Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (1 July 1918 – 7 April 1998) 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 ...

of Hanafi jurisprudence, Sufi, and Muslim leader. He is known for his work ''Tafsir Zia ul Quran fi Tafsir ul Quran'', (Transl. The light of the Quran in the Exegesis of the Quran) commonly referred to as ''Zia ul Quran''. He also wrote '' Zia un Nabi'', a biography of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

in seven volumes. He was a spiritual guide of the

Chishtiyya The Chishti order () is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam named after the town of Chisht, Afghanistan where it was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami. The order was brought to Herat and later spread across South Asia by Mu'in al-Din Chishti in the city o ...

Sufi order.Distinguished Al-Azhari scholar of the 20th century honoured in international conference on The World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates (UK website)
Published 29 July 2016, Retrieved 21 September 2019

Early life and career

Muhammad Karam Shah was born on 1 July 1918 at

Bhera Bhera (; ) is a city and a tehsil of Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is known for wood-carved items, textiles (such as quilts and khussas), and certain desserts (such as pheonian and pateesa). The city is made up ...

, Sargodha District, British India. He finished his basic education in his hometown Bhera in 1936. Then he learned

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

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

languages. Then on the advice of

Khwaja Qamar ul Din Sialvi Khawaja Muhammad Qamar Ud Din Sialvi (1906–1981), was a Pakistani Islamic scholar, religious leader and politician. He was a Waliullah (Sufi saint) of the Chishti Sufi order; his Sufi convent (zawyah) is located in the village of Sial Sha ...

(1906 – 1981), he went to

Muradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

, in 1942 for the study of

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 ...

. He graduated from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

in 1945 and then went on to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

for higher religious education at

Al-Azhar University The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...

. He received his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

Islamic Law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

. He wrote "Zia un Nabi", a 1995

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 ...

biography of

. in seven volumes. It was translated into English by Muhammad Qayyum Awan. He wrote '' Tafsir Zia ul Quran'', an Urdu interpretation of the

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

in 5 volumes. He reorganised the Islamic institution Dar al-Uloom Muhammadiyyah Ghausiyyah established by his grandfather in Bhera (Sargodha), and brought major changes in the syllabus of religious education. He was of the view that modern education should be learned alongside religious education. Shah al-Azhari was an active participant in the

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

and vigorously campaigned in the

Indian provincial elections, 1946 Provincial elections were held in British India in January 1946 to elect members of the legislative councils of the Indian provinces. The Congress, in a repeat of the 1937 elections, won (90%) of the general non-Muslim seats while the Muslim ...

for

All India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim League lat ...

. He also served as a justice on the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

until his death in 1998 and had served on its Shariat Bench. He became a justice of the

Federal Shariat Court The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) is a constitutional islamic religious court of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has the power to examine and determine whether the laws of the country comply with Sharia law. The court was established in ...

when it was first established in 1981.

Bibliography

* '' Tafsir Zia ul Quran'' (1995) (in five volumes) * '' Zia un Nabi'' (1995) (a biography of Muhammad in seven volumes)

Awards and recognition

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

Pakistan Post Pakistan Post () is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices across the ...

issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in its 'Men of Letters' stamp series (2004)Profile and commemorative postage stamp of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari on paknetmag.com website
Retrieved 4 October 2019

Death

Shah al-Azhari died on 7 April 1998 after being ill for nearly a year.

References

External links

Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari's book on goodreads.com websiteProfile of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari on dmgbhera.net website
{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Azhari, Muhammad Karam Shah 1918 births 1998 deaths Pakistani scholars Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Sharia judges Al-Azhar University alumni Cairo University alumni Pakistani Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Sargodha District University of the Punjab alumni Barelvis Pakistan Movement activists Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Translators of the Quran into Urdu 20th-century Pakistani translators