Abu Zafar Mohammad Saleh ( bn, আবু জাফর মোহাম্মদ সালেহ; 1915 – 13 February 1990), popularly known as the Pir of Sarsina, was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of reli ...

. He was said to have contributed to the establishment of 3000 educational institutions. Saleh had also pushed for the establishment of the

Islamic Arabic University Islamic Arabic University ( bn, ইসলামি আরবি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) is a public university in Mohammadpur Thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It operates through a number of ''fazil'' (bachelor) and ''kamil'' (ma ...

and ''ibtedayi''

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

s in Bangladesh. Despite being a recipient of the

Independence Day Award The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...

, he has been accused of collaborating with the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

and committing war crimes during the

Bangladesh Liberation war The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

Early life and family

Saleh was born on a Thursday in 1915, to a scholarly

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

family of Pirs in the village of Sarsina in Swarupkati (later renamed to Nesarabad),

Firozpur Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who di ...

, then situated in the

Backergunge District Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj was a former district of British India. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra r ...

of the Bengal Province. His father, Nesaruddin Ahmad, was a ''

khalifah Khalifa or Khalifah (Arabic: خليفة) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups and others. Khalif ...

'' (spiritual successor) of

Furfura Sharif Furfura Sharif (also known as Phurphura, Furfura Darbar Sharif) is a village in Jangipara community development block of Srirampore subdivision in Hooghly District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a holy place for some Bengali Muslims. ...

Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique Moḥammad Abū Bakr Ṣiddīque al-Qurayshī ( bn, মোহাম্মদ আবু বকর সিদ্দিকী আল কুরাইশী, ar, محمد أبو بكر الصديقي القريشي; 15 April 1865 — 17 March 1943) was ...

and the inaugural Pir of Sarsina. His grandfather, Haji Sadruddin Akhand, and great-grandfather, Munshi Zahiruddin Akhand, were also prominent

Sufis Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spiri ...

of the Greater Barisal region.

Education

Saleh began his education under his father. He enrolled at the Darussunnat Kamil Madrasa in Sarsina – one of the most prominent institutions in greater Barisal, founded by his father in 1915. Saleh studied several books there including the ''

Mishkat al-Masabih ''Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ'' ( ar, مشكاة المصابيح, lit=The Niche of Lanterns) by Walī ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī (d.1248) is an expanded and revised version of al-Baghawī's '' ...

''. He then set off for

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

, where he studied at the

Mazahir Uloom Mazahir Uloom ( ur, ) is an Islamic seminary located in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Started in November 1866 by Sa'ādat Ali Faqīh, and developed further by Mazhar Nanautawi and Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri; it is regarded as the second most influen ...

seminary of

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...

. He completed his studies there by reciting the ''

Kutub al-Sittah The ''Kutub al-Sittah'' ( ar-at, ٱلْكُتُب ٱلسِّتَّة, al-Kutub as-Sittah, lit=the six books) are six (originally five) books containing collections of ''hadith'' (sayings or acts of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) compiled by six S ...

'' to his teachers. Among his teachers in Saharanpur were Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi, Abdur Rahman Kamilpuri, Allamah Asadullah and Allamah Siddiq. Saleh was then admitted into

Darul Uloom Deoband The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary (darul uloom) in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim ...

where he maintained a cordial relationship with

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.

Career

After his father's death in 1952, Saleh inherited the leadership of Sarsina Darbar Sharif and the chairmanship of the Darussunnat Kamil Madrasa. Saleh supported

Abdus Sattar ʻAbd al-Sattār (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الستّار) is an Arabic Muslim male given name, built on the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Sattār''. The name means "servant of the Veiler (of sins)". Because the letter s is a sun lett ...

, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate for presidency in 1988. He headed the Bangladesh Jamate Hizbullah Hazrat and Bangladesh Jamate Ulema.

Controversy

Saleh was awarded by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

with the

, the highest civilian honour, for his contribution to the education sector of Bangladesh in 1980. During this time, the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...

was in power. The

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...

government has thought of revoking this award as various government documents claim that Saleh was involved in crimes against humanity. Among them is the book "War of Independence of Bangladesh: Documents" (Vol. 7) and "Where are the killers and brokers of 1971", which give direct account of his crimes. It has also been said that he enjoyed friendly relations with the

during the war.

Death

Saleh died on 13 February 1990, and was buried near his father in Sarsina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saleh, Abu Zafar Mohammad Recipients of the Independence Day Award Bangladeshi imams Bangladeshi Islamists Sunni Islamists 1990 deaths 1915 births 20th-century Bengalis Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam Mazahir Uloom alumni Darul Uloom Deoband alumni People from Pirojpur District