Shaykh al-Arab wal-Ajam Haji Muhammad Yunus | |
|---|---|
হাজী মুহম্মদ ইউনুস | |
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| Rector ofAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya | |
| In office 1959–1992 | |
| Preceded by | Azizul Haq |
| Succeeded by | Harun Islamabadi |
| President ofBefaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh | |
| In office 1978–1992 | |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Harun Islamabadi |
| President ofIdarat al-Maʿarif | |
| In office 1969–1976 | |
| Preceded by | Shamsul Haque Faridpuri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Yunus Choudhury 1906 |
| Died | 14 February 1992(1992-02-14) (aged 85–86) Upasham Hospital,Chittagong,Bangladesh |
| Resting place | Maqbara-e-Azizi,Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya |
| Personal life | |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Children | 7 sons and 3 daughters |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Teachers | |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Senior posting | |
| Disciple of | Zamiruddin Ahmad |
Students | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced
| |
Muhammad Yunus Choudhury (Bengali:মুহম্মদ ইউনুস চৌধুরী; 1906 – 14 February 1992), popularly known asHaji Muhammad Yunus (Bengali:হাজী মুহম্মদ ইউনুস), was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist. He was the second rector ofAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, former president of Idarat al-Maʿarif and an active member of theMuslim World League. As the founding president ofBefaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, Yunus contributed to the establishment and renovation of roughly 1500madrasas in Bangladesh. He was awarded the title ofShaykh al-ʿArab wa al-ʿAjam by theImam ofMasjid al-Haram.[1]
Muhammad Yunus Choudhury was born in 1906 to aBengali Muslim family ofChoudhuries in the village of Rahimpur inHathazari,Chittagong District,Bengal Presidency. His father, Abdul Jabbar Choudhury, was azamindar and his mother, Begum Riazunnesa, was a housewife. The family were claimed to be descended fromAbu Bakr, the 1stCaliph ofIslam. His father died when he was aged four years.[2][3][4]
Yunus's education began at the age ofc. 5 years old at the local primary school. HisQuranic studies began a year later which he completed in two years. His mother, Begum Riazunnesa, then entrusted Choudhury to Qari Maqbul Ahmad Barisali ofDarul Uloom Hathazari to perfect his Quranic studies. After completing the Qur'an for a second time under Barisali at the age of 9 and three quarters, Yunus then studiedBahishti Zewar and other books under Qari Ibrahim, theimam of Darul Uloom Hathazari Central Mosque. Yunus became very much influenced by the teachings ofAshraf Ali Thanwi, the author ofBahishti Zewar. In the following year, Yunus began his studies of thePersian language. DuringRamadan, he began studying theGulistan underHabibullah Qurayshi. After that, Yunus officially enrolled into the Jamat-e-Hashtum (secondary) and studied up until Jamat-e-Ula (bachelors) level. Among his teachers were Habibullah Qurayshi,Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi,Shah Abdul Wahhab,Muhammad Faizullah,Siddiq Ahmad andZamiruddin Ahmad.[5][6]
After completing his studies at Darul Uloom Hathazari, Yunus set off for theDarul Uloom Deoband seminary inSaharanpur, India on the advice of hismurshidZamiruddin Ahmad in 1932. He spent five years in Deoband, completing his studies from Dawra-e-Hadith (Masters), philosophy andtafsir.[7] He then completed hishifz under Atiqur Rahman. Among his teachers in Deoband wereIzaz Ali Amrohi,Asghar Hussain Deobandi,Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi,Hussain Ahmad Madani,Shabbir Ahmad Usmani,Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi,Zakariyya Kandhlawi andMuhammad Shafi.[8]
| Part ofa series on the |
| Deobandi movement |
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| Ideology and influences |
| Founders and key figures |
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| Notable institutions |
| Centres (markaz) of Tablighi Jamaat |
| Associated organizations |
| Deobandi jihadism |
| Deobandi jihadism: |
Yunus' journey intotasawwuf began at the age of eleven under his teacherZamiruddin Ahmad in Hathazari. Before setting off for Deoband, Ahmad granted himkhilafat (spiritual succession). During his studies in India, Yunus would enter uponAshraf Ali Thanwi and would spend the last ten nights ofRamadan participating iniʿtikāf with Thanwi. Yunus eventually receivedkhilafat from Thanwi's disciple Muhammad Musa Muhajir-e-Makki.[9]
After returning toBengal, Yunus set off forHajj withZamiruddin Ahmad andAzizul Haq. During this pilgrimage, the decision to establishAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya was made. Azizul Haq returned to Bengal after completing Hajj and established it whilst Yunus remained inMecca.[10] Yunus eventually returned to Bengal in 1945, and became a teacher at the Azizia Primary School.[a] After that, he joined the staff at Patiya, where he served various roles such as Secretary of Education and Vice-Principal, eventually becoming the Principal or Director-General in 1959. Yunus served this role until his death.[11]
