Syed Fazlul Karim (; 1935 – 25 November 2006) was an

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 politician. He was the founder of

Islami Andolan Bangladesh Islami Andolan Bangladesh (ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ, lit. ''Islamic Movement of Bangladesh'') is an Islamist political organization in Bangladesh. It was founded by Fazlul Karim. They have campaigned in f ...

, and founded a residential

madrassah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning. ...

in Charmonai,

Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

, southern

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

Syed Muhammad Fazlul Karim was born in 1935, in the village of Charmonai in

, 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 who were the hereditary '' Pirs of Charmonai'', with his grandfather, Sayed Amjad Ali, being a descendant of

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, the fourth

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. His father, Syed Muhammad Ishaq, was the first Pir of Charmonai. Karim began studying with his father at an early age, later joining his father's madrasa in Charmonai. After completing his degree in Islamic studies from alia madrasah, he joined

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 ...

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 ...

. He completed ''Dawra e

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

'' from this institution in 1957.

Career

Karim started his career as a teacher at Charmonai Madrasah. In 1987, he established Islami Shashontantra Andolan. He served as the head of the movement until his death in 2006.

Death

After long suffering from diabetes and kidney disease, Fazlul Karim died at the age of 71 in his own home at village Charmonai in Sadar upazila of

district on 25 November 2006. He had two wives, seven sons and a daughter.

References

{{Reflist Deobandis 1935 births 2006 deaths People from Char Monai Islami Andolan Bangladesh politicians Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Bangladeshi Islamic religious leaders 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Chormonai movement 20th-century Bengalis Bangladeshi political party founders Bangladeshi people of Arab descent Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam Disciples of Muhammadullah Hafezzi