Nadeem al-Wajidi
{{Short description|Indian Islamic scholar (1954–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| religion = Islam
| honorific_prefix = Mawlana
| name = Nadeem al-Wajidi
| birth_name = Wasif Husain
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1954|07|23}}
| birth_place = Deoband, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2024|10|14|1954|07|23}}
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, US
| resting_place = Chicago
| pen_name = Nadeem al-Wajidi
| father = Wajid Husain Deobandi
| children = Yasir Nadeem al Wajidi
| nationality = Indian
| denomination = Sunni
| jurisprudence = Hanafi
| movement = Deobandi
| main_interests = Urdu Literature, Arabic Literature
| alma_mater = Miftahul Uloom Jalalabad, Darul Uloom Deoband
| notable_works = Ihyaul Uloom (Urdu translation), Al-Qamoos al-Maudoo'ī (dictionary), Naye Zehen Ke Shubhāt aur Islam Ka Mauqif
| occupation = Columnist, writer
| teachers = {{Bulleted list|Wajid Husain Deobandi (father)|Ahmad Hasan Deobandi (grandfather)|Masihullah Khan | Sharif Hasan Deobandi (maternal uncle)|Wahiduzzaman Kairanawi}}
}}
Wasif Husain Nadeem al-Wajidi (also spelled Maulana Nadeem-Ul-Wajidi; 23 July 1954 – 14 October 2024) was an Indian Islamic scholar, columnist, critic, and writer who specialized in Urdu and Arabic language and literature.{{Cite web |date=5 January 2018 |title=Govt hurting Muslim sentiments: Maulana of saffron-painted Haj house |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/govt-hurting-muslim-sentiments-maulana-of-saffron-painted-haj-house-118010501316_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105193008/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/govt-hurting-muslim-sentiments-maulana-of-saffron-painted-haj-house-118010501316_1.html |archive-date=5 January 2018 |access-date=27 April 2024 |website=Business Standard}}{{Cite news |date=28 March 2018 |title=Nikah halala being used to interfere in Shariat, defame Islam: Clerics |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/-nikah-halala-being-used-to-interfere-in-shariat-defame-islam-clerics/articleshow/63522613.cms |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite news |date=5 January 2018 |title=Things that 'hurt the sentiments of Muslims' should not be done: Cleric on Haj House controversy |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/things-that-hurt-the-sentiments-of-muslims-should-not-be-done-cleric-on-haj-house-controversy/articleshow/62384047.cms |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} He was Editor-in-chief of the monthly Tarjumān-e-Deoband.{{Cite web |date=3 December 2009 |title=Deobands battle for survival |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/506349/deobands-battle-for-survival |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Dawn |language=en}} He was the father of Yasir Nadeem al-Wajidi.{{Cite web |date=16 February 2017 |title=With His Challenge Being Rejected, Mufti Wajidi Takes on Tarek Fatah on Twitter |url=https://clarionindia.net/with-his-challenge-being-rejected-mufti-wajidi-takes-on-tarek-fatah-on-twitter/ |access-date=27 April 2024 |website=Clarion India |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Wasif Husain Nadeem al-Wajidi was born in Deoband on 23 July 1954.{{cite book |last=Abbasi |first=Ibn al-Hasan |title=Yādgār-e-Zamāna Shakhsiyyāt Ka Ahwāl-e-Mutāla'a |trans-title=Study life of memorable personalities |url=https://archive.org/details/yaadgar-e-zamana-shakhsiyyat-ka-ahwaal-e-mutalaa |publisher=Majlis Turāth al-Islam |location=Karachi |edition=1st |date=October 2020 |page=226 |language=ur}}{{cite book |last1=al-Wajidi |first1=Nadeem |title=Ihyā-ul-Uloom (Urdu translation) |publisher=Darul Ishā'at |year=2001 |editor-last=Faizi |editor-first=Javed Akhtar |volume=1 |location=Urdu Bazar, Karachi |pages=29–30 |language=ur |chapter=Ihyā-ul-Uloom Ke Mutarjim: Ek Mukhtasar Ta'āruf |trans-chapter=A brief introduction about the translator of Ihyā-ul-Uloom |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/Ihya_ul_uloom_urdu/%D8%A7%D8%AD%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A1%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%20%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%88%201/mode/1up}} His birth name, Wasif Husain, was given by Hussain Ahmad Madani.