Abdul Matin Chowdhury ( bn, আব্দুল মতিন চৌধুরী; 1915 – 19 February 1990), popularly known as Shaikh-e-Fulbari ( bn, শায়খে ফুলবাড়ী, lit=
Shaikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
of Fulbari, link=no), was a
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
religious scholar and political activist. A disciple of
Hussain Ahmed Madani
Hussain Ahmad Madani (6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. , he later gained his own following and was politically involved during the
partition of India and
independence of Bangladesh.
Early life and background
Abdul Matin Chowdhury was born in 1915 to a
Zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
family in the village of Fulbari,
Golapganj
Golapganj Upazila ( bn, গোলাপগঞ্জ), previously known as Gulabganj, is an upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Geography
Golapganj Upazila (Sylhet District) area 278.34 km2, located in bet ...
, in what is now
Sylhet District,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
He was the youngest of the six children of his parents, Rizwan Uddin and Khair-un-nessa Chowdhury. Through his father, he claimed descent from
Abdullah ibn Ja'far
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar ( ar, عبد الله بن جعفر; 699 or 702/704), was a Companions of the Prophet, companion and relative of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a nephew of Ali and a half-brother of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was loyal to Ah ...
, a nephew of the fourth
Rashidun caliph,
Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Chowdhury's lineage is the following: Abdul Matin Chowdhury, son of Rizwan Uddin Chowdhury, son of Haydar Ali, son of Muhammad Abdul Latif, son of Muhammad Nazim, son of Muhammad Jama, son of Tahir Muhammad, son of Muhammad Danish, son of Ahmad Khan, son of Karim Khan, son of Mumin Khan, son of Dua Khan, son of Qalandar Hazara, son of Bolly Hazara, son of Mir Hazara. It is said that the latter was granted
jagirs in Fulbari by the
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
after migrating from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and marrying the daughter of the ''Amil'' (administrator) of
Gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
.
After being orphaned at the age of eight, Chowdhury initially lived with his elder sister, before coming under the care of his maternal uncle in the village of Ronokali. In 1928, he was introduced to
Hussain Ahmed Madani
Hussain Ahmad Madani (6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. , who had been familiar with his late father. Having impressed Madani with his religious piety and enthusiasm, Chowdhury returned with him to
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, where he became enrolled at
Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic university. During this time, he developed a close relationship with Madani, whose home he stayed at during his education, later becoming his religious disciple. Chowdhury graduated from the university after nine years, having had proven a competency in
Hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
s,
Tafsir
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
and
Arabic literature
Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...
among others.
Political and religious career
Under Madani's instructions, he took part and became a leader in the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
. Following the
Partition of India in 1947, Chowdhury supported the development of the newly created
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, working alongside the leadership of the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind () is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari F ...
organisation. After Bangladesh
declared independence in 1971, he attempted to prevent incidents of violence against people by the Pakistani military. When fifty of his relatives in Ronokali were cornered by the army, Chowdhury successfully appealed to the soldiers to spare them. On another occasion, he was able to intervene to save the lives of seven
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s under similar circumstances. Chowdhury subsequently played an active part in the
Bangladesh Khilafat movement, working under the leadership of
Hafezzi Huzur
Muḥammadullāh ibn Idrīs ibn Akram ad-Dīn al-Miyānjī ( ar, محمد الله بن إدريس بن أكرم الدين الميانجي; 1895 - 6 May 1987), commonly known as Hafezzī Huzūr ( ar, حافظجي حضور, bn, হাফেজ ...
and presiding over many of its conferences.
In 1966 and 1967, Chowdhury undertook extensive missionary work as part of the
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party")
is a transnational Deobandi Islamic Dawah, missionary movement
that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant
and encouraging fellow memb ...
organisation. His travels included
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and
Japan.
He became a notable orator, performing lectures in
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and English. Chowdhury was further recognised both as a philanthropist, due to his support of the poor, and as a writer, receiving praise for his publication, ''Shatter Mapkati'' (''Scale of Truth'').
He eventually built up an extensive religious following, with his disciples and pupils including
Emdadul Haque
Emdadul Haque (also spelled Imdadul Haque}) is a Bangladeshi Awami League politician and former member of parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many ...
,
Nur Uddin Gohorpuri
Nur Uddin Ahmed Gohorpuri ( bn, নূর উদ্দিন আহমদ গহরপুরী; 1924 – 26 April 2005) was a Bengali Muslim religious scholar and teacher. He was notable for his association with Qawmi Madrasahs in Bangladesh ...
and
Amin Uddin Shaikh-e-Ketia
Amin may refer to:
People
* Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname
* Al-Amin, the sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813
* Amin (Qing dynasty), an Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty
* Amin, an arbitrator who assessed and ...
.
Death and legacy
Chowdhury died on 19 February 1990 and was survived by his wife and seven children. His burial in his family's ancestral cemetery at Fulbari was attended by thousands of his followers, with the
funeral prayer having been led by Gohorpuri.
The Allama Abdul Motin Chowdhury Shaikh-e-Fulbari Foundation was later established in his honour by several former disciples.
See also
*
Ajiria Madrasa
Notes
References
External links
*
1915 births
1990 deaths
People from Golapganj Upazila
Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Indian independence activists
20th-century Bengalis
Darul Uloom Deoband alumni
Deobandis
Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam
{{Islam in South Asia