“Jama’at-ud-Da’wah is a multi-purpose movement that aims to spread the true teachings of Islam, and to establish a pure and peaceful society by building the character of individuals according to those teachings. It is necessary to improve not only the belief of an individual but also his or her deeds and actions, only then an individual can become a truly good citizen. The word “Islam” is derived from the word peace, therefore when an individual, society, government or state conforms itself to the teachings of Islam, they are automatically enriched with the blessing of peace and security.” Professor Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.
Family Background
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s ancestors hail from Kashmir while his father was
settled in Simla, India before migrating to Pakistan after the partition
of the sub Continent in 1947. It was during this thorny journey of
migration that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was born on route to an independent
Pakistan. This migration also resulted in numerous sacrifices on the
part of Hafiz Saeed’s family as various members of his family lost their
lives while migrating to Pakistan.
‘Saeed’ is his given name, while ‘Hafiz’ is a title bestowed upon him by
his teachers because he had memorized the whole Quran by the youthful
age of only twelve years. Hafiz Saeed comes from a family which has
produced eminent and noted Islamic scholars throughout the ages, and he
therefore received his early education from members of his own family
and relatives.
Hafiz Saeed’s whole family is well-known for their devotion towards
acquisition of knowledge. His father, Kamal-ud-Deen, was a scholar,
while his uncle and father-in-law, the late Prof. Hafiz Abdullah
Bahawalpuri, rahmatullah alaih (May Allah have mercy on him), was a
renowned and distinguished Islamic scholar and has a very famous and
respectable reputation among the masses and scholars alike. Hafiz
Saeed’s mother too, was a well educated lady and thousands of women used
to come and learn from her.
Similarly, Hafiz Saeed’s maternal grandfather, the late Maulana Noor
Muhammad, rahmatullah alaih, was also a prominent Islamic scholar and
several famous Islamic scholars of Pakistan were his students. All of
Hafiz Saeed’s cousins and brothers are well-known scholars in their own
right too and have been learning and teaching at various universities of
America and Pakistan. In short, his whole family comes from a
well-educated and scholastic background. Hafiz Saeed has two daughters
and a son. His daughter too, is a graduate, while his son is a professor
at a university, as well as studying further for PhD.
Academic Background
Hafiz Saeed’s education was not limited to Islamic courses
alone. He cleared his matriculation exams (Junior School) in 1966;
passed the FA (High School) exams in 1968, two years later; received his
bachelor’s degree from the University of Punjab, Lahore, in 1970, and
finally went on to receive his first Masters degree in 1972, and his
second Masters degree, also from the University of Punjab, in 1974.
Although Hafiz Saeed joined the University of Engineering and Technology
in Lahore as a teacher after completing his education at the University
of Punjab, his quest for knowledge was not satiated and he traveled to
Saudi Arabia for further education and completed a Specialization in
Arabic Language from the Jamia Malik Saud (King Saud University). He
stood first in the specialization exams and won a gold medal. While he
was there, he also enhanced his knowledge of Islam from various
well-known Saudi scholars and became the favorite pupil of the most
distinguished Islamic scholar of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abd-ul-Aziz
ibn-e-Baz, rahmatullah alaih. Another source of enhancing Islamic
knowledge for Hafiz Muhammad Saeed were the wealth of books in several
libraries of Saudi Arabia, where he was able to study a huge selection
of books on Islam while being employed there.
Teachers
Some famous Islamic scholars in whose company Hafiz Muhammad Saeed spent
considerable time, in Pakistan, as well as in Saudi Arabia, and was
able to learn and augment his knowledge from, include such distinguished
names as, Shaykh ibn-e-Baz, rahmatullah alaih; al-Shaykh Ataaullah
Hanif Bhojiani, rahmatullah alaih; Shaykh Badi’-ud-Deen Rashidi,
rahmatullah alaih; al-Shaykh Hafiz Abdullah Bahawalpuri, rahmatullah
alaih; Dr. Khalid Alvi, rahmatullah alaih; Dr. Ala-ud-Deen Siddiqui,
rahmatullah alaih; Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Dr. Zulfiqar
Ali Malik; Shaykh Muhammad Ali al-Kholi al-Masri, and Mudeer,
Mahad-al-Lugha, Jamia Malik Saud, Dr. Seeni. He especially benefitted
from the following scholars while in Saudi Arabia; al-Shaykh Muhammad
ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen; Shaykh Abd-ar-Razzaq al-Afifi, and the famous
scholar of Islam from India, Shaykh Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri,
rahmatullah alaihim. It is worth mentioning here that Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed received numerous character certificates praising his excellent
manners from all the above mentioned scholars and teachers during this
time.
Research Work
Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has undertaken several research and scholastic works, notable among which are;
• A thesis on Aijaz-ul-Quraan of Imam al-Baqlani rahmatullah alaih alaih;
• A thesis on biography of Abu Hurairah, radi’Allah’anhu, the
illustrious companion of the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
• An informative educational thesis on ‘Hudood’ in collaboration with
the Government of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology.
• Hafiz Saeed is also an author of books; Tafseer Surah Tawbah’ & Tafseer Surah Yousuf.
• Apart from these, Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has written thousands
of educational and reformative articles and discourses on various
religious, political, and scholastic subjects.
• Undertook extensive research work and wrote enormous papers on Islamic Jurisprudence, and Historiography;
• Wrote down x number of articles on education, and character-building;
• Wrote out articles, gave reviews and discourses on various religious, political, and academic subjects of thought.
Experience:
• Joined University of Engineering as lecturer and eventual
promotions elevated him to the rank of Professor and served the
University as chairman of the Department of Islamic Studies. He worked
for the University for more than 25 years.
• Apropos of the training of members of civil service and the
judiciary, served National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA),
Lahore, Pakistan, as Guest Speaker. Thus he trained many thousands of
Government officers and justices.
• Regular speaker at Radio Pakistan during the early ‘80s. He wrapped up Islamic perspective on diverse national issues;
• Visiting faculty at various colleges and universities, including;
Punjab University, Lahore; Karachi University, Karachi; Agricultural
University, Faisalabad, over and above other higher educational
institutions across Pakistan. His lectures covered such topics as
Islamic philosophy, Pakistan’s economic crises, social problems and
their corresponding remedies, Pakistan’s geo-political challenges, to
mention a few.
• As a prolific writer wrote columns on education and literacy. He
also contributed solicited articles for Pakistan’s print media.
Intellect:
• Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has always condemned any and all
incidents, whether within Pakistan, or internationally, in which
innocent people become victims of oppression and tyranny, regardless of
whether the oppressors are Muslims or non-Muslims. Hafiz Saeed has never
condoned such acts by Muslims. Moreover, Hafiz Saeed has always urged
and encouraged people, whether they are Pakistanis or foreigners,
Muslims, or non-Muslims, to develop tolerance for others. Hafiz Saeed
believes that everyone should have freedom of opinion within the bounds
of decency and no one must be beleaguered and beset for merely having a
difference of opinion.
• Hafiz Muhammad Saeed believes that anyone who is facing hardship,
regardless of whether that person is a Muslim, Jew, Christian, or Hindu,
must be helped without distinction. One must not be discriminated on
the basis of faith. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed believes that you must give to
the poor what you for yourself. While giving one should not regard
caste, creed, faith, ethnicity, or political affiliation of the taker.
• Out and out, the philosophy and outlook of Prof. Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed was verily demonstrated when Pakistan’s Sindh province was
inundated with floods. A large number of Hindu and Christian families
were poorly effected. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed immediately dispatched relief
aid for them followed by his personal visit to monitor efficient relief
operations.
• Right from his youth Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has maintained an
affinity with suffering humanity. He has always helped people, shared
their grief and sorrows, and alleviated their sufferings. During major
floods in the country in 1980s, before JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH was established,
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was there distributing medicines and bedding among
flood affected people.
