Muhammadullah Hafezzi
Muhammadullah Hafezzi (1895 – 6 May 1987), commonly known as Hafezzī Huzūr, was a Bangladeshi politician, Islamic leader and founder of the Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan. He was the first religious figure to stand for the highest state office in Bangladesh.
Muhammadullah Hafezzi | |
|---|---|
 Photograph taken by Anwar Hossain in 1981 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Muhammadullah 1895 |
| Died | 6 May 1987 (aged 91–92) |
| Resting place | Kamrangirchar, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Citizenship | British Indian (1895-1947) Pakistani (1947-1971) Bangladeshi (1971-1987) |
| Main interest(s) | Islamic Politics, Sufism |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Tariqa | Chishti (Sabiri) |
| Movement | Deobandi |
| Senior posting | |
Disciples | |
Students | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced
| |
| Part of a series on the |
| Deobandi movement |
|---|
 |
Muhammadullah Hafezzi (1895 – 6 May 1987), commonly known as Hafezzī Huzūr, was a Bangladeshi politician, Islamic leader and founder of the Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan.[1][2] He was the first religious figure to stand for the highest state office in Bangladesh.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Muhammadullah was born in the year 1895, in the village of Ludhua in the Raipur Thana of Lakshmipur, then under the Noakhali district of the Bengal Presidency. His father, Idris Mianji, was a munshi. Muhammadullah's grandfather, Akramuddin Mianji, was a disciple of Ghazi Imamuddin Bengali, a khalifa (spiritual successor) of Syed Ahmad Shaheed in Bengal.[4]
Muhammadullah studied at Fatehpur Primary School before proceeding to Chandraganj Madrasa where he studied for a year. He then studied for a year at Nawab Faizunnesa's madrasa in Laksam, and then enrolling at the Khilbais Madrasa in Lakshmipur. In Panipat, first under Qari Abdus Salam in 1913 and then under Qari Akhlaq Husayn in 1915, he completed his hifz. Muhammadullah completed the seven qira'at under Qari Abdul Alim ibn Qari Abdur Rahman Panipati.[5] He then moved on to study at Mazahir Uloom in Saharanpur from 1915 to 1922, where he completed Kutub al-Sittah. He gained a high-class certificate from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1923.[6]
Career
[edit]His entrance to politics started with the founding of the Nizam-e-Islam Party in 1952. In 1978, the President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman removed the ban on religion-based political parties in the country. In response, Hafezzi Huzur sent the President an open letter, requesting him to base the country's administration upon Islamic ideals.[7] Following the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, Hafezzi Huzur stood up as an independent presidential candidate in the 1981 elections. He finished third, gaining 1.79% of the total votes.[2]
Hafezzi Huzur founded his own political party known as Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan in November 1981.[8] His political career included travelling and meeting dignitaries in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.[9]
In response to military rule, Hafezzi Huzur formed a committee, the Sammilita Sangram Parishad (Combined Action Committee), consisting of 11 Islamic parties.[10] He stood for the 1986 elections, in which he finished second with 5.69% of total votes.[11]
Views
[edit]Hafezzi Huzur expressed opposition to the 1982 coup d'état, labelling Hussain Muhammad Ershad's military rule as un-Islamic. In his Shotorkobaṇī (words of warning) booklet, he referred to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a Mawdudi fitnah that spreads misguidance.[12]
Death and legacy
[edit]Muhammadullah died on 7 May 1987. His janazah was performed at the National Eidgah in Dhaka.[13]
In his honour, the erstwhile Mayor of Dhaka Mohammad Hanif renamed Phoenix Road (near Gulistan) to Mawlana Muhammadullah Hafezzi Huzur Road. This change was undone on 21 February 2017 by the Dhaka South City Corporation.[14] This action was a part of a campaign to rename places named after anti-independence individuals, suggested by the Bangladesh High Court.[15] Eyewitness accounts on the other hand, suggest that Hafezzi Huzur expressed support for the Bangladesh Liberation War referring to the Pakistan Army as oppressors.[16] Mawlana Imdadul Haq Araihazari also states that his involvement as a Bengali freedom fighter is due to Hafezzi Huzur's expression of support.[17][18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Islam, Syed Serajul (February 1987). "Bangladesh in 1986: Entering a New Phase". Asian Survey. 27 (2): 168. doi:10.2307/2644611. JSTOR 2644611.
