Mazar-E-Sharif - Result of Maula Ali's Dream

Blue Mosque of Mazar-E-Sharif in Afghanistan

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Mazar-E-Sharif, the fourth largest city of Afghanistan, owes its existence to a dream related to Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib. Traditions, legends and historical documents reveal that a religious priest saw Maula Ali in his dream in the beginning of 12^th century. Maula reportedly indicated to the priest a spot near the city of Balkh as his last resting place. Upon coming to know about the dream, Sultan Ahmad Sanjar, one of the great rulers of Seljuk Empire, ordered a city and shrine to be built at the spot pointed out by the Muslim priest. 

The empire was founded by Tughril Beg   in 1037 AD. The Seljuks united the fractured political scene of the eastern Islamic world and controlled a vast territory. They also developed Turkish-Persian culture and patronized art and architecture. Ahmad was ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until in 1118 when he became the Sultan of Empire. Being acquainted with the exalted status of Shah-E-Khorasan, Imam Reza, he ordered the construction of shrine and a city near it in memory of Hazrat Ali. He considered it as his moral duty after becoming aware of the dream to erect a shrine for Maula Ali to whose lineage Imam Reza belonged.

Genghis Khan, the barbaric Mongol invader, destroyed the shrine in 1220.  It was rebuilt in  15th century by. Sultan Husain Mirza Bayqara. Born in Herat in  1438 AD to Ghias- ud-Din Mansur, he ruled Herat from 1469 till 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470. History recognizes him as a good king, a lover of peace and justice. He built numerous structures and the most remarkable and holy among them is the shrine dedicated to Maula Ali. The shrine complex is popularly known as Blue Mosque. The mosque is somewhat  rectangular and Afghanis and many other Muslims believe that it contains  the ‘grave’ of Maula Ali in its center. Above the purported grave rises the largest dome, about 15 meters wide with blue cupola. The entire building is covered with polychrome tiles with blue as a dominating color of different shades.

While Imamis all over the world have a firm belief that Maula Ali was buried in Najaf after his martyrdom  on 21  Ramzan on January 31,661 AD. They base their belief to the identification of Najaf-E-Ashraf as the actual burial place of  Sher-e-Khuda by 6^th Imam Jafar Sadiq. Afghanis believe in another story. They are of the view that followers of Imam Ali were afraid that his grave in Najaf would be desecrated by his enemies. So they carried his body  to the east by a white camel and buried him where the camel fell out of exhaustion.

Most of the shrine's decorations, however, are the result of modern restoration work. One of the few remaining artifacts from the earlier shrine is a marble slab inscribed with the words, "Ali, Lion of God."The complex has also been used to bury some Afghan religious and political leaders in tombs of varying dimensions but whole complex of buildings is enclosed in a precinct. The shrine is surely a piece of timeless beauty and deserves much awareness among Imamis across the Globe as the name of Hazrat Ali is attached to it and a large population of pro-Ahlebait Afghanis treat as the last resting place of their first Imam. Mazar-E-Sharif had to pay a very heavy price for being the centre of Hazara people.Being Imami by faith, about 8000 Hazara men, women and children were massacred by fanatics same city in 1997-98.Human rights organizations had then reported  that the dead were lying on the streets for weeks before Taliban allowed their burial not because of any human sympathy but due to stench and fear of epidemic.But these organizations did not report any damage to the mosque.  (References available on request)

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