Muslim World Lost Great Scholar: Dr Israr Ahmed Passes Away

Dr Israr Ahmed, prominent Islamic scholar and Tanzeem-e-Islami founder, passed away from this transitory world to the eternal world. 'We are all for God and to return to Him.' According to Hijri Calendar (Islamic calendar), Dr Israr was approaching 80. He spent most part of his life for the establishment of caliphate system and propagating the invitation of the holy Quran.

Although he was not a formal religious scholar, (who gets education from religious schools), because of which some of his religious interpretations became controversial, yet it is a fact that his knowledge about religion was superior than the contemporary educated people. He knew the terminologies of the present day world because of which his sermons and lectures on the holy Quran were listened with eagerness.

Phenomenal Career
Dr Israr Ahmed was born on 26 April 1932 in Hissar District in Haryana (India). He took an active part in Pakistan movement.

He was an active member and secretary general of Muslim Students Federation in his District, Hassar. He had the honor of meeting Qaid-e-Azam in this capacity. During his studies at high school, he established his intellectual and emotional relationship with the charismatic poetry of Allama Iqbal and nourished the desire for practical struggle for the renaissance of Islam in his heart. He walked on foot for 20 days along with a caravan to reach Pakistan via Sulemanki. After doing his FSc (Grade 12 of high school) from Government College Lahore, he did his MBBS from King Edward Medial College Lahore and his masters in Islamic studies from Karachi University with distinction.

While a student he was impressed by eminent religious scholar Maulana Maudoodi and remained the Chief Administrator of Islami Jamiat Talaba. He joined Jamaat-e Islami and remained closely associated with (late) Maulana Maudoodi . He was amongst the founding activists of the party. Dr Israr parted ways with the party in 1957 because of the electoral politics and intellectual differences with it. When he was a student and associated with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, he started working as a teacher of the Quran. After submitting his resignation to the party, he continued to deliver lectures on the Quran in different cities of Pakistan.

He shifted to Lahore in 1965 and set up several circles for the study of the Quran. After that, he used to spend most of his time in learning the Quran. In 1971, he abandoned medical practice and fully devoted himself for propagation of the injunctions of Islam. In 1972, he set up Central Association of Servants of the Quran for the promotion of the teachings and ideas of the Quran. He stayed away from politics and associated himself with teaching. He set up the caravan of Tanzeem-e-Islami for the domination of Islam. in 1978, he participated in Pakistan Television's program, 'The Book.' At that same time, he presented many television programs including Alif-Laam-Meem, perfect prophet, mother of all books, and the most popular program of the history of Pakistan Television, 'The Guidance'. This program took him to the heights of popularity. His inculcated his impressive talk about religion into the hearts of the people and they were infatuated by him. 'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz' (medal of distinction) was awarded to him in recognition of his services in 1981.

He authored more than 100 books. He wrote famous exegesis of the Quran and books on the life of the prophet of Islam. Dr Israr Ahmed launched Tehrik-e-Khilafat Pakistan in 1991. In 2002, Dr Israr submitted his resignation to Tanzeem-e-Islami due to ill health and Hafiz Aakif Saeed took over as the new chief. Dr Israr was greatly impressed by the personality of Shah Waliullah. Besides, he was also impressed by Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi, and Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi.

Dr Israr started his religious struggle from the platform of Jamaat-e-Islami, but he resigned because of differences with the founder of the party, Maulana Abul Aala Maudoodi and set up his own party, Tanzeem-e-Islami. He does not declare his party a political party, or a religious group but an Islamic revolutionary party which, according to him, wanted to make Islam dominant in Pakistan, and then in the entire world, i.e., to establish the caliphate system. Dr Israr has steadily and sincerely been traveling toward the destination he set before him.

He has been raising voice for the caliphate system and calling people toward the holy Quran for approximately half-a-century. He believed that it was necessary to have that much manpower, which can make any protest effective, in case of need, and hence compelled the government to accept his demands. Even if the workers have to lay down their lives for this purpose, they may not refrain from doing so. According to Dr Israr, this number should be in hundreds of thousands that may compel the government to kneel down through their protest. How many people Dr Israr could prepare during the struggle for half a century? How far was the destination? This can be guessed from the statement of Dr Israr.

