Draft:Qazi Hussain Ahmad
| Qazi Hussain Ahmad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Qazi Hussain Ahmad |
| Other Names | {{{other_names}}} |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Kaka Sahib, Ziarat District, Nowshera, near Peshawar, Pakistan |
| Brith Date | 1938 CE |
| Death Place | {{{death_place}}} |
| Death Date | 2013 CE |
| Religion | Islam |
Qazi Hussain Ahmad was a prominent scholar and politician from Pakistan. He was the third leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan from 1989 CE to 2009 CE. He played a fundamental role in unity among Muslims. During his leadership, significant political progress was made for the Jamaat-e-Islami party[1].
Biography
Qazi Hussain Ahmad was born in 1938 CE in the village of Kaka Sahib in the Ziarat district of Nowshera county near Peshawar. His father, Qazi Mohammad Abdul Rub, was one of the prominent scholars and politicians of the Indian subcontinent, who was elected as a representative of Muslims in the former North-West Frontier Province, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He had ten brothers and sisters and was the youngest child of the family. He spent his primary education at home with his father and then continued his studies at the Islamic University Peshawar, graduating with excellent grades. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in Islamic Sciences, he chose Geography for his further studies in Peshawar and received a master's degree in this field from the University of Peshawar. He taught there as an "Associate Professor" for 3 years[2]. His two sons, two daughters, and wife are affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami. At the time of being Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, he lived in a two-room apartment in Mansoorah. In addition to his native language Pashto, he had complete command of Urdu, English, Arabic, and Persian. He was an enthusiast of Allama Iqbal and had memorised most of the poems of the Poet of the East in Persian and Urdu.
Political Activities
Membership in Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
His brothers Atiq-ur-Rehman and Ata-ur-Rehman were members of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. He first became a member of Jamiat Talaba-ul-Islam (student wing) and in 1970 CE he became an official member of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan.
Leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami Party
Due to his extraordinary abilities, he was first elected as Deputy of Jamaat-e-Islami and finally in 1987 CE he was chosen as the leader of the party and continued his activities as the third Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami. To help Jamaat-e-Islami and earn a living, he simultaneously engaged in some commercial affairs; but this did not prevent him from managing the affairs of Jamaat-e-Islami, until in 2009 CE, due to health problems, he resigned from the leadership of Jamaat and as a member of the party's Central Council, he continued his work in various fields to continue and realise the goals of Jamaat.
Party and People's Representative in the Parliament of Pakistan
In 1985, he was elected to the Senate for six years and was re-elected in 1992 CE, but later resigned from the Senate in protest of government policies. In the 2002 CE general elections, he was elected to the National Assembly from two constituencies. After the death of Ahmed Noorani, he was elected as the Chairman of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which is the union of all religious parties. He also suggested resignation from the assemblies after the approval of the Women's Rights Bill, but Fazl-ur-Rehman, who was the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, did not agree with his suggestion. After the Lal Masjid incident in July 2007 CE, in protest of the policies of the then government Benazir Bhutto (note: historically inaccurate; Pervez Musharraf was in power), Qazi Hussain Ahmad announced his resignation from the National Assembly[3].
Resignation from Jamaat-e-Islami Leadership
After resigning from the Parliament, he devoted all his time to Jamaat-e-Islami. Because in his belief, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan had more than two thousand cultural and scientific institutions from primary schools to colleges, in which forty thousand students were studying, and attending to their affairs required an active and full-time individual. Due to illness, he resigned from the position of Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami in 2009 CE and the leadership election was held within Jamaat, according to the regulations approved by the Jamaat Council, and Syed Munawar Hasan was elected as the new Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami. In fact, he was the third elected Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan after Syed Abul Ala Maududi and Mian Tufail Mohammad, and after resignation, he remained a senior advisor to the organisation and he was active in the Central Council of Jamaat-e-Islami for 42 years[4].
