Maulana Mufti Mehmood is a unique
personality in our Political, religious and national history. He was born on
January 9, 1919 at village Penniala, district Dera Ismail Khan. He started his
schooling at the age of six. He passed his middle examination with high marks
in 1933. He received his basic religious education at home and took admission
in Madrasa Shahi, Murradabad (India) for further education. He received his
final degree after six years in 1940. The same year, he performed his duty as a
teacher in Madrasa Moeen-ul-Islam Esa Kheil (Mianwali) and performed his duties
as Imam and teacher at Abdul khel, Dera Isimail Khan in 1947 and appointed in
Madrasa Qasim-ul-uloom, Multan in 1950 and graced the chair of Tadrees and
Afta. He personally wrote twenty-two thousand Fatawa which have been published
under the title of "Fatawa-e-Mufti Mehmood".
Apart from tafseer-e-Mahmood
based on his commentary gains, the treatise titled Almotanabi Al-Qadiani Mun
Howa? Al-tas'heel-ul Ahkam-ul-Tarteel and Zubdat-ul-Maqal Fi roya tul- Hilal
magazine are the masterpieces of his authorial craftsmanship and keenness. It
was the result of his great approach and sound knowledge of Hadith that he
compiled the Arabic commentary of Jamae-Tirmazi titled Almuntahi. He enjoyed
special zeal for Islamic Jurisprudence. He deployed the power of logic and
exercised moderation. in the matter of Fatwa. he never tried to politicize the
religious matters. The Egyptian Mufti Muhammad Abduhu gave Fatwa regarding the
legality of machine slaughtering.
Mulana Mufti Mehmood proved with
solid reasons that an animal slaughtered through a machine could not be treated
as "Halal". Thus he saved the entire nation from eating 'haram' meat.
Beside being a great 'Mohadith', exegetist or commentator of the Holy Quran and
jurist, he was an excellent author also. Religious scholars of Egypt and Hijaz
too acknowledged his command of eloquence in the Arabic language. Along with
Persian, he wrote several laudatory poerns in Arabic also. He was a renowned
poet as well as a notable prose writer. As an editor of the weekly
"Khuddamuddin", Lahore, he wrote several editoials for about three
years.
In 1953, during Khatam-e-Nabuwwat
movenment, Mufti Mahmood (RH) was arrested and during Ramzan-ul-Mubbark and eid
he remained there in jail. He summoned a convention of the learned Ulma from
across the whole country in Multan on October, 8-9 1956 in which 500 Ulma
participated and elected Maulana Ahmed Ali Lahore (RH) as President (Ameer)
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Ghulam Ghaus Hazarvi (RH) as General Secretary
and Maulana Mufti Mahmood (RH) as Vice President (Naib Ameer). He prepared a
learned report by pointing out the un-Islamic provisions of the constitution of
1956 which was published under the title of "Criticisms and amendments".
Maulana Mufti Mahmood had a Keen
understanding of the state of affairs. Religious seminaries were his chief
preoccupation. He assembled them and played a central role in the establishment
of "Wifaq-ul Madaris Al-Arabic" which was meant to reform and
organize the seminaries. He became its first general organizer. He was elected
as the President after the demise of Hazrat Binori and held the office till his
death. The certificate of Wafaq-ul-Madaris was for the first time issued during
his term. Afterwards, he formally tabled a resolution on the floor of the
National Assembly also to make this certificate equivalent to the degree of MA
Islamiat. President Ayub Khan established Family commission in 1960 and
promulgated an Ordinance to incorporate its recommendations into the
constitution which were contradictory to the Islamic principles. At that point
of time. Maulana Mufti Mahmood appealed to the general public to oppose the
steps as well as protest against them. When he was elected as member of the
National Assembly in 1962 for the first time, he convinced the majority of the
House through his address in Dhaka to revoke the Family Laws..
On 8th March, 1963, a bill titled
"Human Right" was introduced in the National Assembly. He pointed out
those sections of the bill which might had opened the gate of apostasy.
Having heard about the fame and
the role of Maulana Mufti Mahmood, the Rector of Al-Azhar university invited
him in 1964 to participate in the millennium celebrations of the Jamia. He was
invited in 1965 to participate in Majma-ul-joas Islami being held under the
administration of the Govt. of Egypt. On this occasion, he presented the
Kashmir issue while mentioning conspiracies against the Muslim countries. The
newspapers of Cairo. published his speech under headline. He visited Egypt,
Libya, Sudan, Syria, Kuwait and Saudia Arabia along-with a delegation on 12
July 1971. He got invitation from the scholars (Ulma) of Russia to attend the
Islamic Conference in 1971. In January, 1972, he travelled to Saudi Arabia with
the official hajj delegation to check the arrangements made for Pakistan
Hujjaj. He boarded on a tour of six Arab countries in October, 1977. He
preformed the dities of judge/Jury in the international ceremony of the
competition of recitation of Holy Quran on Saudi Government's invitation in
July, 79. He visited Kuwait on the invitation of Ministry of Aoqaf of Kuwait in
May, 79 and during the same tour he also visited South Africa. In 1980,
alongwith a delegation, he visited Iran on the invitation of the Government of
Iran... He went to India to attend the centenary celebrations of DAR-UL-Uloom
Deoband in March 80. He whole heartedly supported the Arab alliance movement of
Jamal Abdu-ul-Nasir of Egypt. When Israel attacked Egypt in 1967, he held
demonstrations in support of president of Egypt, Jamal Abdul Nasir and responded
to the imperial propaganda against Nasir in a befitting manner.
In 1970, he decided to contest
election from Dera Ismail Khan. Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced to compete
against Maulana Mufti Mahmood. The election was won by Mufti Mahmood. After elections,
as a result of agreement between the National Awami party (NAP) and Jamiat,
Mufti Mahmood became the Chief Minister of NWFP. On 1st May 1972, he took oath
of the Chief Ministership and immediately banned alcohol in the Province. Each
and every type of gambling was declared legally a crime; ban was imposed on
(usury) and orders were issued to provide interest-free loans.
Ehteram-e-Ramzan-ul-Mubbarik ordinance was promulgated. Friday was declared as
closed holiday and Urdu declared as official language along with enforcement of
educational reforms. A five-member the board of scholars and legal experts was
constituted to bring legislation in line with the Quran and the Sunnah, Sugar,
Textile, Cement, Fertilizer and steel factories were approved to be set-up for
the development and the welfare of general public. A number of irrigation
projects were initiated. After nine months in office, he resigned from the
Chief Ministership of NWFP in protest against the sacking of Baluchistan
government and thereby he set a healthy precedent in the politics of Pakistan.
Maulana Mufti Mahmood struggled
unprecedentedly to make the constitution Islamic. Definition of Muslim,
condition for the President and the Prime Minister to be Muslims, guarantee for
not enacting laws contrary to the Quran and the Sunnah, the formation of the
council of Islamic Ideology, along with the clause relating to the Islamization
of the prevailing laws necessarily within seven years were the result of his
efforts. Nationwide movement commenced against Qadianiyat in 1974. This case
was presented in the Parliament. All the Muslim Patrliamentarians were one and
united under the Chairmanship of Maulana Mufti mahmood Opposition moved a
resolution in the National Assembly on 30th June, 1974 to declare Qadianis a
non-Muslim minority. On 7th September, 1974, the House declared Qadianis as
non-muslim minority by making unanimous amendment in the constitution
In order to resolve the issue of
the sighting of moon, he summoned a meeting of the Country's Ulema and Mufti in
Qasim-ul-uloom Multan, in September, 1954 so that unanimous stand could be
taken. Afterwards when Committees were constituted for making the Constitution,
he not only succeeded in making Islamic provisions, a part of the Constitution
but also succeeded in making formation of central Ruwait-e-Hilal Committee and
its rules and regulations, a part of the Constitution
In February 1975, Maulana Mufti
Mahmood was elected the officiating Opposition Leader in the National Assembly
He taught daura-e-tafseer in
Madrasa Qasim-ul-uloom, Sheranwala Gate Lahore during Ramadan in August, 1976.
He also attended Assembly sessions during this very period. The National
Assembly was dissolved on 10th January, 1977 and elections were announced to be
held on 7th March. The Opposition formed Pakistan National Alliance and Mufti
Mahmood was made its President. Elections held on 7th March were alleged to be
rigged, so countrywide protests and strikes were announced by the National
Alliance. At one stage, through negotiations Mr. Bhutto agreed that elections
would be held again but on 5th July, 1977 Zia-ul-Haq took over the reins and
announced that elections would be held within 90 days but afterwards he backed
out of his words, Maulana Mufti Mahmood strongly opposed that move.
Zia-ul-Haq promulgated the Zakat
Ordinance on 30th June, 1980. Maulana Mufti Mahmood didn't agree with this
initiative. He was having a discussion on the issue with prominent religious
scholars of Karachi in Dar-ul-Hadis of Jamaia Banori Town when suffered a
Cardiac arrest and breathed his last on 14th October, 1980. Three funeral
prayers were held for Maulana Mufti Mahmood. First in Karachi by Maulana Abdul
Hai, Second, in Multan, by Maulana Abdullah Darkhwasti and the third funeral
prayer was lead by his son, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman in Abdul Khel and he was
laid to rest in his native graveyard at Abdul Khel.
On Maulana Mufti Mahmood (1919-1980), a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs.8/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on October 14, 2017.
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