Mahfuzul Haque (born 15 November 1969) is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, educator, and former politician, currently serving as the Governor of the

Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Islamic Foundation Bangladesh () is a government organization under the '' Ministry of Religious Affairs'' in Bangladesh working to disseminate values and ideals of Islam and carry out activities related to those values and ideals. The head offic ...

since 18 November 2024. He has held the position of Secretary-General of

Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh Wifaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh (, ) is the largest Qawmi madrasa education board in Bangladesh. it was founded in April 1978 after a seminar of Islamic scholars. This organization of Qawmi Madrasas of Bangladesh is also known as the "Wifaqu ...

since 3 October 2020 and previously served as the Secretary-General of

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis is an Islamist political party in Bangladesh, established on December 8, 1989, through the merger of part of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon and the Islami Jubo Shibir. The organization's primary aim is to establish a gover ...

from 2013 to 2020. He is the principal of Jamia Rahmania, an Islamic seminary founded with the involvement of his father,

Azizul Haque Azizul Haque, () meaning "strong in the truth", is a male Muslim given name. Notable bearers of the name include: * Qazi Azizul Haque (1872–1935), also Khan Bahadur Qazi Azizul Huq, Quazi Syed Azizul Haque, police officer and fingerprint pioneer ...

. He is an ex-officio member of the standing committee of

Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh Al-Hayʼat al-ʿUlyā lil-Jāmiʿāt al-Qawmiyyah Bangladesh () is the government-recognized combined Qawmi Madrasah Education Board of Bangladesh, having the authority to arrange central examinations and to issue certificates. It consists of si ...

, vice president of

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh () is a Deobandi Islamist advocacy group consisting mostly of religious teachers (''Ulama'') and students in Bangladesh. The group is mainly based on qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh. In 2013, they submitted a 13-point ch ...

, and chairs the Shariah Supervisory Committee of Social Islami Bank. He also oversees the publication of the monthly religious magazine ''Rahmani Paigam''.

Early life and education

Mahfuzul Haque was born on 15 November 1969 in

Azimpur, Dhaka Azimpur () is an old region in the old part of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. The region is named after 7th Mughal Emperor Azam Shah who was the youngest son and successor of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Other accounts attribute the name to Azim-us-Sh ...

. He is the eighth of thirteen siblings, and his younger brother is

Mamunul Haque Mamunul Haque (born November 1973) is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and the Joint Secretary-General of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, emerged as an Islamism, Islamist leader in the late 2010s, particularly following the deadliest events of the Siege ...

. Their father, Azizul Haque, was an Islamic scholar best known for his Bengali translation of ''Sahih al-Bukhari''. Haque began his early education under the guidance of his father. He later enrolled at Azimpur Chan-Tara Hefz Madrasa, where he memorized the ''Qur'an'' at the age of eleven under the tutelage of Abdul Matin. He continued his religious studies at

Jamia Qurania Arabia Lalbagh Al-Jāmiʿah al-Qurʼāniyyah al-ʿArabiyyah Lālbāgh (), better known simply as Lalbagh Madrasah (), is a Qawmi madrasa providing higher Islamic studies in Dhaka, Bangladesh It has seven education sections from kindergarten to post-graduate lev ...

, and in 1986, he was admitted to Bara Katara Madrasa. Soon after, he transferred to Jamia Mohammadpur, a newly established madrasa in which his father was involved. This institution was later relocated near the

Sat Gambuj Mosque The Sat Gambuj Mosque () is a Sunni mosque and tomb complex, located near the northwestern outskirts of Dhaka in the Mohammadpur area, in the Dhaka District of Bangladesh. The mosque is a fine example of the provincial Mughal style architecture ...

and renamed Jamia Rahmania. In 1991, he completed a master's-level degree in

Hadith studies Hadith studies is the academic study of hadith, a literature typically thought in Islamic religion to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators. A major area of inter ...

at Jamia Rahmania. The following year, he traveled to India to pursue another master's degree in Hadith at

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 ...

Career

Haque began his teaching career at Jamia Rahmania in 1993. While serving as a teacher, he also completed advanced studies in

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

at the same institution, earning his

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

certification. In 2000, his father founded Jamia Haqiqia, where Haque was appointed director. He later returned to Jamia Rahmania, becoming assistant director in 2001 and principal in 2002. In 2005, Haque was elected joint secretary general of

, the country's largest

Qawmi madrasa Qawmi Madrasah (, ) is an adjective describing one of the two major madrasah educational categories in Bangladesh. The Qawmi madrasahs are not regulated by the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board. As private charitable organizations, Qawmi madr ...

education board. That same year, he became involved with the

political party and was elected to its Majlis-e-Shura. He rose through the ranks, becoming vice-president in 2012 and secretary general in 2013. On 3 October 2020, he was elected Secretary General of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh through a vote held by the organization's central executive council, receiving 73 votes compared to 40 for his closest contender. In accordance with the organization's rules prohibiting political office holders from serving in executive positions, he resigned from his role as Secretary General of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis on 10 October 2020. His brother, Mamunul Haque, succeeded him in that position. He serves as a member of the standing committee of

and was reappointed to this position on 7 October 2023 after completing a full term. He is the president of Ittefaqul Madarisil Qawmia Muhammadpur, a regional board overseeing approximately 40 madrasas. Additionally, he acts as the supervisor of ''Rahmani Paigam'', a monthly publication by Jamia Rahmania. On 15 November 2020, he was elected vice-president of

and retained the position following a committee reshuffle on 31 August 2023. He was appointed a governor of the

on 18 November 2024 and named chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Committee of Social Islami Bank on 14 November 2024.

References

{{Authority control Deobandis Hanafis 1969 births Living people People from Dhaka Bangladeshi Islamic religious leaders Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 20th-century Bengalis 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Jamia Rahmania alumni Darul Uloom Deoband alumni Jamia Qurania Arabia Lalbagh alumni People from Munshiganj District Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis politicians Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh vice-presidents Secretary-General of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh Standing Committee member of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh

Early life and education

Career

See also

References