Muhammad Ibrahim of Ujani ( bn, মুহম্মদ ইব্রাহীম উজানী; 1863 – 1943) was a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

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 ...

scholar and founder of the Jamia Islamia Ibrahimia. He was a senior disciple of

Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (182611 August 1905) ( ur, ) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith. His lineage reaches back to Abu Ayyub al- ...

, and his

khalifa 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 ...

Syed Muhammad Ishaq was the founder of the Charmonai Darbar.

Early life and education

Ibrahim was born in 1863, to a

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 in the village of Nalua in

Noakhali Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

. His father's name was Muhammad Panah Mian. His primary education began in his own neighbourhood, where he studied

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. He later studied at the Calcutta Alia Madrasa, before enrolling at the Madrasah as-Sawlatiyah in

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 ...

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

. In Mecca, he studied

qiraʼat In Islam, ''Qirāah'', (pl. ''Qirāāt''; ar, قراءات , lit= recitations or readings) are different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with reciting the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Diffe ...

under the Turkish scholar Qari Baraksus.

Career

Whilst in Mecca, Ibrahim's recitation of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

was heard by the governor of Mecca who instructed him to become a teacher at Madrasah as-Sawlatiyah. Ibrahim served there for 12 years as a teacher. He later returned to Bengal, where he settled in Chandpur, where one of his wives was from. In 1901, he established a mosque and the Jamia Islamia Ibrahimia in Ujani. He also pledged ''

bay'ah ''Bayʿah'' ( ar, بَيْعَة, "Pledge of allegiance"), in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. ''Bayʿah'' is sometimes taken under a written pact ...

'' to

. 12 days later, Gangohi granted Ibrahim the ''khilafah'' (mystic succession).

Death and legacy

Ujani died in his home in

Kachua Kachua or 'Kachuadham' is a village under Basirhat II block of North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is famous for being the official birthplace of Lokenath Brahmachari, a very renowned Hindu philosopher and Yogi in ...

, Chandpur in 1943. He was married to a woman from

during his time as a teacher there, who joined him when he returned to Bengal. He was also married to girl from Daulatpur whose father had heard him reciting at a Quranic event there. He had 11 sons and 7 daughters. His disciple, Syed Muhammad Ishaq, was the founder of the Charmonai Darbar.

References

* * * * * * {{Authority control 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Hanafi fiqh scholars Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 1943 deaths 1863 births Deobandis People from Noakhali District People from Chandpur District 19th-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam