KARACHI: Dr Maulana Abdul Razzaq Iskander, a prominent religious scholar and long-time head (chancellor) of the famous seminary of Karachi, Jamiatul Ulumul Islamiyah, Binnori Town, near Gurumandir, passed away on Wednesday after protracted illness, his followers and family members said. He was 86.
They said that the senior hadith professor was on wheelchair since last one and a half years.
He lately suffered from breathing problems and was admitted to the Indus Hospital where he was on a ventilator for the last one week, but could not survive. He is survived by two sons.
His funeral was held on Wednesday night in Jamia Binnori Town after which he was buried on the same premises near the grave of the founder of the seminary, Maulana Yusuf Binnori.
A spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Sami Swati said that the late scholar was born in Kakul, Abbottabad in 1935. In 1997, he became chancellor of the Jamia Binnori after assassination of Dr Habibullah Mukhtar and remained at the same post till his death.
He was directly and indirectly a teacher of hundreds of thousands of students and scholars, said Maulana Swati.
“He also took part in every movement including the PNA,” he said. “He was also the chief of Aalmi Majlis Tahafuz Khatm-i-Nabuwwat and central president of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan. He was also an author and wrote 18 books on different subjects, says Mr Sami.
After hearing the sad news of his death, hundreds of people gathered at the seminary.
Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2021
