The design of the holy Alawi Courtyard was meticulously crafted to ensure that the time of the “religious decline” of the sun (Zawal) and the sun’s position throughout the year could be accurately determined—an innovation that testifies to the engineering genius of Shaikh al-Baha’i.
Determining the Time of Zawal and the Solar Design of the Structure
It must be noted that Shaikh al-Baha’i employed a form of “astronomical miracle” in the engineering of this sacred sanctuary, including the precise determination of the Zawal time. His objective was to place his profound astronomical knowledge at the service of one of the most important religious obligations: identifying the time for the noon and afternoon prayers. Through a marvelous innovation, he calibrated the sunrise and the sun’s radiance upon the Holy Shrine throughout the year in a way that creates a staggering harmony. Furthermore, the building’s engineering contains numerous symbolic and creedal aspects inspired by the verses of the Holy Quran and the Hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt.
Regulating Sunrise and Astronomical Coordination
Regarding the Safavid architecture, Shaikh Jafar Mahbuba states:
“This original and magnificent edifice was built so masterfully that even the greatest engineers of the current age would find themselves unable to design its like. It incorporates a mechanism for the precise identification of the Zawal time without any variation between summer and winter. Moreover, masters of art remain astonished by the precision and delicacy used in regulating the sun’s rays upon the holy sarcophagus . Additionally, the principles of symmetry and artistic harmony are thoroughly observed in its architecture.”
The Theory of the Chambers’ Connection to Stars and Sciences
Shaikh Muhammad ibn Sulayman Tanekabuni (d. 1302 AH) narrated:
“It is widely renowned that the design of the walls of the holy Alawi Courtyard was by Shaikh al-Baha’i. He constructed the chambers of the courtyard such that each chamber faces a specific star, each associated with one of the sciences. Thus, if a student of mathematics, for example, sits in a chamber facing the star related to mathematics, they will, God willing, progress and excel rapidly in that field. Another point is that in every season of the year, whenever the sunlight reaches the base of the wall, it marks the religious time of noon. These two features are among the wonders of this structure.”
The same theme was echoed by Shaikh Jafar Naqdi (d. 1303 AH), who said:
“It is said that the wall of the holy Alawi Courtyard in Najaf al-Ashraf is of Shaikh al-Baha’i’s design. He built it so that each of the noble chambers surrounding the courtyard faces one of the stars associated with the sciences such that a seeker of knowledge studying mathematics would advance in a short time if situated in the chamber facing the mathematical star. Also, the wall was built so that whenever the sun reaches it, the start of noon is realized in every season of the year.”
The Issue of the Qibla and the Jurists’ Perspective
Ayatollah Sayed Muhyi al-Din al-Ghurayfi says:
“If it is said that the construction of the holy Alawi Courtyard was under the supervision of Shaikh al-Baha’i—the jurist who was well-versed in engineering and mathematics—this in itself is evidence that the structure was built according to the Qibla line.”
In response, we state:
1. There is no evidence indicating that Shaikh al-Baha’i, while supervising the construction, intended to align it precisely with the Qibla without any deviation. Rather, it is said his focus was primarily on determining the solar Zawal time, designing the courtyard so that when the sun reaches a specific point, the noon time is known.
2. Shaikh al-Baha’i designed the plan of the courtyard based on the existing pattern of the Holy Shrine that had been built previously, to maintain harmony and proportion between the two. Since the original shrine was aligned on a southern axis, the courtyard inevitably followed that same axis, even if it deviated slightly from the exact Qibla toward the east.
3. While Shaikh al-Baha’i was at the peak of knowledge, he was human, and the possibility of error exists. Furthermore, precise modern scientific instruments were not available then; thus, any discrepancy is not a flaw in his work, but a limitation of the tools of that era.
Solar Indicators for Zawal
There are three clear signs to identify the time of Zawal and the commencement of noon and afternoon prayers, which remain constant throughout the year:
- The sunlight reaching the edge of the porticos of the chambers on the eastern side of the holy Courtyard, particularly the four chambers in the northeastern corner, one of which houses the entrance to the Khadra Mosque.
- The sun reaching the middle of the turquoise band on the left side, inside the Iwan of Bab al-Sa’ah ” frames the gate.
- The alignment of the shadow directly beneath the Golden Spout, which is situated atop the southern Iwan of the Holy Shrine (known as the Iwan of the Golden Spout).
