Muhammad Abdul Wahhab حاجی محمد عبد الوہاب | |
|---|---|
| Amir ofTablighi Jamaat inPakistan | |
| In office 1992 – 18 November 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Haseeb Nazar |
| Succeeded by | Maulana Nazar-ur-Rehman |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1923-01-01)1 January 1923[1] |
| Died | 18 November 2018(2018-11-18) (aged 95)[2] Lahore, Pakistan |
| Nationality | British Indian (until 1947) Pakistani (from 1947) |
| Main interest(s) | Dawah |
| Alma mater | Islamia College |
| Occupation | Islamic preacher |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Movement | Tablighi Jamaat |
| Muslim leader | |
Haji Abdul Wahhab (Urdu:حاجی عبد الوہاب, (1 January 1923 – 18 November 2018[2]) was anIslamic preacher and the emir ofTablighi Jamaat inPakistan.[3][4][5]
Muhammad Abdul Wahhab was born inDelhi,British India, in 1923 into aRajput family originally fromSaharanpur inUttar Pradesh.[6]
The family moved toLahore following the1947 partition, where he graduated from theIslamia College and became a government employee.[6]
After graduation he worked as atehsildar in pre-partition India. In his youth he also worked forMajlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam,[7] and was influenced byAbdul Qadir Raipuri (1878–1962).[7] He was the president of Majlis-e-Ahrar Burewala.[citation needed]
Abdul Wahhab joined the Tabligh Jamaat during the life of its founder,Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi. He arrived atNizamuddin markaz on 1 January 1944. He got thesohbah ofMaulana Ilyas for six months.[dubious –discuss][citation needed] He left his job to devote his time and effort to the Jamaat, and he was one of the first five people in Pakistan who offered their entire life for doing Tabligh work.[7] He was a direct companion of MaulanaMuhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi,Yusuf Kandhlawi, andInamul Hasan Kandhlawi.[citation needed]
Muhammad Shafi Quraishi (1903–1971) was the first regularamir of the Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan; he was succeeded by Haji Muhammad Bashir (1919–1992). Abdul Wahhab succeeded Bashir as the third regularamir for Pakistan.[7] He was based atRaiwind Markaz, the movement's headquarters in the country, where he headed ashura (council). He was also a member of the movement'salami shura (world council) based inNizamuddin, Delhi, India.[8]
He was also related with the Qadiriyah Sufi order through his mentor, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Raipuri.[9]
In October 2013 it was reported that the name of Haji Abdul Wahhab was suggested to head aLoya Jirga in preparation for peace talks with thePakistani Taliban.[10] In February 2014 it was reported that during consultations with a committee, TTP commanders of different factions recommended that the names of Haji Abdul Wahhab,Maulana Sami'ul Haq,Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, and other leaders be added in the government peace committee.[11][12]
As of the 2014/2015 issue, he was ranked #10 inThe Muslim 500, a list of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world, due to his leadership of the Tablighi Jamaat.[13]
Haji Abdul Wahab died on 18 November 2018 .He was buried in a graveyard adjacent toTableeghi Markaz (Headquarter) atRaiwind the same day.[14][15]