Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib

Islamic scholar Dr. Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib ড. মুহাম্মাদ আসাদুল্লাহ আল-গালিব
Born	(1948-01-15) 15 January 1948 Bularati, (Satkhira, Bangladesh)
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Era	Modern
Region	South Asia
Occupation	Professor of the department of Arabic at University of Rajshahi (1980–present)
Denomination	Ahlehadeeth/Salafi
Movement	Ahlehadeeth
Notable work(s)	Tafsirul Quran; Ahlehadeeth Movement: Origin and the Development, with special reference to South Asian region (Ph.D Thesis); Salatur Rasul (Bangla and English); Nobider Kahini(Series-1,2,3)
Alma mater	Kakdanga Senior Madrasah (Satkhira, Bangladesh) Aramnagar Alia Madrasa (Jamalpur, Bangladesh) Kalaroa Govt. College (Satkhira, Bangladesh) University of Dhaka University of Rajshahi
Website	Ahlehadeeth Andolon Bangladesh

Dr. Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib (Arabic: د.محمد اسد الله الغالب; Bengali: ড. মুহাম্মাদ আসাদুল্লাহ আল-গালিব) (b. January 15, 1948) is a Bangladeshi reformist Islamic scholar, and professor of Arabic at the University of Rajshahi. He is the founder leader of nation wide Islamic organization Ahlehadeeth Andalon Bangladesh (AHAB),^[1] the largest Ahlehadeeth movement in Bangladesh. Moreover, he is also the founder and chairman of editorial board of the Monthly At-tahreek, an Islamic research journal of Bangladesh. He has a tremendous contribution in spreading Daawah Salafiyah in Bangladesh from grass root level to a wider perspective of national and international arena.^[2]

On February 23, 2005, he was arrested on charges following allegations he was leading Islamic militants.^[3][4][5] He was further alleged to have received funding from the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society.^[6][7] Dr. Ghalib had denied any involvement with Islamic militancy^[8][9][10] and got released from jail on August 28, 2008.^{[11][12][13][14][15]} Later on, he acquitted in all the cases one by one. A total of 10 cases had been filed against him, but with accusations not proved, the police dropped charges in six cases and then acquitted of charges in another four cases, in which charges had been pressed against him.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] [24][25][26][27][28][29]}

Biography

Early life

He was born in 1948 to a respectable Mandal family of Maulavi Bari in the village Bularati, located in Satkhira District, Bangladesh. His mother Basirun(Died on 26 June 1984 A.D) was a pious woman and his father Maulana Ahmad Ali (1883-1976 AD. died at the age of 93 years) was a renowned Islamic scholar and leader of the Ahlehadeeth.

Education

He passed the Dakhil, Alim and Fazil public examinations from Kakdanga Senior Madrasah, Satkhira, Bangladesh. In 1969 he passed the Kamil (Muhaddith) Examination from Aramnagar Alia Madrasa, Jamalpur, Bangladesh. He passed all examinations in the First Division. He secured the 16th place in Alim and 5th place in Kamil examination of the then Madrasah Education Board of the East Pakistan.

He got his I.A. from Kalaroa, Govt. College, Satkhira, Bangladesh; B. A. from Majid Memorial City College, Khulna, Bangladesh and in 1976 M.A. in Arabic from the department of Arabic at the University of Dhaka, securing First Class First position. Lastly, he got Ph.D. Degree from the University of Rajshahi on August 20, 1992 by submitting a dissertation on Ahl-i-Hadeeth Movement: Origin and the Development; with special reference to South Asian region.

Career

He served as a teacher in Jamia Muhammdia Arabia Madrasah at North Jatrabari, Dhaka. After passing the M.A. examination, he joined the "Institute of Modern Languages" at the University of Dhaka, as a part-time Lecturer on 25 September 1980.

