Shah Ahmad Hasan (), was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

Islamic scholar and educationist. He was an early student of

Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Al-Jāmiʿah al-Ahliyyah Dār al-ʿUlūm Muʿīn al-Islām (), popularly known as the Hāṭhazārī Madrasah () or the Great Madrasah (), is a Qawmi institution of Hathazari, located in Bangladesh's Chittagong District. Established in 1901, it ...

Hathazari Hathazari () is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Geography Hathazari is located at . It has a total area of 246.32 km2. The main river is Halda River, Halda. It is surrounded by Fatikchhari Upazila on t ...

. Hasan established Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri, which was the second

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 ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Ahmad Hasan was born in 1882 to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in the village of Jiri in western Patiya under the

Chittagong District Chittagong District (), ( Chatgaiya: Sitang/Chatga), officially Chattogram District, is a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. Due to its geographical location, Chittagong is classified as a s ...

of the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

. He received his primary education at home from a tutor. He studied the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

and the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

languages with a tutor named Rafiqullah. In 1315 AH (1897-98 CE), Hasan enrolled at the Mohsinia Madrasa, which was the only ''

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

'' in

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

. He began systematically studying at the state-run madrasa from Jamaat-e-Dahum. In 1318 AH (1901 CE), the Madrasa Moinul Islam was established in

, which was the first ''

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 ...

'' in Bengal. After coming into contact with Abdul Hamid Madarshahi, Hasan was admitted to Hathazari from Jamaat-e-Nahum. Among his teachers in Hathzari were

Habibullah Qurayshi Ḥabībullāh Qurayshī (; 1865 – 1943) was a Bengali Islamic scholar and educationist of the Deobandi movement. He was the founding director-general of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam. Early life and family Habibullah Qurayshi ...

and Zamiruddin Ahmad.

Career

Whilst studying as Jamaat-e-Ula at Hathazari, Ashraf Ali of Kaiyagram used to have a

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

in their house. Hasan once came home with him in consultation and decided to establish the second

of Bengal. According to the decision, he first started the madrasa education in a shop room. Later, he relocated the madrasa to his village in Jiri.

Sufism

Hasan was a ''

murid In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Pers ...

'' of

Ashraf Ali Thanwi Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakimul Ummat and Mujaddidul Millat; 19 August 1863 – 20 July 1943) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and a revivor of classical Sufi in the Indian subcontinent during the Briti ...

. After his death, he then became a disciple of Qazi Muazzam Husayn of

Mirsarai Mirsarai () is a town and municipality in Chattogram District of Chattogram Division, Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by popula ...

, a '' khalifah'' (spiritual successor) of

Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (12 June 182611 August 1905) was a Deobandi Islamic scholar from Indian subcontinent, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith, author of '' Fatawa-e-Rash ...

. Shah Ahmad Hasan received the ''khilafat'' from Husayn.

Death and legacy

He died in 1967. He was the father of five daughters. Abdul Wadud Sandwipi presided over his

janaza Islamic funerals () follow fairly specific Ritual#Islam, rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia (Islamic religious law) calls for burial of the body as soon as possible. T ...

. He was buried next to Jiri Madrasa.

References

{{Hanafi scholars 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Hanafi fiqh scholars Deobandis 1882 births 1967 deaths People from Chittagong District 20th-century Bengalis Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Darul Uloom Hathazari alumni Disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi

Early life and education

Career

Sufism

Death and legacy

See also

References