As’ad Madani (27 April 1928 – 6 February 2006) was an Indian Deobandi

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

and a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, who served as the sixth general secretary and the seventh President of the

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind ( ) is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Fi ...

. He was a member of the executive body of

Darul Uloom Deoband Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic university and seminary ( darul uloom) in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, India, at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. Established in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Sayy ...

. He was a member of the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

, upper house of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...

representing

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

for three terms as a member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

Early life and education

Asad Madni was born in 1928 to

Hussain Ahmad Madani Hussain Ahmad Madani (; 6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. ...

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

at his maternal uncle's home. He was raised in Madani Manzil in

Deoband Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km (93 miles) from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institutions of India is located ther ...

. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1945. He then stayed in

Madinah Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

for a few years before returning as teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband for 12 years.

Career

In 1960, he was appointed as the president of the

circle of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and on 9 August 1963, he was appointed as the general secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He became the president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind on 11 August 1973. He was president of

Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind ( ) is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Fir ...

for 32 years. He was a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament from 1968 to 1974, 1980 to 1986 and 1988 to 1994.

Death and legacy

On 6 February 2006, Madani died in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, India. He is survived by his son,

Mahmood Madani Mahmood Asad Madani (born 3 March 1964) is an Indian Islamic scholar, activist, politician, and president of the Mahmood faction of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind religious organisation. He formerly served as the general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e- ...

, who is the current president of

(M). An international seminar was organized in his memory in New Delhi on 23 and 24 April 2007. Madani's parliamentary speeches were released by the former Prime Minister of India

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

in the same seminar. He is a very popular figure in the neighbouring country of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

which he frequently used to visit. He first visited eastern Bengal in 1933, and since 1973 he used to go there nearly every year. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971, Madni strongly protested against the brutal torture of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and its allied forces, and distributed adequate aid to the memorial camps. He projected his views to stop the torture of innocent Bengalis and marched in the streets of

with more than fifty thousand Indian Muslims in favour of Bangladesh. His last visit to the country was on 2 April 2005 when he was an honorary guest at the National Conference of

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh () is a Bangladeshi Islamic Party registered with Bangladesh Election Commission. It is the successor to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh was a member of the 20-Party alliance. It was a ...

Paltan Paltan is a thana (precinct) of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is often said to be the center of Dhaka, dividing "Old Dhaka" and "New Dhaka". Paltan was made a thana in 2005 by then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Paltan Thana was forme ...

Maidan,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

See more

List of Deobandis Deobandis represent a group of scholars affiliated with the reformist Deobandi movement, which originated in the town of Darul Uloom Deoband in northern India. Founded in 1866, this movement sought to safeguard Islamic teachings amidst non-Musli ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madni, Asad 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 1928 births 2006 deaths Deobandis People from Deoband Indian religious leaders Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Presidents of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Burials at Qasmi Cemetery Disciples of Hussain Ahmad Madani Members of the Majlis-e-Shura of Darul Uloom Deoband