SRINAGAR: Renowned Shia cleric and scholar, Allama Aga Syed Mohammad Baqir Al-Moosavi Al-Najfi (RA), passed away in the early hours of Friday at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar. He was 85.
His Namaz-e-Janazah is scheduled to be held today after Friday prayers at his ancestral shrine, Asthan-e-Alia, in Budgam.
Allama Aga Baqir was a religious personality and the senior-most member of the revered Aga family of Budgam. He was closely related to influential figures such as Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, and Aga Syed Hadi Mosavi. His demise is being widely mourned as an irreparable loss to the spiritual and scholarly heritage of the region.
President of the All Jammu & Kashmir Shia Association, Molvi Imran Reza Ansari, expressed sorrow over the passing of the esteemed scholar. “We mourn the loss of a scholar, a guide, and a spiritual light whose absence has left a void that cannot be filled,” he said.
Highlighting the scholar’s spiritual and intellectual influence, Ansari remarked that Allama Aga Baqir was “a bridge between the sacred knowledge of Najaf and the lived experiences of our people.” He praised his commitment to truth, service to religion, and his enduring legacy of wisdom.
Born on 21 March 1940, Allama Aga Baqir commenced his early education at Babul Ilm in Budgam before proceeding to the renowned Howza Ilmia seminary in Najaf Ashraf. Returning to Kashmir in 1982, he carried forward the spiritual mission of the Aga family, following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors, including Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi.
A polyglot fluent in Arabic, Persian, and Kashmiri, he was also a prolific author, poet, and preacher. His works earned him the prestigious Shaheed Murtaza Mutahhari Award, underscoring his intellectual contribution to Islamic scholarship.
“May Allah (SWT) grant him the highest place in Jannat al-Firdous,” Ansari prayed, offering condolences on behalf of the association to the bereaved family, students, and followers of the late scholar.
