Abidullah Ansari Ghazi ( hi, अबिदुल्लाह ग़ाज़ी) (6 July 1936 - 11 April 2021) was an Indian American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, educator and poet. He authored more than 140

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic educational textbooks for children. He was also the executive director of IQRA' International Educational Foundation. His books have been translated into many languages and are part of the curriculum of Islamic schools in more than 40 countries. He was named by the

Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. Its publications include: *'' A Common Word Between Us and You'' *'' The Amman Message'' *''Forty Hadith on Divin ...

as being among the "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World."

Early life and career

Abidullah Ghazi was born in the northern Indian town of Ambehta Saharanpur district on 6 July 1936. Abidullah Ghazi received his master's degree from Aligarh Muslim University in 1959, MSc from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

in 1967 and his PhD degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1973.

Social and educational services

#Founder-Director, Iqra International Educational Foundation (1983)Profile of Abidullah Ghazi on Rekhta.org website
Retrieved 5 March 2020 #Chairman Board of Trustees (2005–06), The Federation of Aligarh Alumni Associations #President, National Council of University Students of India (1959) #President,

Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union The Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union (AMUSU) is the official Students' Union of the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. The Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union is the university-wide representative body for students and is ...

(1959) #Honorary Secretary, AMU Students Union, 1954

Advisor to

*Pandit

Jawahar Lal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20 ...

, Prime Minister of India (1947–64) *

Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

(1950–62) *

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

(1967–69)

Awards and recognition

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) Award for Seeratun-Nabi Program,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

(1983) * Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) Award for Development of Educational Curriculum,

(1988)

Books

#Sareer-e-Khama (Compilation of his personal articles) #Maulana Abdullah Ansari – Ahwaal, Khidmat aur Ilmi Asaar Abidullah Ghazi founded Iqra' International Educational Foundation, in Skokie,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, US in 1983 as a community project to teach American Muslim children about their faith. Since then it has published nearly 100 textbooks and supplementary "enrichment" books of non-fiction, fiction and poetry. He now operates a book club and a bookshop there as well. The group linked itself with Iqra' Charitable Society in 1987. This group is still headed by Abidullah Ghazi. He and his wife, Tasneema Ghazi, were born in India, came to the United States for further studies and to earn higher degrees. Later they decided to settle down in the United States with their young children.

Immigration to United States

It was while working on a project dealing with the

ulama 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 religious ...

of India that he was brought to the attention of Professor

Wilfred Cantwell Smith Wilfred Cantwell Smith (July 21, 1916 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian Islamicist, comparative religion scholar, and Presbyterian minister. He was the founder of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Quebec and later th ...

, who was the founder and director of the

Center for the Study of World Religions Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

. Smith offered Ghazi a scholarship to come and complete a PhD degree in the study of religion. While studying at

, Ghazi pursued an interdisciplinary program combining

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

with religious studies. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1983. Ghazi has also taught and lectured in India and the United Kingdom.

References

External links

IQRA Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghazi, Abidullah 1936 births Living people Indian chief executives Muslim writers Aligarh Muslim University alumni Harvard University alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics Islamic education in India People from Saharanpur district Educators from Uttar Pradesh Indian emigrants to the United States Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz