Farhat Hashmi (Urdu: فرحت ہاشمی born 22 December 1957) is a Islamic scholar from Pakistan, with a degree in Arabic and a PhD in Hadith Sciences. She was formerly a lecturer and assistant professor at the Faculty of Usul-al-Din at International Islamic University, Islamabad.[1] Farhat Hashmi has founded a school near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as an extension of Al-Huda International, which she had founded in Pakistan in 1994.
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Hashmi was born in Sargodha, Punjab, and is the daughter of the (late) Abdur Rehman Hashmi, another Muslim scholar.[2]
She received her masters in Arabic at the Punjab University, Lahore, and was married shortly afterwards to Dr. Idrees Zubair. She received her PhD in Hadith Sciences from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She taught at the International Islamic University Islamabad,[3] while also conducting informal religious study circles for women in Islamabad. Her fame caught on, as her study circles were regularly attended by the social elite in the capital, including the wife and mother of Farooq Leghari, a former president in the late 1990s. Hashmi herself was also invited to give dars to the affluent classes as well as to the royal Saudi family in that period.[4]
She resigned from her post at the university to pursue her mission of establishing a center of Islamic learning, particularly catering to women. She is known worldwide for having established Al-Huda International, a chain of centers that cater towards the promotion of Qur'anic knowledge for the common women. "Al-Huda" means "The Guidance", which is one of the epithets of the Qur'an. It refers to what all Muslims believe is the ultimate guidance provided by God to mankind to lead a righteous life.
Hashmi and Zubair have four children: three married daughters and a son. Their daughters are also teachers. Asma Zubair also known as Bint al-huda, who teaches recitation, Taimiyyah Zubair, who teaches grammar, Maryam Zubair, who also teaches at Al-Huda, and her son, who is a student.
Hashmi resides in Islamabad, Pakistan, along with her husband and son.
Hashmi established the first center of her institution "Al-Huda International" in a building in downtown Islamabad. Since then, Al-Huda centers have been established in most of the cities of Pakistan, USA and Canada to impart the pristine teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah. Besides regular courses, the centers conduct special workshops which are open to the general public.
Hashmi herself lectures in some of these sessions, particularly during the month of Ramadan. Many of her lectures are recorded and disseminated all throughout Pakistan, the Middle East, as well as the US and UK.
Over the years, a number of women from common walks of life have taken on a leadership role in the dissemination of knowledge after having spent time in acquiring the essential knowledge and tools from Hashmi. These women also manage the different centers all over the world. Women scholars at her institution also conduct lectures and workshops in English, however the primary medium remains Urdu.
Hashmi is widely known for her in-depth knowledge of Hadith (sayings of Muhammad) and a detailed grasp of Classical Arabic. Her influence is widespread, and is not restricted only to women.
The following are some viewpoints of Farhat Hashmi:
She is the subject of attention in the on-going discussion of Progressive vs. Reactionary Islam. Hashmi, however, remains to be considered a traditional scholar of Islam, in that her focus remains on the core of the religion.
A school in Ontario, Canada was noted as the latest extension of Al-Huda International, which Hashmi had founded in Pakistan in 1994, after she graduated from the University of Glasgow with a PhD in Islamic studies. It was described:
Raheel Raza, writing in American Thinker on 8 November 2008 commented:
That was expressing concerns about the teachings of Farhat Hashmi.[12]
According to Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy in Newsline in January 2009:[13]