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| Sheikh Aboobacker Bin Ahmed (A.P Usthad) |
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Born
in Kanthapuram, a village in Calicut District of Kerala, on 22nd
March 1939, Kanthapuram hails from a mediocre peasant family of 'Alangam
Poyil', the much popular and better known “A.P.” stands for this.
His father, Mouthariyil Ahmed Haji, was very pious and so was his
mother, Kunheema Hajjumma, who was the daughter of Kuttoosa Molla,
a teacher of Qur-An in the locality of Mangad, where reaches the
family routes of his father too. He has two brothers and three
sisters. His father died when he was twelve. Zainab is the wife
and he has six children, namely, A.P. Abdul Hakeem Azhari,
Maymoona, Hafsa, Sakeena, Rayhana, and Najma Firdousi. C.
Muhammed Faizee, Abdul Bari Musliyar, Muhmmed Koya Saqafi and
Obeidullah Saqafi are his inlaws.
He completed his
elementary studies from A.M.L.P. School of Kanathapuram, where
both Islamic and public instruction system co existed. Later he
completed his higher Elementary education.
Kanthapuram
completed his course in Qur'An studies from Vennakkode Abdulla
Musliyar, who was a scholar and qari'a, (one who recites Qur An
phonetically). He persuaded his studies in the Darses (the form
of schools exist in mosques for religious and spiritual education)
of Kanthapuram, Vavad, Kolikkal, Chaliyam and Thalakkadathur. He
was awarded the degree of Moulavi Fadhil Baqavi from the renowned
Islamic study centre of Baqiyath Swalihath, Vellore, in 1963.
Sheikh Hassan Hazrath, Muhammed Abubakkar Hazrath, O.K. Zainudheen
Kutty Musliyar, Puthoor Abdulla Musliyar, Kizhakoth Abdul Hameed
Musliyar, Vavad Pocker Kutty Musliyar, Kuttikkattor Bichali
Musliyar are some of his famous teachers in different institutions
and disciplines.
Starting his
career as a Mudarris, (Principal of Dars) at the Juma Masjid of
Mangad (Elettil), in 1964, he served the same in Kolikkal Juma
Masjid between 1970-76 and in Kanthapuram Juma Masjid during 1976
to 1981. In 1978, he among other prominent leaders, founded the
‘Markazu-Ssaquafathi-Ssunniyyah’ or the Sunni Cultural Centre, at
Karanthur, near Calicut. Since 1981 he is the
chief instructor at the Markaz Shariath College.
Kanthapuram
enjoys a multifaceted personality of a scholar, orator, writer,
organizer, educationist and fore-fighter of social revivalism. He
recognized and proved by his actions that knowledge can be turned
to channalize for social empowerment and has a wider perspective.
He brought about
a good social status and dignity for the religious scholars with
his active interference in the society. He became a member of the
Central Mushawara of Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulema in 1974,
followed by the office secretary, before becoming the joint
secretary of the Samastha. He was a member of the committee, which
was appointed to expand the organization in all India level in
1976. He held the designation of the general secretary of
Samastha Kerala Sunni Yuvajana Sangham, (S.Y.S.) from 1975 to
1996, and he was the president of the organization during the
tenure of 1996- 2004. Presently, Kanthapuram is the Chairman of
the Supreme Council of S.Y.S. He also served as the member of
Hajj committee of Kerala and Chairman to the Editorial board of
the Arabic Text Books of Govt. Schools of Kerala.
He was elected as
the General Secretary of Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulema in
1989. In 1993, when the All India Jam-iyyathul Ulema was set up,
Kanthapuram became the General Secretary and in the same year he
was endorsed as the Consortium Qasi of Calicut and in 2003 as of
the Wayanad district as well. Besides these, Kanthapuram is the
treasurer of Samastha Kerala Sunni Education Board and General
Secretary of the famous Markazu-ssaquafathi-ssuniyya or The Sunni
Markaz.
The debates and
dialogues of Kanthapuram is very famous especially against those
sects of the Muslims who emerged against the puritan nature of
Islam and the teachings of Qur-An. The debates of Kuttichira,
Ayiroor, Kuttoor, Pattambi, Pulikkal, Valiyaparambu, Kottappuram…etc
with Kanthapuram in lead, was surely a blow to these sectarians.
In the post
independent India, where illiteracy and poverty were the ruling
factors as the balance sheet of the colonial rule, Kanthapuram
began his revivalism, keeping in mind the social and educational
upliftment of the downtrodden class including that of the
Muslims. He visualized and translated into action farsighted
projects in order to change the social anarchy and educational
backwardness of the Muslims, which were prevailing in the Muslim
society after the 1921 Malabar Mutiny. Kanthapuram is the
visionary, founder and founder General Secretary of
Markazu-ssaquafathi-ssuniyya, which is a world famous educational
consortium, including that of Orphanages, Vocational Training
Centers, School of Islamic Shariah, School of Qur-An Learning,
Engineering College, English Medium Educational Institutes,
International Public Schools, Women's Educational Centers,
Hospitals and Commercial Complexes. Apart from this, Kanthapuram
serves as the chief patron and Chairman of about 300 Educational
Institutions, which are spread all over India. The Islamic
Educational Board, headed by Kanathapuram runs more than ten
thousand Madrassas, which provides religious education up to the
secondary level.
Focusing his
attention on the suppressed and sidelined population, he felt that
the need of the hour is to provide proper education to lift them
up from all type of inhibition thus giving them all round social
development. He pragmatically proved the concept of education by
the very resolute principle of “Modern education in any branch,
backed by moral traditions and religious values”.
This serves as
a cornerstone to his contemplation of the educational system in
the troubled modern world, which shapes the character of the
individual in perfect balance applicable to any situation. Jamia
Markaz and those institutions under its supervision are proving
this very fact for the past 30 years.
MORE :- http://www.kanthapuram.com/eng/
http://www.markazonline.com/
<3 JazakAllah Khair <3
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