Basra shrine of Prophet’s companion faces neglect

Shafaq News- Basra

A shrine attributed to Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most prominent hadith narrators, is showing signs of neglect in Iraq’s southern Basra province, more than 1,300 years after his death, with the site lacking basic maintenance and services.

Anas ibn Malik settled in Basra and became one of its leading religious and scholarly figures before his death around 93 AH, or 712 AD, according to biographical sources. The current shrine structure, located in Al-Shuaiba, does not date to that era and has undergone several phases of construction and renovation over the centuries.

Islamic researcher Abdul-Sattar Ahmed described the shrine as an important religious and historical landmark in Basra, warning that leaving sites of this kind without maintenance or rehabilitation could put the province’s religious and cultural heritage at risk.

“The site reflects an early period in Basra’s history, when the city emerged as a center of scholarship, hadith transmission and Islamic jurisprudence and became home to numerous companions, successors and scholars,” he added, noting that the shrine once attracted more visitors but that interest in the site gradually declined.

He called on the government, cultural and religious authorities to carry out urgent maintenance and rehabilitation work and establish a clear plan to preserve the site, stressing that such measures could improve access for visitors and researchers seeking to explore Basra’s history.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Basra, a city between wealth and withering