IE Article – ʿAllāma Ḥājī Nājī

Why Ḥājī Nājī Matters Today

In an era when religious identity among Khojas was fragile and contested, Ḥājī Nājī bridged the gulf between scriptural tradition and layman culture. He demonstrated that Islamic knowledge need not remain elite nor esoteric – it can be conveyed in a local tongue and lived among families. His transliteration of the Qurʾān into Gujarati, for instance, anticipated modern efforts of translational theology in non-Arabic communities.

His example also teaches us about service, humility, and sacrifice. The destruction of his life’s work in a fire – yet his peaceful response – mirrors the trials of Ahl al-bayt (a), their companions, and earlier scholars, who strived their best to preserve the Divine guidance, although factors such as oppression and persecution led to the loss of treasures irreplaceable, except but the 12th Imām (aj), as was the case of Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿUmayr (r) (whose sister to bury his manuscripts when he was imprisoned by Hārun, leading to the loss of 94 valuable books) and al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (q) (who in the burning of the Shapur library lost many invaluable books and primary sources, including original manuscripts of the companions of the Imāms, (peace be upon them). His leadership was not by power or pomp, but by quiet conviction and consistency.

Read the full article here or by clicking the below link