Thereafter in the same year on 10 December, he joined as a Lecturer in the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies in the University of Rajshahi. When the department was separated in 1995, he stayed in the department of Arabic and has still been working as a Professor. He attended many international seminars and conferences as a guest speaker in different countries like India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Nepal, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

Founded organisations

He founded various religious, educational and non-profit social welfare organizations in Bangladesh.^[30][31]

1. Ahlehadeeth Andolon Bangladesh (Ahlehadeeth Movement Bangladesh) – A national based Ahlehadeeth organisation, Founded on Friday, September 23, 1994.
2. Bangladesh Ahlehadeeth Jubo Shangha – A youth's wing of Ahlehadeeth Movement Bangladesh, founded on February 5, 1978.
3. Bangladesh Ahlehadeeth Mahilla Songstha - A ladie's wing of Ahlehadeeth Movement Bangladesh, Founded on June 7, 1981.
4. Tawheed Trust (Regd) – A registered non-profit social welfare well-known organization, which is based in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, opened on September 5, 1989.
5. Salafiyah Trust (Regd) - A registered social welfare organization, founded in 2002.
6. Hadeeth Foundation Bangladesh – A renowned Islamic research foundation with Darul Ifta and publishing house, founded on November 15, 1992.
7. Islamic Complex - Founded in 2010.
8. Monthly At-tahreek – An Islamic research journal, is directed to salafi path, based on pure Tawheed and Saheeh (authentic) Sunnah, that presenting the real teaching of the Glorious Quran and authentic Hadeeth; first published on September 1997.
9. Sonamoni - A children's Wing of Ahlehadeeth Movement Bangladesh, founded in 1994.
10. Pather Alo Foundation - A national based project for orphans, sightless, disabled and neglected people, founded in 2009.

Works

He wrote various valuable books on different subjects including religion, education, society, politics and literature . All these books are published by Hadeeth Foundation Bangladesh. His research articles in various languages, published in different journals and periodicals at home and abroad, are more than 450 and some others are awaiting for publication. Along with this, he supervised many academic research works. His published books number over 40. He is known for the meticulous research behind his works.^[32][33]

List of works

1. Tafsirul Quran (The Interpretation of the Glorious Quran) - 2013 A.D.
2. Ahleadeeth Movement: Origin and the Development; with special reference to South Asian region (Ph.D Thesis) - February 1996 A.D.
3. Ahlehadeeth Andolon: Ki O Keno (Ahlehadeeth Andolon:What and Why) [Bangla] - July 1979 A.D.
4. Ahlehadeeth Andolon: What and Why (English) - 2012 A.D.
5. Daa'wat o Jihad - March 1993 A.D.
6. Masail-I Qurbani O 'Aakika - July 1987 A.D.
7. Milad Prasongga - October 1986 A.D.
8. Shobe Barat - March 1990 A.D.
9. AARbi Qaedah - March 1997 A.D.
10. Salatur Rasul (SM) (Bangla) - 1998 A.D.
11. Salatur Rasul (SM) (English) - 2010 A.D.^[34]
12. Talaq O Tahlil - February 2001 A.D.
13. Hajj O Umrah (Hajj and Umrah) - November 2001 A.D.
14. 'Aakida Islamiah - March 2000 A.D.
15. Udatto Aahban (The Clarion Call) - March 1993 A.D.
16. Islami khilafat o Nettritto Nirbachon - March 2003 A.D.
17. Iqamate Din: Path o Paddhoti - March 2004 A.D.
18. Hadeeth-er Pramanikota - March 2004 A.D.
19. Aasurae Muharram o Aamader Karanio - March 2004 A.D.
20. Shamaj Biplober Dhara - November 1986 A.D.
21. Tinti Motobad - January 1987 A.D.
22. Naitik vitti O Prastabana - March 1993 A.D.
23. Dhormoniropekkhota (Secularism) - 1996 A.D.
24. Insane Kamel (The Perfect Person) - February 2009 A.D.
25. Sabi O Murti (Images and Idolls) - January 2010 A.D.
26. Nobider Kahini - 1 (The Lives of Prophets - 1) - March 2010 A.D.^[35]
27. Nobider Kahini - 2 (The Lives of Prophets - 2) - December 2010 A.D.
28. Nobider Kahini - 3 (The Lives of Prophets - 3)
29. Naiti Prasner Uttar (Nine Questions and It's Answers) - [Translated from Arabic] August 2010 A.D.
30. Jihad o Qital (Jihad and War) - 2013 A.D.
31. Firqah Najiah - 2013 A.D.
32. Jibon Darshan (Philosophies of Life) - 2013 A.D. It is a selected editorial collection of Dr. Ghalib regarding various aspects of human life, that published on the Monthly At-tahreek in different times.^[36]

Political struggle

On February 23, 2005, the government of Bangladesh announced the arrest of Dr. Ghalib, an Associate Professor of Arabic at Rajshahi University and the President of the largest and most well-organized Ahlehadeeth group in Bangladesh, Ahlehadeeth Andolan Bangladesh (AHAB), filing charges of abduction, robbery, murder, bomb blasts, and possession of explosives. He had been shown arrest in ten cases in a single day. Rhetorical reports in this regard overflowed from newspapers that at one point of time, militant JMB leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman was closely associated with Dr. Ghalib. But Dr. Ghalib denied it vehemently and claimed that he had no relation with him and didn't even know him personally. After his arrest even though the government prosecutors had not presented any evidence against Dr. Ghalib for his involvement in violent activities – or indicating that he instructed his followers to conduct terrorist operations, he remained in jail uncharged. His organization AHAB made protest around the country against the government's move against him and demanded his unconditional release. At last long after three years of his arrest, he got released from the custody on August 2008. It is alleged that he was the victim of evil plot of some vested political and religious quarters aiming to defame his name and his organization.^[37]

Islamic beliefs and ideology

Tawheed

Islamic Shariah

Taqlid

Islamic State

Dr. Ghalib’s position is somewhere in the middle of the two extremes in regards of Islamic State. On the one hand he rejects the modern democratic system as un-Islamic because “it is based on the idea of popular sovereignty and majority opinion, which may go in the direction of anti-Islamic measures if people so desire.” According to Dr. Ghalib, there is nothing wrong with elections if both the voters and the candidates for public offices are practicing Muslims and fulfill the condition of public trust as prescribed by Islam. But if democracy means following the desires of people who have no Islamic knowledge or Islamic commitment, then they are more likely to vote for candidates “who would support casinos, alcoholic drinks, bars, free mixing of sexes, prostitution, usury, etc. In other words, all these vices can be legalized if you can get 51% of votes in the parliament. It is this risk in democracy that we Muslims cannot take”

On the other hand Dr. Ghalib is not in favor of violent overthrow of the present system, nor does he advocate subversion of the system through clandestine tactics. According to a booklet he wrote in Bangla (Iqamat-e-Din: Poth O Poddhoti, Rajshahi: Hadeeth Foundation, 2004), da’wah (call, preaching) and educational efforts by an organized movement – such as his own, AHAB – will eventually lead to the transforming of society on Islamic principles and an Islamic society will then culminate in the establishment of an Islamic state based on the model of the Prophetic state in Medina and the early, rightly-guided caliphate. In this publication, Dr. Ghalib rejects violence as a means of Islamic change and argues for a peaceful, “intellectual jihad” to transform the society and to impress upon the rulers to attend to their Islamic duties. The best form of government, according to Dr. Ghalib, is Caliphate. Once a caliph has been “selected” by the Majlis-e-Shura (consultative body) of pious Muslims, his obedience will be obligatory on all Muslims as long as he rules according to Shariah and dispenses justice to all citizens.^[38]

See also

• Athari
• Ahlehadeeth
• Wahhabi
• Salafi
• Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani
• Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz
• Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen
• Ehsan Elahi Zaheer

References

External Sources

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib

• Official Website of Ahlehadeeth Andolon Bangladesh
• Monthly At-Tahreek
• www.univdhaka.academia.edu/emranbinjalaluddin