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Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi
Bengali Hadith scholar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi (1882 – 16 February 1956) was a 20th-century Hadith scholar and Sufi figure from the Bengal region, now part of Bangladesh. He is regarded as the first Sheikh al-Hadith of Bengal, following his appointment as Sheikh al-Hadith at Darul Uloom Hathazari, the first Qawmi madrasa in Bangladesh. He founded Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia in 1944. He taught Hadith at both institutions for over five decades.[1] He was a student of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and a member of the Majlis-e-Shura of Darul Uloom Deoband. As a Sufi master, he had nearly 10,000 murids and seven successors, including Muhammad Faizullah.
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Early background
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Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi was born in 1882 in Kalapania village, Sandwip, in present-day Bangladesh.[2] His father, Munshi Nur Bang, was a religious scholar, and the family traced its origins to migrants from Kabul, bearing the surname Akhund.[2] Saeed Ahmad completed his early education in the Quran and basic Islamic studies under his father's guidance. During this time, a scholar from Sandwip named Waziullah Sandwipi, who was studying at Darul Uloom Deoband in India, visited the area and gave public lectures.[2] Impressed by Waziullah's influence, Nur Bang sent Saeed Ahmad to Darul Uloom Deoband in 1893 to pursue further religious studies.[1]
At Darul Uloom Deoband, Saeed Ahmad became a student of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and completed the Dawra-e-Hadith curriculum in 1904.[3] While studying, he initially pledged spiritual allegiance (bay'ah) to Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and, following Gangohi's death, renewed it with Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, from whom he also received khilafah (spiritual succession) and ijazah (authorization).[4] Mahmud Hasan later instructed him to return to Bengal and continue his spiritual training under Zamiruddin Ahmad, a disciple of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.[5] Saeed Ahmad returned to his homeland in 1905 to begin his religious and spiritual work.[1]
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Professional life
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After returning to Bengal in 1905, Saeed Ahmad engaged in religious reform, particularly opposing practices he considered bid'ah and shirk, while maintaining a spiritual association with Zamiruddin Ahmad.[6] On Zamiruddin's recommendation, he was appointed as a senior teacher at Darul Uloom Hathazari in the same year.[7] In 1908, following the introduction of the Dawra-e-Hadith program at the institution, he was appointed Sheikh al-Hadith.[8] At that time, structured instruction of the six canonical Hadith collections (Kutub al-Sittah) was uncommon in Bengal, and he was the first to teach them formally at the Dawra-e-Hadith level, receiving recognition as the first Sheikh al-Hadith in Hadith studies in the region.[9][1][10] His students at Darul Uloom Hathazari included Muhammad Faizullah and Shah Ahmad Hasan.[11] The authorities of Aliah madrasa in Kolkata later invited him to teach in their planned Dawra-e-Hadith program, but he declined due to its government affiliation.[12] He was also nominated to the Majlis-e-Shura (governing body) of Darul Uloom Deoband, representing Bengal and Assam.[13] During a visit to Deoband, he temporarily taught Sunan Abi Dawud and Tafsir Ibn Kathir in the absence of Asghar Hussain Deobandi;[14] among his students there were Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Ibrahim Balyawi.[15] In 1943, he resigned from Darul Uloom Hathazari and, in 1944, established Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia, where he continued teaching Hadith until his death.[16] He had nearly 10,000 spiritual disciples and appointed seven individuals as successors, including Muhammad Faizullah.[17]
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Final days
Saeed Ahmad fell ill during a visit to Rajshahi in northern Bengal and died in Sirajganj on 16 February 1956 while returning home.[18][19] His funeral was held the following day near Charia madrasa, led by Azizul Haque, and he was buried adjacent to the institution.[18] He was married twice—first in Sandwip, a marriage that ended in separation, and later in Hathazari. He had nine sons and seven daughters from both marriages.[20]
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