“Atlas of Shia” is a book written by “Rasul Jafarian” in Persian, published in Tehran in 2008. This work, consisting of 743 pages and 12 chapters, aims to present a geographical and historical picture of Shia school of thought in the history of Islam from its inception to the first decade of the third millennium AD. “Atlas of Shia” has won the Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran and has been translated into Arabic as well. Shafaqna International News Cooperation has translated some sections of this book and provided them in English.
The city of Basra, which emerged after the advent of Islam around the year 15 AH, historically experienced its first notable religious inclination in 36 AH during the Battle of the Camel (Jamal). In this battle, a number of the people supported the Companions of the Camel, while many of the Shi‘a of Basra opposed them. Afterward, despite the presence of the Umayyads in this region, a small yet very strong Shi‘a community arose there.
The city’s early role in the Battle of the Camel led Basra to be regarded for a long time as a center of Uthmaniyyah (supporters of Caliph ‘Uthman). One of the leaders of the Abbasids, before coming to power, is reported to have said: “Kufa is the center of the Shi‘a of ‘Ali and his descendants, and Basra is the center of the Uthmaniyyah.” (Mu‘jam al-Buldan, 2/352)
Nevertheless, reference to early historical and biographical (rijal) sources shows clearly that the Shi‘a of this city were active in Iraq’s political scene from early on. For example, the tribe of ‘Abd al-Qays, who lived in this city, were counted among the Shi‘a of Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him). Other tribes of Basra, such as Khuza‘ah and Bajilah, also adhered to Shi‘ism.
When Imam Hussain (AS) was heading toward Kufa, he sent a letter to the Shi‘a of Basra seeking their support, delivering it through his servant Sulayman. The Shi‘a gathered in the home of a Shi‘a woman named Mariyah, daughter of Sa‘d al-‘Abdiyyah (Kamil Ibn al-Athir, 2/214). Sharik ibn al-A‘war al-Hamdani was another prominent Shi‘a figure in Basra, who died shortly before the martyrdom of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil in Kufa.
Some of Imam Hussain’s companions in Karbala were also from Basra. Indeed, the expression Shi‘at al-Basra (“the Shi‘a of Basra”) appears in early sources such as Ansab al-Ashraf (p. 398). In Rijal al-Najashi, many Basrans are mentioned among the companions of the Imams (peace be upon them) and as authors of Shi‘a hadith and historical works—though their number was smaller compared to the Kufan companions.
Some early Shi‘a authors from Basra include:
Isma‘il ibn ‘Ali al-‘Ammi – author of Ma Ittafaqat ‘Alayhi al-‘Ammah bi-Khilaf al-Shi‘ah (Najashi, p. 30)
Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffar al-Basri – author of Dala’il Khuruj al-Qa’im (Najashi, p. 48)
Ahmad ibn Hasan al-Qazzaz al-Basri – author of al-Sifah fi Madhhab al-Waqifah (Najashi, p. 78)
Asad ibn Mu‘alla ibn Asad al-‘Ammi – author of Akhbar Sahib al-Zanj (Najashi, p. 109)
‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Yahya ibn Ahmad al-Jaludi al-Azdi al-Basri – author of dozens of historical works, including Kitab al-Jamal, Kitab Siffin, and others (Najashi, p. 240)
Muhammad ibn Sidqah al-‘Anbari al-Basri – author of Ahadith al-Imam Musa ibn Ja‘far (peace be upon him) (Najashi, p. 314)
The names of hundreds of prominent Shi‘a from this city in the early centuries of Islam are recorded in the book al-Nusrah li-Shi‘at al-Basrah by Nizar al-Mansuri.
Part of the Book Atlas of Shia by Rasul Jafarian
Source: Shafaqna English