Notes
References
His Role in the Unity of World Muslims and the Iran–Iraq War
Sayyid Hadi Khosroshahi regarding the role of Qazi Hussain Ahmad in the unity of Muslims says: In the year 1987–1988 CE, during my stay in Italy (Vatican), my old Ikhwanī brother Dr. Ibrahim Salah called from Bern, Switzerland, stating that the eldest son of the late Abdul Wahhab Azzam, a famous Egyptian figure and founding member of Dar al-Taqrib in Cairo residing in London and secretary of the Islamic Council, had invited you to travel to London to consult on an important matter.
According to the arrangement with Dr. Salah, one week later, I went to London and in a detailed meeting and negotiation with Salem Azzam at his residence in the (Grosvenor Crescent) area, and in the presence of Dr. Ibrahim Salah, it was decided that to stop the fire of the aggressive war of Iraq against Iran, a conference should be held at the level of leaders of Islamic movements in all Islamic countries without the interference of governments, and the issue of ending the war and the shedding of Muslim people's blood should be raised by representatives of the nations.
Their view was that the conference should be held in Geneva, but I suggested that it would be better to hold it in an Islamic country to be away from the possible influence of Westerners and on the other hand, obtaining visas would be easier for everyone.
Some time passed and the brothers informed me of the date and location of the meeting, which was Islamabad, Pakistan, and I, who had suggested that Ayatollah Jannati and Ayatollah Taskhiri must also attend that meeting, attended the meeting along with those two great figures. In that meeting, the vast majority of leaders of Islamic movements were present, including the following individuals: the late Necmettin Erbakan (President of the Welfare Party), Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (Mufti of the Egyptian Mujahideen), Sheikh Hamed Abu al-Nasr (Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood), Adnan Saad al-Din (from the leadership of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood), Sheikh Saeed Shaban (Islamic Unification Movement Lebanon), Burhanuddin Rabbani (President of Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan) along with almost all Afghan jihadist leaders, and dozens of other prominent figures from all countries.
The final result of this conference was that for the first time, the Islamic brothers officially stated in the final resolution that Iraq was the initiator of the war and the damages inflicted on Iran must be compensated after the immediate cessation of aggression. What was notable in this meeting was the fundamental role of the late Qazi Hussain Ahmad in gathering the leaders of the movements and creating practical unity among Muslims.
Gathering all the leaders of Islamic movements from around the world was not an easy task.
Although the main designers of holding the meeting were the Egyptian brothers in cooperation with the Iranian brothers, the director of the scene was the late Qazi Hussain, and of course, to maintain respect for General Zia-ul-Haq, the then President of Pakistan, he also attended the session and met with all Islamic scholars and leaders. But even these meetings were planned by the late Qazi Hussain to prevent any problems from the Western-leaning government.
Undoubtedly, Qazi Hussain with his special management and as a representative of Jamaat-e Islami of Pakistan undertook a valuable role in the success of this meeting and was indeed very influential, and surely his reward is preserved with God.
An interesting point that happened on the sidelines of this meeting was that when the Iranian delegation headed by Ayatollah Jannati entered Islamabad, the main host was the late Qazi Hussain. He came to me first among the members of the delegation and hugs and handshakes were exchanged, upon which I said: The head of the delegation is Ayatollah Jannati, and he went to him with respect. Ayatollah Jannati asked him: Since when have you known Mr. Khosroshahi? He said: About twenty years ago, I came to Iran on behalf of Jamaat-e Islami and went to Qom to get acquainted with the Qom Seminary and its libraries and publications.
I had a letter from the director of the Arabic department of Jamaat to him, which I delivered, and then I asked him to introduce an inexpensive guesthouse, and he was working in the office of Maktab-e Islam magazine, he said: Let me finish my work so I can show you an inexpensive guesthouse, and after drinking tea, we boarded a carriage together and he took me to his own home and said: An inexpensive and student guesthouse welcomes your arrival! This sincerity and intimacy attracted me and I became his disciple. Then he jokingly said: I have pledged allegiance to him since that date! Of course, these statements in the presence of Ayatollah Jannati and Ayatollah Taskhiri showed the honesty and sincerity and intimacy of Qazi Hussain himself[1].
