26th Martyrdom Anniversary of Top Pakistani Shia leader Allama Syed Arif Hussain Al-Hussaini
Martyr Arif Hussain Al Hussaini was born on 25th November 1946 in a pious family of Parachinaar. Parachinaar is the central hub of Khurram Agency. At the age of 5, he was sent to a government primary school in Peewar. After studying too 4th grade, he was shifted to a school in Parachinaar, and he completed matriculation from there. At an early age he was very eager to learn the different dynamics of the society while sitting with elders and taking interest in their talks on a regular basis was common. He decided after completing matriculation to take admission in seminary of Jaffariya. At that time there were only to schools in Parachinaar, the other one was seminary of Khomeni. The purpose to get the admission in a school was to seek knowledge and to excel in the jurisprudence.
After getting a gist of the religious discourse, he decided to leave for Iraq and further dig the well of knowledge and get benefited from it. In 1967, he reached Iraq and applied to seminary of Shabbiriah".He was a very hard working, intelligent and serious student. He regularly attended all lectures, and kept extensive detailed notes in his journal and was an active participant in the debates between students that took place dealing with the subjects of the lectures. Martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini teachers include Martyr Ayatolah Madni, Sheikh Ashraf Asphahani, Aqai Lashkarani and Ayatollah Murtazavi. While martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini was studying in Najaf, Imam Khomeni (RA) was also living in Najaf in exile. Imam Khomeni (RA) then leads maghribain prayers at the seminary of Ayatollah Broujardi. Very few Muslims prayed behind Imam Khomeni due to strict vigilance on him. But the only Pakistani who, without fear, comes every maghrib to pray behind Imam Khomeni (RA) was martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini. After prayer of maghrabain Imam Khomeni (RA) would deliver a lecture. The martyr listened to every lecture with complete concentration and after coming back from the lecture repeats what he learned to his fellow students in hostel where he lives with other students. He also encourages them to attend the lectures by Imam Khomeni (RA).
Those were the days when Imam Khomeni (RA) came under more and more vigilance. His every move was monitored and whoever tried to come close to him came under heavy harassment and vigilance. As a result of this harassment, most of the students avoided sitting in at the gatherings of Imam Khomeni (RA), but not martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini. His love for the message and personality of Imam Khomeni (RA) was so much that he always sat in the front row in the prayers behind Imam Khomeni (RA).
When he returned back, Zias rule has had been started. In procrastination against Zias regime in 1978 Shias formed Tehrik Nifaz Fiqah Jafaria. The purpose was to show solidarity against Zias reign. In 1984, a meeting was called in Bakhar and the leader has to be elected after Mufti Jafar Hussain. So one member form the council put forward the name of Arif Hussain. And eventually he was elected. Now the time had arrived when the appointment of the leader was held properly and it was assumed that socio-poilitcal conditions of Shias will get better soon. He formed Martyr Foundation to support the families of martyrs then he was proclaimed as the representative on Wilayet-e-Faqih by Imam Khomeni. Martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini selected Peshawar City as his head office and reconstituted and reorganized the entire setup of TNFJ. He visited every corner of the country and people of every area welcomed their new Quaid with historical fervor and passion.
The martyr`s first one and half years passed in removing discrepancies in the nation`s beliefs, counteracting the enemy`s scornful propaganda against him, and quelling the fighting within the nation. Martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini used to say, �My first one and half years as leader were passed in assuring the nation that I am Shi`a and believes in Azadari".
It was the prime black era of Gen Zia ul Haq. Public hangings, lashings, political imprisonment, barbaric use of state machinery on every voice that spoke against the dictator, Zia`s, rule was the order of the day. In all that martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini`s voice was nothing but thorn in the eyes of Dictator Zia. The martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini in his first press conference in Peshawar announced candidly that his first demand was to change the system of the country.
Zia understood the power of the martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini`s words and was very afraid of him. So his government planned a ferocious campaign against Shi`as. The first step they took was against Azadari e Imam Hussain (AS). In the first year of the martyr`s leadership, incidents of firing and ransacking on mourning processions and Imambarghas in different cities occurred.
In the second phase Zia`s government introduced Draconian and discriminatory laws against Shi`as of Pakistan.
All the government`s tactics bore no fruits. Martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini emerged from every crisis more forcefully.
The sun of 5th August 1988 was about to rise. Martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini went to Madressah mosque to pray Fajr Namaz. After offering prayers Allama Arif went upstairs of the seminary. His guard Zamin Ali went somewhere else. On the gate Abdullah also came in to pray, leaving gate open. In the meantime two gunmen came in to the seminary. They directly came to the martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini`s room but since he was on the upper floor of the seminary they saw him coming downstairs, one of the assailants fired immediately but he only fired one bullet which pierced the heart of martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini. After his arrest, the one who fired revealed that he wanted to fire more bullets but his right hand paralyzed instantaneously as he couldn`t move his fingers and his right hand is still paralyzed. Both of the attackers managed to run away but later they were arrested.
Maulana Jawwad Hadi was the first to see martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini lying in his own blood. They took Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini to a nearby hospital but he breathed his last in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
On his death, Imam Khomeni said, today I have lost my dear son, which used to reside in Pakistan. The level of grief is still there. A person with such unique traits and a perfect leader for Shias in Pakistan is no more with us. We have lost a gem and still nobody has taken his place. He is alive and see every step taken by the leaders of our time. He might weeps in the heaven while seeing our conditions.
At the age of 42, martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini left us to meet his absolute creator, to be in the company of his peers, Muhammed Wa Aale Muhammed (Peace be upon them). Five children of martyr Allama Arif ul Hussain Al Hussaini and a nation were orphaned. They are still orphans!
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