Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali

Abdul Latif Chowdhury (Bengali: আব্দুল লতিফ চৌধুরী; 25 May 1913 – 16 January 2008), widely known as Saheb Qiblah Fultali, was a late-twentieth century Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, mufassir, qāriʾ, poet and orator. As a prolific author, he completed several works in Arabic, Bengali and Urdu including Muntakhab as-Siyār and Anwar as-Sālikīn. His books are part of syllabic studies under the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board. Fultali was the leading figure of the Islamic Arabic University movement and the demand for fazil and kamil qualifications to be recognised as bachelor's and master's degrees.^[1] He is the founder of several influential organisations and institutions in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom such as Anjumane Al Islah, Hazrat Shahjalal Darussunnah Yaqubia Kamil Madrasa and Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah.

Saheb-e-Qiblah Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali
আব্দুল লতিফ চৌধুরী
Personal
Born	Abdul Latif Chowdhury (1913-05-25)25 May 1913 Zakiganj, Assam, British India (now Sylhet, Bangladesh)
Died	15 January 2008(2008-01-15) (aged 94) Sylhet, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Resting place	Saheb Bari, Fultali, Zakiganj, Sylhet District
Religion	Islam
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Children	7 sons and 3 daughters including Husamuddin Chowdhury
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Hanafi
Movement	Fultali
Alma mater	Fultali Alia Madrasa Rangauti Alia Madrasa Badarpur Senior Madrasa Madrash-e-Alia Rampur Matlaul Uloom Madrasa
Tariqa	Chishti (Nizami) Naqshbandi (Mujaddidi-Jaunpuri) Qadri
Other names	Shams al-ʿUlamāʾ Raīs al-Qurrāʾ

Early life and background

Abdul Latif Chowdhury was born on 25 May 1913, to a noble Bengali Muslim Sufi Shah family in the village of Fultali in Badedeorail pargana, Sylhet district, Bengal Presidency (now in Zakiganj, Bangladesh). His paternal lineage joins to Shah Kamal Pahlwan, one of the companions of Shah Jalal,^[2] via Shah Muhammad Ala Bakhsh, a sage who contributed to Ahmad Sirhindi's opposition against the Din-i Ilahi of Mughal emperor Akbar.^[3] His father was Mufti Abdul Majid Chowdhury, a jurist and principal of Gangajal Hasania Senior Madrasa.^[4][5][6]

Fultali received his basic education from his own family. He was then taught by his distant cousin, Fatir Ali, at the Fultali Alia Madrasa, where he also studied the Qur'an with tajweed under Qari Syed Ali. In 1336 AH (1918 CE), Fultali became a student at the Rangauti Madrasa in Hailakandi at the request of its principal, Abdur Rashid, who was a student of Fultali's father. After successfully completing higher secondary examinations at Rangauti, Fultali enrolled into the Badarpur Senior Madrasa in Badarpur in 1338 AH (1920 CE) where he studied various Islamic sciences under his murshid Abu Yusuf Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri. For higher education, Fultali then studied at the Rampur Alia Madrasah in Rampur State at the instruction of Badarpuri. He then enrolled into Matlaul Uloom Madrasah to specialise in Hadith studies under Khalillullah Rampuri and Wajihuddin Rampuri (student of Anwar Shah Kashmiri). He studied there for a few years and obtained first class, first position in the final Hadith exam in 1355 AH (1936 CE). He also attained degrees in tafsir and Islamic jurisprudence.^[7]

By the age of 18, Fultali had ijazah in qira'at and in the Chishti, Qadiri and Naqshbandi (Mujaddidi-Muhammadi) tariqahs from his spiritual master Shah Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri, who was a disciple of Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri. Fultali also completed ijazah in qira'at under Abdur Rauf Karampuri Shahbazpuri, and an ijazah in Chishti-Nizami order from Ghulam Mohiuddin. In 1363 AH (1944 CE), he travelled to Mecca where he received ijazah in qira'at from Grand Mufti Ahmed Abdullah al-Hejazi.^[2][8]

Career

 

The Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah (now Darul Hadis Latifiah) was "one of the very first Islamic educational institutions in London".^[9]

In 1940, Fultali founded the Darul Qirat Majidiah Trust and institutionalized his effort to teach the perfect recitation of the Quran. Now there are more than two thousand branches of the trust throughout the world engaged in educating people in the field of Tajweed.^[6][10]

