Nakhawila
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Medina, Wadi al-Fara' | |
| Languages | |
| Hijazi Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Twelver Shi'a Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ismailis of Najran |
The Nakhawila (Arabic: النخاولة) are a community of indigenous Hijazi Twelver Shias, typically of low social class, who have traditionally resided in and around the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, numbering around 32,000.
Etymology
The origin of the name Nakhawila is unclear; however, it is most likely derived from the Arabic word nakhl, nakhla or nakhil (date palm) because the Nakhawila community is said to have worked in the palm groves around Medina.[2]
Origins
The origin of the Nakhawila is unclear.[3] Most members of the Nakhawila community claim descent from native Medinan Arab tribes such as the Khazraj or Hashemites, while others are descended from black African slaves said to have been freed by Hasan ibn Ali and ordered to work on his farms. Others beliefs include that they are the descendants of African slaves, or that they came from eastern Arabia or from Iran.[3]
History
Historically, they have engaged in cultivating palm trees and other menial work. The Nakhawila were prohibited from living within the city walls of Medina and were not allowed to pray in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or to bury their dead in Al-Baqi' cemetery. This was due to the popular Sunni belief that the Nakhawila would pollute these places. They were also prohibited by the Ottomans, and later by the Saudis (following a general protest against their participation), from participating in elections.[3] According to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, the Nakhawila were "despised by the townspeople, because they openly profess heresy, and are moreover of humble degree."[4]
During the mid-1970s, the Nakhawila were involved in serious communal disturbances in Medina.[3]
For decades, the Nakhawila community in Medina was headed by Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Amri, a Shia jurist who studied in Najaf under the guide of several notable scholars, up until his death on 24 January 2011. Al-Amri's son Hashim resumed his father's prayer leading position (Imam) at Medina's first Shia mosque, located at his father's farm.[5]
References
- ^ Marja and the Survival of a Community: The Shia of Medina], Yousif al-Khoei in "The Most Learned of the Shiʻa: The Institution of the Marjaʻ Taqlid", ed Linda Walbridge, 2001, Oxford University Press US. p, 248.
- ^ Maréchal, Brigitte; Zemni, Sami, eds. (2013). The Dynamics of Sunni-Shia Relationships: Doctrine, Transnationalism, Intellectuals and the Media. Hurst Publishers. p. 283. ISBN 9781849042178.
- ^ a b c d Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (1954). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill Archive. p. 999.
- ^ Werner Ende (Nov 1997). "The Nakhāwila, a Shite Community in Medina Past and Present". Die Welt des Islams. 37 (3). Brill: 269.
- ^ http://www.rohama.org/en/content/479
Further reading
- The Nakhāwila, a Shia Community in Medina Past and Present, Werner Ende, Die Welt des Islams, New Series, Vol. 37, Issue 3, Shiites and Sufis in Saudi Arabia, (Nov., 1997), pp. 263–348
- Marja and the Survival of a Community: The Shia of Medina, Yousif al-Khoei in "The Most Learned of the Shiʻa: The Institution of the Marjaʻ Taqlid", ed Linda Walbridge, 2001, Oxford University Press US
- More Questions than Answers: The Origin of the Nakhāwila, Werner Ende in I. Abbas et al. (eds.), Studies in History and Literature in Honour of Nicola Ziadeh (London: Hazar Publishing Ltd., 1992), pp. 68–72.
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