Notes
Creating Unity
During the government of Mohammad Daoud Khan in Afghanistan, he supported a large group of members of Islamic organisations and Muslim youth of Afghanistan who had fled to Pakistan, played a key role in managing their affairs, and hastened to aid all of them in the armed struggles of Islamic groups in Afghanistan; however, some accused him of aiding the group of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
However, he stated: "For us, jihad against the occupying enemy was the principle, and in this path, we provided help and assistance to all brothers, especially parties such as Hezb-e-Islami, Jamiat-e-Islami, and Ittehad-e-Islami, and subsequently, we made tireless efforts to prevent civil war among the mujahideen." In this regard, under the most critical conditions and despite all dangers, he traveled to various provinces of Afghanistan several times and took action for the reconciliation of jihadist brothers.
He was accused of treason due to his closeness with the Islamic Republic of Iran or cooperation with the government of General Zia-ul-Haq, and the extremist group Pakistani Taliban always named him an undesirable person who must be eliminated, and once even attempted to assassinate him, which was unsuccessful; but Hakimullah Mehsud, one of the commanders of the Pakistani Taliban, continued to criticise him severely.
Perhaps one of the main reasons for the opposition of extremist groups in Pakistan to him, in addition to the closeness of his positions to the viewpoints of the Islamic System of Iran, was his serious opposition to ethnic and religious prejudices. He was indeed a staunch enemy of religious violence and creating sedition between Shia and Sunni, and harshly criticised those who sowed discord among followers of Islamic schools of thought.
Thus, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, both during his leadership and after his resignation, remained a diligent and active individual in continuing the path of logical struggle of Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, and indeed, as a representative of moderate Islam, he was influential not only in Pakistan but also in neighbouring countries; and at a transnational level, he was recognised as a representative of the people of Pakistan, pioneering support for Islamic movements and armed struggles against occupiers in India, Afghanistan, and Palestine[1].
Perspectives on Him
Ali al-Din Turabi stated in the Daily Pakistan newspaper regarding his personality: The personality of Qazi Hussain Ahmad was a comprehensive personality, and by comprehensive personality we mean that in every aspect of his personality there was a complete character. Qazi Hussain Ahmad was the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan for 22 years. During the periods he joined Jamaat-e-Islami, the general perception was that Jamaat-e-Islami was only a group of middle-class and educated people. But they created a movement whose invitation was as effective for ordinary people as it was for the educated class.
He bridged the gap with other parties, especially religious parties, and adopted the slogan of Ummah upon the Book and the Sunnah. Until he became a symbol of Ummah unity. His historical role as a supporter of jihad in Afghanistan and supporter of jihad in Kashmir is undeniable even by the worst opponents. In his missionary and jihadist life, along with the Quran and Sunnah, he took full guidance from the fiqh of Allama Iqbal. He also had a prominent position among the leaders of global Islamic movements[2].
Sayyid Hadi Khosrowshahi stated regarding his personality: Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who started his activity from a rooted and international Islamic religious-political organisation and continued for several decades, correctly in the final years of his life, his main concern was the integrity and convergence of Muslims. In fact, he devoted all his efforts to Unity of the Islamic Ummah and opposed radicalism, extremism, and intolerance, which are the main causes of Muslim division.
In addition to regional political views and theories, he also had constructive political ideas and international relations. He always emphasised support for the cause of Palestine and was concerned about the destructive goals of the United States in the region. Therefore, in one of his positions, he stipulates: Before America sacrifices Pakistan, China, and Iran countries for its economic and political interests, these countries must stand as a regional power bloc against US policies.
