Sheikh al-Hadith Mawlānā Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi ( c. 1 June 1935 – 17 October 1998) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and theologian who served as Chairman of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and as the first Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid, and founded Jamia Faridia University and Jamia Hafsa. He graduated from Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia and served as the first Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid, the first mosque established in Pakistan's new capital, Islamabad. Ghazi was also a senior member of Wifaq Al Madaris Al Arabiyah (Federation of Madaris), and Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat. In 1971, he founded Jamia Faridia in Islamabad, the first Islamic seminary to be established in Islamabad. He taught the Kutub al-Sitta including Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī at the madrasah, and was well-known by the title "Shaykh al-Hadith".

Early life and Education

Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi was born on 1 June 1935 (29th Safar 1354 AH) during the British Raj in the village of Basti-Abdullah, Rajanpur District into the family of Ghazi Muhammad descending from the Sadwani (Sodvani) clan of the Mazari tribe of Baluchistan. his father was socially active, which got him in trouble many times and he was arrested by the British Indian Army and sentenced to 8 years in Jail. there he became religious and motivated his son to join a local madrassa. At the age of seven, Ghazi enrolled into "Madrasa Khudam-ul-Qur'an" of Rahim Yar Khan, to complete the Hifz (memorization of the Quran). After his primary education, Ghazi went to study at Jamia Qasim Ul Uloom in Multan for further education, where he studied for 5 years and was a student of Mufti Mahmud. He then went to Karachi, and joined Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Karachi, from where he completed his Dars-i Nizami in 1957, and was among the top students of Muhammad Yousuf Banuri. After completing his Dars-i Nizami, he served as Imam of Jamia Masjid Rashidiya, Malir for few years. during this period, he also served on the advisory committee for Bayyināt, the monthly journal published by Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia.

Lal Masjid

When the Capital of Pakistan was moved from Karachi to Islamabad, and the first congregational mosque (Lal Masjid) was established, Ghazi became its first sermon preacher in 1965 upon the recommendation of his teacher Muhammad Yousuf Banuri. Ghazi's sermons drew in thousands of worshippers including prominent political figures such as Prime Minister Balakh Sher Mazari and Presidents of Pakistan including Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Farooq Leghari as well as General Zia-ul-Haq who was a regular visitor to the mosque as before the completion of the Faisal Mosque, The Lal Masjid had been the only main congregational mosque in the city. Located in a very central position, the mosque lies in close proximity to the Presidential Palace and Prime Minister's Office. In 1974, He played a key role in mobilizing support for the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Khatm-e-Nubuwwat, and the mosque became the center of meetings and processions of the movement. the leaders of the movement, Mufti Mahmood and Allama Yusuf Banuri were both Ghazi's teachers. this movement led to the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. In 1976, as part of his six day state visit to Pakistan, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia also visited the Lal Masjid in Islamabad, where he prayed behind Ghazi, and it was during this visit he initiated the construction of King Faisal Mosque in Islamabad and toured the nearby seminary, Jamia Faridia. In 1977, Ghazi played a significant role in the "Nizam-e-Mustafa" movement, a populist Islamist campaign aimed at replacing the secular and socialist government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with an Islamic system of governance in Pakistan. Upon completion of the Faisal Mosque in 1986, President Zia ul Haq requested that Ghazi take the position of the first Imam at the newly built mosque. however, Ghazi declined the offer, preferring to continue his role as the Imam and Khatib of Lal Masjid, where he had already established himself as a known religious figure and had gained a strong following. President Zia also appointed Ghazi as a member of Majlis-i-Shura (advisory council) in his government.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee

In 1975, He was appointed as the first chairman of the newly established Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, a government body operating under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, responsible for announcing the sighting of the new moon, which determines the Islamic calendar and Islamic holidays. Ghazi served in this position until his death, after which he was succeeded by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman.

Establishing Jamia Faridia

In 1966, He established a small seminary at Lal Masjid, in which there were about 20 to 25 students for the Hifz class. After some time a need was felt to have a bigger place for running this seminary so that a large number of students who were increasing with the passage of time could be accommodated. Hence In 1971, a place in the meadows of the Margalla Hills in the city's Prime Sector of E-7, was acquired with the help and cooperation of several of his close friends most notably Seth Haroon Jaffer (Jaffer Group of Companies), Haji Akhtar Hassan (OSD Kashmir Affairs & Finance Secretary of Azad Kashmir), and Admiral Mohammad. Shariff, NI(M), HJ (Rtd). The seminary was shifted to the present building in 1984 and was officially named "Jamia Faridia".

Establishing Jamia Hafsa

In 1992, he laid the foundation for Jamia Syeda Hafsa, as the women's branch of Jamia Faridia. Located adjacent to the Lal Masjid near Aabpara, the institution was built on 7,500 square yards of land. The seminary is the largest women's madrasa in Pakistan.

Afghanistan Tour

A few months before his assassination in 1998, Ghazi and his friend and renowned scholar Maulana Zahoor Ahmad Alwi (Founder of Jamia Muhammadia) and some other scholars went to Taliban-led Afghanistan. He took his rebellious son especially with him and met Supreme Leader Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri.

Assassination and legacy

His biographer, Mufti Riaz Munsoor, wrote extensively about his daily routine. According to Mansoor, Ghazi had a strict schedule that he followed every day. He would walk seven kilometers from his home to his seminary, Jamia Faridia, where he would give lectures to his students. on his way back, he would stop at the Polyclinic Hospital to bless the patients and offer them words of encouragement. On the day of his assassination, Ghazi followed his routine as usual. He walked to Jamia Faridia to give his lectures and then stopped at the hospital on his way back. As he approached Lal Masjid, a man was waiting for him in the courtyard. The man greeted Ghazi and then pulled out a gun, opening fire and emptying a full magazine. Ghazi was badly injured, while the assassin escaped with the help of accomplices waiting outside in a car, Ghazi died of his injuries on the way to the same hospital, he had been aware of threats to his life, but he had always refused to have a bodyguard, saying that he would rather die alone than risk someone else's life with him. The President of Pakistan Rafiq Tarar expressed his sadness over the assassination in a letter, adding that "Maulana Abdullah Ghazi had spent his whole life for Islam, and kept the tradition of Ulema alive, his struggles will forever be remembered". He is buried in the courtyard of Jamia Faridia, Islamabad. The seminary's Jamia Masjid is named after him. In his honor his hometown was also renamed "Basti-Abdullah" and a new seminary named after him was also constructed there, the town gained worldwide attention in 2007 when Abdul Rashid Ghazi was buried in the courtyard of the seminary, Abdullah Railway Station near the town is also named after him.

Investigation

Due to a lack of confidence in Pakistan's legal system, Abdul Aziz, the elder son of Ghazi, initially declined to file a First Information Report (FIR). However, his younger son, Abdul Rashid, proceeded to file the FIR, prompting a police investigation into the case. After persistent efforts, a suspect was arrested and subsequently identified by an eyewitness during an identification parade. Despite this, the suspect was inexplicably released the following day. Abdul Rashid protested the release, warning the authorities that he would pursue legal action if the suspect was not promptly re-arrested. As pressure mounted, he reportedly faced threats, including a warning to withdraw the case or risk suffering a fate similar to that of his father. According to those close to him, this experience marked a turning point in Abdul Rashid Ghazi’s life, leading to his disillusionment with the legal system.

Memoir

In 2005, a memoir was published by Maktaba Faridia detailing his life under the name Hayat Shaheed E Islam Written by Mufti Riaz Munsoor.

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