ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Bengālī (Bengali: আব্দুল ওয়াহেদ বাঙ্গালী; c. 1850–1905) was a 19th-century Muslim theologian, teacher and social reformer. He was one of the initiators of the Deobandi movement into Bengal, and co-founded Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam in 1896.
Shaykh al-Kul Abdul Wahid Bengali | |
|---|---|
| Title | Munazer-e-Islam, Mujahid-e-Azam, Olikul Shiromoni |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1850 Kharandwip, Boalkhali, Chittagong District |
| Died | 1905 (aged 54–55) |
| Resting place | Munshipara, Kharandwip, Boalkhali |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith, fiqh, tasawwuf |
| Notable work(s) | Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband |
| Muslim leader | |
Students | |
Influenced | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | ʿAbd al-Wāḥid عبد الحميد |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn Zīnat ʿAlī بن زينة علي |
| Epithet (Laqab) | Shaykh al-Kul شیخ الکل |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Bangālī البنغالي |
Early life and family
editAbdul Wahid was born in 1268 Hijri (1851—1852 CE), to a Bengali Muslim family in the village of Haola in Kharandwip, Boalkhali, Chittagong District, Bengal Presidency. His father, Shaykh Moulvi Zinat Ali, was a munsef (local judge) at a court in Kaukhali, Rangunia.[2][3] Ali was fluent in Bengali, English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu.[4]
Education
editAbdul Wahid initially studied with his father, Zinat Ali, before joining the Sarwatali High School. In addition to Bengali, he became proficient in Urdu too. He stayed in this school until class 8, when he realised the importance of studying the Quran, Hadith and the Arabic language after reading a book in Urdu. Instead of proceeding with the colonial education system that taught English, Abdul Wahid turned towards Arabic. In response, people close to him began to mock him. However, he was certain in his goals and left his village for Calcutta, where his father's friend lived. He expressed his desire of learning Arabic to his father's friend. The man then wrote a letter to Zinat Ali of his son's situation and desire and Abdul Wahid was subsequently enrolled at the Muhsinia Madrasa in Chittagong.[2]
In Deoband
editHis neighbours continued to criticise the fact that the son of a judge was studying Arabic. Eventually, Abdul Wahid set off for North India without telling anyone and joined the Darul Uloom Deoband. In Deoband, he dedicated his time to religious studies to such a level that he would often not reply to letters that he received from home.[citation needed]
He had enrolled at the prestigious seminary only 5–6 years after its establishment. He was one of the only two students of Qasim Nanautavi and Yaqub Nanautawi that were from eastern Bengal at the time.[5] The other student was Ubaydul Hakim, who also belonged to the village of Kharandwip. After 14 years at Deoband, Abdul Wahid graduated from the Faculty of Hadith (Masters).[6][7]
After both of them completed their formal education at Deoband, the two expressed their desire to study tasawwuf under Qasim Nanautavi. Nanautavi instead directed them towards Imdadullah Muhajir Makki. However, after he migrated to Mecca, they pledged bay'ah to Fazlur Rahman Ganj-e-Muradabadi. They spent an additional two years under him, eventually gaining khilafah (spiritual succession). At that time Abdul Wahid received a letter from his mother mentioning that his father had died. His mother urged him to return home, thus Abdul Wahid returned to Bengal after 16 years.[8]
Personal life
editHis mother arranged for a marriage fearing that Abdul Wahid might move abroad again. He was engaged to a noblewoman from Kadalpur in Raozan. In this marriage, Abdul Wahid had one daughter, Shakirah Khatun, and two sons, Sulayman and Ayyub. However, Abdul Wahid felt that his wife was not religiously devoted. After he failed in repeatedly trying to persuade her to become more practicing, he returned her to her parents' home. From there, he did not return to his home but rather set off to the home of his close friend Sufi Azizur Rahman in Babunagar, Fatikchhari.[9]
Abdul Wahid's second marriage occurred through the assistance of Sufi Azizur Rahman. He married a woman from Nazirhat and temporary leased some land from a man to the west of the Dhurang canal in Babunagar. He had a daughter with this wife.[8]
Career
edit
After returning to Bengal, Abdul Wahid started a tupi business in Chittagong.[5] He also began teaching Islamic studies in the village of Babunagar along with Sufi Azizur Rahman. In 1896, the two co-founded Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam in Hathazari along with Habibullah Qurayshi and Abdul Hamid Madarshahi. Abdul Wahid became a teacher of tajwid at the madrasa. In 1908, he began teaching Kutub al-Sittah at the madrasa.[8]
Death and legacy
editHe died in 1905, at the age of 55. His janaza was performed by Habibullah Qurayshi and he was buried in his paternal graveyard (now known as al-Maqbarah al-Wahidiyyah) in Munshipara, Kharandwip. To the east of his grave, a madrasa was established in his name as Wahidia Madrasa. Among his biographers, Mawlana Jafar Sadiq is notable.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ al-Kumillai, Muhammad Hifzur Rahman (2018). كتاب البدور المضية في تراجم الحنفية (in Arabic). Cairo, Egypt: Dar al-Salih.
- ^ a b Hafiz, Ahmadullah; Hasan, Ahmad (May 2016). Alhillul Mufham Asshahihu limuslim - Allama Mufti Hafej Ahmodullah Saheb মাশায়েখে চাটগাম — ১ম খণ্ড [Great sheikhs of Chittagong Volume 1] (in Bengali) (3 ed.). Ahmad Prakashan. pp. 29–68. ISBN 978-984-92106-4-1.
- ^ Islam, Amirul (2012). সোনার বাংলা হীরার খনি ৪৫ আউলিয়ার জীবনী [Golden Bengal's mines of diamonds 45 biographies of holy men] (in Bengali). Kohinur Library. pp. 205–213.
- ^ Ubaydul Haq, Muhammad (2017). বাংলাদেশের পীর আওলিয়াগণ [Saints and holy men of Bangladesh] (in Bengali). Madina Publications. p. 39.
- ^ a b Mawlana Nur Muhammad Azmi. "2.2 বঙ্গে এলমে হাদীছ" [2.2 Knowledge of Hadith in Bengal]. হাদীছের তত্ত্ব ও ইতিহাস [Information and history of Hadith] (in Bengali). Emdadia Library. p. 24.
- ^ Nizampuri, Ashraf Ali (2013). The Hundred (বাংলা মায়ের একশ কৃতিসন্তান) [The Hundred (100 glorious children of Mother Bengal)] (1 ed.). Salman Prakashani. pp. 19–23. ISBN 978-112009250-2.
- ^ Babunagari, Junaid (2003). দারুল উলুম হাটহাজারীর কতিপয় উজ্জ্বল নক্ষত্র (in Bengali) (1 ed.). Bukhari Academy. p. 10.
- ^ a b c Bijnuri, Azizur Rahman (1967). তাজকিরায়ে মাশায়েখে দেওবন্দ [Remembrance of the scholars of Deoband] (in Bengali). Idara-e-Madani Darut Talif; Maktaba-e-Taha. pp. 111–127. OCLC 19927541.
- ^ Jafar, Abu (2017). ভারতীয় উপমহাদেশের সুফি-সাধক ও ওলামা মাশায়েখ [Sufi saints and scholars of the Indian subcontinent] (in Bengali). Mina Book House. p. 68. ISBN 9789849115465.
- ^ Kabir, Humayun (December 2009). "Replicating the Deobandi model of Islamic schooling: the case of a Quomi madrasa in a district town of Bangladesh". Contemporary South Asia. 17 (4): 415–428. doi:10.1080/09584930903275884. S2CID 145197781.
- ^ Singh, Nagendra Kr., ed. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh (1st ed.). New Delhi, India: Anmol Publications. p. 259. ISBN 8126113901.
- ^ "NBR Reports" (PDF).
With its impeccable Deobandi credentials, Hathazari madrasa ranks among the top ten madrasas in the subcontinent in terms of its academic standards and reputation.
- ^ Attar, Fariduddin (2013). তাযকিরাতুল আউলিয়া [Remembrance of the holy men] (in Bengali). Siddiqia Publications. pp. 478–481. ISBN 978-9848910559.