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29 March 2024 / 19. Ramadhan 1445

The First Year of the Najaf Office

MARKING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAJAF OFFICE - GHADEER 2018 TO GHADEER 2019

The World Federation officially inaugurated their office in the Holy City of Najaf al-Ashraf on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Ghadeer 1439 (31st August 2018). The official on the ground at this office is Shabbir bhai Dharsi who has successfully wielded all the projects of this office thus far.

On the occasion of the 1st anniversary, we would like to highlight the achievements accomplished by the office. In its first month, the Najaf office dedicated their efforts to the renovation and sprucing of the premises. The following month was spent in meeting with the Maraji’ and building ties with their office bearers.

 

Also in the month of September our manager al-Hajj Shabbir Dharsi travelled to Vancouver where he met Shaykh Amjad Al Riyadh the representative of Ayatullah Sistani. Whilst in Vancouver, he also facilitated a fundraiser for Al-Ayn Foundation for widows and orphans. Alhamdulillah the office was able to establish good relations with them and continue to work and seek their guidance on various projects.

As Muharram and Safar came, October 2018 turned out to be a busy month with many activities taking place. The office had many visitors as Zawwars from all over the world who flocked to the Holy cities to commemorate Ashura and Arba'een. Office bearers from various Khoja Jamaats across the globe also visited the office in Najaf.

At the time of Arba'een, and at the advice and encouragement of Najaf office, WF-AID in conjunction with the Ministry of Health operated a first-aid dispensary service for the Zawwar who walked from Najaf to Karbala. The Najaf office took care of all the planning and conduction. The dispensary was located at Pole Number 670. Over 15,000 people received adequate medical treatment. Blood sugar machines and strips were provided by WF-Aid and put to good use during this time. It was inspiring to have the volunteer ship of two Khoja sisters, Sr. Shabnam Hasham and Sr. Shaida Karim who are from Vancouver. We saw this was as a good opportunity to distribute flyers supporting Syrian Refugees and The Ali Asghar (as) water appeal scheme.       

In the month of November 2018, the office concentrated their efforts in taking up the accounting of the Shahriyah (stipend) distribution for the Khoja students in Najaf. According to the estimation of the office, there are more than 50 Khoja students from all over the world, but only 30 are registered for the Shahriyah.

Khoja students Madrassa of Khoja and Private Madrassa in Najaf.

 

The Office attended a Conference on the Iraqi Red Crescent Society in Baghdad which was co-sponsored by WF-Aid. This took place between 1st and 3rd December 2018. The conference proved beneficial, as one of the themes was addressing local and international NGOs.

 

The beginning months of 2019 saw the emergence of a new initiative, The Medical Najaf Retreat. The project was proposed by The World Federation to be conducted in Najaf al-Ashraf to take place in the month of April 2019. The consecutive months were spent in preparations.

The Program received an excellent response with 35 registrations and 32 participants who were either medical practitioners or medical students. The retreat was highly successful, more than 30 lectures were conducted by renowned professionals and scholars on the various topics pertinent to the holistic approach to Medicine. The participants were given a wide array of perspectives on practicing medicine. They also acquired a good appreciation of Prophetic Medicine and gained a rich awareness of the application Fiqh rulings within medical practices. 

 

The following months were relatively quiet for the office as our manager had to take emergency leave for medical treatment. He is back in the office now and as energetic as ever to serve his master, in the city of his master Amir al-Mo’mineen (as). A full report of the Najaf Medical Retreat can be found here.

We thank you for reading this report and your support with the Najaf office. We pray for the continued success of our Najaf Office to aspire to meet the community needs. 


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