{{cite book |last=al-Wajidi |first=Nadeem |title=Be-Mithāl Shakhsiyyat Ba-Kamāl Ustādh |trans-title=Unparalleled personality, excellent teacher |publisher=Darul Kitāb |location=Deoband |pages=67–68 |year=2017 |language=ur |chapter=Wasif Hussain Nadeem al-Wajidi |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/wasif-hussain-nadeem-al-wajidi-a-bite-from-be-mithal-shakhsiyyat-ba-kamal-ustadh}}
His family has a strong literary background and settled in Deoband from Bijnor about a century and a half ago. His grandfather, Ahmad Hasan Deobandi, was the Sheikh al-Hadith of Jamia Miftahul Uloom in Jalalabad, and his father, Wajid Husain Deobandi, was the Sheikh al-Hadith of Jamia Islamia Talimuddin in Dabhel.{{cite news |last1=Amin |first1=Rashid |date=2 June 2021 |title=Doctor Mufti Yasir Nadeem al-Wajidi par ek tāirāna nazar |trans-title=A cursory glance on Dr. Mufti Yasir Nadeem al-Wajidi |url=https://www.baseeratonline.com/archives/148296 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023015916/https://www.baseeratonline.com/archives/148296 |archive-date=23 October 2022 |access-date=17 April 2024 |work=Baseerat Online |language=ur}} His maternal uncle, Sharif Hasan Deobandi, was the Sheikh al-Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband.{{cite book |last1=Usmani |first1=Manzoor |title=Khushbu-e-Watan |volume=2 |publisher=Maktaba Madaniyya |location=Sufaid Masjid, Deoband |pages=13–17 |edition=1st |year=2015 |language=ur |chapter=Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/maulana-nadeem-al-wajidi-a-bite-from-khushbu-e-watan}}{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Ghazali |date=17 October 2024 |title=Obituary: Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi, Islamic scholar, and some childhood memories |url=https://muslimnews.co.uk/news/south-asia/obituary-maulana-nadeem-al-wajidi-islamic-scholar-and-some-childhood-memories/ |access-date=20 October 2024 |website=The Muslim News}}
He received his primary education in Deoband and then studied at Madrasa Miftahul Uloom in Jalalabad, where he benefitted academically from Masihullah Khan Sherwani.{{cite book |last=Hasan |first=Nayab |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ka Sahafati Manzarnama |trans-title=Journalistic scenario of Darul Uloom Deoband |url=https://archive.org/details/DarulUloomDeobandKaSahafatiManzarNamah |publisher=Idara-e-Tahqīq-e-Islami |location=Deoband |edition=1st |page=258 |year=2013 |language=ur}}
In 1967, he enrolled in Darul Uloom Deoband, graduating in 1974 (1393 AH). After graduation, he pursued further studies in Arabic language and literature for two more years in the departments of completion of Arabic literature and specialization in Arabic literature at Darul Uloom.{{cite book |last1=Qasmi |first1=Muhammad Tayyib |title=Darul Uloom Diary (Lail o Nahār: Faizan-e-Maulana Sharif Hasan Deobandi number) |publisher=Idara Paigham-e-Mahmood |location=Deoband |year=2018 |language=ur}}
He was one of the notable students of Wahiduzzaman Kairanawi. Kairanawi appointed him as the representative of Darul Uloom's Arabic student club, An-Nadi al-Adabi. During that time, he also published a wall magazine called Ash-Shu'oor from the same club.{{Sfn|Abbasi|2020|pp=230–231}}
Career
After graduation, Nadeem al-Wajidi taught for one year at Darul Uloom Rahnania in Hyderabad, under the guidance of his teachers Sharif Hasan Deobandi, Naseer Ahmad Khan, and Muhammad Naeem Deobandi. In 1978, the advisory council of Darul Uloom Deoband appointed him as the supervisor of the writing and compilation department for its centenary celebration, where he worked for two years, publishing various books and magazines in Arabic and Urdu.{{Sfn|al-Wajidi|2017|pp=67–68}}{{cite book |last=al-Wajidi |first=Nadeem |title=Khuda Rahmat Kunad |url=https://archive.org/details/khuda-rahmat-kunad |edition=1st |year=2010 |publisher=Dar al-Kitab |location=Deoband |page=283 |contribution=Maulana Rizwan al-Qasmi |language=ur}} In the same year, he founded the Arabic Teaching Center in Deoband, from which thousands of students benefited over the years. Seven books were published by this center and were included in the curricula of several madrasas.{{Sfn|Abbasi|2020|p=226}}
In 1980, after the centenary celebration of Darul Uloom Deoband, he established a publishing house called Darul Kitab in Deoband. Between 1980 and 1987, he translated Al-Ghazali's renowned book Ihyā-ul-Uloom in installments, which was published in four volumes in Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan, and Dhaka in Bangladesh. From this publishing house, he also published numerous books on academic and non-curricular subjects, with some distributed internationally in countries such as Lebanon and Egypt. Today, this publishing house is well-known across the subcontinent.{{cite web |last1=Qasmi |first1=Farooq Azam |date=17 February 2021 |title=Ilm-o-Amal ka haseen imtizāj: Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi |trans-title=A beautiful combination of knowledge and practice: Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi |url=https://qindeelonline.com/ilm-o-qalam-ka-haseen-sangam-maulana-nadeemul-wajdi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422224316/https://qindeelonline.com/ilm-o-qalam-ka-haseen-sangam-maulana-nadeemul-wajdi/ |archive-date=22 April 2024 |access-date=17 April 2024 |publisher=Qindeel Online}}{{cite book |last=Asim |first=Obaid Iqbal |author-link=Ubaid Iqbal Asim |title=Deoband Tarikh-o-Tehdheeb Ke Aayine Mein |publisher=Naeemia Book Depot |year=2019 |edition=1st |location=Deoband |page=122 |language=ur |trans-title=Deoband in the mirror of history and civilization}}
In 2001, he established the first residential educational institution for girls in Deoband, named Ma'had Ayesha As-Sadiqah, in an effort to address the deterioration of Muslim society, especially among women, under the guise of women's freedom. He appointed his wife, herself an Islamic scholar, as the manager of internal affairs.{{Sfn|Asim|2019|pp=342–345}}
He served as the Uttar Pradesh President of the All India Tanzeem-e-Ulama-e-Hind{{Cite news |date=3 February 2018 |title=Deoband slams Kerala woman imam |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/deoband-ulemas-join-muslim-clerics-of-kerala-in-criticising-woman-cleric-for-leading-friday-prayers/articleshow/62761271.cms |access-date=18 April 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite web |last=Srivastava |first=Piyush |date=2 December 2017 |title=Deoband for film ban |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/deoband-for-film-ban/cid/1328436 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426115334/https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/deoband-for-film-ban/cid/1328436 |archive-date=26 April 2024 |access-date=26 April 2024 |website=The Telegraph (India)}}{{Cite news |date=14 February 2018 |title=Deoband ulemas reject Shia scholar's suggestion of building a college on disputed Ayodhya site |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/deoband-ulemas-reject-shia-scholars-suggestion-of-building-a-college-on-disputed-ayodhya-site/articleshow/62906531.cms |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} and was a General Member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board,{{Cite web |url=https://aimplb.org/general-members-2/ |title=General members of AIMPLB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418005125/https://aimplb.org/general-members-2/ |archive-date=18 April 2024 |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=aimplb.org}} among other posts.
