Maulana Dr. F. R. Ansari
(' God's
Blessings Be With Him )
THE ROVING AMBASSADOR OF ISLAM
Sheikh All Mustafa
(Graduate of Aleemiyah Institute from Suriname,
South America)
O Fazlur Rahman,
How true you were to your name.
O Fazlur Rahman
How Allah gave you knowledge,
And how He gave you fame;
O
Fazlur Rahman!
You
were the Ghazali of our age,
And
truly you were a sage,
You
are our inspiration and our pride,
By
God you were a man upright!
O Fazlur Rahman !
You gave us back the mission of the Prophet,
You gave us back the love of the Prophet,
To enjoin the Right and forbid the Wrong,
This is a job that's got to be done!
We
pray to Allah, AI-Rahman:
To
make us all like Fazlur Rahman.
To
guide the students of Aleemiyah,
To
serious study and “Ijtehaad”,
So
they can guide the "Ummah" of Mustafa,
To
real "Jehaad" and "Ijtehaad",
To
be the pride of A|-Aleemiyah,
A
real tribute to Fazlur Rahman,
To
the glory of Allah AI-Rahman!
Dr. Ansari, or Maulana Ansari, as he was
known to many, was an exceptional human being with a multi-dimensional
personality and a high .moral character based on that of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (ﷺ). The first time I ever heard of Maulana
Ansari was 17-years back, in 1966, the year that I formally accepted Islam as my
way of life. I was anxious to learn Islam, and I learned from a Muslim friend
of mine that in Pakistan there was a very great Islamic Scholar: Maulana
Ansari, who had been in Suriname before. I wrote a letter to Maulana requesting
him to accept me at his Institute of Islamic Learning. Maulana promptly
replied, and that letter I’ve kept since then as a sacred treasure. He welcomed
me warmly to Islam and to the Aleemiyah. However, I could not afford the
journey and here it was that Maulana came to my help.......
Maulana
Ansari arrived at the Zanderij Airport (Suriname), on 1st August, 1969. This
was Maulana's last visit to Suriname and my very first time to see him. The
sight was impressive; it reminded me of the Prophets and holy men of old: that
long robe and the turban which are the classical hallmark of the men-of-God.
The
personality of Maulana was, as ever after, warm, friendly and accommodating. He
took me close to him, and I went with him wherever he went, opening the lecture
sessions with the recitation of the Holy Qur'an. On the last day, after his
final lecture, he sat down. Then he got up again and made a special mention of
a commitment made by the Executive of the Suriname Muslim Association to send
me to Pakistan for study at the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies. This
was a real booster for me and eventually, not long after that, on Oct. 1st,
1969, I put my first foot on the journey in quest of Islamic knowledge,
training and guidance.
It
was in Pakistan that I came to see and know more of the greatness of this
savant of Islam. Maulana wanted to create an Institute of Islamic Learning to
produce real Muslim Scholars for the Muslim Ummah. This was not altogether easy
for the lack of all the right ingredients. The Aleemiyah, named after the great
tutor and father-in-law of Maulana Ansari: Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui ((رحمة الله عليه)) is the
answer that Maulana tried to create for the world-wide problems in the Muslim
Ummah. It was what Maulana called at: CRISIS OF CHARACTER, in the religious
leadership of the Muslims all over. Maulana has in his many learned lectures
very clearly diagnosed the malady that has beset the Ummah. It is essential
that we understand it well and work toward the solution thereof. This humble
servant of Islam could be seen flaming with emotion when expounding the Message
of Islam, especially When dealing with the distracting and negative spirit of
the religious leader-ship of the Ummah; the ignorance of sectarian attitude
which was killing the spirit of JEHAD among the Muslims. The Aleemiyah
Institute needs, to counteract all that, scholars of the caliber of Maulana
Ansari, a man who had mastered 27 branches of knowledge, with a regular reading
habit of at least 500 pages a day and constancy and consistency in IBADDA and
MUJAAHIDA Worship and Self-Mortification). The Aleemiyah needs, besides
students with that zeal for learning and love for humanity, plus the ability to
absorb the higher teachings of Islam, the SABR to work against heavy odds, to
strive so hard in knowledge, personality development and character building
that they would prove themselves worthy and capable of taking up the challenge
to reform, or help reform the Muslim Ummah in whichever part of the Globe they
may find themselves, Insha Allah............!
Maulana's
call was clear for all: "BACK TO MUHAMMAD, (ﷺ), BACK TO THE QUR'AN". Some ignorant folk have
construed this to mean a denial of the Hadith of the Noble Prophet (ﷺ), The charge is false, for those who have known Maulana
and have listened to him are convinced that Maulana was an ardent lover of the
Holy Prophet (ﷺ) Besides, no one can deny the last advice of
the Prophet on the plain of ARAFAAT at the last pilgrimage when he said about
the Qur'an that; "IF. YOU HOLD ON TO IT YOU SHALL NEVER GO ASTRAY"!
