In the Name of Allah,

The Compassionate, the Merciful

Biography of Late Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad Najafi and Services Rendered by Him

The Pakistani struggling and devoted cleric, late Hujjatul-Islam Sheikh Ali Madad, departed this life in the city of Parachenar in Sarhad province, Pakistan, a few weeks ago.

The days of his demise and funeral procession were announced as “days of public mourning” in Parachenar and its environs.  Shops and markets were shut down; even Sunnite people suspended their ordinary lives and ceased to work in order to respect Sheikh Ali Madad. Tens of thousands of people beat their heads and breasts as a sign of mourning for him. His popularity and influence can be realized by the fact that his sacred body was buried in the Central Husseiniyah of the Shiite-dwelling city of Parachenar.

Regretfully, during his life, some people grudgingly attacked the personality of that great scholar and had turned out to be the opposition to him. And that was because of the fact that the Theological School of late Sheikh was accounted as one of the paramount Islamic seminaries in Pakistan which had brought up bright figures such as the distinguished martyr, Sayyid Aarif Hussein Husseini.

It is worth mentioning that there has been another cleric named “Sheikh Ali Madad” in Karachi. Further to similarity in their names, these two clerics had another common aspect with regard to their hometown, as both were from Golgate.

The Sheikh Ali Madad who passed away a few years ago, was the one who was a resident of Karachi. He had the tenure of chairmanship of the Association of Mosque Leaders in Karachi for a while. He acted as the representative of some of the Grand Ayatollahs in the region, too. However, the Sheikh Ali Madad who recently passed away is another figure.

It is noteworthy that Hujjatul-Islam Sheikh Nawaz is the successor of Sheikh Ali Madad in Parachenar. Sheikh Nawaz too, is from Golgate. He has passed his Islamic courses in the Theological School of Qum in Iran.

A glance at the life history of the spiritual and devout cleric, Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad Najafi, is actually a gift, presented by Department of Public Relations in The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) World Assembly to all lovers of the infallible, purified Household of the holy Prophet of Islam (the Ahlul Bayt a.s.):   

Biography of Late Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad Najafi,

Superintendent of Jafariyah Theological School,

Parachenar, Sarhad Province, PAKISTAN

Hujjatul-Islam Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad Najafi was one of the prominent Shiite clerics and leaders in Pakistan. He was born in 1936 in one of the poor regions of Golgate. His father was Allameh Ramazanuddin, an outstanding Shiite figure of his time in that area.

Due to his upbringing in a religious and accomplished family, Sheikh Ali Madad passed the stages of his religious courses and teachings in a short period. After having completed his elementary studies in his hometown, he headed for the holy city of Najaf to perfect his knowledge of Islamic science. He was a boy of fifteen at that time, and was successful enough to take advantage of classes of great scholars and teachers of Najaf like the martyred Ayatollah Madani, Grand Ayatollah Khuii, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Mudarris Afghani, Mr. Sadra, and Ayatollah Malakooti.

After benefiting from the great teachers of Najaf, Sheikh Ali Madad, relying on his competence and capabilities, started to educate other religious students in the theological center of Najaf, and accomplished this job excellently.

He returned to Pakistan in 1964 after twelve years of education and teaching in the field of religious science. Thanks to his potentiality, Sheikh Madad commenced his mission in promulgating Islamic teachings in the deprived city of Raheem- Yarkhan in Pinjab province. Thus he started his religious services in Pinjab State, and then extended his services in Katooray-Khan region and established Jafariyah & Darbar-Hussein Theological School. For four years, Sheikh Madad served as the superintendent as well as a teacher in the school.

His love for Islam caused him not to restrict his services to a specific region only. Hence, different parts of Pakistan benefited from his valuable religious and scientific services to the extent that his fame, erudition, devoutness, and virtues were spread about among both Shiite and Sunnite scholars and intellectuals, and his virtuousness and wisdom was well known by all. Among those who commend Sheikh Ali Madad’s piety, preaches, and speeches in religious gatherings, is the famous Pakistani scholar, Hujjatul-Islam Sayyid Muhammad Yarshah Naqawi.

In 1969, by order of Ayatollah Mohsen Hakeem Tabatabaii, the Chief Religious Authority of the time, and due to the insist of Allameh Sheikh Rejali, late Allameh Ali Madad Najafi went to Parachenar and commenced his worthy services over there. For six years he served as a teacher at Jafariyah School, which was among the largest and most authentic religious schools of Shiites in Pakistan. At that time, Hujjatul-Islam Sheikh Rajab-Ali was the superintendent of the school. After demise of Sheikh Rajab-Ali, Sheikh Ali Madad undertook the responsibility to superintend the school. He also took on the religious leadership of the region, and at the same time agreed to accept the responsibility of complete renovation of Jafariyah School.  

Courage and bravery of Sheikh Ali Madad was popularly known, to the extent that the governors and authorities of the region took it as an honor to pay a visit to him.

People too, were ready to sacrifice their souls for the sake of execution of Sheikh’s commands; that was why no governmental authority opposed Sheikh’s decisions even to the last minute of his life. For the same reason, the Shiites of that region of Pakistan were always pioneers for attaining their religious demands.

Sheikh Madad along with Allameh Mufti Jafar Hussein and the martyred Allameh Sayyid Aarif Hussein Husseini offered praiseworthy services to the Shiite community of Pakistan. They were steadfast and unwavering clerical figures in all arenas. Sheikh Ali Madad had been a preceptor of Allameh Sayyid Aarif Hussein Husseini too; and it is said that Allameh Sayyid Aarif Hussein Husseini had accepted the leadership of Shiites in Pakistan in the wake of Sheikh Ali Madad’s recommendation.

Besides religious services, Sheikh Ali Madad had also offered many developmental services for the welfare of Shiites in Pakistan. Some of these services are as follows: construction of Moon Passage in Parachenar, Bazaar Husseini, Bazaar Eidgah, Bazaar Militia, Bazaar Sabzi, Bus Terminal, building 150 houses alongside Husseiniyah of Parachenar, 20 houses alongside Dargah Husseiniyah in Parachenar, renovation of Central Husseiniyahs for men and women, among many other developmental projects.

 Late Allameh Ali Madad, with his keen leadership, modified the dogmatic and petrified customs of marriage ceremonies in Parachenar. He also distributed the governmental lands as well as lands with joint ownership and deserts among the people in a peaceful manner, and thus taught both Shiite and Sunnite Muslims of the region how to coexist peacefully and affectionately.

Sheikh Madad also trained borderers how to defend the borders. He also made them bound to pay their religious dues and taxes.

Although his mother tongue was the prevailing language in Golgate, Sheikh Madad had a good command of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto, and some other languages as well. His proficiency and fluency in Pashto enabled him to promulgate Islam in Peshawar and in the whole region.

In Peshawar, Sheikh Madad embarked on holding religious mourning ceremonies in Pashto language.

With collaboration of Martyr Aarif Husseini and the family of Martyr Anwar Ali Akhundzadeh, Sheikh Madad could manage to hold religious sessions and gatherings, mourning ceremonies, and preaching sessions in the Husseiniyah of Akhund-Abad for the first time. Such gatherings took so vigor afterwards that even today a large number of Shiite and Sunnite Muslims attend the ceremonies. In the mourning periods and preaching sessions, crowds of people fill the Husseiniyah of Akhund-Abad and the surrounding streets; and all these blessings are the result of Sheikh Madad’s divine movement.

Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad has played a significant role in many other developmental services and projects, examples of which are Alamdar Hospital in Parachenar, Parachenar Islamic Computer Center (rendering free services to students of universities and theological schools), and providing a part of required budget for establishment of Allameh Aarif Husseini School in Peshawar.

After martyrdom of Allameh Aarif Husseini, Sheikh Ali Madad embarked on building a mausoleum for him.

Sheikh Madad has also built a few mosques in different regions of Parachenar. “Pak Hotel” and “Alamdar-e Karbala Husseinieh and Dormitory” in Peshawar too, are established by him. He has played an effective role in purchase of Shahid Allameh Aarif Husseini Guesthouse in the holy city of Mashhad to accommodate Pakistani pilgrims.

Sheikh Madad held private sessions in four provinces of Pakistan with the aim of extension of Islamic teachings in the country. He has set up a dormitory for the Jafari School’s graduates in Qum as well.

Allameh Sheikh Ali Madad had also established a hospital for both men and women in the basement of Central Husseiniyah of Parachenar. Recently he had purchased a one-hectare land - near the Parachenar Airport - to erect buildings for General School and Shahid Aarif Husseini College with the aim of education of children from nursery school up to M.A. level, but he did not live too long to complete the project.

Finally, the distinguished Sheikh Madad departed this life and met his Maker on Wednesday, June 19, 2002, at the age of 66, after a life entirely dedicated to sincere services in the way of promulgation of genuine Mohammedan Islam.

Participation of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in his funeral procession proves that Muslim nation of Pakistan, and Shiites in particular, will never forget the sincere, truthful services rendered by late Sheikh Ali Madad.

The Husseiniyah Association, which has been established under directorship of Sheikh Ali Madad, is determined to complete all objectives and service projects of him to the last point.

May Allah send His mercy and grace upon such sincere, pure devotees!

Department of Public Relations

The Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) World Assembly

21 June 2002