Qutub al-Aqtab Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi | |
|---|---|
সাঈদ আহমদ সন্দ্বীপি | |
 Gravesite of Saeed Ahmad, located within theAl-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia compound | |
| Born | 1882 |
| Died | 16 February 1956(1956-02-16) (aged 73–74) |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband |
| Known for | Sheikh al-Hadith |
| Notable work | Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia |
| Children | 16 |
| Father | Munshi Nur Bang |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| School | Hanafi |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Senior posting | |
| Disciple of | |
Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi (1882 – 16 February 1956) was a 20th-centuryHadith scholar and Sufi figure from theBengal region, now part of Bangladesh. He is regarded as the firstSheikh al-Hadith of Bengal, following his appointment as Sheikh al-Hadith atDarul Uloom Hathazari, the firstQawmi madrasa in Bangladesh. He foundedAl-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia in 1944. He taught Hadith at both institutions for over five decades.[1] He was a student ofMahmud Hasan Deobandi and a member of the Majlis-e-Shura ofDarul Uloom Deoband. As a Sufi master, he had nearly 10,000murids and seven successors, includingMuhammad Faizullah.
Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi was born in 1882 in Kalapania village,Sandwip, in present-day Bangladesh.[2] His father, Munshi Nur Bang, was a religious scholar, and the family traced its origins to migrants fromKabul, bearing the surnameAkhund.[2] Saeed Ahmad completed his early education in theQuran and basic Islamic studies under his father's guidance. During this time, a scholar from Sandwip named Waziullah Sandwipi, who was studying atDarul Uloom Deoband in India, visited the area and gave public lectures.[2] Impressed by Waziullah's influence, Nur Bang sent Saeed Ahmad to Darul Uloom Deoband in 1893 to pursue further religious studies.[1]
At Darul Uloom Deoband, Saeed Ahmad became a student ofMahmud Hasan Deobandi and completed the Dawra-e-Hadith curriculum in 1904.[3] While studying, he initially pledged spiritual allegiance (bay'ah) toRashid Ahmad Gangohi and, following Gangohi's death, renewed it with Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, from whom he also received khilafah (spiritual succession) and ijazah (authorization).[4] Mahmud Hasan later instructed him to return to Bengal and continue his spiritual training underZamiruddin Ahmad, a disciple of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.[5] Saeed Ahmad returned to his homeland in 1905 to begin his religious and spiritual work.[1]
After returning to Bengal in 1905, Saeed Ahmad engaged in religious reform, particularly opposing practices he consideredbid'ah andshirk, while maintaining a spiritual association with Zamiruddin Ahmad.[6] On Zamiruddin's recommendation, he was appointed as a senior teacher atDarul Uloom Hathazari in the same year.[7] In 1908, following the introduction of the Dawra-e-Hadith program at the institution, he was appointedSheikh al-Hadith.[8] At that time, structured instruction of the six canonical Hadith collections (Kutub al-Sittah) was uncommon in Bengal, and he was the first to teach them formally at the Dawra-e-Hadith level, receiving recognition as the first Sheikh al-Hadith in Hadith studies in the region.[9][1][10] His students at Darul Uloom Hathazari includedMuhammad Faizullah andShah Ahmad Hasan.[11] The authorities ofAliah madrasa inKolkata later invited him to teach in their planned Dawra-e-Hadith program, but he declined due to its government affiliation.[12] He was also nominated to the Majlis-e-Shura (governing body) of Darul Uloom Deoband, representing Bengal andAssam.[13] During a visit to Deoband, he temporarily taughtSunan Abi Dawud andTafsir Ibn Kathir in the absence ofAsghar Hussain Deobandi;[14] among his students there wereShabbir Ahmad Usmani andIbrahim Balyawi.[15] In 1943, he resigned from Darul Uloom Hathazari and, in 1944, establishedAl-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia, where he continued teaching Hadith until his death.[16] He had nearly 10,000 spiritual disciples and appointed seven individuals as successors, includingMuhammad Faizullah.[17]
Saeed Ahmad fell ill during a visit toRajshahi in northern Bengal and died inSirajganj on 16 February 1956 while returning home.[18][19] His funeral was held the following day near Charia madrasa, led byAzizul Haque, and he was buried adjacent to the institution.[18] He was married twice—first in Sandwip, a marriage that ended in separation, and later in Hathazari. He had nine sons and seven daughters from both marriages.[20]
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