12 obituary

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Three Noble Religious Personalities have Left “It is a fact that death is a reality and that nobody can miss it. During the last month three religious noble personalities have left us for the journey of the hereafter. Besides Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahim Bastawi, teacher of logic and philosophy at Darul Uloom, Deoband, Maulana Syed Nizamuddin, Amir-eShariat of Patna based Imarat Shariah of Bihar, , as well as Maulana Shaukat Ali Nazeer, Imam of Jame Masjid, Mumbai, have passed away one by one. It is a great loss for the Ummah and Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi, the patron of Eastern Cresecent, has expressed his sincere condolences for the bereaved, their families, and associates and students.____ Editor”

Maulana Abdur Rahim Bastawi (1929 – 2015)

In 1982, Maulana Abdur Rahim was selected for a teaching post in Darul Uloom Deoband. He taught different subjects from the secondary to middle Arabic classes till the last session ended in Sha’ban 1436/June 2015. His field of expertise was logic and philosophy.

Mufti Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi round one hundred and fifty thousand humans die every day around the globe, but there are only few who leave eyes in tears and hearts shocked, cutting across the lines of family, caste and region.

One of such personalities was Maulana Abdur Rahim Bastawi who passed away on 09 Sep 2015 Wed morning in Deoband.

A

Maulana Abdur Rahim Bastawi, Professor of Hadith, Tafsir and Islamic

sciences in Darul Uloom Deoband, was in his eighties and was ailing seriously since last June.

Maulana was a teacher of generations in Darul Uloom and taught thousands of students from across the country and even abroad. Maulana was well-known in academic and teaching circles for his keen interest in philosophy and logic.

The students called him imam almantiq wa al-falsafa due to his expertise and command over the subjects.

Maulana Abdur Rahim was born in

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Daryabad Dist. Basti UP in 1929. He acquired the primary education at his native place and then went to Madrasa Noorul Uloom, from Bahraich in UP where he completed the middle stage of Islamic education. In 1951, he joined Darul Uloom Deoband for higher Islamic education and graduated in 1955 under Shaikh al-Islam Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani, the Shaikh alHadith and Principal of Darul Uloom from 1927 to 1957. Maulana Abdur Rahim secured the honour of being a disciple of this great Muhaddith He was one of the last row of his students in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, whose

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members are vanishing swiftly and those who remain alive can be counted on fingers. Darul Uloom itself now enjoys only three professors who studied under Shaikh al-Islam Madani.

After graduating from Darul Uloom, he was appointed as teacher in Umri Kalan, Dist. Basti where he rendered his services for four years. Then, on the behest of his teachers in Darul Uloom Deoband, he joined Madrasa Shamsul Uloom in Andhra Pradesh where he stayed nearly for two decades. In view of the bad religious conditions of the Muslims in southern India, he did not confine himself to teaching in the madrasa, but rather chose to reform their beliefs, practices and thinking by making sermons from the pulpit of mosques. He was a popular orator of the area and due to his sincere efforts scores of Muslims repented superstitious practices and un-Islamic customs.

In 1982, Maulana Abdur Rahim was selected for a teaching post in Darul Uloom Deoband. He taught different subjects from the secondary to middle Arabic classes till the last session ended

in Sha’ban 1436/June 2015. His field of expertise was logic and philosophy.

Under his supervision, the students in Darul Uloom founded Sho’ba-eMunazara (debate section) where they held weekly programmes by forming two groups; one favouring a contentious issue while the other opposing it. This helped immensely to develop oratory and dialogue skills of the students who prepared themselves to defend Islam and Muslims in odd times. He also went out on Tabligh tours and thus helped Jam’ate Tabligh to be establish in the region. He took his first Jam’at to Mysore in 1959. He had also been the state President of Jami’at Ulama of AP since 1975-1980.

Maulana survived thousands of his disciples and several sons whom he adorned with Islamic and modern education. His son, Dr Shamsul Huda, is Associate Professor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University Hyderabad.

His elder son, Maulana Noorul Huda Qasmi, is rector of Jamia Farooqia Deoband, while his third son, Mufti Najmul Huda is following the footsteps

of his father in dispensing the wealth of knowledge to students.

The collection of his speeches in UK were published with the title Khutbat-eLondon, Khutbat-e-Birmingham. Some of his other treatises are: Shab-eBara’at, Shab-e-Me’raj, Pandrah Naflein. He also wrote his autobiography which is unpublished.