In the short film Mister Come Tomorrow, the concept of halala is portrayed with common misconceptions, showing that a woman is asked to sleep with another man besides her husband. Nadeem al-Wajidi criticized this portrayal, stating that the true meaning of halala has been misunderstood. He clarified that halala is actually intended to assist a divorced woman, giving her the right to remarry any man, not necessarily her former husband.{{Cite web |date=24 January 2018 |title=यूपीः देवबंद ने मियां कल आना फिल्म को बताया गैर इस्लामिक |trans-title=UP: Deoband Declares 'Miyan Kal Aana' Film as Un-Islamic |url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/saharanpur/deoband-clerics-slam-nawaz-film-miyan-kal-aana-that-touches-upon-islamic-halala-law/articleshow/62633446.cms |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Navbharat Times |language=hi}}
Literary works
Nadeem al-Wajidi started writing essays during his student days,{{Sfn|Hasan|2013|p=258}} and he was encouraged in his writing by the fortnightly Urdu magazine Makarz of Deoband. He also served as the editor of the wall magazine Shu'oor during his student life.{{Sfn|Usmani|2015|p=15}} From that time until 2013, about 400 of his articles had been published in reputable newspapers and magazines in the country and abroad, and thirteen collections of his articles had been published by 2013. His articles were often published in the magazines Darul Uloom, Naya Daur Lucknow, Aaj Kal, Rashtriya Sahara, Daily Sahafat, Sada-e-Dawat, etc.{{Sfn|Hasan|2013|p=258}} He was one of the prominent Indian literati in Arabic.{{cite book |last1=al-Qasimi |first1=Haqqani |title=Darul Uloom Deoband: Adabi Shanakhtnama |trans-title=Darul Uloom Deoband: A Literary Identity |volume=1 |publisher=All India Tanzeem-e-Ulama-e-Haq |location=Jamia Nagar, New Delhi |page=39 |edition=May 2006 |language=ur}} He was a renowned researcher with a pen-and-style personality.{{Cite web |last=Choudhary |first=Samir |date=1 January 2021 |title=Formal release of four new books by Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajdi, a prominent religious scholar |url=https://asrehazir.com/dbdnews-253/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422144202/https://asrehazir.com/dbdnews-253/ |archive-date=22 April 2024 |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=Asre Hazir}}{{cite book |last1=Qaiser |first1=Naseem Akhtar |title=Apne laug |publisher=Azhar Academy, Shah Manzil |location=Mohalla Khanaqah, Deoband |pages=110–113 |edition=January 2012 |language=ur}}
In 2000, he had published a monthly magazine called Tarjuman-e-Deoband, which continued to be published and remained popular and well known among scholars in the country and abroad, along with the writings of prestigious writers from both within the country and abroad.{{Sfn|Asim|2019|pp=154–155}}{{Sfn|al-Wajidi|2017|p=68}}{{Sfn|Hasan|2013|pp=144, 259}}
Nadeem al-Wajidi authored nearly fifty books, including:{{Sfn|Hasan|2013|pp=260–261}}{{Sfn|Abbasi|2020|p=226}}{{cite book |author1= |title=Book gide |publisher=Darul Kitab |location=Deoband |pages=154–155 |edition=November 2021 |language=ur |chapter=The works of Maulana Nadeem al-Wajdi}}{{Cite book |last=Qasmi |first=Muhammadullah Khalili |author-link=Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi |url=https://archive.org/details/darul-uloom-deob-ki-jamey-wa-mukhtasar-tareekh-edition-2 |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh |date=October 2020 |publisher=Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy |edition=2nd |location=India |pages=404–405 |language=ur |oclc=1345466013}}
- Ihyaul Uloom (Urdu translation of Al-Ghazali's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn in four volumes{{Cite book |last=Siddiqui |first=Abdur Rashid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2hjCwAAQBAJ&dq=Nadim+al+wajidi&pg=PA278 |title=Qur'anic Keywords: A Reference Guide |date=10 December 2015 |publisher=Kube Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-0-86037-676-7 |pages=278 |language=en}})
