Darul Uloom Hathazari
Al-Jāmiʿah al-Ahliyyah Dār al-ʿUlūm Muʿīn al-Islām (Arabic: الجامعة الأهلية دار العلوم معين الإسلام), popularly known as the Hāṭhazārī Madrasa (Bengali: হাটহাজারী মাদ্রাসা) or the Great Madrassah (Bengali: বড় মাদ্রাসা, romanized: Boṛo Madraśa), is a Qawmi institution of Hathazari, located in Bangladesh's Chittagong District.[4] Established in 1901, it is the largest and oldest Deobandi seminary in the country.[5][6] According to a 2009 National Bureau of Asian Research report, the highly reputed institution ranks among top ten madrasa in the subcontinent.[7]
| Type | Islamic university |
|---|---|
| Established | 1901 (1310 Hijri) |
| Chancellor | Majlis-e-Shura |
Academic staff | 100+ (2021)[1] |
| Students | 8000 (2022) [2] |
| Postgraduates | 2318 (2022)[3] |
| Location | |
| Campus | Urban (4.24 acres) |
| Website | www |
History
Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam was first established in 1896 CE. It was moved to its present location in Hathazari, Bangladesh in 1901.[8] The Jamiah introduces the Islamic education and Reformation movement in this region.[9] A few ulama of the Chittagong region took the decision to establish the madrasa in accordance to the constitution of Darul Uloom Deoband in North India. To apply this decision, Habibullah Qurayshi along with Abdul Wahid Bengali, Sufi Azizur Rahman and Abdul Hamid Madarshahi established the madrasah.[10]
The Hathazari Madrasah became "arguably the most reputable Quomi madrasa in the country."[8]
Starting in 2004, the Hathazari Madrasa has been at the centre of media attention due to allegations that it is a haven for "terrorist" training.[8] This is the first time in the institution's long history that such allegations have been made against the madrasah itself.[8]
In February 2010, 40 students were arrested for clashing with police and later released. Students had snatched a service rifle.[11]
Organization and administration
The Darul Ulum has divided its education system into six major levels:[citation needed]
- Primary level – Urdu; Persian; Arabic; Nahu-Sarf; Siraat-un-Nabi; Fiqh etc. are taught along with the mathematics; history; Bengali; English and geography.
- Secondary level – higher Arabic grammar; Arabic literature; Fiqh; logic.
- Higher secondary level – higher Fiqh and Usul-e-Fiqh; higher logic; higher Arabic literature; higher economics; higher philosophy; higher Islam history.
- Graduate level – Hadith; Tafsir; Arabic and Persian poetry; solar science.
- Post graduate level – six major Hadith Books: Bukhari Sharif, Muslim Sharif, Abu Dawd Sharif, Tirmidi Sharif, Nasaee Sharif and Ibn Majah are mainly taught.
- Beyond post graduate level – further study in the field of Islamic law; Arabic language and literature; higher Hadith study, Bengali literature and Islamic studies.
Network of schools
The "Boro Madrassah" is one of the three large madrasahs, along with Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiah in Patiya, and Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Lalkhan Bazar, that together control over 7000 smaller schools in Bangladesh.[4][9] The three schools are closely coordinated.[9]
Publications
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Alleged militancy
There are allegations that the Madrassah is a training ground for Islamic extremists.[4][8] While authorities of the school have confirmed that some graduates volunteered for the Afghan jihad during the 1980s, there was no strong evidence to suggest that the school itself was recruiting for the jihad.[8]
The rector of the school, Maulana Ahmad Shafi—popularly known as "Boro Huzur" (the eldest scholar)—is also the chairman of a faction of the political party Islami Oikya Jote.[12] Critics of the party say that membership of IOJ coincides with the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), though a leading Bangladeshi political scientist warns little is actually known about their organisation.[13]
Rector Ahmad is also purported to be the leader of a group called "Hifazat-e-Islam,"[14] which he claims to be a peaceful organisation.[15] Ahmad and his colleagues state that the group is for protesting the government's decisions to introduce a secular education system. A statement from the police mentions that men, suspected to be from Hifazat-e-Islam, fired gunshots and threw homemade bombs on the police, causing injuries to 5 or 6 police constables.[15] It is unclear whether or not these actions were approved by Ahmad Shafi.[citation needed]
Alumni scholars
The Jamiah Darul Ulum Moinul Islam has produced a large number of notable scholars.
References
- ^ . Darululum-hathazari.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ . Bangladesh News. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ [About]. Darululum-hathazari.com (in Bengali). 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ a b c Rao, M. Rama (31 October 2005). . Asian Tribune. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012.
- ^ Kabir, Humayun (December 2009). "Replicating the Deobandi model of Islamic schooling: the case of a Quomi madrasa in a district town of Bangladesh". Contemporary South Asia. 17 (4): 415–428. doi:10.1080/09584930903275884. S2CID 145197781.
- ^ Singh, Nagendra Kr., ed. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh (1st ed.). New Delhi, India: Anmol Publications. p. 259. ISBN 8126113901.
- ^ "NBR Reports" (PDF).
With its impeccable Deobandi credentials, Hathazari madrasa ranks among the top ten madrasas in the subcontinent in terms of its academic standards and reputation.
- ^ a b c d e f Ahmad, Mumtaz and Matthew J. Nelson. "Islamic Education in Bangladesh and Pakistan: Trends in Tertiary Institutions." (Preview) NBR Project Report. April 2009. (alternate non-preview version)
- ^ a b c Riaz, Ali (2008). Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-8135-4562-2.
Three madrassahs are reported to control more than seven thousand smaller madrassahs—al-Jamiah al-Islamia located in Patiya district, Darul Uloom Mainul Madrassah located in Hathazari, and Darul Uloom Madrassah located in Lalkhan Bazar of Chittagong—are closely coordinated and they appear to be the core institutions of a larger network.
- ^ "Creating a Practicing Muslim: A Study of Qawmi Madrasah in Bangladesh (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "All detainees set free in Ctg". The Daily Star. 26 February 2010.
- ^ "Unknown Islamist group flexes its muscles in Ctg". The Daily Star. 25 February 2010.
- ^ "Bangladesh Today", International Crisis Group, Asia Report 121, 23 October 2006.
- ^ [1] ( and other Islamic extremists are becoming active), Al-Mamun Khan, The Weekly Saptahik, 5 August 2010.
- ^ a b আলেমদের মিছিলে গুলি : চট্টগ্রামে পুলিশি হামলায় মহাসমাবেশ 27 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Amardesh. 2010/02/25.
- (Translation: To summarise the Amardesh story, it states the police action on the procession by Hefajate-Islami. It also includes statements made by Maulana Ahmed who claims his organisation (HI) to be a peaceful one, and that they are protesting the government's decisions to introduce secular education system (which they perceive to be hostile against the right-wing islamists). Note that the newspaper mentions this as the statement of Maulana Ahmed and his colleagues. The police's statement is also included, which mentions that protestors from the Hefajate-Islam procession also fired gunshots and threw homemade bombs on the police, causing injuries to 5/6 police constables.)
External Link
- Media related to Darul Uloom Hathazari at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 22°30′16″N 91°48′27″E / 22.504552°N 91.807611°E