By Shafeeq Hudavi, TwoCircles.net,
Kozhikode: Veteran Islamic scholar, president of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, Noorul Ulama M A Abdul Qadir Musliyar – also credited for fine-tuning madrassa education for modern times in the state – expired in Kasargod district.
The eminent Sunni scholar breathed his last at his residence at Thrikkarippur in Kasargod district at around 9 pm on Tuesday.
Noorul Ulama M A Abdul Qadir Musliyar (file photo) (Credit: Udayavani)
He was 91. He is survived by his wife Khadeeja, sons Kunjahammed and Abdul Wahab and daughters Nafees, Fathima and Juvariyya.
“An authority of Islamic knowledge, one of the founders of the madrassa movement, a sharp social reformer and author of many works, his demise is definitely an irreparable loss to the Muslim community in the state,” said a condolence message, issued by the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar.
The Muslim community owes much to the scholar, who fine-tuned madrassa education for the changing times. He commanded the respect of all sections of believers and earned a good name from the whole society for the diligent spiritual guidance he offered and vision extended for the educational renaissance of the Muslim community, it said.
He was a different scholar with unorthodox articulation of political and social thought which triggered many reforms in Kerala’s Muslim community. The Sufi scholar with judicious vision guided generations of Sunnis to the upper standards of the society by providing them the potential of modern education. The scholar discharged his duties from Jamia Sa’diyya, one of the leading Islamic institutions in the state.
He was born on July 1, 1924 and brought up at Thrikkarippur in Kasargod district. After pursuing the primary education, he was elevated to a Dars (the traditional Islamic education system, carried in mosques) in Beecheri near his home village. There, he was moulded as a scholar with ardent knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence and theology in addition to Arabic and Urdu languages.
His swearing as the member of Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board, which literary means Islam Religious Education Board, marked the eminent scholar’s debut in the domain of mainstream Muslim leadership. Later, by discharging his duty as the president of the board, he lent selfless service to the community.
He built an organised structure by forming their outfit named Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, which later helped in forming several madrassas and improving the religious educational status of the state. The scholar also did his bit for various organisations such as Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS). He continued to officiate as the state president of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama till his demise.
Qadir Musliyar wrote number books in Malayalam, Arabic and Urdu languages, which exceeds 40 in numbers.
Endorsing his contributions, he was conferred with Musthafa Award, SYS Golden Jubilee Award, Kodambuzha Gazzali Award and Makhdoom Award, instituted by the Sunni Students Federation state committee.
He was cremated on Wednesday afternoon at Jamia Sa’diyya in Kasargod district in the presence of prominent citizens and few political leaders.