Ahmed Ali Badarpuri

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Sheikh al-Hadith, Maulana
Ahmed Ali Badarpuri
احمد علی بدر پوری
আহমদ আলী বদরপুরী
Ahmed Ali Badarpuri
2nd President of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind
In office
1957 – 11 June 2000
Preceded byNoor Ali Badarpuri
Succeeded byMaulana Abdul Haque
Amir-e-Shariat of Northeast India
In office
1990 – 11 June 2000
Personal details
Born
Ahmed Ali

1915
Badarpur, Sylhet district, British India
Died11 June 2000(2000-06-11) (aged 84–85)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
ChildrenMuhammad Yahya
Parents
  • Muhammad Nasīr Ali (father)
  • Bibi Farīda (mother)
Alma mater
Personal
Nationality
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Main interest(s)Sufism, Tafsir, Fiqh, Hadith
TeachersHussain Ahmad Madani, Izaz Ali Amrohi
Senior posting
Disciple ofHussain Ahmad Madani

Ahmed Ali Badarpuri (1915–11 June 2000), also known as Ahmed Ali Banskandi and Ahmed Ali Assami, was an Indian Islamic scholar, a Sufi, a freedom fighter, and an educationist. He served as the president of the Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind for 44 years.

Early life and education[edit]

Ahmed Ali Badarpuri was born in 1915 into a Sufi family in Badarpur, Assam, then located in the Sylhet district of British India.[1] He was a descendant of Munawwar Khadim Yemeni, who was an attendant of Shah Jalal Mujarrad's authorised disciple, Sikandar Khan Ghazi.[2][3][4]

Badarpuri received his primary education locally in Badarpur and then enrolled at the Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah for his further studies, where he studied from 1938 to 1940 and formally graduated in dars-e-nizami. He subsequently joined Darul Uloom Deoband to study the courses again but could not continue due to certain health complications. In 1950, he attended the Deoband seminary once more to study the courses of Daura-e-Hadith (The last year in dars-e-nizami) and Daura-e-Tafsir (specialisation in the exegesis of the Quran), and completed his studies by the next year. At that time, he memorized the Quran in a period of two and a half months. His teachers included Hussain Ahmad Madani, Abdus Samī' Deobandi, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Fakhrul Hasan Muradabadi, and Abdul Ahad Deobandi.[5][6][7][8] He was an authorised disciple of Madani in Sufism.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Career[edit]

Badarpuri started his career as a teacher at Darul Uloom Banskandi. In 1955, Hussain Ahmad Madani sent him there without any invitation from the institution. The madrassa authority refused to appoint him as a teacher. However, they later accepted him after they obtained a letter from Madani.[15][16][17]

In 1957, Madani appointed him to the post of Sheikh al-Hadith and entrusted to him the charge of the institution. He retained his position until his last breath. Thus, his teaching career lasted for over 45 years.[15][16][17] He associated himself with the Indian independence movement.[5][6][7][8]

In 1957, he was elected president of the Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. Before it, he had to work as a secretary, convener, and simple worker. He carried out his leadership responsibilities by facing the Pakistani Deportation Movement, also known as the Bongal Kheda Movement, which intensified in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s and 1980s.[18][19][20]

He raised a strong voice against the then-Chaliha government and forced it to stop inhumane violence towards minorities in the name of foreigners. He opposed the Assam Movement, which peaked with the Nellie massacre. He forced Hiteswar Saikia, law minister Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to provide some special protections for the minorities. The result was the IMDT Act of 1983.[18][19][20]

In the early 1990s, Badarpuri had to face another movement known as the Bodo Movement, which created a cruel massacre in lower Assam. He raised a strong demand with the government for the security and rehabilitation of the victims. Shouldering the burden of 600 homeless orphans affected by this movement, he sheltered them in Banskandi Madrasa. Thus, he fought against any kind of injustice and finally against some communal remarks made by the government in arranging a historical Jamiat meeting at Guwahati on April 1, 2000.[18][19][20]

Badarpuri participated in the freedom struggle being inspired by his teacher, Hussain Ahmad Madani. He was arrested and imprisoned several times for anti-British activities. He worked in support of the Jamiat and opposed the partition of India. He took a bold step to get Sylhet into India during the Sylhet Referendum held in July 1947.[21][22][23][24]

He founded thousands of mosques, madrasas, and khanqahs, and finally the Gauhati Khanqah, where thousands of people visit every year seeking spiritual guidance. He opposed the hypocrisy and deviance of the Qadianis. He even wrote a book in Bangla, named Khatme Nabuwwater O Qadianiater Gumrahir Akatya Dalil Samooh (transl. Irrefutable Proofs of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat and the Deviances of the Qadianis).[25][26][27][28][29][30]

Honours and Positions[edit]

After the demise of Badarpuri, the Tarun Gogoi government started the Ahmed Ali Banskandi Award in his honor.[31][32][33][34] Since 1990, he has also served as the Amir-e-Shariat of Northeast India until his death.[31][35][36]

Literary works[edit]