- ^ a b Ahamed, Emajuddin; D. R. J. A. Nazneen (August 1990). "Islam in Bangladesh: Revivalism or Power Politics?". Asian Survey. 30 (8): 802. doi:10.2307/2644499. JSTOR 2644499.
- ^ Islam, Muhammad Nazrul; Islam, Muhammad Saidul (20 March 2020). "Islam, Islamism, and democracy in Bangladesh". Islam and Democracy in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh. Springer Publishing. p. 273.
- ^ al-Kumillai, Muhammad Hifzur Rahman (2018). "الشيخ الفاضل محمد الله بن إدريس النواخالوي البنغلاديشي المعروف بحافظجي حضور" [The honourable Shaykh, Muhammadullah, son of Idrees, al-Nawakhalawi, of Bangladesh, famed as Hafezzi Huzur]. كتاب البدور المضية في تراجم الحنفية (in Arabic). Cairo, Egypt: Dar al-Salih.
- ^ Azmi, Nur Muhammad. "2.2 বঙ্গে এলমে হাদীছ" [2.2 Knowledge of Hadith in Bengal]. হাদীছের তত্ত্ব ও ইতিহাস [Information and history of Hadith] (in Bengali). Emdadia Library. p. 31.
- ^ তওবার রাজনীতির প্রবর্তক আধ্যাত্মিক জগতের উজ্জ্বল নক্ষত্র হযরত হাফেজ্জী হুজুর রহ. The Daily Sangram (in Bengali). 18 July 2013.
- ^ হাফেজ্জী হুজুর স্মারক গ্রন্থ (in Bengali), Hafezzi Huzur Parishad 2005, 933
- ^ Jahid, Salim (28 November 2014). জীবদ্দশায় ছেলেরা, এখন নাতিরা পদ নিয়ে দ্বন্দ্বে. Prothom Alo (in Bengali).
- ^ Kabir, Humayun (2015). "Beyond Jamaat-e-Islami: The Political Rise of the Deobandis, the Mystic Leaders, and Islamism in Bangladesh". In Mattson, Ingrid; Tahir, Nawaz; Nesbitt-Larking, Paul (eds.). Religion and Representation: Islam and Democracy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4438-7059-7.
- ^ Riaz, Ali; Rahman, Mohammad Sajjadur (29 January 2016). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Bangladesh. Taylor & Francis.
- ^ Lyon, Peter; Manor, James, eds. (1983). Transfer and transformation: political institutions in the New Commonwealth. Essays in honour of W. H. Morris-Jones. Leicester University Press. p. 134.
- ^ Kabir, Humayun (2015). "Beyond Jamaat-e-Islami: The Political Rise of the Deobandis, the Mystic Leaders, and Islamism in Bangladesh". In Mattson, Ingrid; Tahir, Nawaz; Nesbitt-Larking, Paul (eds.). Religion and Representation: Islam and Democracy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-4438-7059-7.
- ^ Khan, Muhammad Zafarullah (14 June 2017). হযরত হাফেজ্জী হুজুর রহ. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali).
- ^ সড়ক থেকে হাফেজ্জী হুজুরের নাম মুছে দেওয়ার পরিণাম শুভ হবে না. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 24 February 2017.
- ^ Mahadi Al Hasnat (12 February 2017). "Hefazat's demand irrational". Dhaka Tribune.
- ^ Alamgir, Anis (22 April 2017). "Qawmi certificate, Greek sculpture and Pohela Boishakh". Dhaka Tribune.
- ^ Mabnu, Syed. বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ ও উলামায়ে কেরাম [Bangladesh's independence war and the ulama] (in Bengali).
- ^ Zahir ibne Muslim (14 March 2014). বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতাযুদ্ধে আলেমসমাজের ভূমিকা. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali).
Further reading
[edit]- Ghazali, Tofail (1 September 2025). "Four shining stars of the Islamic movement". Jugantor.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Muhammadullah Hafezzi at Wikimedia Commons
