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Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi

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Sheikh al-Hadith
Mawlānā
Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi
محمد عبد اللہ غازی
1st Chancellor of Jamia Faridia
In office
1971 – 17 October 1998
Preceded byNone (office created)
Succeeded byAbdul Aziz Ghazi
Chairman of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee
In office
1975 – 17 October 1998
Succeeded byMuneeb-ur-Rehman
Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid
In office
1967 – 17 October 1998
Preceded byNone (office created)
Succeeded byAbdul Aziz Ghazi (Imam)
Abdul Rashid Ghazi (Khatib)
Federal Khatib of Islamabad
In office
1993 – 17 October 1998
Preceded byNone (office created)
Succeeded byVacant
Personal life
Born(1935-06-01)1 June 1935
(c. 29th Safar 1354 AH)
Basti-Abdullah, Balochistan, British Raj
Died17 October 1998(1998-10-17) (aged 63)(c. 26th Jumada al-Thani 1419 AH)
Lal Masjid, Islamabad, Pakistan
Cause of deathAssassination
Resting placeJamia Faridia, Islamabad
33.7311462, 73.0517133
NationalityPakistani
Home townBasti-Abdullah, Rajanpur
ChildrenAbdul Aziz Ghazi
Abdul Rashid Ghazi
Citizenship British Indian (1935–1947)
Pakistani (1947–1998)
Alma materJamia Uloom-ul-Islamia
Jamia Qasim-ul-Uloom
Signaturemaulana abdullah
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Muslim leader
Teacher

Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi (Urdu: محمد عبد اللہ غازی c. 1 June 1935 – 17 October 1998) was a Pakistani Deobandi Islamic scholar, Hanafi theologian and a Religio-political figure who held several key positions, including the Chairman of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the first Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid in Islamabad, the Chancellor of Jamia Faridia and Jamia Hafsa, the Patron-in-Chief of Wifaq Al Madaris Al Arabiyah, member of Majlis-i-Shura during the Presidency of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and as Federal Khatib under President Farooq Leghari in the 29th and 36th Cabinet of Pakistan.[1]

He graduated from Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia and was personally appointed by President Ayub Khan to serve as the first Imam and Khatib of Central Mosque Islamabad (Lal Masjid), the first mosque established in Pakistan's new capital, Islamabad.[2]

He was a senior member of Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat and also held the position of chairman of Idara Alia Tanzeem ul Madaris.[3][4]

In 1971, he founded Jamia Faridia in Islamabad, the first Islamic seminary to be established in Islamabad. He taught the Kutub al-Sitta including Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī at the madrasah, and was well known by the title "Shaykh al-Hadith".[3]

Early life and education

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Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi was born on 1 June 1935 (29th Safar 1354 AH) during the British Raj in the village of Basti-Abdullah, Rajanpur District into the family of Ghazi Muhammad descending from the Sadwani (Sodvani) clan of the Mazari tribe of Baluchistan.[5] a part of Baloch diaspora who migrated to Punjab from Baluchistan.[6]

His father was socially active, which got him in trouble many times and he was arrested by the British Indian Army and sentenced to 8 years in Jail.[7] there he became religious and motivated his son to join a local madrassa.[8]

At the age of seven, Ghazi enrolled into "Madrasa Khudam-ul-Qur'an" of Rahim Yar Khan, to complete the Hifz (memorization of the Quran).[3]

After his primary education, Ghazi went to study at Jamia Qasim Ul Uloom in Multan for further education, where he studied for 5 years and was a student of Mufti Mahmud.[3]

He then went to Karachi, and joined Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Karachi, from where he completed his Dars-i Nizami in 1957, and was among the top students of Muhammad Yousuf Banuri.[8]

After completing his Dars-i Nizami, he served as Imam of Jamia Masjid Rashidiya, Malir for few years.[3] during this period, he also served on the advisory committee for Bayyināt, the monthly journal published by Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia.[3]

Lal Masjid

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Main article: Lal Masjid, Islamabad

When the Capital of Pakistan was moved from Karachi to Islamabad, and the first congregational mosque (Lal Masjid) was established, Ghazi became its first sermon preacher in 1967 upon the recommendation of his teacher Muhammad Yousuf Banuri.[8]

Ghazi's sermons drew in thousands of worshippers including prominent political figures such as Prime Minister Balakh Sher Mazari and Presidents of Pakistan including Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Farooq Leghari as well as General Zia-ul-Haq who was a regular visitor to the mosque as before the completion of the Faisal Mosque, The Lal Masjid had been the only main congregational mosque in the city.[9] Located in a very central position, the mosque lies in close proximity to the Presidential Palace and Prime Minister's Office.[10]

Lal Masjid in 1970s

In 1974, He played a key role in mobilizing support for the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Khatm-e-Nubuwwat, and the mosque became the center of meetings and processions of the movement. the leaders of the movement, Mufti Mahmood and Allama Yusuf Banuri were both Ghazi's teachers. this movement led to the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan.[11]

In 1976, as part of his six day state visit to Pakistan, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia also visited the Lal Masjid in Islamabad, where he prayed behind Ghazi,[12] and it was during this visit he initiated the construction of King Faisal Mosque in Islamabad and toured the nearby seminary, Jamia Faridia.[13]

Maulana Abdullah and General Zia-ul-Haq at Lal Masjid during Friday prayer

In 1977, Ghazi played a significant role in the "Nizam-e-Mustafa" movement, a populist Islamist campaign aimed at replacing the secular and socialist government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with an Islamic system of governance in Pakistan.[14]

Upon completion of the Faisal Mosque in 1986, President Zia ul Haq requested that Ghazi take the position of the first Imam at the newly built mosque.[15] however, Ghazi declined the offer, preferring to continue his role as the Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid, where he had already established himself as a known religious figure and had gained a strong following.[7]

President Zia also appointed Ghazi as a member of Majlis-i-Shura (advisory council) in his government.[14]

Idara Alia Tanzeem ul Madaris

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In 1970, Ghazi founded and served as the first chairman of Idara Alia Tanzeem ul Madaris, an organization dedicated to acquiring land for the construction of mosques and madrassas throughout the capital city.[16]

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee

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In 1975, He was appointed as the first chairman of the newly established Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, a government body operating under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, responsible for announcing the sighting of the new moon, which determines the Islamic calendar and Islamic holidays.[17]

Ghazi served in this position until his death, after which he was succeeded by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman.[18]

Wifaq-ul-Madaris

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Ghazi was the Patron-in-Chief of Wifaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia, and also served as the regional supervisor for all madrassas registered under the educational board in Islamabad.[19]

Establishing Jamia Faridia

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Main article: Jamia Faridia

In 1966, He established a small seminary at Lal Masjid, in which there were about 20 to 25 students for the Hifz class. After some time a need was felt to have a bigger place for running this seminary so that a large number of students who were increasing with the passage of time could be accommodated.[20]

View of Jamia Faridia (Left) and Faisal Mosque from Daman-e-Koh, Islamabad

Hence In 1971, a place in the meadows of the Margalla Hills in the city's Prime Sector of E-7, was acquired by Ghazi's Idara Alia Tanzeem ul Madaris with the help and cooperation of several of his close friends most notably Seth Haroon Jaffer (Jaffer Group of Companies), Haji Akhtar Hassan (OSD Kashmir Affairs & Finance Secretary of Azad Kashmir), and Admiral Mohammad. Shariff, NI(M), HJ (Rtd).[3]

The construction of the seminary's present building was completed in 1984 and was officially named "Jamia Faridia".[21]

The seminary was the first ever educational institute to be registered with Wifaq-ul-Madaris.[21]

Establishing Jamia Hafsa

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Main article: Jamia Hafsa

In 1992, he laid the foundation for Jamia Syeda Hafsa, as the women's branch of Jamia Faridia. Located adjacent to the Lal Masjid near Aabpara,[22] the institution was built on 7,500 square yards of land.[23]

The seminary is the largest women's madrasa in Pakistan.[24]

Federal Khatib

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In 1993, During the Second Benazir Bhutto government, President Farooq Leghari appointed Ghazi as the Federal (Wifaqi) Khatib of Islamabad, a government position under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Islamabad Auqaf Department established to supervise the mosques within the capital city.[12][25]

Ghazi continued to serve in this position during the Second Nawaz Sharif government.[26]

Afghanistan Tour

[edit]

In 1997, Ghazi, along with a delegation of Deobandi scholars, was invited as a state guests by Afghanistan's Supreme Leader, Mullah Omar.[8]

During his visit, Ghazi toured several Deobandi madrasas in Kabul and held a meeting with Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden, and Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kandahar.[27]

Assassination and legacy

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His biographer, Mufti Riaz Munsoor, wrote extensively about his daily routine. According to Mansoor, Ghazi had a strict schedule that he followed every day. He would walk seven kilometers from his home to his seminary, Jamia Faridia, where he would give lectures to his students. on his way back, he would stop at the Polyclinic Hospital to bless the patients and offer them words of encouragement.[3]

Grave of Ghazi at Jamia Faridia

On October 17, 1998, the day of his assassination, Ghazi maintained his usual routine. He walked to Jamia Faridia to deliver lectures to his students and later stopped at a hospital on his way back. As he approached Lal Masjid, a man was waiting for him in the courtyard. The assailant greeted Ghazi before suddenly drawing a gun and firing an entire magazine at him.[28] The assassin escaped with the aid of accomplices waiting in a getaway car.[27]

Severely wounded, Ghazi succumbed to his injuries on the way to the same hospital he had visited earlier. Despite being aware of threats against his life, he had consistently refused bodyguards, believing it was better to die alone than endanger others.[8]

Ghazi and his teacher Yousuf Banuri's name written outside Jamia Faridia

The president of Pakistan Rafiq Tarar expressed his sadness over the assassination in a letter, adding that "Maulana Abdullah Ghazi had spent his whole life for Islam, and kept the tradition of Ulema alive, his struggles will forever be remembered".[29]

He is buried in the courtyard of Jamia Faridia, Islamabad. The seminary's Jamia Masjid is named after him.[8]

In his honor his hometown was also renamed "Basti-Abdullah" and a new seminary named after him was also constructed there, the town gained worldwide attention in 2007 when Abdul Rashid Ghazi was buried in the courtyard of the seminary,[30]

Abdullah Railway Station near the town is also named after him.[31]

Investigation

[edit]

Due to a lack of confidence in Pakistan's legal system, Abdul Aziz, the elder son of Ghazi, initially declined to file a First Information Report (FIR). However, his younger son, Abdul Rashid, proceeded to file the FIR, prompting a police investigation into the case. After persistent efforts, a suspect was arrested and subsequently identified by an eyewitness during an identification parade.[32]

Despite this, the suspect was inexplicably released the following day. Abdul Rashid protested the release, warning the authorities that he would pursue legal action if the suspect was not promptly re-arrested. As pressure mounted, he reportedly faced threats, including a warning to withdraw the case or risk suffering a fate similar to that of his father. According to those close to him, this experience marked a turning point in Abdul Rashid Ghazi’s life, leading to his disillusionment with the legal system.[33][34]

Memoir

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In 2005, a memoir was published by Maktaba Faridia detailing his life under the name Hayat Shaheed E Islam (Urdu: حیات شہیدِ اسلام) Written by Mufti Riaz Munsoor.[3]

See more

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References

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  1. ^ Dolnik, Adam (2015). Negotiating the Siege of the Lal Masjid. Oxford University Press. p. 53.
  2. ^ Kapur, Saloni (2021). Pakistan after Trump: Great Power Responsibility in a Multi-Polar World. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 187.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mansoor, Riaz (2006). Hayat Shaheed E Islam (حیات شہیدِ اسلام). Maktaba Faridia. p. 57.
  4. ^ "تحفظ ختمِ نبوت کی تاریخ ساز تحریک". GEO TV News website. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Lal Masjid at 40 | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  6. ^ Qandeel Siddique, The Red Mosque Operation and Its Impact On the Growth of the Pakistani Taliban, report for Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), p. 13. Link.
  7. ^ a b "Lal Masjid: a history". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "شہیداسلام مولانا عبداللہ شہید شخصیت و کردار۔۔۔تحریر مولاناتنویراحمداعوان". Shaffak (in Urdu). 18 October 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. ^ Dolnik, Adam (2015). Negotiating the Siege of the Lal Masjid. Oxford University Press. p. 53.
  10. ^ Khan, Zia (15 August 2010). "Crimson tide". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. ^ Mufti Khalid Mahmood (7 September 2019). "7 ستمبر 1974ء 'یومِ تحفظ ختمِ نبوت'". Jang Daily (Urdu newspaper). Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  12. ^ a b Mansoor, Riaz (2006). Hayat Shaheed E Islam (حیات شہیدِ اسلام). Maktaba Faridia. p. 236.
  13. ^ Mujtaba Razvi (1981). "PAK-Saudi Arabian Relations: An Example of Entente Cordiale". Pakistan Horizon. 34 (1): 81–92. JSTOR 41393647.
  14. ^ a b Janjua, Simran Saeed; Malik, Mishaal; Malik, Simran Saeed Janjua and Mishaal (12 July 2024). "Miscalculation or Inevitable? The Lal Masjid Siege and its Legacy". South Asia Times. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  15. ^ Talbot, Ian (1998). Pakistan, a Modern History. NY: St.Martin's Press. pp. 283. ISBN 9780312216061.
  16. ^ Dolnik, Adam (2015). Negotiating the Siege of the Lal Masjid. Oxford University Press. p. 53.
  17. ^ "New Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman appointed". The News International. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  18. ^ Mansoor, Riaz (2006). Hayat Shaheed E Islam (حیات شہیدِ اسلام). Maktaba Faridia. p. 108.
  19. ^ "Profile of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, Pakistan". 23 October 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Lal Masjid: a history". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  21. ^ a b "عالم اسلام کی عظیم دینی درسگاہ جامعہ فریدیہ". Nawaiwaqt (in Urdu). 29 May 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Lal Masjid: a history". The News International. 12 July 2007. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  23. ^ Malik, Hasnaat (25 August 2016). "Jamia Hafsa rebuilding: Govt presents relocation agreement before SC". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Lal Masjid at 40 | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  25. ^ LaPorte, Robert (1997). "Pakistan in 1996: Starting Over Again". Asian Survey. 37 (2): 118–125. doi:10.2307/2645477. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2645477.
  26. ^ Lal Masjid : A Brief History.
  27. ^ a b Janjua, Simran Saeed; Malik, Mishaal; Malik, Simran Saeed Janjua and Mishaal (12 July 2024). "Miscalculation or Inevitable? The Lal Masjid Siege and its Legacy". South Asia Times. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  28. ^ Lal Masjid : A Brief History.
  29. ^ الفریدیہ, جامعۃ العلوم الاسلامیہ. "تصاویر مولانا محمد عبد اللہ شہید – جامعہ فریدیہ | Jamia Faridia". تصاویر مولانا محمد عبد اللہ شہید – جامعہ فریدیہ | Jamia Faridia. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Rashid Ghazi buried as Aziz vows to continue struggle". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  31. ^ Iqbal, Nasir (12 July 2007). "Burial after arrival of relatives: SC". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  32. ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (3 November 2013). "Red handed". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Islamabad Red Mosque Cleric Killed"[usurped] Pakistan Times, 11 July 2007, retrieved 27 July 2009
  34. ^ Michelle Shephard (9 July 2007), "Mosque crisis highlights Pakistan's turmoil", The Star. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
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