Revolutionary Struggle
Dr Israr came to Multan in March 2009 and delivered lecture on the topic of, 'The reality of antichrist.' I invited him for a cup of tea at the branch of the Jamia Khair-ul Madaris and he affectionately accepted the invitation. During the conversation, I enquired from Dr Israr as to how many people he prepared so far for the enforcement of the Islamic system and the revival and establishment of the caliphate system, he said with a yearning, '5,000 maximum.' If 5,000 persons are prepared in 50 years, it can well be imagined as to how many centuries will be required to take the number to hundreds of thousands.

Dr Israr declares Hazrat Sheikhul Hind, Maulana Mahmudul Hassan as the founder and ideal for this revolutionary struggle. According to him, the lower lineage was thus that Maulana Abul Kalam got inspiration from Sheikul Hind, and Syed Abul Aala Maudoodi received the lesson of revolutionary politics from Maulana Azad and Dr Israr was inspired by Syed Abul Aala Maudoodi. He termed it the 'family tree' of the revolutionary politics. Undoubtedly, the first two chains were golden. However, it remains to be seen whether Maudoodi and Dr Israr followed the same course of faith and action that was fixed by Sheikhul Hind.

Literary people differed with some of the ideas of Dr Israr during his lifetime. But Dr Israr insisted on the righteousness of his opinion. For instance, the religious scholars of later ages believe that one must follow some established imam to save him from his cardinal desire and the path of evil. The learned people have termed it illegal that some imam is followed on some issues and then he is ignored in other issues, and another imam is then followed because such practice gradually takes a person to the path of evil instead of the path of Islamic teachings. Such a person always looks for 'ease' and follows the imam in whose teachings he finds it easy.

This is not, in fact, the following of the Islamic teachings, but following of the self. Dr Israr believed that interpretation of any of the four imam (Imam Azam, Imam Maalik, Imam Shafeh, and Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal), which is nearer to the holy Quran and teachings of the holy Prophet should be acted on. The fact is that a dangerous theory is being implied in these pleasing words that there is no need to fully follow some specific imam, but act on what you consider right.

Overwhelming Ideas
Like the ideas of Dr Israr, some of his interpretations also remained doubtful. For instance, it is the collective belief of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat that emancipation in the hereafter depends on one's belief and if a Muslim has an iota of faith in his heart, he will, with the blessing of God, get deliverance without any sentence, or getting sentence according to his sins.

On contrary, Dr Israr believed, 'The overwhelming majority of Muslims have incorrectly been under a notion that deliverance of one who recites Kalima (declaration mandatory to recite to enter into Islam) will get deliverance.' It means that only faith and its verbal confession is enough. If he does some good deed, it will be additional goodness on his part and it will only heighten his stature, otherwise good deeds are not necessary for salvation (the Rah-e-Nijat, authored by Dr Israr, page 11). When attention of Dr Israr was drawn that his opinion was contrary to the collective belief of the Muslim community, he expressed renunciation from it, but kept the aforementioned writing as it was and made no amendment in the same.

Despite some of his intellectual lapses, his following of religion, and his steadfastness were appreciable. He was an enduring, content, grateful, and self-respected person. His domestic life was immune from luxury, pomp and show, and affectation while Islamic veil and eastern tradition were followed in his home and full arrangements made for acting on them.

A prominent facet of the lift of Dr Israr was that he openly expressed what he considered righteous and never demonstrated any fear or cowardice. In his capacity as the founder of Tanzeem-e-Islami and its chief, he could have benefited from the government's privileges and offers, but he never took any benefit on any occasion. He remained content on living a life like a dervish and hermit.

