Abdul Latif Chowdhury ( bn, আব্দুল লতিফ চৌধুরী; 25 May 1913 – 16 January 2008), widely known as Saheb Qiblah Fultali, 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 ...

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

Islamic scholar and theologian who is the founder of the Fultali movement.

Early life and background

Abdul Latif Chowdhury was born into a noble Bengali Muslim

family in the village of Fultali,

Zakiganj Zakiganj ( bn, জকিগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. History There are a few theories behind the name of Zakiganj. The first is that is derived from Shah Zaki, a pir who established a khanqah ...

, Sylhet Division, Bengal Presidency (now Bangladesh), British India. His lineage is the following: Abdul Latif Chowdhury, son of Abdul Majid Chowdhury, son of Shāh Muhammad Hiron, son of Shāh Muhammad Dānish, son of Shāh Muhammad Sadeq, son of Shāh Muhammad Elāhi Bakhsh, son of Shah Muhammad Alā Bakhsh. Ala Bakhsh was a descendant of Shāh Kamāl Yemenī, a later companion of Shāh Jalāl, According to Fultali's biographers, Bakhsh contributed to Ahmad Sirhindi's opposition movement against the Mughal emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

's theological opinions such as the Din-i Ilahi.

Education

Fultali received his basic education from his own family. He was taught by his cousin, Fatir Ali, while studying at primary school. He was then admitted to Fultali Alia Madrasah, where he studied qirat and tajweed. In 1336 AH (1918 CE), Fultali enrolled in Rangauti Madrasah and studied there, successfully completing higher secondary education. In 1338 AH (1920 CE), he enrolled into the Badarpur Senior Madrasah in Karimganj. For higher education, he studied Fanunnat at Rampur Alia Madrasah in Uttar Pradesh and studied various Islamic sciences. He then enrolled into Matlaul Ulum Madrasah to specialise in Hadith. He studied there for a few years and obtained first class, first position in the final Hadith exam in 1355 AH (1936 CE). He also attained degrees in Tafsir and Fiqh. By 1355 AH (1936 CE), Fultali studied and obtained ijazah for Hadith after achieving outstanding results in the faculty of Hadith, he obtained first class honours. He also acquired masters in Ilm-e-Tafsir and Ilm-e-Fiqh. By the age of 18, Fultali had ijazah in the four principal tariqahs from his spiritual master Shah Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri, who was a disciple of

Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri Ḥāfiẓ Aḥmad Jaunpūrī (1834 – 26 January 1899) was an Indian Muslim scholar, religious preacher and social worker. As the son and successor of Karamat Ali Jaunpuri, he led the Taiyuni reformist movement in Bengal. Early life and fam ...

. Fultali also studied the Quran with Tajwid (recitation) in Mecca.

Career

In 1940, Fultali founded the Darul Qirat Majidiah Trust and institutionalized his effort to teach the perfect recitation of the Quran. Now there are more than two thousand branches of the trust throughout the world engaged in educating people in the field of Tajweed. As a result of riots in the

1950s The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959. Throughout the decade, the world continued its re ...

, Fultali briefly migrated to Pakistan. Abdun Nur Ali (1880-1963) of Gorkapon in Badarpur was a Mawlana who requested Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali to visit the mosque conjoined to

Adam Khaki Ādam Khākī ( bn, আদম খাকী, Adom Khākī, ar, ), also known as Khaki Pir, was a 14th-century Sufi Muslim figure in the Sylhet region. In 1303, he took part in the final battle of the Conquest of Sylhet led by Shah Jalal. His shri ...

's shrine. In 1946, Fultali announced that he would be travelling to Badarpur to give a lesson on qira'at at Adam Khaki's mosque. Abd an-Nur Gorkaponi and his students purchased a horse for the scholar to ride on so the journey could be easier. Afterwards he joined the then Satpur Alia Madrasah and Isamati Alia Madrashah as a Muhaddith and taught Hadith. Fultali was the best known and most influential spiritual leader among the British Bangladeshi community. He was based in Bangladesh, but made well-attended visits to the United Kingdom. Among these visits, In 1978, he established Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah UK, which has since vastly expanded (now known as

Darul Hadis Latifiah Darul Hadis Latifiah ( ar, دار الحديث لطيفية), formerly known as Madrasah-e-Darul Qirat Majidiah ( ar, المدرسة دار القراءات المجيدية), is an 11–20 boys, Islamic, private school and sixth form in Bethna ...