Badarpuri wrote a number of books in Bengali, Assamese, and Urdu. These include:[37][38][39][40][41]

  • Alam-e-Barzakh (Bengali and Assamese; transl. The World Between Death and Resurrection)
  • Pabitra Haram Trayer Itihas (Bengali; transl. The History of the Three Holy Mosques)
  • Jamiat-er Mul Katha (Bengali; transl. Key Points of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind)
  • Elme Ma'rifater Bishista Bahantray O Mashaekh Charit (Bengali; transl. The Three Main Vehicles of Gnosis and Biographies of Sufi Scholars)
  • Fazail-e-Shaban, Ramadan O Fazail-e-Nafil Roja (Assamese; transl. Virtues Of Shaban, Ramadan and Voluntary Fasting)
  • Khatme Nabuwwater O Qadianiater Gumrahir Akatya Dalil Samooh (Bengali; transl. Irrefutable Proofs of Khatme Nabuwwat and the Deviances of the Qadianis)
  • Zuhur-e-Mahdi O Nuzool-e-Isa (Urdu and Bengali; transl. The Appearance of Imam Mahdi and the Arrival of the Prophet Isa)
  • Salasil-e-Tayyiba (Bengali; transl. The Holy Chains of the Sufi Scholars)
  • Fuyūz-e-Madani (Urdu translation of Ahmed Ali's book Salasil-e-Tayyiba, written in Bengali)[42]

Death and legacy[edit]