According to him, America also pursues sinister economic, military, and political goals in Afghanistan. Therefore, it will not be willing to leave Afghanistan. He emphasised sensitive and decisive points and axes on the belief and political behaviours of Muslims. According to him, instead of using the spirit of martyrdom against each other, Muslims should use it against enemies. From this perspective, he insisted that propagating religion and sect is not permissible for any Muslim, rather propagating servitude to God and monotheism is necessary and obligatory, and he said: Our commonalities are much greater than differences, and the enemy is also waiting to take advantage of the slightest difference to strike Muslims. In fact, he strongly criticised radical and takfiri groups and considered their method contrary to Islamic principles.
With the official announcement of these enlightening positions, Qazi Hussain Ahmad was subjected to a suicide attack in late November 2012 in the northwestern regions of Pakistan, but survived. Politically, such assassinations are usually carried out with multi-faceted goals, and mostly individuals are attacked who play an effective role in mobilising people and creating public currents. The inclusive nature of Qazi Hussain's performance in emphasising and promoting common Islamic values and principles turned him into a cross-group and transnational religious and political figure. Therefore, he was known as an influential and acceptable individual among elites and common people in most Islamic countries[3].
References
| Qazi Hussain Ahmad | |
|---|---|
| Name | Qazi Hussain Ahmad |
| Other Names | {{{other_names}}} |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | {{{birth_place}}} |
| Brith Date | {{{birth_date}}} |
| Death Place | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Death Date | 5 January 2014 (15 Dey 1392 SH) |
| Religion | Islam |
Qazi Hussain Ahmad was a prominent Islamic scholar and political figure. He was known for his views on the Islamic Awakening and his efforts towards unity among Islamic schools of thought.
Cooperation with the International Assembly for Proximity in the Islamic Awakening
As one of the prominent Islamic experts, in addition to his membership in the International Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, he has presented considerable views and opinions on the phenomena of contemporary political Islam, namely the Islamic Awakening. In his view, the Islamic Awakening has continued and desirable results will be achieved in this regard; therefore, it can be considered a gradual and fruitful process.
Regarding the structuring and system-building arising from the Islamic Awakening, his ideas can also be guiding. He rejected secular ideas and considered the establishment of an Islamic government to be the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny). He believed that the success of Muslims required following the path of that Hazrat in establishing a governmental system. In this regard, he participated and spoke at the Grand Conference on Islamic Awakening in Iran and became a member of the Islamic Awakening Assembly. In some of his statements, he called the awakening of the Islamic Ummah the only solution to the problems of the Islamic world and believed that today's Islamic Awakening has brought the commonalities of various Islamic sects closer together, which is itself a historical opportunity to solve problems among Muslims.
In order to consolidate and institutionalize the achievements of the Islamic Awakening, he was very keen on people-based institution-building. In this regard, he proposed that an independent strategic council be established without relying on governments. After the establishment of the Permanent Secretariat of the Islamic Awakening in Tehran, he became a member of it and was considered a main and prominent member of the Central Council of the International Assembly for Islamic Awakening.
In order to strengthen and objectify his prominent views, he organized them in the form of people-based and inclusive institutions and organizations. In this path, he established an organization in Pakistan based on which Islamic schools of thought gather and express their opinions, as he considered this important for creating maximum unity among Muslims and avoiding division and sectarianism. To realize this important matter, during years of effort, in 2002 CE, he endeavored to form the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal consisting of various religious parties of Shia and Sunni. In the last year of his life, on 23 May 2012 (2 Khordad 1391 SH), he gathered more than 30 moderate religious parties and groups of Pakistan in a session held in Islamabad between Shia and Sunni scholars, and they announced their agreement to create the National Solidarity Council and elected Qazi Hussain Ahmad as the head of this council.
The National Solidarity Council started its work with a 22-article statute, and the establishment of an Islamic system in the country is also among the goals mentioned in this statute. The goals of this council are stated to be ending sectarian violence and reducing hostility and enmity among various communities in this country [1].
Death
Qazi Hussain Ahmad died on 5 January 2014 (15 Dey 1392 SH) (2013 CE?), due to a heart attack in Islamabad and was buried in his birthplace [2].