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Kenya: Prominent Shia Scholar Passes Away

SHAFAQNA- Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir, a prominent Kenyan Shia Scholar who played a key role in the spread of Shia Islam in the country, has passed away at the age of 90.

The spiritual Leader of Kenya’s indigenous Shias, Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir, was born in 1932 in Mombasa, Kenya. He was a great thinker and contributed a lot to the writing of religious books. Many people in East and Central Africa have become followers of the Ahlul-Bayt (A.S) by reading the books written by him.

He was a scholar and teacher and always attended classes to teach Islamic teachings. Abdilahi Nassir, an important Mombasa Sunni preacher and scholar, converted to Shia Islam in 1975. The Wahhabis and their affiliates in Saudi Arabia carried out many activities against him and tried to dissuade him with bribes and threats, but they did not succeed.

He had said in an interview about the reason for the tendency towards Shiism: I became acquainted with the virtues of Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A.S) and gradually I felt that Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S) was the greatest Muslim after the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Some time later, I received the book of Al-Ghadir by the late Allameh Amini. When I read the first volume, I realized the legitimacy of the Shia Islam. Then I went to the Shia Mosque and after that I read many books and finally I became a Shia.

After converting to Shia Islam, Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir played a very important role in increasing the number of followers of this religion in Kenya and other neighboring countries by writing books and articles about Shia Islam. Over the past two decades, this eminent scholar, with his vast knowledge of the history of Islam and the principles of Shia beliefs, has debated with Wahhabi scholars in Kenya in several stages.

The series of lectures given by Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir, which is still distributed among the Muslims of this country in the form of audio and video tapes, especially in the regions of the Indian Ocean, has also been one of the motivating factors for the Muslim natives to convert to the religion of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S). Hence, this Shia Scholar played a great role in the spread of Shia Islam in Kenya and even the surrounding countries, including Tanzania.

This religious scholar has written valuable books on Shia beliefs. His book “Shia and Taqiyyah” is one of his works in Swahili language. Sheikh Abdilahi Nassir says about this book: “Considering the doubts that have arisen about the issue of Taqiyyah in Africa, I considered it necessary to prepare this book and make it available to the public in order to remove the ambiguity created in the first place and also the public should be acquainted with the issue of Taqiyyah.

This news is originally published by Iqna Persian and translated by Shafaqna English 

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