KARACHI: Prominent Islamic scholar and president of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia, Maulana Abdur Razzaq Iskander, passed away on Wednesday in Karachi.
He was 86 years old and had been under treatment at a hospital for a long time. The scholar’s body was sent to the Binori Town Mosque, where his funeral prayers were held later in the evening.
Maulana Iskander was considered among one of the most influential scholars of the country, having authored several books in both Arabic and Urdu. He was the chancellor of renowned seminary Jamia Binoria Town located near Guru Mandir.
The religious scholar became the chancellor of Jamia Binoria in 1997 after the assassination of Dr Habibullah Mukhtar and remained in the same post till his death. He was also the president of Iqra Roza-tul-Atfal Trust and Amir of the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatam-e-Nabuwwat Pakistan.
Iskander was born in 1935 into a religious family in the village of Kakul, and completed his primary education and matriculation in his native village of Abbottabad. H He later joined the Darul Uloom Chauhar Sharif Madrasa in Haripur and then went on to study at Ahmad-ul-Madaris in Sikandarpur. In 1972, Maulana Iskander did a PhD from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
Maulana Iskander had been serving as the president of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia since 2017, and was also the chairman of its curriculum and examination committee. He spent his entire life teaching and in the propagation of Islam and was the author of 18 books on different subjects.
Mufti Nauman Naeem, the caretaker of Jamia Binoria Aalamiya, and other scholarly figures expressed their condolences over his demise, terming it a great loss and said the Muslim ummah has lost a mentor.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa also expressed heartfelt condolences on the sad demise. “May Allah bless his soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss, Ameen,” the chief of army staff was quoted by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, #COAS, expresses heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Maulana Dr Abdur Razzaq Isikandar, President Wifaq ul Madaris Al Arabia Pakistan. “May Allah bless his soul & give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss, Ameen”, COAS.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) June 30, 2021
