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Victory News Magazine |
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The Role Of Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr In Shi'a Political Activism In Iraq From 1958 TO 1980 |
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By
1960, Sadr was one of the leading mujtahids in the religious school
of Najaf with a distinguished reputation in jurisprudence (fiqh and
usul al-fiqh). His seniors in the Hawza therefore advised him
to give up his political role in the Da’wa party and on the Awa’,
which were detrimental to his leadership in the Hawza and prepare
himself for becoming the future grand marja’ of the Shi’i (the hawza would not accept an active mujtahid
for the position of grand marja’ , at least not a member of a
political party).(18) The
marja’ is usually selected from among the leading mujtahid
in the fiqh and usul al-fiqh, and the candidate has to prove
his capacity in these areas by using the Socratic method in his teaching
and by publishing his legal opinions. Since being appointed depended on
the approval of the teachers and mujtahids in the Hawza, the
prospect of Sadr’s becoming the grand marja’ of all Shi’as
was in jeopardy so long as he continued to be politically active. Although
pressure on Sadr to give up his political activities seemed to come mainly
from the former marja’ Muhsin
al-Hakim, many factions in the Hawza were critical of Sadr’s
activism. Led by Hussein al-Safi,(19)
a public campaign was launched against Sadr depicting his activities as
harmful to the survival of the Hawza.(20)
A group in the Jama’at, influenced by the propaganda against Sadr,
began to show their dissatisfaction with him as well. (21) Sadr’s editorials in al-Awa’ also raised a
disturbing question: they were subtitled Risalatuna (Our Message),
but the enemies of Sadr questioned whether they represented the views of
the Jama’at at all. Finally, in 1961 Muhsin al-Hakim, through his
son Mahdi, persuaded Sadr to give up his post as faqih of the Da’wa
party and as editor of Awa’. (22) Mujtama’una (Our Society) After
his resignation Sadr confined himself to the traditional way of life of
the Hawza, avoiding activities that might jeopardize his marja’
status. He even delayed the publication of his long awaited book, Mujtama’una
(Our Society) because, according to some sources, the time was not
ripe for it. (23)
According to members of the Da’wa party, however, Sadr kept in
touch with the party through one of his pupils.(24)
As for the Awa’, Fadlullah notes that Sadr encouraged him to
write its editorials. (25) Sadr’s passion for reform was now directed toward the hawza itself. First it was necessary to modernize its curriculum: for the past century and a half, Najaf’s hawza had emphasized only fiqh and usul al-fiqh because that was what Najaf was noted for; other Islamic studies were considered minor or unimportant, and the hawza’s teachers paid little attention to them. Sadr was also uneasy over the irregular attendance of the students and their neglect of their studies. He felt that students must complete their courses with distinction before they could claim to be religious scholars (‘alim) (26) and proposed a new textbook on the grounds that the old ones were not written for students. A textbook, according to Sadr, must take into consideration the student’s ability to comprehend the subject only gradually from its basic concepts to its most recent development. Sadr’s plan embraced not only the use of textbooks of the sort used in modern academic institutions, but the establishment of Western-style universities that would hold the student responsible for completing certain courses and passing regular examinations. To
implement his reforms, Sadr helped establish the Usul al-Din College in
Baghdad in 1964 and set up its curriculum. (27)
He later wrote three textbooks on the Qur’an, the usul al-fiqh,
and Islamic economics for first and second year college students. (28)
However, his efforts to carry out his reforms in the Hawza itself
faced stubborn resistance from both students and its antiquated
establishment.
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Chapter
Four- Back to Hawza
