“Money was the life blood of Najaf.” Thus observed the Shi[ayn]i author,[ayn]Ali Khaqani.1The story of the Oudh Bequest, which channeled more than 6million rupees from the Shi[ayn]i kingdom of Awadh2in India to the two Shi[ayn]ishrine cities of Najaf and Karbala[ham] in Iraq during the second half of the 19th century is a fineexample of Khaqani's assessment. These [ayn]Ataba¯t-i[ayn]a¯liya¯t (“sublime thresholds”) were the most importantcenters of learning in Shi[ayn]ism during the 19th century. For this reason, a study of the bequestprovides important insights into the internal workings of a leading community of ulama during aperiod of change, as well as into the role of European players in the life of such communities.