Syed Muhammad Ishaq (; 1915 – 1977) was a Bangladeshi

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 ...

, author,

mufassir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

, debator and educationist. He was a disciple of Ibrahim Ujani. He was the inaugural Pir of Charmonai, having founded the Charmonai Darbar Sharif and Jamia Rashidia Ahsanabad, one of the largest Islamic institutions in South Bengal. He was succeeded by his son, Syed Fazlul Karim, and became posthumously known by his followers as Dada Huzur.

Early life and family

Ishaq was born in 1915 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 ...

in the village of Pashurikathi in Char Monai, located to the east of the Kirtankhola river in

Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj is a former district of British Bengal, East Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast river delta ...

, Bengal Province. His father, Syed Amjad Ali, traced his lineage to

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 great great grandfather, Syed Ali Akbar, migrated from

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

to Bengal, settling in the village of Pashurikathi in Barisal. Akbar's younger brother, Syed Ali Asghar, founded the Syed family of Laktia, located west of the Kirtankhola.

Education

Ishaq started his primary education under his uncle Syed Muhammad Abdul Jabbar of Charmonai. He then became a student of Muhammad Ibrahim of Ujani at the Jamia Islamia Ibrahimia in Kachua, Chandpur, where he furthered his

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 ...

ic studies. After completing the

seven qira'at In Islam, (pl. ; ) refers to the ways or fashions that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, is recited. More technically, the term designates the different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with rec ...

under his teacher, he enrolled at the Bhola Darul Hadith Alia Madrasa in Bhola Island where he passed his ''jamat-e-ula''. Ishaq then moved to India to study at the

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 ...

seminary in

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the public administration, administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Sain ...

Career

After returning to Bengal, Ishaq dedicated his life to teaching the

Islamic sciences The Islamic sciences () are a set of traditionally defined religious sciences practiced by Islamic scholars ( ), aimed at the construction and interpretation of Islamic religious knowledge. Different sciences These sciences include: * : Islami ...

. In 1932, he founded the Charmonai Ahsanabad Rashidia

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 ...

and Lillah Boarding (Orphanage) from his own home. It was named after his uncle Syed Ahsan and the Deobandi jurist

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 ...

respectively. He independently taught the

Dars-i Nizami Dars-i Nizami () is a study curriculum or system used in many Islamic institutions ( madrassas) and Darul Ulooms, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century and can now also be found in parts of South Africa, Canada, the Unite ...

syllabus, before retiring in 1947. After 1947, through the efforts of Muhammad Esmatullah and his son-in-law Delwar Husain, the institution became an alia madrasa. Among his students were Syed Fazlul Karim, Muhammad Abul Bashar of Shahtali and Azharul Islam Siddiqi of Manikganj. Ishaq was a supporter of Bangladeshi independence. 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, Mohammad Abdul Jalil (commander of

Sector 9 Sector 9 The company was started in La Jolla, California in 1993 by cofounders Steve Lake, Dave Klimkiewicz, Dennis Telfer, and Tal O'Farrell.Debra Phillips, G. David Doran, Elaine W. Teague, and Laura Tiffany, FindArticles.com Business Library"Y ...

), Captain Abdul Latif and other Barisali freedom fighters would seek advice and duas from Muhammad Ishaq in Charmonai. His institution, Jamia Rashidia Ahsanabad, became a base for Bengali freedom fighters where they would stay and return from battles. The institution provided two large rooms for the freedom fighters to use and accommodated for them. For the entirety of the nine-month war, several government officials based in Barisal would shelter themselves with their families at the Charmonai Madrasa.

Works

Ahmad was written 27 books: * ''Amparar

Tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

'' * ''Untrish Parar Tafsir'' * ''Sura Yasin Sharifer Tafsir'' * ''Sura ar-Rahman Sharifer Tafsir'' * ''Beheshter Shukh'' * ''Dozakher Dukh'' * ''Asheq-e-Mashuq'' * ''Bhed-e-Marefat'' * ''Marefate-Haq ba Talim-e-Zikr'' * '' Hazrat Bara Qari Ibrahim Saheber Jiboni'' * ''Khas Parda ba Shamir Khedmot'' * ''Namaz Shikkha'' * ''Dhoom Binash ba Dil Pak'' * ''Tabizer Kitab'' * ''Jihade Islam'' * ''Pir Hoiya Abar Kafer Hoy Keno?'' * ''Hadiyyatul Islamia (Calendar)'' * '' Faridpure Birat Bahas'' * ''

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

r Birat Bahas'' * ''Nuzhatul Qarir Sharal Byakhya'' * ''Eshq-e-Dewan ba Premer Gazal'' * ''Rah-e-Jannat 116 Prakar Dua'' * '' Sharshinar Sawal Charmonair Jawab'' * ''Qabare Azab - Mastabara Azab Dekhi Na Keno?'' * '' Jumar Namaz'' * ''Zikr-e-Jali ba Waz Haaler Akatya Dalil'' * ''Juktipurno Waz ba Mawlapaker Onushondhan''

Personal life

Ishaq had three wives. With Syeda Rabeya Khatun, daughter of his uncle Syed Abdul Jabbar, he had two sons (Qari Syed Mubarak Karim and Syed Fazlul Karim) and three daughters. He had one son and three daughters with his second wife, and three sons and one daughter with his third wife Amena Begum.

Death

Ishaq died in 1977, and was buried in Charmonai.

References

* Islami Bishwakosh, Volume 6, p. 391
মহান সংস্কারক সৈয়দ মুহাম্মদ ইসহাক রহ.
{{Hanafi scholars Deobandis 1977 deaths 1915 births 20th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam People from Char Monai Bengali-language writers Bengali writers Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Hanafis Bangladeshi people of Arab descent Chormonai movement Bangladeshi Muslims