Allama Arshad-ul-Qadri

INTRODUCTION:

Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) was, beyond doubt, one of most prolific scholars of the latter half of twentieth century whose contribution to Islam was mainly aimed at differentiating between haq (truth) & batil (falsehood). Because of some of his literary accomplishments he is thus considered as one of the leading scholars of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at of this age.

Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) worked tirelessly to defend the pristine teachings of Islam by virtue if his intellectual prowess & his literary skills. In his literary masterpieces he has managed to explain so convincingly to both scholars & to the Muslim masses, the errors of the heretical sects within Islam. Such works include: "Tableeghi Jama'at", "Zer-o-Zabar", "Lala Zar", "Zalzala", "Daawat-e-Insaf" (A Call for Justice) & so forth. After reading these concise books, one is immediately forced to decide between truth, falsehood & to quickly cast aside the mendacious & misguided ideas of the heretical sects of recent times.

His knowledge was so vast that Hafiz-e-Millat 'Allama Abdul Aziz Sahib (Rehmatullah 'alaih), stated that when Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) was studying under his supervision at a young age, at the famous university of Al-Jamiat-ul-Ashrafia, in Mubarakpur, U.P. India; his natural ability as an original thinker & his uncanny ability to instantaneously grasp the essence of a new subject was so strikingly obvious, that if someone searched deeply, one would be as forced to recognize that he possessed the innate qualities of a brilliant & gifted scholar.

BIRTH & GENEALOGY:

Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) was born in 1924, in a town "Sayyidpura", in the district of Balya, U.P., India. His father, Maulana Abdul Latif, was a humble, modest & a very pious scholar of Islam.

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) attained his basic & intermediate education under the supervision of his learned father, 'Allama Maulana Abdul Latif. Then, continuing these Islamic studies, Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) enrolled at Al-Jamiatul Ashrafia, where he studied under the careful guidance & supervision of Huzoor Hafiz-e-Millat, 'Allama Shah Abdul Aziz Sahib (Rehmatullah 'alaih).

Huzoor Hafiz-e-Millat's endeavours & striving for the establishment of an Islamic University was so successful that in 1352 Hijri, a huge group of students enrolled, amongst them were Hazrat Sharih Bukhari, 'Allama Maulana Mufti Sharif-ul-Haq (Rehmatullah 'alaih) (The Annotator of the Bukhari) & also Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshadul Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) himself.

It was during the earlier stages of his childhood, when he was attaining Islamic knowledge, that signs emerged of his intellectuality & his discernment: Huzoor Hafiz-e-Millat, 'Allama Shah Abdul Aziz Sahib (Rehmatullah 'alaih) used to always remember 'Allama Arshad's educational childhood, with the following words: "Throughout the whole of my life, I have not yet met anyone so intellectual in understanding the Sahih Bukhari Shareef, as 'Allama Arshad-ul-Qadri."

In 1365 Hijri he graduated with the Honours, from Al-Jamiatul Ashrafia. After this he moved to Madressa Islamia Shamsul Uloom, Nagpur, India where he taught the future great scholars of Islam, such as 'Allama Maulana Mufti Jalaluddin Ahmed Amjadi (Rehmatullah 'alaih).

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:

In 1950, he moved to Jamshedpur, India to propagate Islam & for a continuous 5 years under the open sky, on the side of a bridge, he taught his students & despite many problems, he did not utter a word of complaint, but kept steadfast on teaching & propagating Islam. Until, after years of hard work, he established "Dar-ul-Uloom Faiz-ul-Uloom", on a parcel of land purchased from the Tata company at that time. He did not stop at this, but, by his full commitment & his efforts, a technical institute department had also been set up, where students from Bengal, Bihar & all other parts of India, arrived to gain knowledge.

In 1954, he gained great victory over the famous deobandi debator, Molvi Abdul Latif Nu'mani, the Sheikh-ul-Hadith of "Miftahul Uloom" in Mau, U.P., India. Hence, he was given the title "Fateh Jamshedpur" or the "Conqueror of Jamshedpur".

In 1972 Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) performed his second hajj, in which he & other eminent scholars of Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at established the World Islamic Mission or Al-Da'wat-ul-Islamiyyat-ul-A'lamiyyah. He was chosen to be the first Secretary General of WIM with its head office located in Bradford, England. He later spent time in the United Kingdom where he worked tirelessly. As 'Allama Qamaruz-zaman Azmi of Manchester-UK, his successor & the current Secretary General of WIM stated: "Allama  Arshadul Qadri's work in England was to lay the proper foundations of Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at which would give rise to an intellectually sound & spirtually based Islam in Europe".

DEMISE:

On the 29th of April 2002, Hazrat 'Allama Maulana Arshad-ul-Qadri (Rehmatullah 'alaih) left this worldly existence  as a true lover of the Holy Prophet (Salla allahu Ta'ala Alaihi wa sallam). Overall, this great scholar who has made such an immense effort in the service of Islam, is indeed & will continue to be for all Muslims a Beacon of Light, which has enlightened countless numb, dull hearts & who has guided so many to the Straight Path.

May Almighty Allah Jalla Jalalahu reward him bountifully for his every effort. May Allah Jalla Jalalahu sanctify his soul & place him in the highest of heavens & may we gain benefit from the vast ocean of knowledge that he has left behind. Ameen