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Hafez Ahmadullah

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Faqīh al-Din
Hafez Ahmadullah
হাফেজ আহমদুল্লাহ
Chairman of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 December 2023
Preceded bySultan Zauq Nadwi
Personal details
Born (1941-05-12) 12 May 1941 (age 84)
Chittagong, British Raj
Alma mater
Personal life
NationalityBangladeshi
Parent
  • Muhammad Isa (father)
Main interest(s)
RelativesShah Ahmad Hasan (grandfather)
Religious life
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Senior posting
Teacher
Disciple ofMuhammadullah Hafezzi

Hafez Ahmadullah (born 12 May 1941) is a 21st-century Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educator, currently serving as the chairman of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh since 16 December 2023, a state-recognized Qawmi madrasa board. On 15 February 2024, he was appointed president of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, where he also holds the position of Head Mufti. He is widely referred to as 'Faqīh al-Din' (Jurist of the Religion), a title ascribed to him in recognition of decades of scholarship in Islamic jurisprudence, having received formal instruction from Muhammad Shafi, Pakistan's former Grand Mufti.[1] He had a foundational role in establishing the Islamic Fiqh Board Bangladesh on 17 May 2017, inspired by its Indian counterpart. In addition to his expertise in Fiqh, he is also engaged in Hadith scholarship and has taught as Sheikh al-Hadith at both Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya and Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri. Spiritually, he is associated with the tradition of Ashraf Ali Thanwi through his succession from Muhammadullah Hafezzi, a direct disciple of Thanwi. He also holds the position of Vice-President in Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.

Early life and education

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Ahmadullah was born on 12 May 1941, in Naikhain village, Patiya Upazila, Chittagong District, to Muhammad Isa, with his maternal grandfather being Shah Ahmad Hasan.[2] He began his Quranic studies under his father's guidance at the age of seven.[3] In 1948, he enrolled at Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri and completed his Quran memorization in 1951. At 21, in 1963, he graduated with a Master's in Hadith (Dawra-e-Hadith) from Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri. Seeking further education, he traveled to Pakistan, where he studied at Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore, revisiting Hadith texts under scholars such as Idris Kandhlawi and Rasul Khan Hazarwi. He later moved to Multan to study at Jamia Khairul Madaris, under Muhammad Sharif Kashmiri, before continuing his advanced studies at Darul Uloom Karachi, where he specialized in fatwas under Muhammad Shafi.[4] In the spiritual domain, he initially received Bai'ah (initiation) from Muhammad Shafi in Karachi. In 1979, during Ramadan, he took Bai'ah from Muhammadullah Hafezzi, and two years later, he received spiritual succession from him.[5]

Career

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He returned to Bangladesh in 1968 and began teaching at Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri, where he taught nearly every subject of Dars-i Nizami for 23 years. Towards the end of this period, he was promoted to Sheikh al-Hadith.[5] In 1991, at the request of Muhammad Yunus, he joined Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, where he currently serves as the Chief Mufti and Sheikh al-Hadith.[1] In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on congregational prayers in many countries, he issued a fatwa stating that, given the situation in Bangladesh, there was no need for a different ruling on Friday prayers and congregational prayers.[6] He also issued fatwas regarding the human body, declaring that it is a trust from Allah, and thus suicide, organ donation, and the buying or selling of organs are prohibited in Islam.[7]

He chaired the 3rd seminar of the Islamic Fiqh Board of Bangladesh on 11 February 2020, with Nematullah Azami as the chief guest. The board was established in 2017, with Ahmadullah as its main patron.[8] On 4 November 2019, he became the Vice-President of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh.[9] After the death of Abdul Halim Bukhari and the ensuing internal conflict within the board, he was elected president of one faction of the board in an emergency meeting on 16 December 2023. The other faction is led by Sultan Zauq Nadwi.[10] On 15 February 2024, following an emergency session of the Shura Council, Ahmadullah was elected president of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya.[11] In addition to these roles, he was elected Vice-President of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh on 15 November 2020, and serves as the chief advisor to the Bangladesh Tahfizul Quran Organization.[12][13] In his professional life, he is known as 'Hafiz Saheb Hujur.' He is the father of three sons and four daughters.[1]

Literary works

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Although writing was not his primary focus, he made several publications in Islamic literature.[1] He authored Mashayekh-e-Chattagram, a two-volume biographical work on prominent Islamic figures from the Chittagong region, and his Friday sermons were compiled and published with a Bengali translation under the title An-Nafhatul Ahmadiyyah fil Khutubat al-Mimbariyyah.[1] In response to criticisms directed at Hanafi jurisprudence in Sahih al-Bukhari, he wrote Daf'ul Iltibas, addressing each objection in detail. His other works include Tazkiratun Nur, Taskinul Khawatir fi Sharh al-Ashbah wa an-Nazair (a commentary on comparative legal principles), Islamer Drishtite Share Bazaar o Multi-Level Marketing (an analysis of stock markets and MLM practices from an Islamic perspective), Jugopojogi Dosh Masayel (Ten Contemporary Issues), and Mazhab o Mazhaber Proyojoniyota (The Madhhab and Its Relevance).[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Haque, Ijazul (13 April 2023). "An Outstanding Personality in Knowledge and Values". Desh Rupantor.
  2. ^ White Paper: 2000 Days of Fundamentalist and Communal Violence in Bangladesh (in Bengali). Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212: Public Commission to Investigate Fundamentalist and Communal Terrorism. 2022. p. 143–144.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ Uddin, Giyas (2021). History of Jamia Ziri (in Bengali). Patiya: Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri. p. 128.
  4. ^ a b "Allama Hafez Ahmadullah". Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b Uddin 2021, p. 130.
  6. ^ Khusru, Ataur Rahman (20 March 2020). "Dialogue with Leading Ulamas on the Islamic Perspective of Coronavirus". Kaler Kantho. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  7. ^ Sharif, Qasim (24 October 2014). "Rulings on the Trade and Donation of Human Organs". Kaler Kantho. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  8. ^ Shawkat, Ibrahim (7 February 2020). "Seminar by Islamic Fiqh Board Bangladesh Scheduled for February 11". Our Islam.
  9. ^ "Outcomes of the General Meeting of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh". Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya. 4 November 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Hifz-ul-Qur'an Competition and Award Ceremony Held in Patiya". Daily Naya Diganta. 31 December 2024. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Abu Taher Nadwi Elected Director General of Patiya Madrasa; Obaidullah Hamzah Permanently Expelled". Jaijaidin. 15 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Complete Lineup of Hefazat-e-Islam's Central Committee". Bangla Tribune. 15 November 2020. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Hifz-ul-Qur'an Competition and Award Ceremony Held in Patiya". Daily Naya Diganta. 31 December 2024. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025.
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