THE POLITICAL AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF NAJAF AL-ASHRAF (1909-1925 AD(

Abstract

The first section dealt with: Najaf Al-Ashraf’s position on the British invasion The city of Najaf was known for its many national stances rejecting the occupation, whether it was Ottoman or British. These positions began to appear directly at the beginning of the twentieth century after British forces began to occupy Iraq, following the outbreak of World War I (1914 AD), which coincided with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire militarily and administratively. The Ottomans’ interest was also primarily focused on convincing the Shiites to declare a fatwa for jihad. Their first step was to send a high-level delegation to the city of Najaf commensurate with the size of the mission entrusted to them. It included a number of Baghdadi and government figures and clerics, including Muhammad Fadil al-Daghistani, Shawkat Pasha, and Sheikh Hamid al-Kulaidar (custodian of the sanctuary of the two Imams al-Kazimin). An extensive meeting was held in one of the mosques, attended by scholars, leaders, sheikhs of the Middle Euphrates tribes, and clerics, including Sayyed Muhammad Saeed Al-Haboubi, Sheikh Abdul Karim Al-Jazairi, and Sheikh Jawad - the owner of Al-Jawahir - who stressed the necessity of standing with the Muslim government (meaning the Ottoman government) to push the infidels from their lands. Muslims, as some tribal sheikhs spoke, including Mubarak Al Pharaoh (Sheikh of Al Fatla), who said: (The Turks are our brothers in religion, and it is our duty to help them expel the enemies from our country). Accordingly, the religious scholars in Najaf issued a fatwa stating the necessity of defending Islam and its homeland. The religious scholars in Najaf declared jihad, and the duty to defend Islamic countries. The jihadist calls against the British continued, and the most famous of these calls was the one that carried the slogan “The Noble Haidari Flag,” which began in November 1915. The most