Nur Uddin Ahmed Gohorpuri ( bn, নূর উদ্দিন আহমদ গহরপুরী; 1924 – 26 April 2005) was 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 ...
religious scholar and teacher. He was notable for his association with
Qawmi Madrasah
Qawmi Madrasah ( bn, কওমী মাদ্রাসা, ar, المدرسة القومية, al-Madrasah al-Qawmiyyah) is an adjective describing one of the two major madrasah educational categories in Bangladesh. The Qawmi madrasahs are not ...
s in
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 ...
as well as for having been the founder of
Gohorpur Hussainia Madrasa.
Biography
Gohorpuri was born in 1924 to an aristocratic family in the village of Gohorpur, located in what is now
Sylhet Division
Sylhet Division ( bn, সিলেট বিভাগ) is the northeastern division of Bangladesh. It is bordered by the Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura to the north, east and south respectively, and by the Bangladeshi divisions 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 ...
. His father was Mawlana Zuhur Uddin Ahmad and his mother was Suratunnesa. He studied at a local
maktab in Sultanpur. Following the death of his father, who had been a scholar, Gohorpuri was given at a young age to Bashir Uddin Shaykh-e-Bagha, a religious figure, to be trained as his disciple. He continued his studies in Purbabhag Madrasa in Jalalpur and Bagha Alia Madrasa where he finished his third year. Bashir Uddin helped him enrol in
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 ...
, where Gohorpuri was taught
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
by
Hussain Ahmed Madani
Hussain Ahmad Madani (6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. , who had been Bashir Uddin's teacher. Following his graduation in 1950, Gohorpuri became one of Madani's pupils himself.
In 1950, he set a world record by passing the title from the world-renowned Darul Uloom Deoband and securing the first place in the merit list.
In 1952, upon
Izaz Ali Amrohi
Izaz Ali Amrohi ( ur, ; November 1882 – 1955) was an Indian Islamic scholar who served as the second and ninth Grand Mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband. His book ''Nafahtul Arab'' is taught in madrassas including the Darul Uloom Deoband.
Biogr ...
and Madani's instructions, he became employed as a
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
scholar at the Pangasia Alia Madrasa in
Barisal
Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...
for two years, before transferring to perform the same role at the Balia Ashraful Uloom Madrasa in
Mymensingh
Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...
. In 1956, he returned to his native village and founded the
Gohorpur Hussainia Madrasa, serving there as the hadith scholar and ''muhtamim'' (principal) for the remainder of his life.
It later became one of the most prominent Islamic educational institutions in Bangladesh.
During the 1960s, Gohorpuri joined the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam ( ur, جمیعت علماءِ اسلام, abbreviated as JUI) was founded by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani as an offshoot of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) on 26 October 1945.
History
The original Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was formed in Bri ...
political party, running unsuccessfully for the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
during the
1970 Pakistani general election
General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 December 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly. They were the first general elections since the independence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held prior to the independence of Bang ...
. He was elected chairman of
Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh
Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh ( bn, বেফাকুল মাদারিসিল আরাবিয়া বাংলাদেশ, ar, وفاق المدارس العربية بنغلاديش) is the largest Qawmi madrasa education b ...
in 1996, becoming associated with more than 50
Qawmi Madrasah
Qawmi Madrasah ( bn, কওমী মাদ্রাসা, ar, المدرسة القومية, al-Madrasah al-Qawmiyyah) is an adjective describing one of the two major madrasah educational categories in Bangladesh. The Qawmi madrasahs are not ...
s as well as being the founder and patron of 13.
Gohorpuri died on 26 April 2005 at the age of 81. He left behind four wives, four daughters and a son, Muslehuddin Raju, the latter of whom succeeded him as head of Gohorpur Hussainia Madrasa.
His funeral in front of his home in Gohorpur was attended by several thousand of his pupils.
References
{{Hanafi scholars
1924 births
2005 deaths
People from Balaganj Upazila
Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam
20th-century Bengalis
21st-century Bengalis
Deobandis
Disciples of Hussain Ahmad Madani