Al-Jāmiʿah al-Ahliyyah Dār al-ʿUlūm Muʿīn al-Islām, popularly known as the Hāṭhazārī Madrasa or the Great Madrassah, is a Qawmi institution of Hathazari, located in Bangladesh's Chittagong District. Established in 1901, it is the largest and oldest Deobandi seminary in the country. According to a 2009 National Bureau of Asian Research report, the highly reputed institution ranks among top ten madrasa in the subcontinent.
Shah Ahmad Shafi was a Bangladeshi Sunni Islamic scholar, the chief of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Rector of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Hathazari and also the chairman of Bangladesh Qawmi Madrasah Education Board. He was born in 1930 in Rangunia, Chittagong and was educated at Hathazari Madrasah and Darul Uloom Deoband.
Muḥammad Junaid, popularly known as Junaid Babunagari, was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, writer, researcher, Islamic speaker and spiritual figure. He was the Amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Shaykhul Hadith of Darul Uloom Hathazari Madrasa, vice-president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, Chairman of Chittagong Noorani Talimul Quran Board and Editor-in-Chief of Monthly Mueenul Islam.
Sulṭān Zauq Nadvī is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, author and the founder of Jamia Darul Ma'arif Al-Islamia. He is known mainly for his expertise in and contribution to Arabic language and literature.
Maḥmūd al-Ḥasan ibn Ghalim ad-Dīn Aḥmad al-Muʾminshāhawī, or simply Mahmudul Hasan, is a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, writer, religious reformer, educator, public speaker and spiritual figure. He is the president of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh and Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, chancellor of Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom Madania, Khatib at Gulshan Central Jama Masjid, editor in chief of Monthly Al-Jamia and Amir of Majlis-e Dawatul Haq Bangladesh. He is the author of Tafsirul Burhanul Quran.
Shah Abdul Halim Bukhari was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, religious writer and spiritual figure. He is the former Advisor of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Chancellor of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, Secretary General of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh, Chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Committee of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited, President of Organization of Islamic Conference Bangladesh and Organization of Tahfizul Quran Bangladesh, Editor-in-chief of Monthly At-Tawhid. In 2018, he was nominated as a member of the Standing Committee of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh.
Shah Mohammad Muhibbullah Babunagari is a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, Politician and Academician. He is the current and 3rd Amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Rector of Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar. He also held leading positions in Islami Oikya Jote, Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh and Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh. He is considered one of the pioneers of Deoband movement in Bangladesh.
Nurul Islam Jihadi was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator and spiritual figure. He was the Secretary General of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and International Majlis-e Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e Nobuwat Bangladesh, Chancellor and Shaykh al-Hadith of Al Jamiatul Islamia Makhjanul Uloom. He was also a member of the Majlis-e-Shura of Darul Uloom Hathazari and Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, founder and patron of many mosques and madrasas, including Jamia Khatamunnabiyyin in the United Kingdom.
Ṣūfī ʿAzīzur Raḥmān was a Muslim theologian, teacher and reformer. After being influenced by Abdul Wahid Bengali in his student life, he became associated with the spread of the Deobandi movement into Bengal. In 1896, he co-founded Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam.
Ḥabībullāh Qurayshī was a Bengali Islamic scholar and educationist of the Deobandi movement. He was the founding director-general of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam.
Harun Babunagari was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, Sufi and an exegete of the Quran. He was the founder and first Principal of Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar, one of the oldest Qawmi Madrasa in Bangladesh.
Abdus Salam Chatgami was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, educator, writer and researcher. He was considered one of the prominent Islamic scholars of South Asia for his research work. Chatgami had served as the Grand Mufti in both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Muḥammad Fayḍ Allāh ibn Hidāyat ʿAlī al-Islāmābādī, popularly known as Mufti Faizullah, was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, mufti, poet, educator and a reformer. He was among early students to study at the Darul Uloom Hathazari. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and later served as the Chief Mufti of the Darul Uloom Hathazari. He established Mekhal Madrasa following in the style of Ashab-e Suffah. He authored over 100 books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
Aḥmad Ḥasan ibn Waṣī ar-Raḥmān ibn Ḥamīd ʿAlī al-Jīrawī, popularly known as Shah Ahmad Hasan, was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist. He was an early student of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam in Hathazari. Hasan established Al Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Jiri, which was the second Qawmi Madrasah of Bangladesh.
Fakhr al-Islām ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Rustam ʿAlī al-Madārshāhī, commonly known as Abdul Hamid Madarshahi or simply Abdul Hamid, was a Bengali Islamic scholar, author and educationist. He was one of the pioneers of introducing the Deobandi movement in Bengal and is noted for being one of the founding fathers of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam in Hathazari.
Shah Sultan Ahmad Nanupuri, also known by his daak naam Badshah, was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, teacher and author. He established numerous madrasas in Bangladesh and was the founding principal of Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiah Obaidia Nanupur for seventeen years.
Darul Uloom Hathazari, also known as Hathazari Madrasa, is the oldest and largest Qawmi madrasa in Bangladesh. In 2010, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh emerged from this Madrasa, gaining widespread attention during the 2013 anti-government protests. At that time, Shah Ahmad Shafi served as the organization's Amir, while Junaid Babunagari was the Secretary-General. Babunagari continued to hold his position in the madrasa after Shafi. However, since the 2013 movement, both leaders have undergone changes in their thinking. While Ahmad Shafi gradually distanced himself from the opposition stance against the government, Junaid Babunagari remained unwavering in his position.
Shah Abd al-Wahhab was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, jurist,preacher of Islam(tableeghi) and spiritual leader. He served as the second rector of Darul Uloom Hathazari, was a former vice-president of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and served on the jury of Chittagong Court for 23 years. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom, and one of the important disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He is considered the second architect of the Darul Uloom Hathazari. He established several madrasas and mosques in Bangladesh and played various roles in the Bishwa Ijtema, the spread of Tablighi Jamaat across Bangladesh and Myanmar, Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, and the Islamic University, Bangladesh.
Muhammad Yunus Choudhury, popularly known as Haji Muhammad Yunus, was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist. He was the second rector of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, former president of Idarat al-Maʿarif and an active member of the Muslim World League. As the founding president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, Yunus contributed to the establishment and renovation of roughly 1500 madrasas in Bangladesh. He was awarded the title of Shaykh al-ʿArab wa al-ʿAjam by the Imam of Masjid al-Haram.
