Arif Hussain Al Hussaini (Urdu: علامه عارف حسين الحسينى شهيد) (November 25, 1946 - August 5, 1988) was a Shia leader in Pakistan.
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Shaheed Hussaini was born on 25 November 1946 in the Village Piwaar of Kurram Agency, Parachinar into the house of Fazal Hussain Shah. His family belongs to the Husseini branch of Syeds, which trace descent to the fourth Shi'a imam, Zayn al-‘Ābidīn. The specific local branch name was Doerazai. Arif received his primary education at his home town government primary school and later on went to Parachinar to complete his matriculation. Later he showed a keen interest in religious studies and received admission into the Madressa Jafria Parachinar from where he went to the Iraqi city of Najaf for further studies. In 1973 he returned home and married, and a year later went to the holy city of Qom, Iran to join the Hauza Ilmia. In 1975 and 1977 he went on Haj. Due to the situation in Kurrum Agency and also for Madressah-e-Jaffaria in Parachinar, Abid Hussain al Hussaini called him for help. As a teacher, he Shaheed Arif Hussain Al Hussaini tried to improve the syllabus of the madrassa while also encouraging students to adopt modern techniques to understand Islam with the strict following of Taqwa-e-Ilahee.
After the success of the 1979 Islamic revolution, the imperialists feared that the revolution would be spread throughout the Middle East and neighbouring Muslim nations and therefore marked areas where it could reach and influence. Kurram Agency was also marked due to its sizeable Shia population and close geographical contact with Iran. They used Afghan refugees to suppress the Kurram Agency's population. Initially, large camps were erected around Kurram Agency and then soon after settling, elements within the Afghan refugees attacked Kurrum Agency.
Arif played a leading role in defending the area. He founded the "Alamdar Foundation" comprising approximately 1200 youth members and appointed himself its leader. He told the members of the Alamdar Foundation that the future of Parachinar was in extreme danger due to the imperialist plot to disengage all Shia centers from the Islamic revolution. The "Alamdar Foundation" focused on the welfare of the people of the region and instructed its members to initiate a campaign against social evils, especially the use of heroin.
In a meeting of 28 persons called in Bhakkar, Punjab, Arif Hussain was given the leadership of Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan, five months after the death of Mufti Jafar Hussain on February 10, 1984 in Bhakkar. He was recommended by Ayatollah Muhammad Hussain Najafi, principal of Sultanul Madaris Sargodah, and Allama Syed Safdar Hussain Najafi, principal of Jamia tul Muntazir Lahore.
Hussaini was killed in Peshawar on August 5, 1988. After having prayed at a local mosque, he was confronted by two gunmen and shot. The attackers escaped but were later arrested. Hussaini died of his wounds while being transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
His body was taken from Peshawar to his native village of Pehwar by helicopter. Pakistani president Muhammad Zia ul Haq and special representatives of the Iranian government participated in his funeral rites. The Iranian government supported the construction of a mazar over his grave in Pehwar. His soyem was attended by Ambassadors of different countries including Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon etc. in Parachinar, Pakistan.[1]