Yunus became a member of theMecca-basedMuslim World League in 1974. Yunus delivered a notable speech during a four-day Muslim World League conference held in Mecca between 20 September and 23 September 1975. He represented thePeople's Republic of Bangladesh at the Asia Conference for the Mosque Committee held inKarachi in 1987. In 1979, Yunus also nominated to represent the country at the 3rd International Seerah Conference inDoha,Qatar.[12]
Yunus was the founding president ofBefaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, which is the largestQawmi education board in Bangladesh. In 1959, he established theAnjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh alongsideAzizul Haq. Azizul Haq died within three years of its establishment and so Yunus singlehandedly took the lead thereafter.[13] In 1986, Yunus founded and became the president of the Islamic Conference Organisation, withAbdul Halim Bukhari as its general secretary. It was inaugurated at the Chittagong Circuit House field in front a massive audience. Currently, international Islamic conferences are held in Bangladesh through this organisation.[14]
The establishment and renovation of 1500 mosques andmadrasas in Bangladesh are credited to Muhammad Yunus. He is the sponsor of all of Chittagong's traditional madrasas. In 1979, he donatedSahih al-Bukhari books toAl Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Jiri. He was also a member of theMajlis-e-Shura ofAl-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam, and appointedShah Ahmad Shafi to the position as the university's rector.[15] After the death ofShamsul Haque Faridpuri, Yunus became the second president of theIdarat al-Maʿarif. Two months before his own death, Yunus took to the initiative of establishing the Bangladesh Islamic Research Council. His successor,Harun Islamabadi, completed this initiative.[16]
Yunus was also involved in the propagation of Islam intoBandarban Hill District. In 1989, he established the Bandarban Islamic Education Centre which currently is home to an Islamic library, anan-Nadi ath-Thaqafi literary society, Shaykh Yunus Student's Library, Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi Auditorium, Technical Training Centre, orphanage and hospital. It is currently headed by his son, Husain Muhammad Yunus.[11] Yunus also established amadrasa inRangunia in 1986 to counter the progress of Christian missionaries in the area. The complex is also home to a hospital, a New Muslim Rehabilitation Project, an agricultural farm and a women's madrasa education department. It is the largest madrasa in Rangunia and is currently led by Mir Qasim.[11]
Yunus founded a madrasa adjacent to a small mosque located to the south of Rangamati Road inChittagong District in 1973. He named this madrasa asFaizia Tajweed al-Quran Madrasa after his teacher,Muhammad Faizullah. It is currently led by Jahedullah Chatgami and 31 teachers and hosts 700 students.[11] With the assistance of Ali Salem of theUnited Arab Emirates, Yunus founded a hospital in Sukhbilas, Rangunia in 1983. The hospital was completed in 1988, and by 1990, it hosted 30 wards.[17] He also founded the Bangladesh Tahfizul Quran Organisation in 1976, which holds nationalhifz competitions annually.[18] In 1991, Yunus founded the Islamic Relief Committee to aid the victims of the1991 Bangladesh cyclone. On 26 December of the same year, he established theTanzim-e-Ahl-e-Haq organisation. Haji Muhammad Yunus is also the founder of theanti-socialistAnjuman-e-Tahaffuz-e-Islam organisation as well as theFurqania Organisation which provides Islamic education to children.[19]
Yunus invitedMohammad Al Subail, theImam ofMasjid al-Haram, without any formality toAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya's annual conference in 1979. Yunus played an important role in transforming to Patiya into an internationalIslamic university. He was also visited in Patiya byYusuf al-Qaradawi in 1979 as well asAbdullah bin Muhammad Al Zahim (Imam ofMasjid an-Nabawi),Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi,Sayyid Yusuf ar-Rifai,Ahmad bin Abdulaziz al-Mubarak,Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi,Muhammad Shafi,Yusuf Banuri,Zafar Ahmad Usmani, Yaqub Qasmi,Abdullah Omar Nasseef, Abdul Majid Nadeem,Taqi Usmani, Bashir ash-Shikhfa (Governor ofAl Ain), Dr. Alwani, Jalal ad-Din Sayrwan, Nur ad-Din ad-Dimashqi andSultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi (Emir of Sharjah).[20]
His first developmental move was to reform the education system at Patiya. He divided it into several divisions:[21]
After the bachelors level, he also introduced different faculties such as the Tajweed and Tafsir division, Higher Islamic Law and Research division, Higher Bengali Literature and Research division and Higher Arabic Literature and Research division. The Higher Islamic Law and Research division and Higher Bengali Literature and Research division were the first of any kind in Bangladesh.[22] Yunus composed a constitution for Jamia Patiya in 1960.[23]
