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Ahawza (Arabic:حوزة) orḥawzah ʿilmīyah (Arabic:حوزة علمیة) is the collective term (plural hawzat)[1] for amadrasa (i.e.seminary) whereShi'a Muslim scholars are educated.[2]
The wordḥawzah is Arabic, and has been adopted into Persian as a loan word. In Arabic, the word means "to hold something firmly".[3] Accordingly,ḥawzah ʿilmīyah would mean a place where the firm knowledge (of the Muslim religion) is acquired. In the Persian language,ḥawzah refers to the middle part of a place or an area.[4]Ḥawzah ʿilmīyah in Persian, therefore, means "the place of knowledge". Another meaning of the word is "circle of knowledge".[5]
Several seniorGrand Ayatollahs constitute the hawza. The institutions inNajaf,Iraq andQom,Iran, are the preeminent seminary centers for the education of Shi'ascholars. However, several smaller hawzas exist in other cities around the world, such as atKarbala,Iraq,Isfahan andMashhad inIran,Beirut,Lebanon,Lucknow,India,Lahore,Pakistan, Europe and North America.[6]
In countries withsharia courts such asIran,Pakistan, andAfghanistan, a hawza also functions as alaw school for those wanting to practice law in Islamic courts.
The exact date of the establishment of the Hawza of Najaf is unknown, and indeed in what century it was established is disputed,[7] with one view maintaining that the Hawza existed possibly as early as the 9th century AD[8] in the form of a guild of learned men centered around theImam Ali Shrine whose deanship was held by a number of scholars, such as Ibn al-Sidra Sayyid Sharif al-Din Mohammed and Nasir al-Din Mutahhar Ibn Radhi al-Din Mohammed Ibn Husayn.[9]
Another view claims that the Hawza 'Ilmiyya in Najaf, Iraq was established in 430 AH (the 11th century AD) byShaykh al-Tusi (385 AH/995 CE – 460 AH/1067 CE),[10] and continued as a center of study until the establishment of modern Iraq in 1921.[2][11]
At presentAyatollah Sistani heads Hawza 'Ilmiyya Najaf, which includes two other Ayatollahs -Mohammad Ishaq Al-Fayyad andBashir al-Najafi.[12] After witnessing a peak of some 20,000 students in the 60s, then around 3000 because of the State repression, since 2003, the Najaf hawza has now more than 13,000 students, while the curriculum has been updated to include many modern subjects as well as interfaith and inter-sectarian initiatives.[13]
Although largeShi'a academies existed inQom dating back as early as 10th century CE,[12] the hawza of the city became prominent at the time of theSafavids whenShi'a Islam became the official religion of Iran. The famous teachers of that era includedMulla Sadra andShaykh Bahai.[14][15] The modernQom hawza (since 1340 AH/1921 CE) was revitalized byAbdul Karim Haeri Yazdi andGrand Ayatollah Borujerdi and is barely a century old.[11][16] As of 1975, major madrasas in Qom which offered religious education included
traditional madrasas which incorporate some modern elements in the curricula include:
Since the revolution of 1979 new madrasas have been founded in Qom, including
There are also a number of women's hawza, mostly located inIran. Already in the early 1800s, theSalehiyya madrasa inQazvin ran a women's section where several femalemujtahids were trained. In Qom, the earliest seminary for women was established by the grand ayatollahMohammad Kazem Shariatmadari, who in 1973 added a women's section to his hawzaDar al-Tabligh, calledDar al-Zahra.[19] Next, theHaghani school opened a women's wing in 1974/75, calledMaktab-e Tawhid.
Outside Qom, women's seminaries included Maktab-e Fatema of Fasa (opened in 1961), Maktab-e Zahra of Shiraz (opened in 1964), Maktab-e Fatimah of Isfahan (opened byLady Amin in 1965),[20] Zahra-i Athar of Tehran (opened in 1966), and Madrase-ye 'Elmīyya Narges of Mashhad (opened in 1966).[21]
After the1979 revolution in Iran, the state began to centralize the women's hawza system. The women's seminaries in Qom were centralized into one large school, theJamiat al-Zahra. In Khorasan with its clerical center of Mashhad, the women's maktabs came under the aegis of the state-run Centre for Management of Women's Seminaries of Khorasan. In the rest of the country, women's seminaries were integrated into the Centre for Management of Women's Seminaries (Markaz-e Modiriat-e Ḥawzahā-ye ʿElmiyya Khwaharān). Since the mid-1990s the latter center has established more than 300 seminaries across Iran (before the revolution less than a dozen existed in the entire country).
There are also a number ofḥawzah in the West particularly in the United Kingdom. One of longest established hawza in the UK isAl-Mahdi Institute (AMI). Founded in 1993 by Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain,[22] who receivedijāza ofijtihād from Ayatollah Hussain Amini and Ayatollah Professor SayyidMostafa Mohaghegh Damad, Al-Mahdi Institute began as anIslamic educational institute (hawza) with the objective of combining traditionalseminarian scholarship with modern academic study approaches.[23][24]
The Hawza Programme is at the core of AMI's educational offerings. Modeled on thecurriculums of theḥawzah ofQom andNajaf, it offers training in classicalIslamic sciences, employing a critical and academic approach. Courses are primarily taught in English withArabic language instruction.[25][26] The programme culminates in eligibility for aMaster's degree inIslamic Studies from theUniversity of Birmingham.[23][27] Additionally, AMI's 'Transfer Student Scheme' enables students from other Islamic institutions to also join the programme and pursue the MA degree.
The teaching approach in the Hawza ʿIlmiyya is generally uniform across Shi'a centers, though it has undergone slight changes in modern times. It does not follow conventional educational systems but rather operates in a traditional manner.[28]
Hawza education is not structured into formal classroom grades. Instead, it is conducted through study circles, a method that has remained unchanged since the time ofShaykh Tusi. There are no formal examinations or certificates; rather, students choose their study materials, teachers, and even the location and time of lessons through mutual agreement.
Over the past four decades, there have been calls for reforming the teaching methods in the Hawza ʿIlmiyya. However, a significant segment of scholars insist on preserving the traditional system. A middle-ground perspective advocates for a combination of old and new approaches.
The curriculum is divided into three stages:
In this stage, students focus on subjects such as Arabic grammar, rhetoric, logic, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), and principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh). Common textbooks include:
In the second stage, students focus on analytical studies in jurisprudence, legal theory (usul), and philosophy.
The standard method of instruction involves selecting a specialized textbook in the relevant field. The teacher reads a passage, explains its meaning, addresses potential ambiguities, and discusses counterarguments. Students then present their comments or objections, and the teacher either corrects their views or acknowledges valid points.
This stage is characterized by a reasoning-based (istidlali) approach.
This stage is called theDars al-Kharij or "external studies" stage as study takes place beyond standard textbooks used by the professor in preparing lessons for this phase. The student transitions into the final stage of their academic journey at Najaf, having explored broad horizons of Islamic thought.
Student Responsibility in This Stage
In this stage, the responsibility for preparation and study lies with the student themselves, without being restricted to any specific scientific source. The student prepares the lecture material themselves—whether it be in jurisprudence, legal theory, exegesis, or hadith—before attending the lecture. The student then reviews the opinions of scholars on the topic, considers possible supporting evidence, and explores potential counterarguments. The goal is for the student to form their own independent view on the issue.
Once the preparation is complete, the student attends the *research outside the texts* sessions. These are study circles led by senior scholars, and multiple circles may be held simultaneously. The professor (a mujtahid) delivers lectures on a selected topic in jurisprudence, legal theory, Quranic exegesis, or hadith. A mujtahid may have two lectures a day: the morning lecture could focus on fiqh (jurisprudence), while the evening lecture might cover usul al-fiqh (legal theory), or vice versa. Some scholars may specialize in a single field.
Students who reach the level ofijtihad (independent legal reasoning) and demonstrate proficiency in deriving Islamic rulings may receive a certificate ofijtihad from their instructors. This marks their transition into senior scholarly ranks.
Hawza students begin their studies by learningfiqh,kalam,hadith,tafsir,philosophy, natural and abstract sciences as well asArabic andArabic literature. Once these studies have been completed, they may begin preparation to become amujtahid by studying advanced old textbooks known assat'h, and research courses known askharij.[29]
Subjects studied at the hawza may include the following:[2][12]
Once the basic studies have been completed, students may begin preparation to become amujtahid by studying advanced ancient textbooks known assat'h, and research courses known askharij.
To be amujtahid one has to excel in the advanced levels of the Hawza includingMuqad'dim'maat,Sotooh,Sotooh 'Ulya, 'Uloom Ukhra andBahath Kharij.
Bahath-e Kharij is the last level of hawzah and this level leads toMarja'iya, to become amarja' one has to teachdars-e khaarij for considerable amount of time, publish collection of juridical edicts (risala 'amaliyya) and become recognised as one (by establishedMaraji).[30]
These titles, used in seminaries affiliated with the Shia school of thought, indicate specific scholarly ranks. They are granted by religious authorities or recognized scholars.
The main titles include:
