Obituary: Prof. M. Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui - An Islamic Scholar and One of the Leading Authorities on the Sirah
By Dr Tauseef Ahmad
Parray, New Age Islam
September
25, 2020
On 15th
September, 2020, Prof. (Dr.) Muhammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqi, a great Islamic
scholar, died. Born on 26th December, 1944 in Kheri district of U. P. India,
Prof. Siddiqi was educated at Darul Ulum Nadwah al-‘Ulama (Lucknow), Lucknow
University, Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi) and Aligarh Muslim University
(AMU). After completing his higher degrees (PG, M.Phil and PhD) in History from
AMU, he started his teaching career in the department of History and then was
associated with Department of Islamic Studies (DoIS) at AMU (he retired as
Professor/ Chairman, DoIS, AMU). His death was mourned across the sub-continent
by numerous scholars and institutions.
Author,
scholar Prof Muhammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui
-----
Considered
as one of the leading authorities on the Sirah
(Prophet’s biography) in the Sub-Continent, his major areas of interest
included Islamic history and civilization, Medieval Indian history, and Arabic
and Urdu Literature.
AMU, in its
‘official’ condolence message mentioned his death as an “irreparable loss to
the academic world” as his “profound scholarship explored new dimensions of
Seerah writing”. “By his death present era has lost a prominent Sirah writer
and a great researcher, who, after Dr Muhammad Hamidullah, is considered as an
authority on Sirah for exploring its various new dimensions”, wrote Dr Ammar
Khan Nasir of Pakistan. In a Facebook post, Dr S. S. Hussain wrote: “Dedicated
teacher, loving embodiment of Allama Shibli [Numani] and Syed Sulaiman Nadvi’s
legacy on Seerah”, Prof. Siddiqi “played significant role in getting Islamic
Studies off Orientalist Hangover”. “A born-researcher and a serious thinker”,
wrote Prof. Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi, he made a lasting contribution to Seerah.
Prof. A. R. Bhat described him as “an outstanding Islamic scholar, a prolific
writer and a thorough gentleman” who made “prodigious contributions to Islamic
scholarship”, while as Dr M. Akram Nadwi (Oxford) described him as “an
outstanding researcher of present era; he was an authority on, and had no
parallel in Seerah, Maghazi, and classical Islamic history”.
Prof.
Siddiqi has authored more than 40 books and monographs which deal mostly with
various aspects of Sirah. He has over 300 research papers/articles in various
reputed National and International Journals and Periodicals from India,
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to his credit. One of his works on Sirah was awarded
‘Naqoosh Award’, ‘Seerat-e-Rasool Award’ and ‘Seerat Nighari Award’ from
Pakistan and ‘Shah Wali-Ullah Award’ (by IOS, New Delhi) from India. In this write-up,
as a mark of accolade to this great scholar, a brief introduction of three of
his prominent works is provided to reveal the diversity of topics/ dimensions
he explored and examined in Seerah.
Organization
of Government under the Prophet (1987): This book is a lucid exposition of the
evolution, gradual development and organization of the Islamic State during the
time of the Prophet (pbuh) and consolidation of the Muslim Ummah at Madinah. It
presents a critical study of military organization, central and provincial
civil administration, regulation of financial and agrarian affairs and
religious organization during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). This work tends
to explore and explain the phenomenon which led to a phenomenal transformation
and expansion of Islam and the Islamic of Madinah, just in a span of ten years
(622-632 CE). Written in a lucid, analytical style, this work bears testimony
to the erudition, objectivity, and insight of the author. Sayyid Hamid in his
Foreword to this work points that the author, “narrates, investigates and
analyses”, and his method is that of “objective and perceptive recorder of
history”.
The Prophet
Muhammad (SAW): A Role Model for Muslim Minorities (2006): First published in
Urdu in 2005, it studies the illustrious life of the Prophet (pbuh) from a
refreshingly new angle. It identifies what guidance the Prophet’s Sirah offers
for Muslims living as a minority. The author examines insightfully how Islam
was practiced in Makkah, how Muslims led their lives as migrants in Abyssinia
and how the Muslim minorities living amongst various Arab tribes and regions of
Arabia were treated by the Islamic state of Madinah. Based on original Arabic
sources, it guides Muslims extensively how to co-exist peacefully with
non-Muslims. This book is divided into essentially two parts: (i) The first
part treating the Makkan period of life of the Prophet (pbuh) from the
‘Minority perspective’ discusses, in considerable detail, various aspects of
the life of the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions in Makkah, before their
migration (Hijrah) to Madinah and establishment of a polity there controlled by
the Prophet (pbuh). That is to say that the Makkan phase of the life of the
Prophet (pbuh) has been studied from the ‘vantage-point’ of a minority, bringing
into sharp relief the character of Islam in a minority context. The second part
seeks to draw out lessons from these experiences for Muslims living as
minorities today. On studying the Prophet’s (pbuh) life in this perspective, a
role model is drawn for the Muslim Minorities scattered in all parts of the
World. It might serve as a mirror for them and for deriving guidance from the
Prophet’s (pbuh) example. Prof. Siddiqi argues that in Makkah life of the
Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions, a period of around thirteen years (610-622
CE), was a period in which Muslims were a minority and did not enjoy political
sovereignty; and in many senses, their position resembles with that of Muslim
minorities today. Muslim minorities need to see the role of the Prophet (pbuh)
and the early Muslims in that period as a model for them to emulate. This work
is a valuable contribution to the on-going debates about fiqh for Muslim
minorities. It provides keen insights for developing meticulous understandings
of Islamic jurisprudence in Muslim minority contexts, envisaging the
possibility of reconciling Islamic commitment with Muslim minority-ness.
Rasul-i-Akram (SAW) Aur Khawatin Ek Samaji
Muta`alah (2006)
[Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Women—A Social Study]: This book is focused on the
social ethics and women, issues, contribution and other aspects related to them
during the Prophetic period. In the ‘social ethics’, the most delicate theme is
on the women and ‘relation, amalgamation/amity and other related issues of men
and women’ is more delicate than that, and from the illustrious life of the
Prophet (pbuh), by his reforms and by his word and deed (Ahadith & Sunnah),
there are guidelines regarding these all. The book is a profound contribution
to the Sirah literature in the 21st century, for its discusses those aspects of
Prophet’s Sirah that have been shown either a little concern or have been
examined and discussed very rarely in the Sirah works, or at times have been
discussed but are in scattered form.
The
subject-matter of these works deals with the socio-political and socio-legal
aspects of the Sirah making a fair-optimal and perceptive use of the material,
and are unique not only in their subject-matter, but also in the analytical
style, in their objectivity, and above all, in their method. In brief, all
these selected works are academically sound, constructive, worthwhile, and
positive. They make a valuable contribution to the Sirah literature and are
relevant to the challenges and needs of the current times.
Prof. Siddiqi’s
death is indeed an irreparable loss to the academic world his death has caused
a big void in the Islamic Studies, especially in the Sirah Studies, which is
impossible to fill. May Almighty’s Blessings and Mercy on His Soul: Aameen!!
----
Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray is Assistant Professor,
Islamic Studies, at GDC for Women, Pulwama (J&K).
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/obituary-prof.-m.-yasin-mazhar/d/122946
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism