Jump to content

Tajul Islam (scholar)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Faqr-e-Bangal
Tajul Islam
তাজুল ইসলাম
Born1896
Tippera District, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died3 April 1967(1967-04-03) (aged 70–71)
Dacca, East Pakistan, Pakistan
Alma mater
Known forAnti-Ahmadiyya activism
Political party
Children6
FatherAnwar Ali
Main interest(s)Seal of the Prophets
RelativesIbrahim Ujani (father-in-law)
Religious life
DenominationSunni
SchoolHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Senior posting
Teacher
Disciple ofHussain Ahmad Madani
Influenced by

Tajul Islam (1896 – 3 April 1967) was a 20th-century Bengali Islamic scholar, debater, and politician known for his long-term leadership of Jamia Islamia Yunusia, his involvement in the anti-Ahmadiyya movement, his participation in the Indian independence and Pakistan movements, and his efforts to promote Islamic education through the founding of madrasas and religious organizations. He was referred to by the title 'Faqr-e-Bangal'. He was affiliated with Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and later Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and served as vice president of the Nizam-e-Islam Party.

Early life

[edit]

Tajul Islam was born in 1896 in the village of Bhuban, then part of the Brahmanbaria Subdivision, now within Nasirnagar Upazila of Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh.[1] His father, Anwar Ali, was a religious scholar. He began his education at a village school, studying introductory Islamic texts under the supervision of a teacher named Abdul Karim.[2] He later enrolled at the Sreeghar madrasa, and after a short period of study there, he was admitted to Jamia Qasimul Uloom in Bahubal, where he studied for over two years.[3] He subsequently joined Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah and studied under the personal guidance of Muhammad Sahool Bhagalpuri.[4] In the academic year 1337–38 Hijri, he passed the final examination of the madrasa with first division. In 1338 Hijri, he enrolled at Darul Uloom Deoband, accompanied by Bhagalpuri. During his four years at Deoband, he studied under Anwar Shah Kashmiri, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani, Ibrahim Balyawi, and Asghar Hussain Deobandi. He also received spiritual training from Hussain Ahmad Madani and Qadhi Muazzam. Tajul Islam completed his formal studies in 1342 Hijri and returned to Bengal.[5]

Work and positions

[edit]

After completing his studies, Tajul Islam began his career as a Hadith instructor at Jamia Millia in Comilla and later at the Calcutta Aliah Madrasa.[6] In 1926, he was appointed director of Jamia Islamia Yunusia in Brahmanbaria, a role he held for 42 years until his death.[7] He was also the Sheikh al-Hadith of this madrasa.[8] He established numerous Islamic educational institutions across the region, including higher-level madrasas, maktabs, and Furqania madrasas. These included Anwarul Uloom, Tajul Uloom, Miftahul Uloom, and Islamia Madrasa in Brahmanbaria; Darul Uloom Islamia, Jamia Arabia, and Kharki Madrasa in Habiganj; and Zaitshala Madrasa in Comilla.[9]

Shortly after completing his education, Tajul Islam participated in the Indian independence movement. He also took a firm stance against the Shuddhi movement led by Swami Shraddhanand.[9] In the early 1950s, with the aim of countering non-Islamic practices and promoting Islamic teachings among the broader public, he founded a non-political religious and social organization called Anjuman-e-Hefazat-e-Islam, based in what was then East Pakistan.[10] He also made efforts to improve the standard of Qawmi madrasa education by forming a regional educational board named Idara-e-Ta'limiyah, which included madrasas from the greater Comilla and Sylhet regions.[9]

Tajul Islam was an active member of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. Following the advice of his teacher Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, he joined the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and participated in the Pakistan Movement.[9] During his time at Deoband, he worked closely with Hussain Ahmad Madani and participated in the anti-colonial struggle. He later became vice president of the Nizam-e-Islam Party and served as the district president for Comilla. His political activism was shaped by the influence of Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, and Hussain Ahmad Madani.[11]

In 1964, Tajul Islam represented East Pakistan as its sole delegate at the World Ulama Conference held in Cairo, Egypt. There, he strongly opposed a proposal to establish new schools of Islamic jurisprudence and to recognize new mujtahids, and he played a key role in the rejection of the proposal.[12] For his efforts, he was honored with the titles Faqr al-'Ulama (Pride of the Scholars) and Hafiz al-Hadith.[11] Throughout his life, he was actively involved in opposing the ideology of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a stance that began during his years at Darul Uloom Deoband. He took part in debates against Ahmadi representatives in cities including Delhi, Meerut, Saharanpur, and Brahmanbaria.[13] While studying Mishkat at Deoband, he defeated Ahmadi debaters by spontaneously composing Arabic poetry.[14] He continued to confront Ahmadi preachers in regions such as Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, and Dhaka.[13] Toward the end of his studies, he participated in a major debate against the Ahmadis, after which he was conferred the title Faqr-e-Bangal (Pride of Bengal) by the audience.[11] He was also known as Ra'ees al-Munazireen (Chief Debater).[15] Tajul Islam also authored poetry, prose, and scholarly works in Arabic.[16]

Final days

[edit]

In late March 1967, Tajul Islam was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to illness and died on 3 April 1967.[17] His first funeral prayer was held at the Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka, led by Sirajul Islam, and he was later buried in the grounds adjacent to Jamia Islamia Yunusia in Brahmanbaria.[18] He was first married to the third daughter of Ibrahim Ujani, with whom he had two sons and one daughter. Following her death, he married a woman from Sarail Thana, and this second marriage also produced two sons and one daughter.[19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Muhammad, Sharif (2015). Ei Gorober Dhon (in Bengali). Dhaka: Maktabaatul Azhar. p. 12.ISBN 4359681989064
  2. ^ Islam, Amirul (2012). Golden Bengal, a Mine of Diamonds: Lives of 45 Sufi Saints (in Bengali). Bangla Bazar: Kohinoor Library. p. 23. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  3. ^ Arafat, Naseem (2016). Fakhre Bangal Allama Tajul Islam (in Bengali) (3rd ed.). Bangladesh: Al Huda Islamic Foundation. pp. 21–23.
  4. ^ Hossain, Javed (2017). The life and work of the Ulama-Mashaykh of Brahmanbaria (in Bengali) (2nd ed.). Dhaka: Anwar Library. p. 34. ISBN 9789849103530.
  5. ^ Nijampuri, Ashraf Ali (2013). The Hundred (100 Great Scholars from Bangladesh) (in Bengali). Hathazari, Chittagong: Salman Prokashoni. p. 141.
  6. ^ Jahangir, Salahuddin (2017). Renowned Ulama of Bengal (in Bengali). Vol. 1. Dhaka: Maktabaatul Azhar. p. 177.
  7. ^ Ullah, Mohammad Ahsan (2021). Study of Hadith in Bengali Language (1952-2015) (in Bengali). Bangladesh: University of Dhaka. p. 380. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025.
  8. ^ Ahsan, Sayed (2006). Origin and development of Hadith practice in Bangladesh (in Bengali). Segunbagicha, Dhaka: Adorn Publications. p. 188. ISBN 9842000184. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Yahya, Muhammad (2014). "Tajul Islam". Encyclopedia of Islam (in Bengali). Dhaka: Islamic Foundation Bangladesh. p. 161.
  10. ^ Harun, Mizan (2018). Rijal sanau al-tarikh wa khadamu al-Islam wa al-ilm fi Bangladesh lil-Shamilah (in Arabic). Dhaka: Darul Bayan. p. 255. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Hasan, Mohammad Enamul (20 April 2017). "Lives of the Saints: Fakhre Bangal Allama Tajul Islam (R.A.)". Daily Inqilab.
  12. ^ Hossain, H. M. Javed (2015). Listen to the story of a wise man (in Bengali) (3rd ed.). Dhaka: Nasir Book Depot. pp. 19–21. ISBN 9789849705017.
  13. ^ a b Nijampuri 2013, p. 142.
  14. ^ Kismati, Zulfikar Ahmad (1988). Bangladesher Sangrami Alem-Olama Pir-mashayekh (PDF) (in Bengali). Dhaka: Progoti Prokashon. p. 338.
  15. ^ Azami, Noor Muhammad (2008). Theoretical Framework and Historical Development of Hadith (in Bengali). Bangladesh: Emdadia Library. p. 260. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022.
  16. ^ Alam, Md. Morshed (2014). Contributions of Bangladesh's Hadith Scholars to Hadith Studies (PDF) (PhD thesis) (in Bengali). Bangladesh: University of Dhaka. p. 96.
  17. ^ Islam, SM Aminul (2016). Islam, Samar (ed.). Hundreds of Bengali Ulama: A Biographical Compendium (in Bengali) (2nd ed.). Bangla Bazar: BhoiGhor. p. 142. ISBN 9847016800481
  18. ^ Habiganji, Tafazzul Haque (May 2015). "Tributes to the Luminaries". Monthly Alkawsar. 11 (05).
  19. ^ Rahman, Muhammad Habibur (2009). We are their successors (in Bengali) (2nd ed.). Mirpur, Dhaka: Al-Kawsar Publication. p. 202.

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tajul_Islam_(scholar)&oldid=1295627636"