As’ad Madani (27 April 1928 – 6 February 2006) was an Indian Deobandi

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 ...

and a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, who served as the sixth general secretary and the seventh President 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 ...

. He was a member of the executive body of

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 ...

. He was a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

, upper house of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...

representing

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 ...

for three terms as a member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

Early life and education

Asad Madni was born in 1928 to Hussain Ahmad Madni in

Moradabad Moradabad () is a city, commissionary and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Moradabad is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Delhi and 344 ...

at his maternal uncle's home. He was raised in Madani Manzil in

Deoband Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institution of India is located there. Etymo ...

. He graduated from

in 1945. He then stayed in

Madinah Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

for a few years before returning as teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband for 12 years.

Career

In 1960, he was appointed as the president of the

circle of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and on 9 August 1963, he was appointed as the general secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He became the president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind on 11 August 1973. He was president of

Jamiat Ulama-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 Fi ...

for 32 years. He was a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament from 1968 to 1974, 1980 to 1986 and 1988 to 1994.

Death and legacy

On 6 February 2006, Madani died in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, India. He is survived by his son Mahmood Madani who is General secretary of one faction of the

. An international seminar was organized in his memory in New Delhi on 23 and 24 April 2007. Madani's parliamentary speeches were released by the former Prime Minister of India

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

in the same seminar. He is a very popular figure in the neighbouring country of

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 ...

which he frequently used to visit. He first visited eastern Bengal in 1933, and since 1973 he used to go there nearly every year. 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 ...

of 1971, Madni strongly protested against the brutal torture of 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 its allied forces, and distributed adequate aid to the memorial camps. He projected his views to stop the torture of innocent Bengalis and marched in the streets of

with more than fifty thousand Indian Muslims in favour of Bangladesh. His last visit to the country was on 2 April 2005 when he was an honorary guest at the National Conference of

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh (Bengali: জমিয়তে উলামায়ে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ) is a Bangladeshi Islamist Party registered with Bangladesh Election Commission. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh was ...

Paltan Paltan is a thana (precinct) of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is often said to be the center of Dhaka, dividing "Old Dhaka" and "New Dhaka". Paltan was made a thana in 2005 by then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Paltan Thana was formed ...

Maidan,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madni, Asad 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 1928 births 2006 deaths Deobandis People from Deoband Indian religious leaders Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Presidents of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Burials at Mazar-e-Qasmi Disciples of Hussain Ahmad Madani