By Pervez Bari

JAIPUR – Maulana Obaid-ur-Rahman, son of Niyaz Ahmad, of Mumbai was cynosure of all eyes as he notched up top First position in the examination of one year Online Ifta Course conducted by the Department of Ifta in the Jamea Tul Hidaya (University of Hidaya), Jaipur. Besides Certificate he was presented Rs. 50,000/- as prize money along with a bagful of books to increase and widen his Islamic knowledge further.

While, in the Graduation ceremony held here on Sunday in the campus of Jamea Tul Hidaya, Maulana Mohammad Salim son of Mohammad Aalam of Haridwar bagged second position was handed over Rs.30, 000/- as prize money along with Certificate and bundle of books. Maulana Sheikh Abbas Husain of Calcutta was placed Third and received Rs.20, 000/- along with Certificate and books.

In all 56 students who were graduates from various madaris from all over the country and even from abroad appeared in the examination and all were successful.

Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi, Rector of Jamea Tul Hidaya and Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, presided over the Graduation ceremony. Canada-based India’s leading Islamic scholar Maulana Dr. Iqbal Masood Nadvi, who hails from Bhopal was the chief guest on the occasion. While, Maulana Mufti Atiq Ahmad Bastavi, Professor of Hadith and Jurisprudence, Nadwat Ulema, Lucknow, and Maulana Mufti Mohammad Zakir Nomani Kashifi, Mufti-e-Shahar Jaipur and a teaching faculty of Jamea Tul Hidaya were Guests of Honour of the function.

In his keynote address Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi said that modern and vocational education should be taken up into consideration in Madaris all over the country. He pointed out that Jamea Tul Hidaya has been emphasizing on modern and vocational education since its inception and that is why computer course was started here at a time when computer courses were not started in many universities of the country.

He announced that a fund of Rs. 15 lakh has been earmarked for providing scholarships to the graduates of the Jamea Tul Hidaya from this year who want to pursue modern education and take up careers such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and join civil services etc. This scholarship amount will be enhanced to Rupees One crore in due course of time. He said that when these students would step into the arena of action a revolution would take place in the society.

Highlighting the mission of Jamea Tul Hidayah, Maulana Mujaddidi said that that Jamea Tul Hidaya is a revolutionary step in the field of Islamic education taken by a well known Islamic scholar as well as a great priest Hazrat Maulana Mohammed Abdur Rahim Mujaddidi, who was his father. This great idea was introduced by Hazrat Maulana Mohammed Hidayat Ali Mujaddidi (a great priest of his era) 75 years ago, and Hazrat Maulana Mohammed Abdur Rahim Mujaddidi gave it a practical shape. Maulana Shah Abdul Rahim Mujaddidi wanted a revolutionary and fundamental change in the syllabus of madrassas and Jamea Tul Hidayah is part of that mission and its curriculum. Along with religious sciences, modern sciences like Science, Arithmetic, and Geography etc. were given space. He said that the foundation stone of the university was laid on October 17, 1976 and the inauguration took place on December 8 & 9, 1985 at the hands of the renowned Islamic scholar late Maulana Abul Hassan Ali Nadvi.

Maulana Mufti Atiq also urged Muslims to unite in their ranks and face the onslaught of hate campaign, which has been unleashed against them in the country, spiritedly without taking law into their hands.

At the outset Maulana Habib-ur-Rahim Nadvi recited verses from the Holy Quran also shed light on the life of Maulana Shah Mohammad Hidayat Ali Naqshbandi. Later, Maulana Mohammad Kafeel Ahmad Raheemi Nadvi rendered a “Na’at”. While poet Inam-ul-Huq ‘Sharar’ of Jaipur recited his Nazm dedicated to Jamea Tul Hidayah which he had first rendered at the time of its foundation laying ceremony on 17^th October, 1976.

Maulana Habib-ur-Rahim Nadvi along with Maulana Mohammad Abrar Khan Nadvi compeered the function with aplomb in Arabic and Urdu respectively. A group of students led by Mohammad Kazim Raheemi also rendered Tararna-e-Jamea Tul Hidaya on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Maulana Mohammad Shamshad Nadvi, Qazi Dar-ul-Qaza All India Muslim personal Law Board, Jamea Tul Hidayah, Jaipur and also faculty of Jamea and another faculty member of Jamea Maulana Mukarram Mirza Husain Qasmi with their team put in untiring efforts to make the programme a great success. A good number of elite from the town of Jaipur participated in the function.