TheImam ofMasjid al-Haram,Mohammad Al Subail, conferred upon Yunus the title ofShaykh al-Arab wal-Ajam (Shaykh ofArabs andnon-Arabs). Yunus completed theHajj pilgrimage 57 times in his lifetime. For this reason,Azizul Haq would call himHaji Saheb and he became famous as Haji Yunus across the country.[24]Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi referred to him as the "Guardian of theUlama".[25]
Yunus established the three-storey Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya Central Mosque, which is among the large mosques of Bangladesh. He also established a large building for the university on the southern part of the campus. The building hosts an auditorium in its third floor with a capacity of 5000 people. Behind this building, Yunus established a four-storey students accommodation hall known asDar-e-Jadid as well as a small mosque. Two stories ofDar-e-Jadid were completed during his lifetime. He also founded a three-storeyhefzkhana (hifz building) in front of the new building and established a four-storey building for the Foundation towards 1987. Yunus is also credited for the establishment of the two-storeyhammam, a deeptube well, five quarters and two ponds within the university campus.[26]
During his visit toSaudi Arabia in 1971 withAbdur Rahman (scholar), Amjad Ali Khan and Ramizuddin Bengali, Yunus met with the pro-vice chancellor of theIslamic University of Madinah. Yunus secured an educational agreement allowing Jamia Patiya's students to travel to the Islamic university for higher Islamic studies.[27]
Yunus sponsored various Bengali and Arabic magazines throughout his life.Monthly at-Tawhid is one of the magazines that has maintained continuity since its first publication by Yunus fromAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya in January 1971.[28] Yunus was also the patron of theDarpan magazine which was published for some time by the Bengali department of Jamia Patiya. Yunus established the 'Arabic Language Complex Bangladesh' to assist the Arabic language movement of Bangladesh. From this institution, theAs-Subh al-Jadid (The New Morning) was published and edited by Sultan Zauq Nadvi. This magazine was later replaced by another Arabic magazine by the name ofAt-Tabligh (The Propagation). Awall magazine calledAl-Aziz was released from 1980, which was later replaced byAl-Fakhr al-Jadid.[16]
Another successful publication under his initiative wasBalagh as-Sharq (Message of the East). This Arabic-English magazine is currently edited byObaidullah Hamzah.[28]
Haji Muhammad Yunus was directly and indirectly involved in the politics of erstwhile Pakistan and Bangladesh throughout his life.[29] His political influences wereSiddiq Ahmad andAthar Ali Bengali.[30] The litterateur Sirajuddin Imam wrote:
His walk in the political arena was also great. He did not separate religion and politics. After his student life, he participated in the anti-colonial movement led by theJamiat Ulema-e-Hind.[31]
He played an active role in promoting Islamic values in Pakistan.[32] In 1969, he gave a speech at theNizam-e-Islam Party's press conference inKarachi. He was also present in the press conference jointly held by the Nizam-e-Islam andJamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1986. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, he was selected as the patron of the Nizam-e-Islam Party. He said with regards to politics:
If you want to preserve the madrasas and the religion, then set some of the madrasa's salary and give it to one worker in the cause of politics
He played an active role in establishing Bangladesh Islamic Student Society.[33][34] During theBangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Haji Muhammad Yunus gave shelter to GeneralZiaur Rahman inAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya. For this reason, thePakistan Army bombed the madrasa.[35]
After returning from Hajj, 30-year old Muhammad Yunus married the daughter of Abdul Aziz Rahimpuri from his village. He had sevens sons and three daughters from this marriage. His sons were: Yusuf, Hasan, Husayn, Jahedullah, Abdul Mannan, Muzzammil and Khaled. He also married Rasheda Murshida Begum, who was the daughter of hispirZamiruddin Ahmad. However, she died one year after the marriage.[11]
Haji Muhammad Yunus fell ill at the start of 1992. He was taken to Upasham Hospital inChittagong, where he died on 14 February. Hisjanaza was held the next day atAl Jamia Al Islamia Patiya grounds and was led byAlia Ahmad Boalvi. He was then buried at the Maqbara-e-Aziz next toAzizul Haq.< Following his death, several magazines and journals inSaudi Arabia such as theOkaz andAl Madina published biographies on him.[30][36] In 2014, Muhammad Habibullah released his book titled 'Allama Shah Haji Muhammad Yunus Rah: Life, Works, Contributions'. In memory of Haji Muhammad Yunus, the Allama Shah Yunus Rah Academy was founded inHathazari.[37]