Ubaidul Haq | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rdKhatib ofBaitul Mukarram National Mosque | |
| In office In office 1984–2007 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1928-05-02)2 May 1928 |
| Died | 6 October 2007(2007-10-06) (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Notable work(s) | International Majlis-e Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e Nobuwat Bangladesh |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Muslim leader | |
Students | |
Influenced by | |
Ubaidul Haq (Bengali:উবায়দুল হক; 2 May 1928 – 6 October 2007), also speltObaidul Haq (Bengali:ওবাইবদুল হক), was aBangladeshi teacher,muhaddith,mufassir and writer. He was the formerkhatib of thenational mosque of Bangladesh.[1][2]
Obaidul Haq was born on 2 May 1928 into a traditionalBengali Muslim family in Barothakuri,Zakiganj,Sylhet District. His father,Maulana Zahurul Haq was a notable student ofAshraf Ali Thanwi and graduated inHadith studies from theDarul Uloom Deoband in 1335. His mother was Musammat Aisha Begum. Haq was the second son out of three sons. His elder brother, Ahmadul Haq, collected old books and was the owner of a store known as the Ashrafiyyah Kutubkhana, which opened in Zindabazar,Sylhet not long after theIndependence of Bangladesh in 1971. His younger brother, Mawlana Abdul Haq (1930-2022), was a graduate of theGovernment Madrasah-e-Alia inDhaka and a teacher ofHadith at aQaumi Madrasa.[3]
Obaidul Haq first studied at the Ghungadi Madrasah where he was taughtPersian books such as Mizan Munshaib by Maulana Shamsul Haq. Two years later, he studied at a madrasa inHabiganj under Mawlana Muddathir Ahmad and Mawlana Musir Ali - both graduates of the Darul Uloom Deoband. Obaidul Haq then studied at Munshibazar Ayargaon Madrasa, founded by his father. In 1942, he enrolled in Darul Uloom Deoband and received his vocation inTafsir and Hadith fromHussain Ahmad Madani andMuhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi.[3]
Obaidul Haq started his career as a teacher in joined Dhaka's Hossainya Ashraful Ulum Madrasa nearBara Katra from 1949, teachinghadith studies. In 1953, he began teaching at theNanak Wara Madrasa inKarachi. He returned to Bengal in 1954, joining as a teacher at theDhaka Alia Madrasa, where he taught hadith studies between until 1971 and served as the additional vice principal from 1973 through 1979. He was theShaikhul Hadith at Chittagong'sPatia Madrasa between 1986 and 1987, and held the same position at Sylhet's Jamia Qasimul Uloom Dargah Madrasa from 1987 until his death.[3]
He was also a professor at Faizul Uloom Madrasa atAzimpur in the Dhaka.[3]
He was the longest servingkhatib ofBaitul Mukarram, the national mosque of Bangladesh. In 2001, he was forced into retirement by the thenAwami League government.[4] He then sought a writ petition which overturned the government's decision.
At a conference on 1 April 2005, organised inPaltan Maidan, Dhaka by theJamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam he along with the leadingulema ofIndia,Pakistan andBangladesh declared afatwa denouncingterrorism.[1]
Later that year,after a series of bombings in Bangladesh he led thousands of worshipers and political activists in a prayer and massive demonstration denouncing terrorism.[5] He remarked that those who were killing people with bombs, were the enemies ofIslam and people as well.[6]
In 1994, he expressed concern over the growing support for the unfair practices ofChristian proselytizers bynon-governmental organisations and the sympathy for them byBangladeshi left-wing political parties.[7]
On 21 March 2003, he led a large anti-war rally in protest of theinvasion of Iraq withFazlul Haque Amini, where he remarked that:
The US will occupy all the oil-richMiddle East andMuslim countries, includingSaudi Arabia andKuwait, gradually.[8]
In 2005, following theseries of bombings by the banned outfitJama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) while leading the protest denouncingterrorism he remarked:[5]
Islam prohibitssuicide bombings. These bombers are enemies of Islam. It is a duty for allMuslims to stand up against those who are killing people in the name of Islam.[5]
He died in the month of Ramadan on October 6, 2007.[9]PresidentIajuddin Ahmed, Finance Minister Saifur Rahman, Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Taqi Usmani, Abdur Rauf, Qazi Din Muhammad, Shah Ahmad Shafi, and others mourned his death. His funeral prayers were held at the Jatiya Idgah under the imamate of his son, Ataul Haque. President, Chief Adviser to Caretaker Government Fakhruddin Ahmed, along with Adviser on Information and Religion, Army Chief Moin Uddin Ahmed, Former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Matiur Rahman Nizami, Azizul Haque, Fazlul Haque Amini, Syed Rezaul Karim, and others participated in his funeral. He was buried at Azimpur Cemetery.[citation needed]
In 2014, an MPhil dissertation by Syed Rezwan Ahmed on his life work was published. In 2007, a commemorative issue of the weekly Muslim Jahan was published in his memory. In 2008, the Khatibe Millat Memorial was published by the Allama Khatib Commemoration Implementation Committee from Zakiganj, Sylhet.