He
was very clear in his exposition of Islam, and he minced no words in condemning
the negative factors in the Ummah: but prejudice dies hard ...” He made it clear that Islam
is based on TAUHEED; that Spiritualism forms an integral part of Islam; that
sound reason is the-pride of Islam. He was not extreme. Maulana was a Sufi, but
his Sufism was action based on the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and pure Science
from the Qur'an, Some felt Maulana went too high with too much science, but he
wanted to show us the beauty and grandeur of Islam, and its greatness. He
wanted to lift us up to the peak of the mountain and show us the vast and
wonderful landscape of Islam so that we
may aspire for it and not be content to remain at the bottom!
Maulana
was a man for the world, not only the Muslim world, for Maulana Ansari was the
best expounder of Islam I have ever seen, met or heard. I remember one
particular occasion at the Aleemiyah when Maulana called for me, Siddique Ahmed
Nasir (my colleague from Guyana) and one or two more students. He wanted us to
witness (as part of our training or course) a discussion he was about to have
with one Christian lady, who had come to enquire about Islam. This was a
special opportunity and privilege for us to witness a masterpiece of an
unfolding of the Message of Islam in such a beautifully persuasive and loving
manner that the listener has no way but to accept. Here there was no sarcasm,
no criticism, no forcing to accept It was simply an exposition of accepted
truths of human behaviour, human history, certain discoveries in science and
then blending them with Quranic truths and showing the correlation with the way
of life which is Islam.
Maulana's
greatness to me was an evolving experience. In 1970/1971 Maulana was invited by
the Muslims of South Africa where he delivered
perhaps, some of his most learned and finest speeches on Islam. There, he spoke
on a variety of subjects, all underlined by a note of spirituality and high
learning. But Maulana's great exposition of Islam was not restricted to South
Africa. I heard of his lectures in Europe, the United States of America and the
far-East. His originality and uniqueness of style was simply amazing. Anyone
who heard Maulana's lectures will vouch for clarity and force of expression,
which bespeaks of a strong conviction, a firm grounding in knowledge and true
sincerely of purpose all in the interest of Islam and Muslims.
Maulana did not neglect his countrymen, I attended many
of Maulana's Urdu and English lectures in Karachi; and in Urdu his clarity and
fore* Was the same if not better. However, Maulana was not the sensational type
of Moulvi Saheb which is what some people seem to like in Pakistan. But he did
make an impact on those who valued knowledge.
As a writer Maulana started very early in life. The first
book Maulana Ansari wrote on Islam (to my knowledge) was "BEACON
LIGHT". He was less than 20 yrs, old then. After that he wrote a series of
booklets on various aspects of Islam. The simplicity, clarity and force of his
style bear testimony to his great understanding of Islam; Such booklets are
very helpful to the new-Muslim in particular, since they are a condensation of
ideas which can be expanded. However, the last work from Maulana's pen, his
life-work, the gist of his understanding of Islam and a gift to the Muslims and
humanity was: The Qur’anic Foundation
and Structure of Muslim Society. In this masterpiece Maulana drew us the
most beautiful, the most complete and comprehensive picture of Islam. It is a
book to be studied and digested; a reference book taken solely from the main
reference: AL-QUR'AN for the rebuilding of the UMMAH OF ISLAM May ALLAH accept
and inspire us to real Islam, Ameen!
Many
were surprised to see a Maulana in traditional dress, addressing audiences in
highly modern, sophisti-cated, western countries, audiences comprising of
highly educated people: critics of Islam, clergymen, philosophers, doctors,
scholars in various branches of knowledge. They was dazed at She ease with
which he was able to present Islam to them. They were amazed that one man could
master so vast knowledge. Yet, they had experienced only one small example of
the greatness of human personality and character created by Islam. of which
there were many in the glorious past of Islam...... To the Muslims he
constantly sounded the clarion cat! Which was echoed before him by the great
sons of Islam like Jamal-ud-Din Afghani; Maulana Hali; Sir Muhammad Iqbal;
Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui and many others. He warned them of the dangers
that could befall them if they do not implement real Islam; he diagnosed their
situation among other nations; and ha suggested solutions and practically
helped them in various parts of the world for the improvement of their
condition as Muslims.
Toward
the end of May, 1974 Maulana fell ill. Every one was worried. He was taken to
the hospital. Monday morning 3rd June 1974 11-JAMADIUL AWWAL 1394). We were
crowded in the room of brother Sulaiman Peterson. on the first floor of the
Aleemiyah Hostel, hoping and praying for Maulana's life! By about 10 o' clock the
news came; Maulana Ansari had left this physical world for the spiritual. It
came as a shock to us all. We could hardly believe it. We were overcome with
emotion. Maulana had lived for 63 years. (Lunar) just like the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and his tutor Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, (رحمة الله عليه) and as such
fulfilling the last Sunnah of the Beloved of ALLAH......
May ALLAH lead us on the right path and give
us the conviction based on real knowledge and sincere love and devotion for Him
and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (ﷺ) May ALLAH bless the soul of Maulana Dr. Fazlur-Rahman
Ansari (رحمة الله عليه)
for the invaluable service he rendered; to Islam and humanity. If at least one
of his students takes his place or at least carries on the same mission, HE
WILL HAVE SUCCEEDED. Insha-ALlAH, Ameen.......!
[Shaikh
Ali Mustafa has been doing extremely valuable work for the cause
of Islam for some years now in Southern Africa. He is based Botswana. Ed.]
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