The Golden Spout: A Hidden Sundial in the Holy Alawi Shrine
It is noteworthy that this spout was not fundamentally constructed for water drainage; it only drains an area of approximately 34 square meters, situated one meter above the roof level of the Holy Shrine. Meanwhile, rainwater and other fluids are discharged through various other spouts installed across the roof surface. Thus, the design of this spout was intended for a different function. In fact, Shaikh al-Baha’i designed it as a sundial to precisely determine the time of Zawal; this is one of his astonishing innovations that demonstrates his incomparable genius.
Shaikh Muhammad Samawi also alluded to this in his poem; when speaking of the well located between the Iwan of the Golden Spout and the Great Southern Iwan—now known as the Iwan of al-Hububi—he employed the term “Indian Circle” to refer to the Golden Spout.
The Issue of Qibla Deviation: A Historical and Juridical Analysis
In discussing the indicators of the Qibla, Sayed Muhyi al-Din al-Ghurayfi states:
“Among the indicators is the grave of an Infallible Imam; that is, the place where his holy body is interred. This serves as proof for the Qibla, for an Infallible is only buried by another Infallible like him, and he is most knowledgeable regarding the direction of the Qibla. Therefore, he inevitably places the buried body facing the Qibla, and the grave acts like a Mihrab toward which the Infallible would stand in prayer. Of course, this depends on knowing the exact direction of the buried Infallible Imam’s face; for only that direction truly counts as the Qibla marker. However, the structure built over the grave, the sarcophagus placed upon it, or the tomb enclosure installed around it, are all subject to a different ruling. It is clear that these structures were not built by the Infallible Imam himself, but were erected by Imami Shia after him. Consequently, these structures only carry the ruling of the Qibla if their builders took the exact direction into account during construction; otherwise, there is no such necessity.”
Regarding prayer in the Holy Alawi Shrine, he writes:
“For this reason, whoever prays in the Holy Alawi Shrine and the Noble Courtyard should deviate slightly toward the west and not stand precisely facing the sarcophagus and the tomb enclosure. This structure was built on a southern axis—as I have personally tested—whereas the Qibla of Najaf and Kufa leans toward the west from it. There is no doubt in this, and all jurists who have addressed this matter, though they differ on the exact degree of deviation, have accepted the core premise. I personally placed a Razmara Compass in the Great Mosque of Kufa and saw that the Qibla needle pointed directly to the Mihrab without any deviation. I then placed it in the Holy Alawi Shrine and observed that the needle deviated slightly to the west of the Holy tomb enclosure.”
Consequently, our master, the Great Researcher Ayatollah al-Hakim, would deviate slightly toward the west when praying in the Holy Alawi Shrine and its courtyard, following his teacher, Ayatollah al-Na’ini. Many scholars and others followed this same method.
Contemporary Scientific Tests in Determining the Qibla of the Holy Shrine
Sayed Abd al-Talib al-Khirsan writes:
“In the 1950s, the Great Religious Authority, Grand Ayatollah Imam al-Hakim, summoned a group of specialized professors from the University of Baghdad to ensure the precise determination of the Qibla. Using available scientific instruments, they confirmed that in the architecture of the Holy Alawi Shrine, the orientation deviates slightly to the right (east) of the actual Qibla. Following this, a large number of scholars and various segments of the public adopted this view.”
The Sunrise and its Radiance upon the Holy Dome
Among the manifestations of astronomical miracles in the Alawi design is that at sunrise, the sun casts its rays upon the luminous dome; this radiance remains strictly confined between the Northern and Southern Minarets of the Holy Shrine throughout all seasons of the year.
Symbolic and Creedal Manifestations in the Design of Light and Orientation
Shaikh Muhammad Husain Hirz al-Din says:
“To signify the sun’s rising upon the holy grave, a Persian couplet is inscribed on the tiling of the Great Eastern Iwan of the Noble Courtyard—in the upper section of the Iwan’s arch. This calligraphy is written in bold, dark blue letters on a yellow background; each hemistich is on one side of the arch, starting from the right side of the courtyard exit and ending on the left. The meaning of the couplet is: ‘How sublime is the dust of your door, an asylum for the distressed; Where every morning, the sun prostrates upon your threshold.'”
The book “History of the Holy Alawi Shrine” (Tarikh al-Marqad al-Alawi al-Mutahhar)
