International seminar on Maulana Zakariya Kandhlawi

Published in the 16-31 May 2004 print edition of MG; send me the print edition
International seminar on Maulana Zakariya Kandhlawi
Azamgarh: Jamia Islamia, Muzaffarpur, Azamgarh, organised a two-day international seminar on Shaikhul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi Madani on 24-25 March.Well-decorated gates were erected at different places on the highway from Varanasi to Azamgarh to welcome the distinguished guests.On the eve of the seminar, this far off and peaceful place was brimming with life and activity. A caravan of distinguished guests from foreign countries and various parts of the country, delegates and media persons started trooping in from 23 March. Founder of Jamia Islamia Maulana Taquiddin Nadwi Mazahiri, stationed at Abu Dhabi, was behind all these activities and preparations.Before the start of the proceedings of the seminar, a grand new building of Markaz Al Sheikh Abil Hasan Al Nadwi, built in the memory of Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, was inaugurated by Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi, rector of Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow and current president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in the presence of distinguished guests. Maulana Rabey Nadwi and Maulana Muhammad Talha Kandhalwi, son of Maulana Muhammad Zakariya, jointly released Awjaz Al Masalik, a book in Arabic in 18 volumes edited by Maulana Taquiddin Nadwi and published in Beirut.After inauguration of the building and release of the book the seminar started under the presidentship of Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi. In the evening session a brief account of educational and cultural activities of Jamia Islamia was discussed. Students spoke in Urdu and Arabic.The session after 'maghrib' prayers was presided over by Maulana Abdullah Kapodari from Canada. In this session 7 articles were presented on various aspects of Maulana Zakariya's personality. On March 25 the proceedings of the seminar started under the chairmanship of Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani. In this session nine articles on different aspects of Maulana Zakariya’s life, his book Awjaz Al Masalik and his autobiography were presented. Speakers included Maulana Burhanuddin Sambhli, Dr Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui Nadwi among others.The last session on March 25 was presided over by Maulana Sayeedur Rahman Azmi Nadwi, principal of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, in which 11 papers were presented and almost all of them centred on Maulana Zakariya.In the light of views expressed by various speakers, Dr Waliuddin Nadwi, principal of Jamia Islamia, said that unpublished works of Maulana Zakariya Kandhlawi would be published by Markaz Al Shaikh Abil Hasan Al Nadwi. Dr Yasin Mazhari Siddiqui of AMU, speaking on behalf of delegates, said that the seminar was successful.A public meeting was held on the last day after Maghrib prayers. For this purpose a large 'pandal' was built with a seating arrangement for 60,000 people. The general opinion of the local audience was that such a beautiful 'pandal' was probably never built earlier in Azamgarh. However, when people from the city and neighbouring areas started pouring in to attend the meeting, the pandal proved small to accommodate them. Over one hundred thousand people attended the open meeting.In addition to delegates from Darul Musannifeen Azamgarh, Darul Uloom Deoband, Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow, Madrasatul Islah, Jamiatul Falah and other important madrasas, delegates from AMU, Jamia Millia Islamia, and people from Mau, Mubarakpur, Basti, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Varanasi attended the meeting in large numbers. Maulana Sajjad Nomani described the seminar as unprecedented. Maulana Sayyid Salman Husaini Nadwi described the seminar as historic and unparalleled .
— MG News Desk