Ahmad Mohammad Hussain Nassrullah Marafie

1900 – 1956

His Attitude with the British Consul:

Ahmad Marafie is considered one of the business pioneers, who established commercial relations with Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, U.S.A, and Great Britain. Once during World War II when the British Commissioner visited Ahmad Marafie in his office in the souk (Souk Aldakhly), he came across imported goods of textiles, blankets etc., from Japan and Germany flooded the market. Immediately he remonstrated it stating that this would lead to the animosity of the British Crown since the same goods are manufactured in Great Britain too.

Ahmad Marafie, diplomatically handled the situation. He boosted the British commissioner’s morale by updating him of the greatly established long standing mutual business ties along with their intention of extending wholehearted co- operation with British factories in the long run since British goods were found to be acceptable to the customers. He further referred to the high esteem Kuwaitis held towards the British government’s sincere co-operation and support which had been well reflected in people’s enthusiasm to buy British good due to its exceptionality.

It is said that once when a German ship captain celebrated the debut arrival of their new ship, brought for seafaring, with a bottle of Champaign, Ahmad Marafie who was awaiting the ship at shore became outrageous and hitherto rejected all business ties with that German Company. Thereafter, the agency, with all its documents was handed over to Abdurahman Al-Bahar.

During Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad’s reign, he was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in 1931, by direct ballot. The job Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber offered him, while in his forties, at the Customs Department of Kuwait Oil Co. was refused. He was also entrusted the Old Marafie Hussainiya (Alsharqiya) after his father. In addition to this, he established the Ja'fariya National School in the year 1938.

1938 Assembly Year (Almajliss):

Though Ahmad Marafie was asked to be part of 1938 assembly, he refused it. In his perspective, an assembly of the kind would neither represent the people of Kuwait nor would it be competent to address the general issues or draw vital decisions in favour of the nation whose population growth rate by then multiplied towards the year 1938. Yet he maintained good terms with Ahmad Al-Jaber, Abdullah Al-Salem and other assembly advocates. As a feather to his cap, his approach with feasible solutions over crisis, which otherwise would have taken a drastic turn with the destiny of the nation, proved him as a seasoned administrator.