible. It would have been more useful had the book contained a number of indices. For instance, an index based on the dates of these scholars would have served to illustrate the development of each era as regards its scholars.

Based on the list, in every century, there have been a hundred notable scholars living in Karbal?, which comes to an average of one scholar per year. All in all, this book, in spite of its shortcomings, provides a scientific record of Karbal?, as regards its scientists, and can serve as a source for researchers in the field of Islamic and Shiite history and culture.