) in London. He was a founder of numerous organisations related to religion, culture and education and a patron to a number of humanitarian and charitable organisations.

Organisations

*Darul Qirat Majidiah Fultali Trust *Anjumane Al Islah, Bangladesh *Anjumane Al Islah, United Kingdom *Anjumane Al Islah, United States *Bangladesh Anjuman-e-Talamiz-e-Islamia *Anjuman-e-Madaris-e-Arabia *

*Darul Qirat Majidiah, United Kingdom *Latifiah Qurra Society, United States *Latifiah Qurra Society, United Kingdom *Latifiah Qari Society, Bangladesh *Latifiah Yatim Khana, Bangladesh *Ulama Society, United Kingdom *Al Islah Youth Forum, United Kingdom *Darul Hadis Latifiah North West United Kingdom

Death

On Thursday 16 January 2008 at 2:10 am, Fultali died at his home in Subhanighat,

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

due to

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

. His

janazah Funerals and funeral prayers in Islam ( ar, جنازة, Janazah) follow fairly specific rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia (Islamic religious law) calls for burial ...

(Islamic funeral) took place the day after his death following

Asr prayer The Asr prayer ( ar, صلاة العصر ', "afternoon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Asr prayer is technically the fifth prayer of the day. If counted from midnight, it i ...

led by his eldest son. Reports in Bangladesh estimate that between 2 and 2.5 million attended his janazah. It is also estimated that further hundreds of thousands of people joined the

across the Indian border. An urs and mehfil (gathering) is held on the anniversary of Allama Saheb Qiblah Fultali's death every year at his village in Fultali and many other places around the world by his students and followers.

Books

*''Al-Qawl as-Sadeed fi al-Qir’at wa at-Tajweed'', a comprehensive guide to the rule of correct Qur'anic recitation. Composed originally in Urdu, it has been translated in Bengali and English. *''At-Tanweer ala at-Tafsir'', an in-depth elucidation of Surah Al-Baqarah. *''Muntakhab-us Siyar'', the biography of Prophet Muhammad in three volumes. *''Anwar as-Salikeen'', an Urdu work in the field of

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

, explaining the different stages of the path for the seeker, and elucidating on how to nurture oneself in preparation for the sacred path. *''Shajara-e-Tayyibah'', the names of the spiritual masters of the Tariqahs Chisti, Qadiri,

Naqshbandi The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نه‌قشه‌به‌ندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...

and Mujaddidiyya. *''Al-Khutbah al-Ya’qubiyyah'', a compilation of khutbahs (sermons) in Arabic, including the khutbah for the two ‘ Eids (Islamic festivals) and the khutbah for Nikah (marriage). Named after his father-in-law, Hatim Ali Yaqub Badarpuri (d. 1958 CE). *''Nala-e-Qalandar'', an Urdu compilation of ode in veneration of the Prophet Muhammad and the Awliya. *''Nek A'mal'', a work in Bengali, elucidating on good actions and the rewards gained for action upon them.

References

External links

Mujahid Islam Bulbul, Biography of Allama Saheb Qibla Fultali (R.A.)

Allamah Fultali Sahib Qiblah
''Ahl-e Muhabba''. 17 January 2010
Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK
*
Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali trust

Salam Media UK

Shahjalal Mosque & Islamic Centre, Manchester

Latifiah Northwest, UK

Darul Hadis Latifiah, UK

Hazrat Shahjalal Darussunna Yakubia Kamil (M.A) Madrasah

Parwana , National Bangla Monthly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fultali, Saheb Qiblah Bangladeshi Sufis Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 1913 births 2008 deaths Bangladeshi non-fiction writers 20th-century Muslim theologians Sunni imams People from Zakiganj Upazila People of British India People of East Pakistan 20th-century Bangladeshi writers 20th-century imams 21st-century imams 20th-century non-fiction writers 20th-century Bengalis 21st-century Bengalis Bangladeshi people of Arab descent Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam