By Afzal Usmani, TwoCircles.net
Azamgarh, UP : Maulana Ziuddin Islahi, Director and Secretary of the prestigious Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy of Azamgarh, and Nazim (Director) of Madarsatul Islah, Saraimir (Azamgarh), died on Saturday, 2 February 2008 at 6:30 am at Varansi, India. He was griviously wounded in a road accident the previous day while travelling in a taxi with his wife outside Azamgarh town. They were rushed to a hospital in Azamgarh but due to the serious nature of injuries, he was shifted to Benaras Hindu University Medical College in Varanasi where he died early morning next day. His wife was also injured in the accident but she is out of danger. Maulana Ziauddin Islahi is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters.
Maulana Ziuddin Islahi’s long association with the Shibli Academy played an important role in the decision of the emergency meeting of the Academy Management to bury him within the Academy premises where Maulana Shibli Nomani, his son Hamid Nomani and former director Maulana Sabahuddin Abdur Rahman were buried. The Janazah and Tadfeen will take place tomorow, 3 February, at 10:30 am. Maulana Syed Rabey Hasani Nadwi, rector of Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, and President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board is expected to lead the Janazah prayer.
Maulana Ziuddin Islahi was born in 1937 in the small village of Saharya, near Nizambad in Azamgarh district in a religious family. He studied in Madarsatul Islah, Saraimir where he was a student of Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi, a great mufassir. After completing his education, the young Ziauddin joined Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy as a research scholar (rafiq) in 1957 when Maulana Shah Moinuddin Nadwi was director of the Academy. Maulana Ziauddin Islahi himself became director and secretary of the Academy in 1988 after the death of Maulana Syed Sabahuddin Abdur Rahman. At the time of his death, he was also the Nazim (director) of Madarsatul Islah, Azamgarh and was a member of the management committees of Nadwatul Ulama, Darul Uloom Tajul Masajid (Bhopal) and Jamiatul Falah (Azamgarh) as well as several other Msulim institutions and organisations across India. He was also a member of the Majlis-e-Amala of UP Urdu Academy and a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He had also served as a member of the Court of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for several terms.
Maulana Ziuddin Islahi was a prolific writer and orator. His books include:
Musalmano Ki Taaleem
Hindustan Arabon Ki Nazar Mein (2 parts)
Tazkarat -ul- Muhaddithin (3 parts)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Izahul Quran
Intekhab-e Kalam-e Iqbal Suhail
Maulana Ziauddin Islahi addressed numerous seminars and conferences on literary, religious and social issues in India and abroad. For his contributions in Arabic, he received the President of India Award in 1995 during the presidency of Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma.
The sudden death of Maulana Islahi is a big loss to the Indian Muslim community in general and Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy and Madarsatul Islah in particular. He served Shibli Academy from 1957 till his last breath. He started his career as a rafiq and died as director of the academy. Maulana Taqiuddin Nadwi, member of management committee of the Academy said that “Maulana’s sad demise is a big and irreplaceable loss to the Muslim community and the Academy”. Prof. I.A. Zilli of AMU expressed his grief, sorrow and shock on the sad demise of the Maulana and recalled Maulana Ziauddin’s contributions for the Ummah and the Academy. Dr. Salman Sultan of the Shibli National College, Azamgarh, spoke about his experience with the deceased soul in the affairs of the Academy. He remembered the Maulana’s commitment to the Academy and his great contributions dudring the last 50 years of his association with the Academy. Dr. Qudsia Tahseen, reader in the Department of Zoology, AMU, was surprised and shocked after receiving the sad news.
In 2007, when I started developing blog and website for the Academy (www.shibliacademy.blogspot.com and www.shibliacademy.org ), Maulana Ziauddin was very happy. His enthusiasm helped me a lot to get all the needed information for the blog and website. During my visit to Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy on 26 October 2007, I had the opportunity to meet him. His humility touched me a lot. He personally took me for a tour of The Academy, its library and museum. He showed me the manuscripts collection of academy and briefed me about the major events of the past and the different phases of the Academy and his predecessors. The Maulana was a very soft spoken. His death has created a big vacuum and his loss will be felt for a long time.