Shaykh al-Hadīth, Mufti Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri | |
---|---|
11th Principal, Darul Uloom Deoband[1] | |
In office 2008 – 19 May 2020 | |
Preceded by | Naseer Ahmad Khan |
Succeeded by | Arshad Madani |
9th Sheikh al-Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband[1] | |
In office 2008 – 19 May 2020 | |
Preceded by | Naseer Ahmad Khan |
Succeeded by | Abul Qasim Nomani |
Personal | |
Born | 1940 |
Died | 19 May 2020 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | (aged 79–80)
Religion | Islam |
Denomination | Sunni |
Alma mater | |
Muslim leader | |
Awards | Presidential Certificate of Honour[2] |
Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri (also written as Saʻīd Aḥmad Pālanpūrī) (1940 – 19 May 2020), was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and author who served as Shaykh al-Hadith and Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. A number of his books are required readings in Darul Uloom Deoband.[3][4][5]
Palanpuri was born in 1940 in Kaleda village, Vadgam then in the Palanpur State.[6] He studied at the Mazahir Uloom and then attended the Darul Uloom Deoband, where he graduated in traditional dars-e-nizami studies.[7][8] His teachers included Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad, Ibrahim Balyawi, Mahdi Hasan Shahjahanpuri, and Naseer Ahmad Khan.[9]
Palanpuri joined Jamia Ashrafiya in Rander as a teacher in 1965 and taught there for about ten years. He was appointed as a teacher of Darul Uloom Deoband in 1973 at the recommendation of Manzur Nu'mani.[7][10] In 2008, he succeeded Naseer Ahmad Khan as Shaykh al-Hadith and also served as Principal.[8][11][12] His teaching career in Darul Uloom Deoband lasted for over 50 years.[13][14]
Pratibha Patil awarded Palanpuri the President's Certificate of Honour on the 64th Independence Day of India.[15]
Palanpuri maintained the view that the Indian Government's Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) will end in fiasco.[16][17]
Palanpuri's works include:[5]
Palanpuri had diabetes and was admitted to a Mumbai hospital, where he died on 19 May 2020 (25 Ramadan 1441 AH).[21][8][22] He was buried in a graveyard located in Oshiwara, Mumbai and very few people were allowed to attend his last rites due to the Covid-19 lockdown.[13][23] Islamic scholars Abul Qasim Nomani, Arshad Madani, Mehmood Madani and Muhammad Sufyan Qasmi expressed grief at his death.[24][13]