Mujahid-e-MillatMawlana Shamsuddin Qasemi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 5 March 1935 |
| Died | 19 October 1996(1996-10-19) (aged 61) |
| Resting place | Mirpur, Dhaka,Bangladesh |
| Parent |
|
| Political party | Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri Jamia Ashrafia |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Tariqa | Chishti(Sabiri-Imdadi) Naqshbandi Qadri Suhrawardy |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Muslim leader | |
| Teacher | Idris Kandhlawi Ahmed Ali Lahori |
| Disciple of | Hussain Ahmad Madani |
| Secretary-General,Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh | |
| In office October 1974 – 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Shah Ahraruzzaman |
| Succeeded by | Muhiuddin Khan |
| In office 1978–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Muhiuddin Khan |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Wakkas |
Shamsuddin Qasemi (Bengali:শামসুদ্দীন কাসেমী; 5 March 1935 – 19 October 1996) was a BangladeshiIslamic scholar, politician, author and educationist.[1] He was the founding president of theKhatme Nabuwwat Andolan Council, former secretary-general ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, former principal ofJamia Madania Chittagong andJamia Hussainia Arzabad, and the founding chief-editor of the monthlyPaygam-e-Haqq and weeklyJamiat magazines.[2] He is also noted for his contributions during theBangladesh Liberation War of 1971.[3][4][5]
Qasemi was born on 5 March 1935, toBengali Muslim parentsMoulvi Muhammad Muddassir and Umme Habiba in the neighbourhood of Nayabasti, located in the island ofSandwip, off the coast ofChittagong District. His father was a descendant ofAli Munshi, who was awakil andmunshi, trained in thePersian language. Ali Munshi was also a distinguished anti-colonial rebel based in Sandwip. His ancestors arrived inChittagong in the 1660s, whenShah Shuja was seeking asylum in the region.[6]
His early education began at the localmaktab under Mawlana Abdul Aziz Munshi and then at the local primary school, before joining the Riazul Uloom Madrasa. It was with the suggestion of Muhammad Musa, his teacher at Riazul Uloom, that he later enrolled at the Harishpur Bashiria Ahmadia Senior Madrasa in Sandwip. Qasemi passed hisdakhil,alim (1st) andfazil (1st) qualifications from the Harishpur madrasa. He studied various books there includingAl-Hidayah,Tafsir al-Jalalayn, andMishkat al-Masabih.[7] In 1955, he set off forDarul Uloom Deoband inIndia, where he learntfiqh,Arabic literature andlogic. His teachers in Deoband includedNasir Ahmed Khan,Naim Deobandi,Ahmed Hasan Bihari,Abdul Ahad Deobandi,Mian Akhtar Husayn andFaiz Ali Shah. However, Qasemi could only spend two years in Deoband, due to an illness. After returning to Bengal and recovering from his illness, he was unable to return to Deoband due to theVisa policy of India. He therefore enrolled for one year atAl-Jamiah al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah Jiri, a madrasa inPatiya, Chittagong that was modelled on theDeobandi methodology. After spending some time there under the likes ofAbdul Wadud Chatgami,Saleh Ahmad Chatgami andMufti Nurul Haq, he set off forLahore inWest Pakistan, where he became a student atJamia Ashrafia, graduating from thefaculty of Hadith andtafsir. Among his teachers wereIdris Kandhlawi,Jamil Ahmed Thanvi, Ziaul Haq Kembelpuri,Yaqub Hazarvi,Ghulam Mustafa Hanafi,Abdul Ghani Sunni andRasul Khan. In 1960, he studiedtafsir withAhmed Ali Lahori. In the realm oftasawwuf, he was amurid (disciple) ofHussain Ahmad Madani.[8]
Qasemi returned to Bengal in 1961, beginning his career as a teacher at theSohagi Madrasa inMymensingh. After that, he taught at the Jamia Hussainia Ashraful Uloom Madrasa inBara Katara for two years, and then at the Jamia Arabia Imdadul Uloom Faridabad for six to seven years. He played an important role in the establishment ofJamia Islamia Darul Uloom Madania madrasa inJatrabari Thana, serving as an unpaid teacher there for one year.[9]
After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, he became the principal ofKashiful Uloom Madrasa in Shulukbahar,Chittagong and theimam andkhatib of Dampara Baitul Aziz Mosque. Qasemi founded manymadrasas in Bangladesh including Sholakbahar Madrasa in Chittagong, Jamia Madania Madrasa inJatrabari, Jamiatul Madania Rajfulbaria inSavar and Madinatul Uloom in Aminbazar. In 1975, Qasemi became one of the founders of theJamia Hussainia Arzabad inMirpur, Dhaka. He served as this madrasa's ChiefMuhaddith and Principal until his death.[8]
Qasemi was closely associated with theJamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, serving as vice-president, executive president and three-time elected secretary-general within a period of over thirty years. WhenFazlur Rahman Malik was appointed head of the Central Institute of Islamic Research inKarachi by thePresident of PakistanAyub Khan in 1961, Qasemi organised a vigorous movement against it in Bengal. In the same year, Qasemi also called out Ayub Khan for the "Muslim Family Laws" bill. TheEast Pakistan Jamiat Committee was founded on 16 March 1966, withAbdul Karim Shaykh-e-Kouria elected as its president and Qasemi as secretary-general. Following theIsraeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967, Qasemi called for a boycott of goods, on behalf of the East Pakistan Jamiat.[6]
Through his efforts, the Jamiat formulated a resolution on 22 March 1971, motivating and expressing support to theBengali freedom fighters during theBangladesh Liberation War. Qasemi opposed thePakistan Army for its actions both in public and in writing, and assisted the freedom fighters in a number of ways. He organised a public rally inBahadur Shah Park, Dhaka, where he gave a speech which resulted in the Pakistani soldiers imprisoning him at theDhaka Cantonment.[10]
Qasemi declared a strike inSylhet in response toDaud Haider's insulting poem against religion. He was arrested for this decision, although theGovernment of Bangladesh underSheikh Mujibur Rahman eventually did exile Haider.[6] In 1974, Qasemi was elected as vice-president. He was elected as secretary-general in 1977, and on 25 February 1980.[9]
He was vice-president of the first Election Management Committee underMuhammadullah Hafezzi, and the inaugural organising secretary of theBangladesh Khilafat Andolan in 1981. In 1990, Qasemi was one of the founding co-ordinators of theIslami Oikya Jote. He was also the founding president of theKhatme Nabuwwat Movement Council and one of the foremost leaders of the Majlis-e-Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwat Guild.[8] In 1994, he held a Tanzime Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat conference at theIEB Auditorium which criticised theJamaat-e-Islami organisation.[6]
Qasemi died on 19 October 1996, in his room at theJamia Hussainia Arzabad, with his last word beinglabbayk whilst theadhan forIsha was being announced. He left behind five sons and three daughters. Hisjanaza was led byAbdul Karim Shaykh-e-Kouria and he was subsequently in the graveyard adjacent to theMirpur Martyred Intellectual Graveyard.[9]
Qasemi was the founder of the weeklyJamiat and monthlyPaygham-e-Haqq magazines. He also wrote several books including:[8]
{{cite book}}:Check|isbn= value: length (help)CS1 maint: location (link){{cite book}}:Check|isbn= value: invalid prefix (help)CS1 maint: location (link)