Obaidullah Hamzah (; born 1972) is 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 ...

Islamic scholar, educator and economist. He is the sixth Director-General of

Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya Al-Jāmiʿah Al-Islāmiyyah Patiya ( ar, الجامعة الإسلامية فتية, bn, আল জামিয়া আল ইসলামিয়া পটিয়া), better known simply as Patiya Madrasa ( bn, পটিয়া মা� ...

and the head of its

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 ...

department. He is also the secretary-general of the Bangladesh Tahfizul Quran Organisation, a member of the Social Islami Bank's ''

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

'' supervisory committee, assistant editor of the

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 ...

monthly ''At-Tawhid'' and the chief editor of Arabic magazine ''Balagh ash-Sharq''.

Early life and education

Hamzah was born in 1972, 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 Digalia-Palang in

Ukhia Ukhiya ( bn, উখিয়া) is an upazila of Cox's Bazar District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Geography Ukhia is located at . It has 19,189 households and a total area of 261.8 km2. Demographics As of the 2011 Bangladesh ...

Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the na ...

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's name was Amir Hamzah. Hamzah completed his initial education at the Digalia-Palang Qasimul Uloom Madrasa before proceeding to study at

where he completed his Masters in

Hadith studies Hadith studies ( ar, علم الحديث ''ʻilm al-ḥadīth'' "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism) consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in th ...

. He received first class at the central examinations from the Anjuman-e-Ittehad al-Madaris examination board. In 1992, he gained first class from the Hadith exams by Befaqul Madarisil Arabia. The following year, he completed his studies of

Bengali literature Bengali literature ( bn, বাংলা সাহিত্য, Bangla Sahityô) denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time ...

and research department from the Patiya

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

Career

After completing his education, Hamzah started his career as a teacher of

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 ...

at the Dar as-Sunnah Madrasa in

. Between 1994 and 2000, Hamzah was employed as a teacher and translator under the Saudi ministries of religious affairs and defence. In 2001, he became a teacher at

. From 2003 to 2005, he was the host of an Islamic radio programme in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. In 2008, he took participated in the interfaith dialogue held 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 ...

. Hamzah toured

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

in 2012, where he gave speeches in 30 different colleges, Islamic institutions, radio stations and Thai Muslim TV. In 2013, Hamzah took part in an International Humanities Law Course in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

which was a part of a joint venture by the

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

and

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...

. He became a member of the Social Islami Bank's ''sharia'' board in 2013. Hamzah has also held the role of ''

khatib In Islam, a khatib, khateeb or hatib ( ar, خطيب ''khaṭīb'') is a person who delivers the sermon (''khuṭbah'') (literally "narration"), during the Friday prayer and Eid prayers. The ''khateeb'' is usually the prayer leader ('' imam''), ...

'' at the

Halishahar Halishahar Housing Estate ( bn, হালিশহর) is a thana of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Halishahar Housing Estate is a large residential area in Chattogram. Geography Total area of this thana is 9.64 ...

A-Block Central Mosque. After the death of Rahmatullah Kawthar Nizami on 13 August 2019, Hamzah was elected as the next secretary-general of the Bangladesh Tahfizul Quran Organisation. During a ''

shura Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other. Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...

'' at

on 25 August 2020, Hamzah was appointed as the assistant-director of the madrasa. After

Abdul Halim Bukhari Shah Abdul Halim Bukhari ( bn, শাহ আব্দুল হালিম বুখারী; January 1945 – 21 June 2022) was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, religious writer and spiritual figure. He is the former Advisor ...

's death in 2022, Hamzah was nominated as the acting director-general, and subsequently the director-general on 7 July 2022.

Honours

* On 22 August 2018, the

Muslim World League The Muslim World League (MWL; ar, رابطة العالم الاسلامي, Rabitat al-Alam al-Islami, ) is an International Islamic NGO based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that promotes what it calls the true message of Islam by advancing moderate v ...

published a work on kindness and benevolence in Islam. Articles written by Islamic scholars from 64 countries were accepted, and from that, 8 articles were nominated to be a part of the official publication. Among the 8 published articles, the article presented in the first session was written by Obaidullah Hamzah. Hamzah was awarded in the conference and invited to

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 ...

Publications

Hamzah is the chief editor of the

magazine ''Balagh ash-Sharq'' and the assistant editor of the

monthly magazine ''At-Tawhid.'' Among his written and edited books are: ; English # ''Charity in Islam: Benefits and Excellences.'' # ''Human Dignity and Dead Body Management in Islam'' ; Bengali # ''Quran and Modern Science'' ('' bn, কুরআন ও আধুনিক বিজ্ঞান'') # ''Endangered Women'' ('' bn, বিপন্ন নারী'') # ''Islam vs. Terrorism'' ('' bn, ইসলাম বনাম সন্ত্রাসবাদ'') # ''Muslim world exposed to the naked touch of Christianity'' ('' bn, খ্রিস্টবাদের নগ্ন ছোবলে আক্রান্ত মুসলিম বিশ্ব'') # ''Guide of Islam in child rearing'' ('' bn, সন্তান প্রতিপালনে ইসলামের দিক নির্দেশনা'') # ''Love of Prophet vs. Insult'' ('' bn, রাসূল সা . এর ভালবাসা বনাম অবমাননা'') # ''Business vs. Interest: Perspectives on the Muslim World'' ('' bn, ব্যবসা বনাম সুদ: প্রেক্ষিত মুসলিম বিশ্ব'') # ''Terrorism: Causes and Remedies'' ('' bn, সন্ত্রাসবাদ: কারণ ও প্রতিকার'') # ''Human rights: Contribution of Prophet Mohammad pubh.'' ('' bn, মানবাধিকার প্রতিষ্ঠায় মহানবী সা . এর অবদান'') # ''Our Youth: Context Facebook'' ('' bn, আমাদের তারুণ্য: প্রসঙ্গ ফেইসবুক'') # ''Poverty is a Danger, the Road to Zakat Free'' ('' bn, দারিদ্র্যতা একটি বিপদ, যাকাত মুক্তির রাজপথ'') # ''Yaba's terrible paw: Target Bangladesh'' ('' bn, ইয়াবার ভয়াল থাবা: টার্গেট বাংলাদেশ'') # ''Dignity and rights of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the light of the Qur'an'' ('' bn, কুরআনের আলােকে রাসুল ( সা . )’র মর্যাদা ও অধিকার'') # ''Women: Come back in the shadow of hijab'' ('' bn, নারী: হিজাবের ছায়ায় ফিরে এসাে'') # ''Dignity of knowledge and contribution of Ulema-e Deoband'' ('' bn, ইলমের মর্যাদা ও উলামায়ে দেওবন্দের অবদান'') # ''Islamic Culture vs. Subculture'' ('' bn, ইসলামী সংস্কৃতি বনাম অপসংস্কৃতি'')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamzah, Obaidullah Living people Hanafi fiqh scholars Director general of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya alumni People from Cox's Bazar District Bangladeshi economists Bangladeshi educators Hanafis Deobandis 1972 births 21st-century Bengalis 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam

Early life and education

Career

Honours

Publications

See also

References