Abdul Ghani Azhari

Mufti[1]
Abdul Ghani Azhari
Personal life
Born1922 (1922)
Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died19 January 2023(2023-01-19) (aged 100–101)
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Alma mater
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
Founder ofDar al-‘Ulum Nizamiyya Madinatul Islam
MovementDeobandi

Abdul Ghani Azhari (1922 – 19 January 2023), also known as Abdul Ghani Shah al-Shashi,[2] was an Indian Muslim scholar and historian who served as the head-professor of the University of Kashmir's Arabic department. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mazahir Uloom and the Al-Azhar University. He authored Qadim Tarikh-e-Gujjar, a book detailing the history of Gujjars.

Early life and education

Abdul Ghani Azhari was born in 1922 to a Kashmiri Sunni family of Muslim Gujjars[3][4][5] in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.[6] He received his education at Darul Uloom Deoband, Mazahir Uloom and the Al-Azhar University. He wrote his doctoral thesis on Al-Muslim entitled, Al Imam Al Muslim Wa Manhajuhu Fi Al Hadith Riwayatn wa Dirayatan.[6] He studied with Hussain Ahmad Madani, Ibrahim Balyawi, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, and Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad, and his teachers at Mazahir Uloom included Zakariyya Kandhlawi.[7] At the Azhar, he studied with scholars including Abdel-Halim Mahmoud.[7]

Career

Azhari established Dar al-‘Ulum Nizamiyya Madinatul Islam in Badshahibagh (nearby Saharanpur), to cater to the needs of the Gurjar children.[8] He also established religious seminaries in Kashmir, including Maktabah Anwar al Uloom, in Kokernag, and Darul Uloom Kawthariya near Dachigam National Park.[9] In 2003, he established Darul Uloom Shah Wali Allah in Donipawa, Brakpora, in Anantnag.[7] At the invitation of Shaikh Abdullah, Azhari served as a professor of Arabic at Madinatul Uloom in Hazratbal, Srinagar prior to joining the University of Kashmir.[10]

Azhari was seen as a senior religious scholar in Kashmir. He served as the head-professor in the Arabic department of the University of Kashmir.[11] He showed particular interest in the Qadiri order of Sufism and published works on the Naqshbandiyyah.[3] He died on 19 January 2023 in Saharanpur.[12] Salahuddin Tak, the current head-professor of the Arabic department at the University, described Azhari as "an eminent teacher, a great academician and an epitome of knowledge with high proficiency in religious science".[13]

Literary works

Azhari's works include:[14][15]

  • Gujjar Tareekh te Saqafat, compiled by Javaid Rahi[16]
  • Noor-i-Irfan
  • Ma La Budda Minh, a book that he translated from Persian into Urdu
  • Maktubat-i-Naqshbandiyyah
  • Qadim Tarikh-i-Gujjar, a detailed book on the ancient history of Gujjars in India[14][17]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^"Anjuman Nusrat-ul-Islam condoles demise of Mufti Abdul Ghani Azhari, pays glowing tribute". Kashmir News Service. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^Singh 2012, p. 149.
  3. ^ abSingh 2012, p. 151.
  4. ^"Professor Mufti Abdul Ghani Azhari: Scholar, Sufi, Historian, and Social Reformer of Kashmir - News OF Kashmir". 1 September 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  5. ^"Mufti Abdul Ghani Al-Azhari (RA) – Man With A Noble Mission". Kashmir Reader. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  6. ^ abAhmad 2022, p. 995.
  7. ^ abcAhmad 2022, p. 996.
  8. ^Singh 2012, pp. 149–150.
  9. ^Ahmad 2022, p. 997.
  10. ^"ماہرین تعلیم و سیاسی رہنماؤں نے مفتی عبدالغنی الازہری کے انتقال پر تعزیت کا اظہار کیا" [Academicians and politicians condole the demise of Mufti Abdul Ghani Azhari]. ETV Bharat. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ^"AAC expresses condolences with journalist Abid Bashir, Moulana Azhari". Kashmir Reader. 5 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. ^Ayoob, Haseena (19 January 2022). "Renowned scholar from Jammu Abdul Ghani Azhari passes away". The Chenab Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  13. ^"Academics, politicians condole demise of prominent scholar Abdul Ghani Al-Azhari". Greater Kashmir. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. ^ abAhmad 2022, p. 999.
  15. ^"معروف عالم دین مفتی عبدالغنی الازہری سہارنپور میں انتقال کرگئے" [Famous Islamic scholar Abdul Ghani Azhari passed a way in Saharanpur]. Kashmir Uzma. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  16. ^"Mian Altaf releases latest Gojri publications". Scoop News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  17. ^"قديم تاريخ گجر / Qadīm tārīk̲h̲-i Gujar". WorldCat. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.

General bibliography

  • Ahmad, Naikzada Mehmood (November 2022). "The Untold legacy of Professor Mufti Abdul Ghani Al Azhari". Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research. 9 (11): 995–1000. ISSN 2349-5162.
  • Singh, David Emmanuel (2012). Islamization in Modern South Asia: Deobandi Reform and the Gujjar Response. De Gruyter. pp. 149–152.

Further reading

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