Welcome to Najafi Hall and Najafi Cassettte Library website. A history in brief of the organization is given below followed by brief narratives on each field of activities undertaken by us. Current programs can be seen in a separate window as well as in the main box of that program.
The Khoja Shia Isna Asheri Community residing in Karachi has established several mehfils, madresas and community service centres over the past five decades. This is in addition to the services offered by the parent Khoja Shia Isna Asheri Jamat (Jamat means a group, community) to its members. In the first twenty five years of independence, 1947 till 1975 to be specific, several mehfils were functioning in downtown Kharadar, Later the community made a marked shifting in the eighties to central location of Soldier Bazar, near Quaid-e-Azam’s Mausoleum, where the necessity of a madresa was acutely felt as none was operating and there was only one mosque/imambargah (Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan), which is to date fulfilling a useful role of organizing Jamat Namaz ad Moharram plus Wiladat / Shahadat Majlis.
It was 1 July,1977 corresponding to 13 Rajab 1397 hijri when a madresa for children was established at Azakhana Zehra, Soldier Bazar with the initiative and efforts of Late Bahadurali Amersi Bardanwala who lived nextdoor and had obtained necessary permission from Late Ahmad Sheerazi,founder of the Azakhana. Author of these lines (Iqbal Noorani) was also taken on Board. Qari Syed Hamid Hussain Moosvi was appointed as teacher. Come Ramazan and Molana Shaikh Ali Madad marhoom was invited to give daily dars. The response was overwhelming. This prompted the seniors to start consultations and meetings aimed at acquiring some suitable premises. Our friend Razahussain Ashiqali Batliwala, who was already holding some programs for community youth at the residence of Akbarali R Panjwani, proposed the name of the new organization as Masoomeen Welfare Society which was adopted. Meanwhile weekly dars program was also started at Azakhana Zehra addressed by Molana Sadiq Hasan. The Society continued its meetings at residences of seniors to deliberate on the next steps. Following community members were involved who ultimately formed the managing body:
Some members coopted at a later date are named below:
These were times (1977/78) when a mass shift in khoja community population was taking place from Kharadhar to Soldier Bazar. The need for madresa and a mehfil for undertaking religious activities was being acutely felt by the community seniors.Finally with the initiative and efforts of late Ghulam Hussain Batliwala a deal materialized for a small flat in Baitul Shabbir, opp Nishtar Park owned by Seth Jaferalibhai Jivraj Sagarwala. The price was set at Rs 110,000. Of this Rs 55,000 was donated by marhoom seth Mohammad Jaffer K.G. The balance was raised by managing committee members amongst themselves. The ground floor flat was in the shape of a small hall and was made ready for use in July/August 1978 i.e. before Ramazan 1398. I remember it was late Amanullahbhai Hemani who proposed the mehfil to be named after and in memory of Shaikh Mohammad Hasan Najafi of Bombay for his great services to the Khoja Shia Isnaasheri community.
With the founding of the mehfil was laid a foundation for propagation of Islamic teachings to community youth, children, ladies and gents. The regular long time programmes being undertaken have been described under the respective heads. Several other activities, programs carried out on and off will escape mention (and we as a community are poor in maintaining photo album record!). However it is hoped that regular maintaining of this website will help in making up the deficiency for the future.
With passage of time, increase in activities and increase in population the need for additional space arose. The flat adjacent to Najafi Hall was acquired in 1979, the flat facing Nishtar Park in 1984 (where cassette library was shifted) and the second flat facing Nishtar Park was acquired by a Trust and handed over to us in 1986. The Sagarwala family donated the Baitul Shabbir Building to Najafi Hall in 1990. Subsequently we purchased two shops in M L Heights in 1995 and 1996 where we shifted our cassette library and books library. A third shop was gifted to us in year 2002 where we shifted our books library which helped to expand the cassette library.
On the Najafi Hall side further expansion took place by acquiring two flats on the second floor and one each on the first and the third floor. The premises are being utilized in an optimum way. Being not purpose built there are operating difficulties which we have to tolerate and compromise. We have moved out our weekly classes programs to a private school and then to Khoja Jamat’s Fatimiyah Girls School and Fatimiyah Boys School since early nineties.
Please proceed to briefs on our regular activities. Thanks for going through this introductory note.