Talimul Quran Academy
The Story of a “triple minority community”
The subject might sound weird to some, but today I am going to share with you the story of a community, which is in reality a “triple minority community”. Way back in 2009, I came to know a person (Janab Farid Ahmed) who was/is a US citizen, but who had left the US and had come back to BD with his 4 children, in order to protect them from kufr and kuffar – if we put it bluntly. When I met him, he was just like any other traditional Muslim in BD, and was running a Madrassa (Talimul Qur’an Academy [TQA]) in a community which holds Deobandi, Berelvi and Jamaat Tablighi creeds sharing and overlapping with each other. He was running a “noorani” cum “hafizi” Madrassa, where he enrolled both his sons for “fulltime hifz”. His Madrasa, which he erected on his own piece of land, was/is located just 4 miles away from Sylhet city centre – but being located on the southern bank of the river Surma (a beautiful and tranquil location indeed), the surrounding was/is hardly a suburb.
He used to talk to me about Deen and used to give a furtive and doubtful look while listening to the “new” things I presented from the Creed and Manhaj of Ahlus Sunnah wa al-Jam’aah. Unlike many intelligent/elite brothers, who would politely listen to you but keep on holding their hands below the navel during Salaat for last 10 years, he has changed gradually over the period of time, adapting to and adopting the Aqeedah and Manhaj of Ahlus Sunnah Wa al-Jam’aah. Once he started realizing that, there was/is only ONE real “track” of Islam, he tried to bring himself and the Madrassa back on the track! That was the start of real trouble for him and his Madrassa.
Then after consulting me, he decided to convert the Madrassa into an “Aliya” one. Like all other (aliya) Madrassas run by Ahlul Hadith and following “national curriculum” while trying to teach the Deen as well, TQA does teach the books of National Curriculum but tries to teach the correct Aqeedah and Manhaj of Ahlus Sunnah Wa al-Jama’ah on the sideline. Of course, many of the teachers existing then became redundant and reluctant – they quit one by one and started vilifying the “wahabi” Madrassa funded by “Yahud/Christans” (ironically, the reality is that, had it been funded by anyone at all, I would NOT be writing you this story). Gradually the neighborhood came to know that a “different” Deen is being taught in TQA and the few “lower middle class parents” who had earlier put their children in TQA, withdrew their kids, leaving it an institute for the destitute slum dwellers. So, associates (the students, their parents, the teachers) of this Madrassa became a “triple minoritycommunity”. Firstly and generally, they are marginalized because they are associated with a Madrassa and automatically they become relegated to second class citizen’s status. Secondly, they are marginalized because they are thought downtrodden untouchables. And thirdly, they are considered “wahabi” because they are learning and trying to adopt the Aqeedah and Manhaj of “Ahlus Sunnah Wa al-Jamm’aah” (which people normally brand as Ahle Hadith in this country) in the midst of 3 adverse strands and trends: the Deobandis, the Tablighis and the Berelvis.
Last winter, Janab Farid Ahmed arranged a “Deeni Jalsa” (a religious public meeting) where he invited Amanullah Bin Ismail Madani as the main speaker. The delivery was excellent and the speaker provoked significant curiosity among the masses; so much so that, some commoners wanted to hear “more” from the preachers of this “new thing”. So Janab Farid Ahmed tried to organize a lecture session in an auditorium in Dakshin Surma area recently. That alarmed the proponents of the adverse trends and finally it surfaced violently when they went to the notables and local administrative authorities to stop the lecture session where Mosharraf Hossain Akand (once a “PIR”, now a preacher of “Ahlus Sunnah Wa al-Jamm’aah”), was supposed to speak. Failing to arrange the lecture session, Janab Farid Ahmed together with Brother Abdus Sobur Chowdhury of ECS (Education Centre Sylhet) tried to arrange another lecture session at “Kadamtali Point” at a later date, where Dr. Saifullah was supposed to speak. Again the Deobandis, the Tablighis and the Berelvis got together and prevented the event. Now they are contemplating on force-closing the Madrassa and getting it “uprooted”.
Recently I appealed in the group, asking you to come forward to aid Maulana Sakhawat, Imam of Nabinagar Mosque, who had sustained a severe head injury and Alhamdulillah, Brothers and Sisters responded overwhelmingly. However, that was an effort to save the “life” of just one single individual by the grace of Allah, if He Wills! We should be knowing that, Allah describes people and community without Imaan and Deen to be “deads” in several places in the Qur’an and describes Imaan/Qur’an/Wahi to be the “life “ that make(s) the dead alive (see Qur’an 42:52, 6:122, 8:24 etc) – and rightly so: what is this body with only the biological life within, if it does not contain the “real life” – the life and light of Allah’s Deen?We Muslims, we all know the answer: it becomes the fuel of the Fire!
So, it is very important that, we come forward to keep the real “life” flowing and the real light shining. This Madrassa we mentioned above, a weak flame of Allah’s Deen still visible in a land full of Shirk and bid’ah, is passing through difficult times. And people are trying to extinguish it’s timid flame. It needs your help to survive bi idhnillah! So, long it has been supported almost single handed by my personal efforts, as I happened to be the President of the Managing Committee. A friend or two of mine contributed as they are in personal contact with me and they knew about the crisis. But today I am asking the whole community to come forward and help this Madrassa survive. You may help by your Sadaqa and/or Zakaat (if you pay from Zakaat, please let us know and it would be spent in appropriate fields). You may send your donation to the following account directly by online transfer:
A/C Name: Talimul Quran Academy
Saving A/C No.: 20503210200150707
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.
Dakshin Surma Branch, Sylhet.