On 11 June 2000, Badarpuri died in Mumbai. His dead body was flown to Assam. On 13 June, he was buried on the campus of Darul Uloom Banskandi. His funeral prayer was attended by several hundred thousand people.[43][44][45][24][46] He is survived by his son, Muhammad Yahya, who is the current Amir-e-Shariat of Northeast India.[47][48] Many individuals expressed condolences upon the demise of Badarpuri. As'ad Madani termed his death one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. Sonia Gandhi called him a freedom fighter who always tried to maintain peace and social harmony among the different sections of people. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the then chief minister of Assam, called him a symbol of peace, love, and social harmony. Santosh Mohan Dev opined that his death was a loss to the whole country.[49][24]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Badarpuri 1996, p. 6.
  2. ^ Qasmi 2010, pp. 8–9.
  3. ^ Badarpuri 1992, p. 1.
  4. ^ Assami 2016, p. 19–21.
  5. ^ a b Badarpuri 1992, pp. 1–8, 13.
  6. ^ a b Ahmed 2000, pp. 6–7, 54–55.
  7. ^ a b Qasmi 2010, pp. 10–14.
  8. ^ a b Badarpuri 1996, p. 7.
  9. ^ Badarpuri 1997, p. 7.
  10. ^ Badarpuri 1992, p. 12–13, 18.
  11. ^ Qasmi 2010, pp. 7, 16.
  12. ^ Farqaleet, Mohammad Usman; Barni, Bahar, eds. (10 July 1998). "Shaikhul Islam Number (A special issue)". Al-Jam'iyyat Weekly (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind: 16.
  13. ^ Al-Wahidi, Farid (1991). "Caliphs". Shaikhul Islam Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani: Ek Sawanihi O Tareekhi Mutala'a [Shaykh-ul-Islam Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani: A Biographical and Historical Study] (in Urdu). Zakir Nagar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi: Qaumi Kitab Ghar. p. 828.
  14. ^ Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi: Sarup and Sons. p. 357. ISBN 9788176250870.
  15. ^ a b Qasmi 2010, pp. 17–21.
  16. ^ a b Qasmi 2000, pp. 3–4.
  17. ^ a b Badarpuri 1992, pp. 18–21.
  18. ^ a b c Qasmi 2010, pp. 20–23, 39–42.
  19. ^ a b c Raghibi & Mustafi 2000, pp. 41–47, 51.
  20. ^ a b c Islam 2000, p. 9.
  21. ^ Raghibi 1994, pp. 4–6.
  22. ^ Badarpuri 1992, pp. 4–5.
  23. ^ Raghibi & Mustafi 2000, pp. 11–17, 51.
  24. ^ a b c "চিরনিদ্রায় মৌলানা আহমেদ আলি..." [Maulana Ahmad Ali in eternal sleep...]. Dainik Sonar Cachar (in Bengali). Cachar, Assam. 12 June 2000. p. 1.
  25. ^ Ahmed 2000, pp. 15, 38–39.
  26. ^ Ali, Sayid Yasin (1998). Khanqah–A brief introduction (in Assamese). Ali Nagar, Sijubari, Guwahati, Assam: Sayid Yasin Ali. pp. 2–5.
  27. ^ Qasmi 2010, pp. 29–32.
  28. ^ Raghibi & Mustafi 2000, pp. 27, 54.
  29. ^ Badarpuri 1998, pp. 21–38.
  30. ^ Amini, Noor Alam Khalil, ed. (November–December 2013). "فضيلة الشيخ أحمد علي رحمه الله وجهوده التربوية والإصلاحية بولاية "آسام" الهندية؛ بقلم فريد الدين أحمد" [Sheikh Ahmed Ali and his educational and reform efforts in the Indian state of Assam by Fariduddin Ahmad]. Al-Da'i (in Arabic). 38 (1–2). Deoband: Darul Uloom Deoband.
  31. ^ a b Qasmi 2010, pp. 23–24, 98–100.
  32. ^ "Ahmed Ali Baskandi Award presented". www.sentinelassam.com. The Sentinel. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  33. ^ Khosa, Aasha (3 July 2022). "Assam revives awards in the name of historic Muslim personalities". www.awazthevoice.in. Awaz The Voice. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  34. ^ Reporter, Staff (2010-09-15). "CM presents Ahmed Ali Baskandi Award". assamtribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  35. ^ Badarpuri 1992, p. 26.
  36. ^ Qasmi, Muhammadullah (October 2020). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh (in Urdu) (3rd ed.). India: Shaikhul Hind Academy. pp. 736–737. OCLC 1345466013.
  37. ^ Raghibi & Mustafi 2000, pp. 65–66.
  38. ^ Qasmi 2010, pp. 171–175.
  39. ^ Islam 2000, p. 4.
  40. ^ Assami 2016, p. 221.
  41. ^ Mubarakpuri, Arif Jameel (2021). Mausoo'a Ulama-u- Deoband [The Encyclopedia of Deobandi Scholars] (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Deoband: Shaikhul Hind Academy. p. 27.
  42. ^ Badarpuri 1996, p. 5.
  43. ^ Qasmi 2010, p. 119.
  44. ^ Islam 2000, p. 11.
  45. ^ Raghibi & Mustafi 2000, p. 1.
  46. ^ Ahmed 2000, p. 92.
  47. ^ Qasmi, Tayyib Ahmed (2016). Khanquah (1st ed.). Ahmad Ali Nagar, Hatigaon, Guwahati, Assam: Khanquah Shaikhul Hadith Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali. p. 3.
  48. ^ "Markazul Maarif Mumbai Holds its 18th Convocation". deoband.net. 7 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2023-07-07. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  49. ^ Qasmi 2000, pp. 20–21.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Qasmi, Abdul Quadir (January 2010). Sheikh Moulana Ahmed Ali, Jeevan Aru Karma [The Life and Works of Shaikh Maulana Ahmed Ali] (in Assamese). Hojai, Assam: Mufassil Ali.
  • Assami, Muzammil Ali (January 2016). Qutub-e-Aalam Hazrat Maulana Ahmed Ali Sahab: Hayat Aur Karname [Qutb-e-Aalam Hazrat Maulana Ahmed Ali Sahib: Life and Achievements] (in Urdu). Madani Road, Deoband, Saharanpur: Mumtaz Book Depot.
  • Badarpuri, Ahmed Ali (January 1997). Pabitra Haram Trayer Etihas [History of The Three Holy Mosques] (in Bengali) (4th ed.). Hojai, Assam: Jamia Islamia Jalilia.
  • Badarpuri, Ahmed Ali (1992). Salasil-e-Tayyibah (in Bengali). Hojai, Assam: Mufassil Ali.
  • Badarpuri, Ahmed Ali (1996). "Aayena-e-Shakhsiyyat by Muzammil Ali Assami". Fuyudh-e-Madani (in Urdu). Jamia Jalalia, Hojai, Assam: Mufassil Ali.
  • Ahmed, Bashir (November 2000). Chirag-e-Madani (in Bengali) (1st ed.). Guwahati, Assam: Md Ahmad Hussain.
  • Islam, Md Nazrul (2000). Hazrat Sheikh Maulana Ahmed Ali er Smriti patra [Memories of Maulana Ahmed Ali] (in Bengali). Banskandi, Cachar district, Assam: Darul Uloom Baskandi.
  • Raghibi, Abdul Jalil; Mustafi, A.R., eds. (July–October 2000). "A special issue containing life story of Hazrat Moulana Sheikh Ahmed Ali". Jnyan Sambhar (in Assamese). 2–3 (1–4). Hojai, Assam: Markaz Sahitya Parishad.
  • Qasmi, Tayib (2000). Darul Uloom Banskandi (in Bengali). Banskandi, Cachar district, Assam: Darul Uloom Banskandi.
  • Badarpuri, Ahmed Ali (1998). Khatme Nabowater O Kadianiater Gumraihir Akatya Dalil Samooh (in Bengali). Ali Nagar, Sijubari, Guwahati, Assam: Sayid Yasin Ali.
  • Raghibi, Abdul Jalil (1994). Purba Bharater Oli-e-Kamil [The Holy Man of Eastern India] (in Bengali). Hojai, Assam: Markazul Maarif.

Further reading[edit]

  • Raghibi, Abdul Jalil (2007). Mashaheer Ulama O Mashayekh e Assam (Shehbaz e Qudus) [Famous Scholars and Mashaykhs of Assam] (in Urdu). Vol. 1st. Nagaon, Assam: Noori Islamic Foundation. pp. 43–90.
  • Ali, Amjed (11 October 2023). "Biography of Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Badarpuri (RA)". Deoband Online. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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