Jafar Abu al-Timman

Ja'far Abu al-Timman (; 1881 – 11 November 1945) was an Iraqi revolutionary and politician, who was the leader of Haras al-Istiqlal (The Guardians of Independence).

Early life and education Ja'far Abu al-Timman was born in Baghdad, descending from the well-known Rabi’a tribe. Due to family disputes, his father traveled to Iran. As a result, Ja'far grew up and was raised in the house of his grandfather, a well-known merchant named Hajj Dawood who was famous for trading grains, especially rice. He supervised the young boy's education. He studied religious and jurisprudential sciences as well as poetry and literature in Kadhimiya. He wrote poetry in his youth, and in his middle years he edited economic magazine articles. Ja'far had also started solving complex matters of jurisprudence and Shari'a laws. This led him to become active in the secret political society Haras al-Istiqlal in late February 1919.

Role in the Iraqi Revolt Al-Timman was the leader of a political group that opposed the British administration of Iraq in 1919–1920. He contributed to the Iraqi revolution against British occupation.

Political career He served as a chairman of the Iraqi National Party in 1922. He served as Minister of Commerce in the second cabinet of Abd al-Rahman al-Gillani.

Also in 1935, at-Timman agreed to the plan of Hikmat Sulayman, who came to the belief that al-Ahali Party should forcibly overthrow the government of Yasin al-Hashimi and then reform Iraq from above, following the example of Kemal Atatürk's reforms. He supported Bakr Sidqi's military coup in 1936 and served as Minister of Finance in the cabinet of Hikmat Sulayman from 29 October 1936 until he resigned in June 1937. But then al-Timman's hopes for a deep reform of the country did not come true. He was disappointed by the attitude of Hikmat Sulaiman, who very quickly began to strive for more authority in power. Already in 1937, al-Timman and Kamil al-Chadirji left the government, protesting against the attitude of the prime minister, who resigned from the reforms previously demanded by al-Ahali. Additionally, al-Timman was outraged by the fact that Sulayman and Bakr Sidqi brutally suppressed the uprising of the Iraqi Shi'i Muslims.

Death Al-Timman remained active in Iraqi politics until he died on 11 November 1945, in an explosion. His death shocked the Iraqi people, and a burial ceremony was held for him. There were meetings in schools, institutes, organizations and chambers of commerce to mourn his death. He was mourned from Abu Nuwas Street which was where he lived. The large mourning of Ja'far al-Timman showcased his wide popularity in Iraqi society at the time. Al-Timman was buried in the Wadi al-Salam cemetery in Najaf.