Abdul Ghani Azhari (1922 – 19 January 2023), also known as Abdul Ghani Shah al-Shashi,^[2] was an Indian Muslim scholar and historian who served as the head-professor of the University of Kashmir's Arabic department. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mazahir Uloom and the Al-Azhar University. He authored Qadim Tarikh-e-Gujjar, a book detailing the history of Gujjars.

Early life and education

Abdul Ghani Azhari was born in 1922 in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.^[3] He received his education at Darul Uloom Deoband, Mazahir Uloom and the Al-Azhar University. He wrote his doctoral thesis on Al-Muslim entitled, Al Imam Al Muslim Wa Manhajuhu Fi Al Hadith Riwayatn wa Dirayatan.^[3] He studied with Hussain Ahmed Madani, Ibrahim Balyawi, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, and Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad, and his teachers at Mazahir Uloom included Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.^[4] At the Azhar, he studied with scholars including Abdel-Halim Mahmoud.^[4]

Career

Azhari was a Kashmiri Gujjar and celebrated his Gujjar identity.^[5] He established Dar al-‘Ulum Nizamiyya Madinatul Islam in Badshahibagh (nearby Saharanpur), to cater to the needs of the Gurjar children.^[6] He also established religious seminaries in Kashmir, including Maktabah Anwar al Uloom, in Kokernag, and Darul Uloom Kawthariya near Dachigam National Park.^[7] In 2003, he established Darul Uloom Shah Wali Allah in Donipawa, Brakpora, in Anantnag.^[4] At the invitation of Shaikh Abdullah, Azhari served as a professor of Arabic at Madinatul Uloom in Hazratbal, Srinagar prior to joining the University of Kashmir.^[8]

Azhari was seen as a senior religious scholar in Kashmir. He served as the head-professor in the Arabic department of the University of Kashmir.^[9] He showed particular interest in the Qadiri order of Sufism and published works on the Naqshbandiyyah.^[5] He died on 19 January 2023 in Saharanpur.^[10] Salahuddin Tak, the current head-professor of the Arabic department at the University, described Azhari as "an eminent teacher, a great academician and an epitome of knowledge with high proficiency in religious science".^[11]

Literary works

Azhari's works include:^[12][13]

• Gujjar Tareekh te Saqafat, compiled by Javaid Rahi^[14]
• Noor-i-Irfan
• Ma La Budda Minh, a book that he translated from Persian into Urdu
• Maktubat-i-Naqshbandiyyah
• Qadim Tarikh-i-Gujjar, a detailed book on the ancient history of Gujjars in India^[12][15]

See also

• List of Deobandis

References

Further reading

• "سولہویں صدی کے زوال نے ملت کا شیرازہ بکھیر دیا" [The decline of the 16th century scattered the management of the nation]. Kashmir Uzma. 23 March 2019.