Syed Ali Ashraf (30 January 1924 – 7 August 1998) was a Bangladeshi-born Islamic scholar and academic. He was the Professor of English and Head of the Department of English,

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

, and later became Director-General, World Centre for Islamic Education at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1980. He was also the founder and director-general of Islamic Academy, Cambridge. He was also the founder vice-chancellor of Darul Ihsan University from its founding to before his death in 1998 in Bangladesh.

Early life and family

Ashraf was born on 30 January 1924 in

Dacca 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 ...

, Bengal Province. He belonged 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 of

Syeds ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn. The title may also refer to the descendants of the fam ...

originally from the village of Alokdia in Magura (formerly under

Jessore District Jessore District, List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Jashore District (; ), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southwestern Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west, Khulna District, Khulna and Satkhira District, Satk ...

), Bengal Province. His father, Syed Ali Hamed, was a school inspector. His mother, Syeda Kamrunnegar Khatun, was the daughter of Syed Mukarram Ali, the ''

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

'' and ''Pir'' of Agla in Nawabganj, Dhaka. His brothers were academic and poet

Syed Ali Ahsan Syed Ali Ahsan (; 26 March 1922 – 25 July 2002) was a Bangladeshi poet, writer and university academic. He was awarded Ekushey Padak (1982) and Independence Day Award (1987) by the Government of Bangladesh. In 1987, he was selected as the Nati ...

, and university professor

Syed Ali Naqi Syed may refer to: * Seyd, alternative for Sayyid (name) * Alternative for Sayyid, an honorific title * Ahsan Ali Syed (born 1973), Indian businessman * Ghulam Murtaza Syed (1904-1995), prominent Sindhi politician * Ibrahim Bijli Syed (born 1939) ...

. He grew up in an atmosphere steeped in

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

traditions inherited from both his paternal and maternal ancestors.

Education

He obtained his master's degree in English from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

and his Honours and PhD in English literature from

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college has origins from 1869, with the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...

Career

He started out teaching at a university in what is now Bangladesh. He went on to hold the following positions: * Lecturer and Reader in English at

Dacca University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

(1949) * Head of the Department of English at

University of Rajshahi The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 departments are or ...

(1954–56) * Professor and Head of the Department of English at

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

(1956–73) * Professor and Head of the Department of English at

King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...

, Mecca (1974–77) * Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (1977–84) * Visiting Professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

(1971) * Visiting Professor

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

(1974)

Works

He was a distinguished author and editor, and has written as well as edited several books and many articles. Some of them include: * ''Crisis in Muslim Education'', 1979, London: Hodder and Stoughton (Syed Ali Ashraf and Syed Sajjad Husain eds.) * ''New Horizons in Muslim Education'', 1985, London: Hodder and Stoughton * ''Islam – Teacher's Manual – The Westhill Project'', 1989, Leckhamptom: Stanley Thomas * ''Religion and Education: Islamic and Christian Approaches'', 1994, Cambridge: Islamic Academy (Syed Ali Ashraf and Paul H. Hirst eds.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashraf, Syed Ali 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Islamic education in Bangladesh 1925 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Academic staff of the University of Karachi Academic staff of King Abdulaziz University Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Academic staff of the University of Rajshahi Harvard University faculty Academic staff of the University of New Brunswick University of Dhaka alumni Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge People from Magura District