- Al-Qamoos al-Maudoo'ī (a trilingual dictionary in Arabic, English, and Urdu)
- Jam'-ul-Khasāil (an Urdu commentary on Al-Tirmidhi's Shama'il)
- Islam; Haqāiq aur Ghalat-fehmiyān (Islam; Facts and Misconceptions)
- Insāni Masāil; Islami Tanāzur Mein (human problems in the Islamic context)
- Teen Talāq Awām Ki Adālat Mein (Triple Talaq in the Court of Public Opinion)
- Musalmānon-Ki Milli aur Siyāsi Zindagi (Social and Political Life of Muslims)
- Naye Zehen Ke Shubhāt aur Islam Ka Mauqif (Doubts of the Modern Mind and Islam's Perspective)
- Humāre Madāris: Mizāj aur Minhāj (Our Islamic seminaries: Mood and Mindfulness)
- Ramadan Kaise Guzārein (How to Spend Ramadan? in Urdu and Hindi)
- Ramadan; Naikiyon Ka Mausam-e-Bahār (Ramadan is the spring of goodness)
- Qiyāmat Ki Nishāniyan aur Maulana Wahīduddīn Khān Ke Nazriyyāt (Doomsday signs and theories of Wahiduddin Khan)
Death
Nadeem al-Wajidi died in Chicago, United States, on 14 October 2024, at the age of 70.{{Cite web |last=Ludhianavi |first=Muhammad Arif Qasmi |date=14 October 2024 |title=حضرت مولانا ندیم الواجدی صاحب جوارِ رحمت میں |trans-title=Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi passed away |url=https://qindeelonline.com/maulana-nadimulwajidi-jiware-rahmat-mein/ |access-date=14 October 2024 |website=Qindeel Online |language=ur}}{{Cite web |last=Choudhary |first=Sameer |date=15 October 2024 |title=معروف عالم دین اور مصنف مولانا ندیم الواجدی کا انتقال، علمی حلقہ سوگوار |trans-title=The renowned Islamic scholar and author Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajdi has passed away, leaving the academic community in mourning. |url=https://urdu.millattimes.com/archives/92765 |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Millat Times |language=ur}}{{Cite web |date=15 October 2024 |title=معروف عالم دین مولانا ندیم الواجدی کا انتقال |trans-title=Renowned religious scholar Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi passed away |url=https://www.baseeratonline.com/archives/218140 |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Baseerat Online |language=ur}}{{Cite web |date=15 October 2024 |title=देवबंद: इस्लामिक जगत के बड़े नाम मौलाना नदीम-उल-वाजदी का इंतकाल, अमेरिका में आया हार्ट अटैक|trans-title =Deoband: Maulana Nadeem-ul-Wajidi, a prominent figure in the Islamic world, passed away after suffering a heart attack in the United States|url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/saharanpur/deoband-maulana-nadeem-ul-wajdi-a-big-name-of-the-islamic-world-passes-away-heart-attack-in-america-2024-10-15 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Amar Ujala |language=hi}} The following day, his funeral prayer was held in the same city, and he was buried there.{{Cite web |last=Qasmi |first=Shahnawaz Badar |date=16 October 2024 |title=نامور عالم، ممتاز مصنف: مولانا ندیم الواجدی |trans-title=Eminent Scholar, Prominent Author: Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi |url=https://urdu.millattimes.com/archives/92789 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Millat Times |language=ur}}{{Cite news |date=16 October 2024 |title=مشہورعالم ِدین مولانا ندیم الواجدی کا انتقال |trans-title=Maulana Nadeem al-Wajidi, a famous religious scholar, passed away |url=https://www.inquilab.com/news/articles/maulana-nadeem-al-wajidi-a-famous-religious-scholar-passed-away-66977 |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Inquilab |language=ur}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadeem Wajidi}}
Category:21st-century Urdu-language writers
Category:Darul Uloom Deoband alumni
Category:Indian magazine editors
Category:People from Saharanpur district
Category:Urdu-language essayists