Editing Najaf (section)

== Etymology ==
According to [[Ibn Manzur]], the word, "najaf" ({{Lang|ar|نجف}}), literally means a high and rectangular place around which water is accumulated, although the water does not go above its level.<ref>Ibn Manẓūr, ''Lisān al-ʿArab'', under the word "Najaf".</ref> [[Al-Shaykh al-Saduq]] appeals to a hadith from [[Ja'far al-Sadiq]], claiming that "Najaf" comes from the phrase, "nay jaff" which means "the nay sea has dried".<ref>Ṣadūq, ''ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ'', vol. 1, p. 31.</ref>

"Najaf" is usually accompanied by the adjective "al-Ashraf" (the dignified). According to the author of ''al-Hawza al-'ilmiyya fi l-Najaf al-ashraf'', this is because 'Ali, one of the most dignified persons, is buried in the city.

Al-Ghari or al-Ghariyyan, Hadd al-'Adhra', al-Hiwar, al-Judi, Wadi l-Salam, al-Zahr, Zahr al-Kufa (behind Kufa), al-Rabwa, Baniqiya, and Mashhad are other names for this land.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}