Abdun Nur Ali (1880-1963) of Gorkapon in Badarpur was a Mawlana who requested Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali to visit the mosque conjoined to Adam Khaki's shrine. In 1946, Fultali announced that he would be travelling to Badarpur to give a lesson on qira'at at Adam Khaki's mosque.^{[citation needed]} Abd an-Nur Gorkaponi and his students purchased a horse for the scholar to ride on so the journey could be easier.^[11] From 1946 to 1950, Fultali was a teacher at the Badarpur Senior Madrasa. He began teaching Qur'an with tajweed from his own home in 1950. As a result of riots in the 1950s, Fultali briefly migrated to Pakistan.^[12] Fultali spent six years as a teacher of Hadith studies at the Gasbari Jamiul Uloom Kamil Madrasah. After that, he taught Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan al-Nasa'i , Sunan ibn Majah, Sahih al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawood, Al-Itqān, Nur al-Anwar, Al-Hidayah and Tafsir al-Jalalayn at the Satpur Alia Madrasa and Isamati Alia Madrasa respectively. He finally returned to Fultali Alia Madrasa, where he taught Hadith until his death.^[10]

On 11 May 1967, a conference was held at the Shah Jalal Dargah. A memorandum strictly calling for the prohibition of shirki practices was signed by the leading Islamic scholars from Sylhet including Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali, Hormuz Ullah Shayda, Mushahid Ahmad Bayampuri, Ibrahim Chatuli and Nur Uddin Gohorpuri.^[13]

Fultali was the best known and most influential spiritual leader among the British Bangladeshi community. He was based in Bangladesh, but made well-attended visits to the United Kingdom.^[14] Among these visits, he established Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah in 1978, which has since vastly expanded in London. He was a founder of numerous organisations related to religion, culture and education and a patron to a number of humanitarian and charitable organisations such as Muslim Hands Bangladesh.^[6][10][15]

In 1983, he established the Hazrat Shahjalal Darussunnah Yaqubia Kamil Madrasa with the assistance of Haji Abdus Subhan Tafadar of Subhanighat, Sylhet.^[16]

Personal life

Fultali married Begum Khadijah, the daughter of his pir Abu Yusuf Shah Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri, in 1345 BS (1938 CE). He also married Mehrunnesa, the daughter of Muhammad Abdur Rashid Khan of Fultali. In total, he had seven sons and three daughters.^[17] His seventh son, Husamuddin Chowdhury, is a member of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Organisations

• Darul Qirat Majidiah Fultali Trust^[18]
• Anjumane Al Islah, Bangladesh^[19]
• Anjumane Al Islah (1978, branches in Bangladesh, United Kingdom,^[20] United States of America)
  • Anjuman-e-Talamiz-e-Islamia (1980, student branch)
  • Anjuman-e-Madaris-e-Arabia (1994, teachers branch)
  • Al Islah Youth Forum, United Kingdom
• Hazrat Shahjalal Darussunnah Yaqubia Kamil Madrasa, Sylhet (1983)
• Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah, United Kingdom (1999)
  • Darul Hadis Latifiah Northwest^[21]
• Darul Qirat Majidiah, United Kingdom
• Latifiah Qurra Society (Bangladesh, United Kingdom, United States)
• Latifiah Orphanage, Bangladesh^[22]
• Ulama Society, United Kingdom
• Yaqubia Hifzul Quran Board (2006)

Death and legacy

On Thursday 16 January 2008 at 2:10 am, Fultali died at his home in Subhanighat, Sylhet due to natural causes. His janazah (Islamic funeral) took place the day after his death following Asr prayer led by his eldest son. Reports in Bangladesh estimate that between 2 and 2.5 million attended his janazah. It is also estimated that further hundreds of thousands of people joined the janazah across the Indian border.^{[5][23][24][25]}

An isaal-e-sawab and mahfil (gathering) is held on the anniversary of Allama Saheb Qiblah Fultali's death every year at his village in Fultali and many other places around the world by his students and followers. His grandson, Dr. Ahmad Hasan Chowdhury Shahan (assistant professor of Arabic at Dhaka University) was the editor of one memorial book, Allama Fultali Saheb Qiblah (Ra.) Smarak.^[26]

Books

• Al-Qawl as-Sadeed fi al-Qir’at wa at-Tajweed, a comprehensive guide to the rule of correct Qur'anic recitation and an addition of the book by his teacher Ahmed Abdullah al-Hejazi. Composed originally in Urdu, it has been translated in Bengali by his son Imaduddin Chowdhury Fultali and into English by Syed Ajmal Husayn Wasi.
• At-Tanweer ala at-Tafsir, an in-depth elucidation of Surah Al-Baqarah.
• Muntakhab-us Siyar, an Urdu biography of Muhammad in three volumes. Translated into Bengali by his son, Hussamuddin Chowdhury Fultali.
• Anwar as-Salikeen, an Urdu work in the field of Tasawwuf, explaining the different stages of the path for the seeker, and elucidating on how to nurture oneself in preparation for the sacred path. Translated into Bengali by his son Imaduddin Chowdhury Fultali.
• Shajara-e-Tayyibah, the names of the spiritual masters of the Tariqahs Chisti, Qadiri, Naqshbandi and Mujaddidiyya.
• Al-Khutbah al-Ya’qubiyyah, a compilation of khutbahs (sermons) in Arabic, including the khutbah for the two ‘Eids (Islamic festivals) and the khutbah for Nikah (marriage). Named after his father-in-law, Hatim Ali Yaqub Badarpuri (d. 1958 CE).
• Nala-e-Qalandar, an Urdu compilation of ode in veneration of Muhammad and the Awliya.
• Nek A'mal, a work in Bengali, elucidating on good actions and the rewards gained for action upon them.^[27]

See also

• Brick Lane Mosque
• Al-Islah Mosque

References

1. Dudharchowki, Masum Ahmad (12 February 2013). "আলিয়া মাদরাসার প্রসারে আল্লামা ফুলতলী ছাহেব কিবলাহ রহ. এর অবিস্মরণীয় ভূমিকা". Protidiner Chitro (in Bengali).
2. Siddiqi, Bulbul (2018). Becoming 'Good Muslim': The Tablighi Jamaat in the UK and Bangladesh. Springer. p. 121. ISBN 978-981-10-7235-2.
3. Ahmed, Abdul-Azim; Ali, Mansur (2019). In Search of Sylhet – The Fultoli Tradition in Britain (Thesis). Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, Cardiff: Cardiff University.
4. . Fultali. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
5. Gani, Muhammad Usman. (in Bengali). Kazirbazar.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
6. (in Bengali). Uttorpurbo. 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
7. . Fultali. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
8. "الشيخ أحمد عبدالله الحجازي". Makkawi (in Arabic).
9. "About our School". Darul Hadis. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
10. . Fultali. 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
11. Shah, Ahsan Habib (29 January 2018). ইলমে কিরাতে আল্লামা ফুলতলী ছাহেব কিবলাহ (রহ.)-এর অবদান. Avijatrik (in Bengali).
12. Ahmed & Ali (2019).
13. Sripuri, Harunur Rashid (September 2011). "শিরক উচ্ছেদকারী সাধকের কবর শিরক-ওরসের কেন্দ্র হতে পারে না" [The grave of a saint who renounces shirk cannot be the centre of shirk-urs]. Al-Kawsar (in Bengali).
14. Hamid, Sadek (2016). Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism. London & New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-78453-231-4.
15. ব্রিকলেন মসজিদে আব্দুল লতিফ চৌধুরী ফুলতলী'র (র") ইছালে ছওয়াব সওয়াব (in Bengali). Bangla Times. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
16. "আলোকিত মানুষ গড়ার কারিগর ছিলেন শাহ সূফী মাও: আব্দুর রহিম তফাদার (রহ:)". Desh Diganto (in Bengali). 29 February 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
17. Azad, Mohammad Abul Kalam (14 January 2020). "মুকুটহীন সম্রাট আল্লামা ফুলতলী ছাহেব কিবলাহ (রাহ.) এর জীবন ও কর্ম". Salaam Media (in Bengali).
18. "দারুল কিরাত মজিদিয়া ফুলতলী ট্রাস্ট" [Darul Qirat Majidiah Fultali Trust] (in Bengali).
19. "Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Anjumane Al Islah Maulana Ahmed Hasan Chowdhury Fultali speaking at a seminar on 'Guhadae Karbala: Chetonar Utsha' organized by its city unit at the Jatiya Press Club on Wednesday". The New Nation. 22 October 2015.
20. "About Us".
21. Chowdhury, Ahmad Hasan (2018). Hazrat Allama Abdul Latif Chowdhury (in Bengali). Dhaka, Bangladesh.: Islamic Foundation Bangladesh. pp. 89–92.
22. . Manikpur Union (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 July 2019.
23. . Fultali. 2007. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
24. আল্লামা ফুলতলী ছাহেব ক্বিবলাহ ছিলেন বরেণ্য ওলীয়ে কামিল (in Bengali). BANews24.com. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
25. Ahmad, Mohammad Farooq (5 December 2014). (in Bengali). Chhatak: Chhataknews.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
26. Alangkari, Muhammad Sadiqur Rahman. "আল্লামা ফুলতলী ছাহেব ক্বিবলা (রহ.)'র আধ্যাত্মিক জীবন". Avijatrik (in Bengali).
27. Chowdhury, Ahmad Hasan. Allama Fultali Saheb Qibla Smarak (in Bengali). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Latifia Foundation. p. 39.

External links

• Mujahid Islam Bulbul, Biography of Allama Saheb Qibla Fultali (R.A.) 3 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• Allamah Fultali Sahib Qiblah. Ahl-e Muhabba. 17 January 2010
• Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK 23 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
• Sociology of Diaspora: A Reader. Rawat Publications. 2007. p. 726. ISBN 9788131601020.
• Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali trust
• Salam Media UK
• Shahjalal Mosque & Islamic Centre, Manchester
• Latifiah Northwest, UK
• Darul Hadis Latifiah, UK
• Hazrat Shahjalal Darussunna Yakubia Kamil (M.A) Madrasah
• Parwana | National Bangla Monthly