He has been a member of the Majlis-e-Shura (Islamic consultative council) for some time when President General Ziaul Haque nominated him during his rule. However, when he felt that religious expectations pinned on parliament were not being fulfilled, he submitted his resignation without any hesitation. His stance about the veiling of women's face and wearing of scarf was emphatic and he considered it a binding injunction of Islam, and declared it necessary for the protection of the honor and chastity.

Dauntlessness and Straightforwardness
Another instance of Dr Israr's dauntlessness and straightforwardness is that he termed standing in respect for the national anthem and saluting the national flag illegal and a type of polytheism. He was opposed tooth and nail to it and he stood firm in his stance throughout his life. The opinion of Dr Israr carries weight because we don't show same attention and respectfulness when the holy Quran is recited as we show, while anthem is being played. This is nothing except the mimicry of alien nations and following customs that are polytheistic.

Anyhow, despite some human weaknesses, and some intellectual lapses, Dr Israr was a great Muslim, a mujahid who called people to Islam and remained a harbinger and champion of Islamic revolution and system of caliphate all through his life. He was a great independent thinking individual.

May God shower His blessings on his departed soul.

Pakistan At 62

August is a blessed month as 62 years ago a new Muslim country appeared on the world map in the form of Pakistan. The creation of Pakistan was nothing short of a miracle as it was created after thousands of sacrifices. When the time to get rid of the British rule in India came, Hindus began to think that they will now have the opportunity to rule Muslims.

According to the world acclaimed system of politics, democracy, Muslims would have been in minority, while Hindus would have fulfilled their dreams of ruling India as they formed the significant majority. This thinking of Hindus was gauged by the visionary personality of Allama Iqbal and he brought forward Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the leadership of the Muslim League. Thus, it was because of the efforts and pains taken by Qaid-e-Azam and the Muslim League that Pakistan was created.

Separate Homeland of Indian Muslims
After a period of seven years since the Pakistan resolution, Pakistan was created and hence the dream of a separate homeland for the Indian Muslims was fulfilled. After the creation of Pakistan, thousands of Muslims had to migrate from India to Pakistan. During this journey Hindus and Sikhs began killing Muslims and they did not even spare women, elderly people or children. The ones who were spared of their atrocities were able to reach Pakistan. This migration reminded us of the Migration from Mecca to Medina by the holy Prophet Mohammad.

A lot of people migrated to Pakistan just for the sake of Islam. The Pakistani people also replicated the Ansars of Medina and welcomed the Mohajirs with open hands; hence a new Pakistan began its life journey. The country was established for the sake of Islam, but it has largely remained the domain and politics of the Muslim cleric, chants of the opportunists and in the hearts of ordinary Muslims.

Basis of Ideology
The country was created for the sake of democracy, but it largely became subservient to the wishes of the Army, who ruled over the country for more than half the time since the existence of Pakistan. This country was established on the basis of an ideology, but it was broken down into parts. By losing Bangladesh, we allowed Indira Gandhi to critically state that she has dumped the ideology of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and has taken revenge for being under the slavery of Muslims for years. The man who raised the slogan that "we will live here, while you live there" received a lot of appreciation for holding an Islamic Conference in the remaining Pakistan, while, in fact, it was organized to recognize Bangladesh. Politicians have always proven to be incompetent. That is why the Army gets an opportunity to come to power, however, the interesting thing is that the idea of municipal level democracy (basic democracy) has always been put forward by the Army generals, while the politicians have been wary of holding elections within their own party so that their dominance within the party does not wither away.

Derive Personal Gains
Religious cleric, generals, clerks, or politicians, and even every person working in any capacity have looted the country to derive personal gains. The way the country has remained into existence is nothing short of a miracle. Despite looting and incompetence, some good people have also come to this country and God has taken the desired work from them.

If you take the example of Ayub Khan among the dictators, he achieved a great feat by establishing a new city in the form of Islamabad and making it the federal capital, he built the Tarbela and Mangla dam, and he is credited for discovering the popular leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He used to call Ayub "daddy", although later he stood up against him and became a popular leader. Bhutto achieved the feat of flour and sugar shortage in the country and in addition, he did great damage to the country by nationalizing the domestic business enterprises and educational institutes.

