Karam Shah al-Azhari
Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (1 July 1918 – 7 April 1998) was an Islamic scholar of Hanafi jurisprudence, Sufi, and Muslim leader. He is known for his work Tafsir Zia ul Quran fi Tafsir ul Quran, meaning "The light of the Quran in the Exegesis of the Quran." It is commonly referred to as Diya ul Quran or Zia ul Quran.[1] He also wrote Zia un Nabi or Diya al-Nabi, a biography of Muhammad in seven volumes.[2]
Muhammad karam Shah al-Azhari | |
|---|---|
| محمد کرم شاہ الأزھری | |
| Born | Muhammad Karam Shah 1 July 1918 |
| Died | 7 April 1998 (aged 79) Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Alma mater | Al-Azhar University |
| Children | Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Hasanat Shah, Hafeez Ul Barkat Shah, Major Ibrahim Shah, Mohsin Shah, Dr. Abulhassan Shah Al-Azhari, Farooq Bahawal Haq Shah |
He was the spiritual guide and pir of the Chishtiyya Sufi order.[3][4]
Early life and career edit
Muhammad Karam Shah was born on 1 July 1918 at Bhera, Sargodha District, British India.[3] He finished his basic education in his hometown Bhera in 1936. Then he learned Persian and Arabic languages. Then on the advice of Khwaja Qamar ul Din Sialvi (1906 – 1981), he went to Muradabad, in 1942 for the study of hadith. He graduated from the University of the Punjab in 1945 and then went on to Egypt for higher religious education at Al-Azhar University. He received his master's degree in Islamic Law.[3]
He wrote "Zia un Nabi", a 1995 Urdu biography of Muhammad.[3][5] in seven volumes. It was translated into English by Muhammad Qayyum Awan.[6] He wrote Tafsir Zia ul Quran, an Urdu interpretation of the Quran in 5 volumes.[7][8][9]
He reorganized the Islamic institution Dar al Ulum Muhammadiyyah Ghausiyyah established by his father in Bhera (Sargodha) and brought major changes in the syllabi of religious education. He was of the view that modern education also should be learned along with religious education.[3]
Karam Shah al-Azhari was an active participant in the Pakistan movement and vigorously campaigned in the Indian provincial elections, 1946 for All India Muslim League.[3]
He also served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pakistan until his death in 1998 and had served on its Shariat Bench.[3] He became a justice of the Federal Shariat Court, when it was first established in 1981.[3][10]
Bibliography edit
- Tafsir Zia ul Quran (1995) (in five volumes)[11]
- Zia un Nabi (1995) (a biography of Muhammad in seven volumes)[3]
Awards and recognition edit
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) by the Government of Pakistan
- Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in its 'Men of Letters' stamp series (2004)[12]
Death edit
Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari died on 7 April 1998 after being ill for nearly a year.[3]
References edit
- ^ . Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Diya’al-Qur’an: A Unique Qur’anic Commentary and the Commentator
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Muhammad Sultan Shah. "Diya'al-Quran: A Unique Quranic Commentary and the Commentator (profile of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari)" (PDF). University of the Punjab website. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Distinguished Al-Azhari scholar of the 20th century honoured in international conference on The World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates (UK website) 29 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine Published 29 July 2016, Retrieved 21 September 2019
- ^ "Zia-un-Nabi (Urdu) - Maktabah Mujaddidiyah". maktabah.org. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "Zia un Nabi : English 7 Vol's - £69.99 : Madani Propagation, Online book shop". islam786books.com. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "Tafsir Zia-ul-Quran Urdu : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". archive.org website. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "تفسیر ضیاء القرآن، اردو - Maktabah Mujaddidiyah". maktabah.org. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "mohrasharif.com - Tafsir Zia-ul-Quran - Volume 1 to 5 (Urdu)". mohrasharif.com. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Some new faces in Sargodha Dawn (newspaper), Published 26 August 2002, Retrieved 21 September 2019
- ^ Books of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari on goodreads.com website Retrieved 21 September 2019
- ^ Profile and commemorative postage stamp of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari on paknetmag.com website Retrieved 4 October 2019
External links edit
- Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari's book on goodreads.com website
- Profile of Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari on dmgbhera.net website 22 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine