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.
Qawmi Madrasah is an adjective describing one of the two major madrasah educational categories in Bangladesh. The Qawmi madrasahs are not regulated by the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board. As private charitable organizations, Qawmi madrasahs are supported almost exclusively by donation.
Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh is the largest Qawmi madrasa education board in Bangladesh. it was founded in April, 1978 after a seminar of Islamic scholars. This organization of Qawmi Madrasahs of Bangladesh is also known as the "Befaqul Madaris". It is an extension of the process that formed the Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, Pakistan in 1957. "Bangladesh Qawmi Madrasah Education Board" is the largest federation of Islamic seminaries in Bangladesh. Qawmi educational system practices originate from the traditional Muslim educational system of Bangladesh. At present, there are more than 65,000 Qawmi Madrasahs in Bangladesh. As of 2013, more than 20,000 Seminaries across the People's Republic of Bangladesh are affiliated with "Befaqul Madaris". It controls all the seminaries which are run by Deobandi School of thought. Deobandi School of thought is supposed to be the most powerful and dominated school of thought in Bangladesh.
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 1916 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.
Izharul Islam Chowdhury is the founder of Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Lalkhan Bazar. He is the present executive president of Nizam-e-Islam Party and Nayeb-e-Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.
Muhammad Abdul Jabbar Jahanabadi was an Islamic scholar and secretary general of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh. He has been described as a pioneer to Islamic education in the erstwhile newly founded country of Bangladesh.
Al-Hayʼat al-ʿUlyā lil-Jāmiʿāt al-Qawmiyyah Bangladesh is the government-recognized combined Qawmi Madrasah Education Board of Bangladesh, having the authority to arrange central examinations and to issue certificates. It consists of six Qawmi Madrasah Education Boards: Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, Befaqul Madarisil Qawmia Gauhordanga Bangladesh, Anjumane Ittehadul Madaris Bangladesh, Azad Deeni Edaraye Talim Bangladesh, Tanjeemul Madarisid Diniya Bangladesh, and Jatiya Deeni Madrasa Shikkha Board Bangladesh.
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.
Maḥfūẓ al-Ḥaqq ibn ʿAzīz al-Ḥaqq ibn Irshād ʿAlī ad-Dākawī, or simply Mahfuzul Haque, is a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, politician, educator and public speaker. He is the former vice-president of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, secretary general of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, chancellor of Jamia Rahmania Arabia, Dhaka and President of regional Qawmi education board Ittefaqul Madarisil Qawmia Muhammadpur. He is also a member of the Standing Committee of Al Haiatul Ulya and was the Secretary-General of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish.
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.
Nur Hossain Kasemi was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, politician, educator, religious speaker and spiritual figure. He was the secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, vice-president of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, senior vice-president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh and Shaykhul Hadith and rector of Jamia Madania Baridhara, Dhaka and Jamia Sobhania Mahmud Nagar. He had played a leading role in the Hefazat movement, Khatam an-Nabiyyin movement etc. He was well-known among the Muslim masses as an Islamic leader. He was also involved in running nearly 45 Islamic seminaries.
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 United Kingdom.
National Religious Madrasa Education Board of Bangladesh is a government-recognized Qawmi Madrasa Board of Education in Bangladesh. It is the newest of the Qawmi Madrasa education boards in Bangladesh. The board was formed on 8 October 2016 under the leadership of Farid Uddin Masood and officially launched on 15 October. There are over 1 thousand madrasas under this board.
Bangladesh Qawmi Madrasa Education Commission is a commission formed by the Government of Bangladesh on 15 April 2012 to give official recognition to education certificate of Qawmi Madrasas. The commission had 17 members with Shah Ahmad Shafi as its chairman. After the formation of the commission, the activities of the commission came to a standstill for various reasons including disagreement and movement of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh. In the meantime, the ‘Bangladesh Qawmi Madrasa Education Authority Act, 2013’ could not be implemented in the face of opposition. On 27 September 2016, the government again took the initiative to recognize the education certificate of Qawmi Madrasa. For this a 9-member review committee was formed. Later, the term of the commission was extended by activating the previous 17-member committee. On the recommendations of the commission, the ‘Equivalent to Master's Degree in the Certificate of Dawra-e Hadith (Takmil) of Qawmi Madrasas under ‘Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh’, 2018’ was passed in 2018.
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.
Ruhul Amin Bangladeshi Deobandi is an Islamic scholar and educator. He is currently serving as the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque of Bangladesh in the capacity of State Minister. He is the Muhtamim of Gowhardanga Madrasa.
Shah Ahmad Hasan (1882–1967) was a Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator and reformer from Bengal. He was an early student of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam. He later established Al Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri, the second Qawmi Madrasah of Bangladesh.
Ashraf Ali Bishwanathi (1928–2005) was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, politician and religious writer. He was called "Baba-e Jamiat" in order to lay the foundation of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh in East Pakistan and present day Bangladesh. He was also the president of the party for 2001 to 2005. He was also the founder of Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom Madania Bishwanath, Madania Qawmia Mahila Madrasa and the literary magazine Monthly Al Farooq.