Under the garb of feudalism, Bhutto raised the slogan of "Roti, Karpa or Makan" and made the common man stand in queues for daily commodities. Despite numerous faults, he had charismatic leadership abilities and is credited for creating political awareness among the masses. The 1973 constitution is an achievement of Bhutto and the will to create a nuclear weapon for Pakistan even if the citizens of the country will be made to have grass to sustain itself is another of his accomplishments. Steel mill, atomic program, the 1973 constitution, and giving the proletariat an identity are the achievements of Bhutto, but he was too hungry for power and this hunger led to the separation of Pakistan. If he would have allowed the assembly session after the elections to take place in Dhaka, Pakistan would not have split into two halves. The same lust for power forced him to commit the heinous crime of rigging the elections in September and General Zia-ul-Haq benefited from this stubbornness of Bhutto. Gen Zia was once the blue eyed boy of Bhutto, but once Gen Zia saw the opportunity he lunged on to power by pushing aside Bhutto. Despite being a dictator, Gen Zia showed good political acumen and he had complete control over the affairs of the country for a decade. Gen Zia tried to Islamicise the Army and shut down any alcohols dens in the Army to infuse the spirit of Islam in them. He became the heartthrob of the Muslim world by supporting Afghanistan in the war against Russia. After the death of Gen Zia, democratic era came back to the country, as Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif jostled for power between each other. The public became dissatisfied with these democratic governments and they also failed to complete the tenure of their respective governments.

Rule of Dictatorship
In Pakistan, democratic governments and military dictatorships repeated past mistakes, which led to their downfall. During the past decade, a military dictator came at the helm of power after sending Nawaz Sharif to exile. Apparently, he looked like a person who is a panacea to all ills in the country, but his actions have shown that he caused the most damage to the country as compared to other national rulers. Former President Pervez Musharraf prevented Nawaz Sharif from returning back to the country, he also benefited from the self exile of Benazir Bhutto. He experimented with new strategies that shook the foundations of the country. He washed in blood the whole area from Waziristan to Red Mosque, and sowed such seeds of lawlessness that his descendants are cutting the harvest.

Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto displayed exemplary understanding by apologizing for the past grievances and dispute between them and prepared a document like the charter of democracy. Although, this was not acceptable to fate and the antistate elements and they removed Benazir Bhutto from the way and when the time for Musharraf to leave power came he handed over the governance to people who are strictly adhering to his policies.

Numerous Ups and Downs
The past 62 years of Pakistan have witnessed numerous ups and downs, but the county was able to progress in the right direction, although at a snail pace. A dictator like Ayub Khan gave the country a new capital and dam projects, while a political leader like Nawaz Sharif constructed the motorway, laid down the foundations of the Gwadar port, and established new airports in Karachi and Lahore.

The creation of Pakistan was not an easy feat since it was not acceptable to both the British and Hindus. It was only acceptable to the supreme creator, God. Hence, God has taken the mantle of protecting this country. That is why false intentions of India have not been backed up with actions on the ground.

Nuclear and Missile Development
Pakistan may be in a pathetic state, but it was blessed to have a great scientist like Abdul Qadeer Khan. The nuclear program was initiated by Ayub Khan, which was ably carried forward by Bhutto and finally Nawaz Sharif carried out the atomic bombs in reply to those done by India. The missile capacity of Pakistan is even perceived as a threat by Israel, and Al-Khalid is also a much talked about missile in the world. Unfortunately corruption, nepotism, and the failure to adhere to merit standards have not allowed the institutions to properly grow in the country.

In the past few years, the media have also become mature and independent and they have started creating awareness in the public. The media played a frontline role in the lawyer movement against the maligned intentions of Musharraf and now the judiciary has become an independent and important institution that is playing a key role in the country. It is hoped that this process of awareness will continue and the common people will be more honest and responsible in the selection of its elected representatives. As a result of this the institutions in the country will strengthen and hence the country will become more powerful.