• It was his emotional feelings for the suffering humanity that when
he became Ameer (President) of JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH, one of his first
endeavors was to establish a relief and welfare department to help the
unfortunate. Ever since JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH’s Idarah Khidmat-e-Khalq
(organization for social welfare) has been established, Hafiz Muhammad
Saeed has made all out efforts for making it one of the largest relief
and welfare organization of Pakistan. This has inspired many and has
thus won universal acclaim in its sweep.
• Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has always urged the people of Pakistan to push peace forward—at homes and in society at large.
• In his speeches and sermons, he has always urged the people to avoid sectarianism and inter-communal conflicts.
• He makes pious efforts for guiding the youth and preparing them of
their responsibilities for making Pakistan a peaceful place to live.
Through lectures, he preaches morality and virtuous character,
tolerance, justice, and social harmony.
• He believes that education and awareness are best tools for poverty alleviation.
• He is a vociferous advocate of sectarian harmony and a culture of
fraternal feelings. In view of his sentiments for social harmony, he was
included in the government’s Peace Committee (1980). Thus he asserted
his beliefs in creating an atmosphere of tolerance, cooperation, and
giving room to dissent.
Recognition, Achievement Awards:
• King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia bestowed Gold Medal on excellent academic performance;
• Received numerous character certificates praising his excellent
manners from globally recognized international scholars and teachers.
Former Member:
• Council of Islamic Ideology—Pakistan’s constitutional body that
advises the legislature and the government on body politic of Pakistan
in Islamic perspective. Enlightened and advised the Government of
Pakistan regarding conformity of various Pakistani laws with respect to
the concept of welfare state in Islam.
Conferences and Seminars:
• Participated in near enough all seminars and conferences in Pakistan on education, youth development, and society building;
Reading Culture:
• To promote reading culture, he was instrumental in setting up some libraries across Pakistan.
Philanthropy:
• As philanthropist, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed reaches out to the
unfortunate irrespective of his color, creed or faith. (When Pakistan’s
Sindh province was inundated with floods that beside Muslims also badly
hit the Christian and Hindu populations. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed not only
immediately dispatched relief aid for them in the form of beddings and
medicines, but also traveled to the affected areas to ensure efficient
relief operation).
• Upon holding the reins of JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH, one of his first
endeavors was to establish a relief and welfare department for the
social uplift of society. Thus, he used Idarah Khidmat-e-Khalq (the
welfare arm of JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH) as his prime tool to serve relief and
welfare objectives. This has received universal acclaim—locally and
globally.
Ambassador of Peace:
• He has always urged the youth of Pakistan to remain peaceful and keep off hate crimes.
• He is stubbornly committed to motivate youth for high moral character, tolerance and benevolence.
• He has whole-heartedly advocated for the promotion of education and poverty eradication.
• He was the member of the Peace Committees for many years. In this
role he was a vociferous advocate of, and played a major role in
promoting sectarian harmony. His major focus during this time was on
creating an atmosphere of tolerance, cooperation, and dissent
accommodation.
Vision of Education:
• The purpose and goals of the departments of Education and Social
Welfare of JAMA’T-UD-DA’WAH are the classic examples of his vision.
Visit to the United States:
• Owing to high respect and esteem that Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
cherished thanks to his commitment to education, healthcare and social
work, he was invited to the US in 1994 by various Islamic Centers. Most
lectures of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed centered on ‘Islamic Perspectives of
Raising Children.’ Thus, he spoke at the Islamic centers of Florida, New
York, and Houston.
Sojourn to the United Kingdom:
• Prof. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed visited the Great Britain in 1995.
During his tour he lectured on, ‘Kashmir: A Disputed Issue’ and,
‘Violations of United Nations Resolutions’ at various Islamic Centers in
London, Birmingham, Rochdale, and several other cities.
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