Hafiz Mohammed Patel (1926 – 18 February 2016) was a British Asian Muslim religious leader known for his role in establishing the Tablighi Jamaat movement in the United Kingdom and for founding the Dewsbury Markaz mosque, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat in Europe.

Biography

Patel was born in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in 1926 and moved to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

following the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947. In his youth, he undertook the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, where he met

Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi (1917-1965) was an Indian Islamic scholar who became the second ameer of the Tablighi Jamaat.

, the leader of Tablighi Jamaat, a

Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, R ...

missionary organisation. Kandhlawi was reportedly so impressed with Patel's faith that he prayed in front of the

Kaaba The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

to ask Allah to make Patel "the instrument for winning the whole of Britain to Islam". Patel subsequently emigrated to England, working in factories in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

, until the Gujarati Muslim community in the West Yorkshire town of

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

invited Patel to serve as their

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

. He founded the

Markazi Masjid The Markazi Masjid ("Central Mosque"), also known as the Dewsbury Markaz or ''Dar ul Ulum'' ("House of Knowledge"), is a mosque in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. With a maximum capacity of 4,000, it is one of the la ...

in Dewsbury, one of the largest mosques in Europe and the European headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat, as well as its adjacent school, one of the two main Islamic seminaries in Britain. At the same time he worked to establish Tablighi Jamaat nationally and maintain its links between the British and international movement, travelling frequently and leaving a legacy of a "nationwide institutional infrastructure that allowed the faith to root itself decisively in British soil". Patel died on 18 February 2016. His funeral was attended by up to 20,000 people.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Hafiz 1926 births 2016 deaths People from Gujarat People from Dewsbury Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom Tablighi Jamaat people Deobandis