Passing of Professor Mohar Ali, author of Sirah & The Orientalists

[UmA]

Assalamu alaykum
I am posting this here. I had wanted to post this in the announcements section but was unable to.

As some of you may know, the author and professor, Shaykh Mohar Ali passed away recently. It seems that we have lost touch with the people of knowledge and are unaware that their very books may be sitting on our shelves or in our bookstores unread.
May we value them and their knowledge before it's too late.
May Allah forgive Professor Mohar Ali and accept the legacy of his writings, teachings and progeny.
Here is a summary of his life, received in an email

SHAYKH PROFESSOR MUHAMMAD MOHAR ALI PASSES AWAY

Our respected scholar and elder Professor Mohar Ali passed away in
his sleep on Wednesday morning aged 80. Born in Khulna in Bengal,
he was a scholar of Seerah and Hadith who served as a lecturer of
Islamic History at the Islamic Universities of Madinah and Riyadh
for two decades before moving to England. Unassuming and always
able to make time for others, he was known for being a practical
person who used to do carpentry and help his family and the local
community. Shaykh Mohar Ali made several important contributions
in the fields of Islamic history and the spread of Islam outside
the Arab world. His work provided an incisive new dimension to the
way Muslims view contemporary issues and their historical contexts.
In particular, he distinguished himself with his clear exposition
of Orientalism and missionary activity, making Quranic Arabic more
accessible to English speakers, and his four-volume classic titled
A History of the Muslims of Bengal (1985), regarded as one of the
most reliable sources on the effects of Islam on the political and
cultural life of the region. Other important works he has authored
include: The Quran and the Orientalists (2004); Pre-Islamic Arabia
and its Socio-Religious Condition (2002); A Word for Word Meaning
of the Quran (2003); Sirat Al-Nabi and the Orientalists (1997);
The Bengali Reaction to Christian Missionary Activities, 1833-1857
(1965). He is survived by his wife, three sons and over a dozen
grandchildren. We ask Allah that He has mercy upon him, bestows
patience and solace to his loved ones, and grants him the highest
station in Paradise.

The funeral prayers will be held after Jumu'ah Salat (1.15 pm) at
the East London Mosque, 82-92 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1JQ.
This will be followed by the burial at Gardens of Peace Cemetery,
Elmbridge Road, Hainault, Essex, IG6 3SW.

[heavens_scent]

Ina lilah waina ilihi raji3on. May He forgive him and put him in the highest level of Jannah.

Is it me or are most of the scholars passing away? subhanAllah this is indeed a sign.

[Sistamatic]

Inaa lilaahi wa'inaa ilayhi raji'oon

It really is a sad day when another one our knowlegeable people passes away.

May Allah have mercy on his soul and grant him forgiveness. May Allah open for him the doors of Jannah and entry into the highest of heavens. Ameen.

[aarij]

inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.

May Allah forgive his sins, make him a companion of the Prophets, and put barakah in his work so as they can accumulate hasanat for him after his death.

inna lillahi wa inna `ilayhi rajiun! subhanAllah. Isn't Sh Mohar Ali the father of Abu Muntasir (from JIMAS)?

wassalam

[Muhammad Alshareef]

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oon

When I meet a really blessed and active brother, I can usually tell that they had awesome parents who nurtured them in becoming who they became.

I know the Shaykh's son from the UK, and all that he does for the Deen, May Allah accept the sincerest of his intentions ... and I pray that this is blessed sign that Allah is pleased with his father Shaykh Mohar Ali.

There is a lot of people making dua for him around the world. The world loses another scholar.

Salaam Alaikum

Shaykh Mohar Ali was truly a giant amongst men, and role model for people in our times. He was an intellectual thinker who produced real scholarship in many different fields. I had the pleasure to meet him a few times and to benefit from his knowledge and wisdom.

May Allah forgive him and grant him Jannat al-Firdaws, Ameen!

Yasir

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oon.. may Allah forgive him and grant him al-Firdaws.

So many scholars have passed in this one year alone so far... just recently a great scholar of nahw and fiqh Shaykh Ahmadu ash-Shanqiti (rahimahullah) who used to teach in Masjid an-Nabawi passed away in Mauritania and last week Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Aal ash-Shaykh, the son of the beloved teacher of Shaykh Ibn Baz (rahimahullah) and former mufti of Saudi Arabia - Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim (rahimahullah).

It seems that every other week there is news of the death of an 'aalim. Before these scholars just recently was Shaykh Muhammad al-Hijaar al-Halabi of al-Madeenah, Shaykh Muhammad Hayaat as-Sindi who was nearly 135 years old (!), Shaykh Al-Hasan ibn 'Umar al-Kitaani, Shaykh 'Abdul-Khaaliq ar-Rahmaani, Shaykh 'Abdul-Ghaffar Hassan, Shaykh Safi-ur-Rahmaan Mubarakpuri, Shaykh Hamad az-Zaydan, and Shaykh 'Atiyyah Saqar, Shaykh Muhammad Abul-Ajfaan and others - may Allah have mercy on them all and grant them al-Firdaws.

I wanted to share the following as a reminder which was written by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Munajjid (hafidhahullah) upon the passing of Shaykh Ibn Baz (rahimahullah):

The salvation of people is connected to the presence of scholars; if the scholars are taken away then the people are doomed. 'Abd-Allâh ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas said: "I heard the Messenger of Allâh (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) say, 'Allâh does not take knowledge away by taking it away from people's (hearts); He takes knowledge away by taking away the scholars (i.e., when scholars die), and when there is not one scholar left, the people will turn to ignorant leaders who, when they are consulted, will give fatwas without knowledge. They are misguided and they misguide others.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 98).

The phrase "...by taking it [knowledge] away from people's (hearts)" implies wiping it from their hearts. During his Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said: "Learn before knowledge is taken away or lifted up." A Bedouin said, "How will it be lifted up?" He said, "Knowledge disappears when its bearers disappear" three times. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said, "Allâh will not take away knowledge after it has been given to you." According to another report, he said, "Knowledge will not be taken from the people" or "from the hearts of the people." A Bedouin asked him, "O Prophet of Allâh, how will knowledge be taken up from among us when we have Masaahif (copies of the Qur'aan) among us and we have learned what is in the Qur'aan and have taught it to our children and womenfolk and servants?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) looked up at him angrily and said, "These Jews and Christians have the scripture among them and they don't adhere to a single letter of what their Prophets brought them!" There are other corroborating reports that verify these additions to the hadeeth. It was reported that Abu al-Samah said: "There will come a time when a man will fatten his mount in preparation for travel, and will travel through different countries asking for someone to give him knowledge of the Sunnah that he could follow, and he will not be able to find anyone to give him a fatwa except with uncertainty, and this has indeed happened." (Adapted and summarized from Fath al-Baari). 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez wrote to Abu Bakr ibn Hazm to find out what was there of the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allâh (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him). He wrote, "Find out what there is and write it down, for I am worried that knowledge will disappear when the scholars pass away. spread knowledge and sit down to teach the one who does not know, for knowledge does not disappear unless it is kept secret." (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-'Ilm, Baab Kayfa yuqbad al-'ilm).

Imaam Ahmad (may Allâh have mercy on him) said: "People need knowledge more than they need food and drink, because they need food and drink two or three times a day, but they need knowledge all the time." Thus the loss of scholars is a great calamity, "...because the death of the entire tribe is less serious than the death of one scholar." (Majma' al-Zawaa'id, 1/201).

The most amazing thing that I find about these quotes is that these are our Salaf talking about this in their time.. so what about in ours??? May Allah forgive us all and guide us to the Straight Path. And Allah knows best.

[Ibtissam]

inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.
May Allah forgive his and our sins and grant us all the highest of heavens ameen
Verily To Allah we belong and to Him we shall all return!

[Sarah Mushtaq]

Innah lillahi wa innah ilayhi raji'oon.

May Allah have mercy on him and his family! Ameen.