Allama Ihsan Ilahi Zahir
Ihsan Ilahi Zahir | |
|---|---|
احسان الٰہی ظہیر | |
 Zahir delivering a speech | |
| 1st Emir of Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith | |
| In office March 1986 – 30 March 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Sajid Mir |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 31 May 1945 |
| Died | 30 March 1987 (aged 41) |
| Resting place | Al-Baqi |
| Children |
|
| Education | University of Madinah |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Ahl-i Hadith |
| Movement | Salafism |
Allama Ihsan Ilahi Zahir[a] (31 May 1945 – 30 March 1987) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar who was the founder and first emir of Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith from 1986 until his assassination in 1987.
Zahir was the editor of Tarjuman al-Hadith and was considered one of the leading anti-Shia theologians in Pakistan.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Ihsan Ilahi Zahir was born on 31 May 1945 in Sialkot, Punjab, British India, to a Punjabi Muslim family belonging to the Sethi clan. His father, Haji Zahur Ilahi, was a scholar who was affiliated with the Ahl-i-Hadith movement.
Zahir was formally educated in Ahl-i Hadith institutes in Gujranwala and Faisalabad before earning Masters in Arabic, Islamic studies, Urdu, and Persian at the University of the Punjab and further continuing his studies in Islamic law at the University of Madinah under many scholars.[2]
Career
[edit]In March 1986, Zahir founded Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith and used to criticize Zia-ul-Haq. After Zaheer was assassinated, the party was led by his aide Sajid Mir.[3]
Ihsan Ilahi Zahir was one of the leading critics of Shia Islam in Pakistan. He regarded Shia–Sunni unity as "impossible", asserting that their is no common ground for them.[4] Zahir's writings may have influenced the anti-Shia organization Sipah-e-Sahaba.[4]
According to author Farahnaz Ispahani, Zahir and another scholar, Israr Ahmad, "formulated the first anti-Khomeini critiques from within Islamist/Islamic circles".[5]
Assassination
[edit]He died from an assassin's bomb blast in 1987.[6] He was taken to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in an injured condition.[7]
On 23 March 1987, while Zahir was giving a speech in Lahore, a bomb which had been planted in the flowers on the stage exploded, severely injuring him. Upon the request of Saudi Grand Mufti Ibn Baz, Zahir was transferred to Saudi Arabia for treatment at The National Guard Hospital. However, the medics could not save him from his severe wounds. His funeral prayer was attended by thousands, including President of Pakistan Zia-ul Haq, ISI chief Akhtar Abdur Rahman, and the Pakistani foreign minister Sahabzada Yaqub Khan.[7] Zahir was then buried in the historic al-Baqi cemetery in Medina.[1][8]
Personal life
[edit]Zahir's father-in-law Hafiz Muhammad Gondalvi (1897–1985) was also a famed Ahl-i Hadith scholar.[9]
Zahir had three sons, themselves involved in Islamic scholarship and activism: Ibtisam, Hisham and Mutasim.[10]
Influence and legacy
[edit]Ihsan Ilahi Zahir is considered one of the leading and most prolific Salafi scholars in Pakistan.[1] As one of the staunchest anti-Shia theologians, his works were translated into several languages, especially the Indonesian language.[1]
Books
[edit]He mainly wrote in Arabic but his works have been translated into Urdu and many other languages:[11]
Urdu
[edit]- Mirzāʼiyyat aur Islām, Idārat Turjumān al-Sunnah, 1972, 240 p.
Arabic
[edit]- al-Qadiyaniyat : dirasat wa-tahlil, Idārat Turjumān al-Sunnah, 1976, 320 p.[12][13]
- al-Shīʻah wa-al-Sunnah, Idārat Turjumān al-Sunnah, 1977, 216 p.
- al-Bābīyah : ʻarḍ wa-naqd, Idārat Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1981, 288 p.
- al-Bahāʼīyah : naqd wa-taḥlīl, Idārat Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1981, 375 p.[14]
- Aš-Šhīʻa wa-ahl al-bait, Idārat Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1982, 316 p.
- Aš-Šhīʻa wa'l-Qurʼān, Idārat Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1983, 352 p.
- al-Barīlawīya : ʻaqāʼid wa-taʼrīḫ, Idārat Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1983, 253 p.
- Bayna al-Shīʻah wa-ahl al-Sunnah, Idārat Tarjamān al-Sunnah, 1985, 218 p.
- Ismāīlīyah : tārīkh wa-aqāid, Idārah Tarjumān al-Sunnah, 1986, 757 p.[15]
English translations
[edit]- Ibn Taymiyyah's Kitab-al-wasilah. Foreword and translation under the guidance of Ehsan Elahi Zaheer.
- Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Kitab at-Tawheed. Foreword and translation under the guidance of Ehsan Elahi Zaheer.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Zulkifli (2013-11-06). The Struggle of the Shi‘is in Indonesia. ANU E Press. ISBN 978-1-925021-30-1.
- ^ Mariam Abou Zahab, Pakistan: A Kaleidoscope of Islam, Oxford University Press, 2020, p. 200, note 19.
- ^ "Allama Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer profile". PakistanHerald.com website. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ a b Jaffrelot, Christophe; Louër, Laurence (2017). Pan-Islamic Connections: Transnational Networks Between South Asia and the Gulf. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-086298-5.
- ^ Ispahani, Farahnaz (2017). Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-062165-0.
- ^ Umar, Ayesha (2011-06-15). "Kill, in the name of religion". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ a b Shah, Sabir (2017-02-14). "Notables killed in Lahore in six decades". The News International. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ Imtiaz Alam, Religious revivalism in South Asia, South Asian Policy Analysis Network, 2006, p. 85
- ^ Dorsey, James (2022). "Saudi Arabia: A South Asian Wrecking Ball". In Mandaville, Peter (ed.). Wahhabism and the World: Understanding Saudi Arabia's Global Influence on Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 195.
- ^ Ali, Kalbe (2014-04-30). "Another side of the story in the missing persons' saga". Dawn. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ "Ẓahīr, Iḥsān Ilāhī [WorldCat Identities]". WorldCat. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ Allama ehsan elahi zaheer. Qadiyania.
- ^ نور, مكتبة. "Al Qadianiat (Study and Analysis) pdf". www.noor-book.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- ^ نور, مكتبة. "Baha'iyah (Study & Analysis) pdf". www.noor-book.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- ^ نور, مكتبة. "Ismailiyah (History & Doctrine) pdf". www.noor-book.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-28.
