Allama Syed Jawad Naqvi[a] (born 1963) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar, religious leader and Preacher who is the founder and chancellor of Jamia Urwat-ul-Wusqa in Lahore and many Islamic schools. A leading Shia theorist of Pakistan and worldwide, Naqvi founded the monthly religious magazine Masharab-e-Naab.[1]
Naqvi delivers dialogue-filled sermons.[2] He propagates theories of Wilayat-i Faqih,[3] and is often called the representative of the Wilayat in Pakistan.
Naqvi was born on 1 February 1963[4] in a Village named Thipra Syedan (ٹھپرہ سیداں) in Haripur Hazara District, Pakistan. He has studied religious philosophy, theology and Shia jurisprudence in Islamic seminaries in Pakistan and Iran. Among his teachers were Abdollah Javadi-Amoli and Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi.
Career
Naqvi is the principal of Jamia Urwa-tul-Wusqa and Jamia Jaffria, seminaries in Lahore and Gujranwala respectively. He is also the principal of Jamia Ummul Kitaab in Lahore, head of Deen-ul-Qayyim Online Islamic school and Siraat Education School System. Naqvi is also the editor of the monthly magazine Masharab-e-Naab. He is a staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. In many of his speeches he propagates the hard-line version of Wilayat-i Faqih.[5] He stands for unity of sects in Pakistan under his banner.[6]
He has authored several works in Urdu.
Jamia Urwa-tul-Wusqa
Naqvi is the founder and principal of Islamic seminaries Jamia Urwa-tul-Wusqa, Jamia Jaffria, and Jamia Ummul-Kitab. He also runs Jamia Deen-ul-Qayim Virtual Islamic Seminary.
Islamic Awakening Movement
In 2012–2013, Naqvi led a movement to condemn blasphemy of Muhammad named ″Tehreek e Baidari e Ummat e Mustafa SAWW″, which he launched on 7 October 2012 held in Lahore.[7]
Views
In a 2012 report by Hudson Institute, he has been described as pro-Iran and to be financially supported by Iran. Alex Vatanka writes in an article titled "The Guardian of Pakistan's Shia"[8] published by Hudson Institute, a strategic think-tank based in Washington. It says:
"Accordingly, many of Pakistan’s Shia religious figures have become highly vocal and partisan supporters of Khamenei. For example, Jawad, a prominent activist preacher and the head of a recently-launched Shia seminary in Pakistan, idealizes the theocracy in the Islamic Republic of Iran and calls himself a devoted follower of Khamenei. He has additionally published articles as well as a book denouncing Iran’s anti-clerical Green opposition movement.27 Not surprisingly, Jawad’s seminary was reportedly established in part with financial support from the Iranian state."[8]
In 2019, an article in The News described him of having "uniquely Iran-centered career".[9]
However, Naqvi has denied that he has received any support from Iran. In the opening ceremony of Jamia Urwatu Wusqa he said that this project is fully supported by local pakistani people. He said that none of his projects is supported by Iran or any other country and not a single penny has been received from outside Pakistan.[10]
As recent as January 2020, he has been described as "a major supporter of Iran’s theocracy" by Foreign Policy, an American news publication.[11]
In 2013, Mohammadi Masjid stopped Jawad’s sermons after there was scuffle occurred when Police prevented Jawad's security from entering the mosque, sparking mass protests outside the mosque. Allegedly his security guard was carrying unlicensed weapon. Police accused students of Jawad, for creating the chaos and roughing up the cameraman, the varsity condemned the irresponsible behavior of the police.[12] Subsequently, Naqvi was banned by Punjab Chief MinisterShahbaz Sharif from lecturing at Mohammadi Masjid in Lahore.[13][14]
Naqvi believes that Iran's system is based on Quran.[15][16] This is contrary to the opinion of his teacher, Iranian Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, who said in 2018:
The interest system of our banks is a war against God and his messenger (PBUH). You may name a year as a year of production and prosperity (the Iranian leader named the previous year the Year of Resistant Economy: Production and Employment), as long as there is interest on loan in banking system, nothing will improve."[17]
Earlier in December 2016, Javadi Amoli said, Bank of Iran sucks blood of the people.[18]
On Azadari of Muharram
In 2020, after his alleged comparison of Azadari with Tarawih during a lecture, Indian daily and weekly Urdu newspapers Sahafat and Nauroz published articles critical to him.[19][20][21] Indian daily and Urdu newspaper Sahafat and Hindi newspaper Bhumitra again criticised his May 29, 2020 Friday sermon,[22] for targeting Indian Shia leadership.[23][24]
^"Nauroz'". nauroz.in (in Urdu). Lucknow: Nauroz International News Network. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^Abbas, Aman (20 May 2020). "Sahafat" (in Urdu). No. 111. Lucknow: Daily Sahafat. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
