Ahmad bin Haji Bashir Mohammed Shafi ( ar, أحمد بن حاجي بشير الشافي
الشيخ ; January 1, 1919 – July 10, 1989) was a
Filipino Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
Islamic scholar, leader, teacher, and founding president of the
Agama Islam Society.
[Developer section]
Resource files--Maranao
. ''Al-quran.Info'', retrieved October 17, 2010 He was born on 1 January 1919, in Miondas,
[Tamparan, Lanao del Sur. (2005-12-10). Barangay. ''Wikipedia'', retrieved October 17, 2010] Tamparan
Tamparan, officially the Municipality of Tamparan (Maranao: ''Inged a Tamparan''; tl, Bayan ng Tamparan), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,074 peop ...
,
Lanao del Sur,
Philippines.
[Visit to the University of Muslim Mindanao](_blank)
''Al-rawdah.Net'', retrieved October 17, 2010
Election
Ahmad was nominated to run as a delegate for the lone district of Lanao del Sur to the
Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971 but lost.
Education
Early childhood
Ahmad received his first non-formal education from his father, and then studied at the School of Islam to complete primary school in the city of Marawi.
Education in Mecca
In 1951, Ahmad traveled to the
Hejaz
The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...
to continue his education in
Mecca. He joined the Al-Falah School in Makkah, a religious science school till he completed his studies in the year 1953, and later joined the Al-Soltiyyah School in the
Grand Mosque
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
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also in Makkah. He was awarded a degree in
Islamic Sciences, which was considered at that time the highest religious education at the Mosque.
Missionary work
Ahmad went back to the Philippines after completing his studies. At first, he taught at an Islamic School in Marawi City. He helped create some of the schools in various communities with complete and organized conjunctions with some of his peers, and colleagues throughout the years till 1955.
In 1956, Ahmad and companions founded the Agama Islam Society,
[Tago, Abdul Hannan F. (2006-06-13)]
Philippines’ First Islamic University Celebrates 50th Anniversary
. ''Arabnews.Com'', retrieved October 17, 2010 after the establishment of the Shoura Council. The Society founded Islamic schools, ultimately having 363 branches in all regions of the Philippines,
visited by more than 5,000 students in the academic year 1986-1987.
Activities
In 1972, the Agama Islam Society transferred Ma’had Mindanao Al-Arabie Al-Islamie to Darussalam, Matampay, Marawi City, as the main campus through the assistance of Sheikh Esmail Laut Sarip and former Lanao del Sur Governor, Sultan sa Masiu, Hon.
Mohammad Ali Dimaporo.
After a certain portion of the land was excluded from the operation of Proclamation No. 453 dated December 23, 1953 which established the Amai Pakpak (former Camp Keithley) military reservation, embraced therein situated in Matampay, City of Marawi according to Proclamation No. 2223 signed by the Philippines
President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
As president of the Agama Islam Islam, Ahmad had been associated with various Islamic Associations in the Philippines and played a role in their creation. He was president of the National Union of Arab-Islamic Schools in the Philippines. President of the Local Council of Mosques in the Philippines. He attended international conferences with a theme of Islamic mission including the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia,
Iraq,
Malaysia,
Pakistan,
Qatar,
Indonesia,
Tunisia,
Egypt & Others (from 1381 to 1406
Hijri).
He wrote thirteen books in the Philippines, including Islamic, Arabic, and Muslim history. His collection of Qur’an and Islamic Manuscripts has been cited multiple times around the world.
He was involved in:
*The establishment of the now-defunct Saudi and Philippines Publishing Center in 1980, Parañaque, Metro Manila, financed by King Khalid ibn Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
*The establishment of the
Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao
The Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao (JMM) () is one of the oldest and biggest Madrasa, Madaris in the Philippines. It was established with the financial backing from the Agama Islam Society in 1956 by the late Sheikh Ahmad Bashir, his devoted companion ...
in 1987.
*The completion of
Maranao translation of the
Quran, which was reviewed by a committee of Maranao Scholars headed by Ahmad Bashir,
and also Islamic manuscripts of Sheikh Ahmad collection.
Ahmad had closely worked both with NGO and government various organizations, agencies, leaders, such as former senator
Domocao Alonto
Ahmad Domocao "Domie" Alangadi Alonto (August 1, 1914 – December 11, 2002) was a Muslim-Filipino lawyer, educator, author, traditional leader, and Islamic figure from Lanao del Sur.
He served as a Senator of the Philippines and was elected as a ...
and former Philippines Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lininding Pangandaman
for the welfare of the
Maranaos.
Agama Islam Society
The basis of the creation of the society was through a consultative council, of which some academicians were from Marawi City, under the chairmanship of Ahmad Bashir in the year 1375H (1955).
[Admin]
History
. ''The JMM Website'', retrieved October 17, 2010 This Council established the society to propagate Islam in 1956.
Notes and references
External links
Jamiatu Muslim MindanaoAl-rawdah.Net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashir, Sheikh Ahmad
1919 births
1989 deaths
Filipino Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
20th-century imams
People from Lanao del Sur
Filipino Muslims