He was also given khilafat by Maulana Altaf Hussain of Bangladesh who is khalifa of Sufi Hafiz Ji Huzoor, the famous khalifa of Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi from that country.

Maulana’s funeral prayer was attended by a large crowd and he was laid to rest in famous Qasmi graveyard after Isha salah. The next day, Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, delivering a condolence speech in Darul Uloom, mourning the great loss caused by his demise and also shed light on the finer qualities of the deceased.

May Allah shower His exclusive mercy on Maulana and may He grant him the highest abode in Paradise, Ameen!

Imam of Mumbai Jama Masjid

Syed Shaukat Ali

passes away, laid to rest in Raigad Hundreds of people gathered in Mhasla, a census town in Raigad district of Maharashtra's Konkan region, for the funeral of Hazrat Maulana Syed Shaukat Ali Nazir, Imam of Mumbai Jama Masjid.

Maulana Syed Shaukat Ali Nazir, the Imam of Mumbai's Grand Mosque located at Crawford Market passed away at his ancestor's town Mendri in Taluka Mhasla recently. He is survived

by his wife and son.

The news of his death sent shock waves across India. When the worshippers at the Mumbai Jama Masjid were told about his death soon after the Asr

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prayers, many were left in tears.

Besides people from the neighboring towns and cities in Konkan, a large

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number of people from Mumbai, Gujarat and other parts of Maharashtra travelled to Mhasla for the funeral prayers of Syed Shaukat Ali. The 84-year-old cleric, among one of the most respected living clerics in India, was Imam of Mumbai's Jama Masjid for 51 for the years since 1964.

He was ailing last few years and had shifted to Mendri. The last time he

visited the Mumbai Jama Masjid was during the month of Ramadan when he came to Mumbai for two days.

Very pious and soft spoken, Maulana Syed Shaukat was famous for his Friday sermons. His sermon delivered immediately after the tragic demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 is still in people's minds. Advising calm and restraint, Maulana Syed Shaukat Ali

had called upon the worshippers for introspection and prayers.

President of Jamia Hussainia in Shreewardhan, Maulana Syed Shaukat Ali had also presided over the inaugural session of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). He also worked as the Arabic language teacher at Mohammadia High School.

President of Imarat-e-Sharia

Maulana Syed Nizamuddin Passes Away

Maulana Syed Nizamuddin, Amir-e-Shariat (President) of Patna based Imarat Shariah of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha and general secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board passed away recently.

88 year old Syed Nizamuddin was bed ridden and not keeping well for past several months. His burial will take place on Sunday afternoon.

Syed Nizamuddin came from an educated and respected family and was born on March 31, 1927 at their ancestral home in Ghorighat in Gaya district on the present day border of Bihar and Jharkhand, where the family had settled centuries ago. He received his early education from his father late Syed Hussain at home and later went to Madrassa Imdadia in Darbhanga from where he completed his secondary education. He also went to the prestigious Darul Uloom, Deoband for the five years fazil at course from 194247.

He started teaching immediately and was appointed the Principal of the Madarasa Riyazul Uloom, at Sathi in the Champaran District of Bihar (19491962) and later also served as the

Principal of Madarasa Rasheedul Uloom at Chatra District (presently in Jharkhand) during 1963-1964.

In 1964, Syed Nizamuddin was appointed as the Nazim (Secretary) of Imarat-e-Shariah and served on the post till 1998 when he was elevated to become the President or Ameer Shariat, Imarat-e-Shariah,Bihar in November, 1998.

He was also appointed as the General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board in May 1991 and had continued on the post since then.

Syed Nizamuddin was also a member of Majlis-e-Shoora of Darul Uloom, Deoband; member of management committee of Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow; and Patron of the Islamic Fiqh Academy (India). He also served as a member of the Central Waqf Council, Government of India for two years.

Through most part of his life, he

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provided guidance to Muslim communities in difficult times and also raised issues of injustice meted out to people of other deprived sections of society.

Darul Qaza, run and managed by Imarat-e-Sharia, works at resolving civil discords and other matters and contentions pertaining to Sharia (Islamic jurisprudence) since 1921.

There are 48 Darul Qaza throughout Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

Besides settling family and social contentions, Imarat-e-Sharia has played critical role in maintaining social harmony in the region and is known for its moderate and harmonious approach.

It also supports severals community based services and run a number of educational institutions in the region, including ITI, computer centres, schools etc. besides a hospital in Phulwari Sharif, Patna.