Allamah Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali, widely known as Fultali Saheb was associated with a dozen of socio-religious organisations in Bangladesh and abroad. He was an exceptional Sufi-saint who very often used to quote Sheikh Sadi (R.) saying: Sufism is nothing but a service to the creature. Throughout his life span, Allamah Fultali left no stone unturned to offer services to the greater humanity. His realm of services ranges from spiritual activities, educational upliftment, food security, gender issues to environmental concerns as well. He was all set to wipe out tears from the weeping eyes. No doubt his life will inspire many people from time to time. Fultali Saheb was associated with the following socio-religious organisations.
(1) Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust, Bangladesh
(2) Bangladesh Anjumane Al-Islah
(3) Bangladesh Anjumane Talamije Islamia
(4) Anjumane Al-Islah, UK
(5) Anjumane Al-Islah, USA
(6) Anjumane Madarese Arabia
(7) Darul Hadis Latifia (Secondary School and College and Higher Islamic Studies)
(8) Darul Qirat Majidiah, UK
(9) Latifiah Qari Society, Bangladesh
(10) Latifiah Qari Society, UK
(11) Latifiah Orphanage, Fultalai Saheb Bari, Zakigonj, Sylhet, Bangladesh
(12) Latifiah Ulama Society, UK
(13) Al-Islah Youth Forum, UK
(14) Parwana Publications, Dhaka
(15) Free dispensary at Fultali
(16) Fultali Foundation
(17) Al Quran Memorising Centre, Fultali
(18) Fultali Islamic kindergarten
(19) Fultali Islamic pre cadet Academy
(20) Latifiah Darul Mutala’a (Library), Fultali
Here under I will deal with Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust, the organisation Allamah Fultali had founded and was associated with.
Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust
Origin and Development of the Institution of Darul Qirat
It was the time, when Allamah Abdul Latif Chowdhury aka Fultali (R.) was teaching at Badarpur Alia Madrasah after returning from Rampur (U.P., India). His spiritual Master Mawlana Abu Yusuf Shah Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri, known as Hatim Ali Saheb (R.) used to insist Mawlana Fultali to learn the perfect recitation of the holy Quran. It was a habit of Hatim Ali Saheb that whenever any Islamic scholar visited him, he would ask the visitor to recite a few verses from the holy Quran. If there was any mistake in the recitation, he asked the visitor to rectify it. Because, if Qirat is not pure, our prayer which is the basis of all ‘Ibadat’ (worship) is in jeopardy. Mawlana Badarpuri (R.) would urge his disciples and followers to rectify their Qirat. He used to insist Fultali Saheb as well. As Fultali Saheb recalls in the very introduction of his book ‘Al-Qaulus Sadid’.
“After completing Madrasah education, I had an assumption that my Qirat is pure and perfect. So, I used to lead prayers in big gatherings and act as an examiner for Qirat and other subjects in Madrasahs. But Hadrat Badarpuri (R.) used to point out my mistakes in Qirat sometimes and said that —- “you must rectify your Qirat; otherwise your prayer will go in vain which is the basis of other worship”. Being advised by his guide and mentor, Allamah Fultali first approached to Mawlana Abdul Rauf Karampuri (R.) and later attended the service of Ahmad Hejazi Makki (R.) and achieved proficiency in ilm-e-Qirat.
Inauguration of Darul Qirat
Allamah Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali (R.) returned to Badarpur Alia Madrasah being certified in Ilm-e-Qirat, the science of correct recitation of the holy Quran, by Ahmad Hejazi (R.) and resumed his teaching. One day, when Fultali Saheb was teaching in a class, Mawlana Abdun Noor Gorkhapni (R.), a renowned Islamic scholar and Sufi of his time, paid a visit to him. Fultali Saheb greeted him and asked him to have a seat beside him and resumed teaching. After finishing the class, Fultali Saheb asked the latter to tell the reason behind his visit. Abdun Noor Saheb (R.) requested Fultali (R.) to teach him the recitation of holy Quran. But Fultali Saheb (R.) apologised saying that he could hardly take out any time to teach the holy Quran as he had to do his home work preparing for lectures to be delivered in the classes. Having heard this reply Abdur Noor Saheb left for that day. On the very next day, he again came to Fultali Saheb and requested him to teach the holy Quran. This time Abdun Noor Saheb told that, he had seen a dream wherein Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam instructed him to learn the perfect recitation of the holy Quran from Fultali. Having heard this, Fultali Saheb sponteniously agreed to teach Ilm-e-Qirat once in a week. Accordingly, Allamah Abdul Latif Chowdhury aka Fultali (R.) started teaching the holy Quran on every Thursday in the Masjid, adjacent to the Shrine of Hadrat Adam Khaki (R.) in Badarpur, Assam. Imams of various masajid, madrasahs, students as well as common people started gathering over there. Fultali Saheb used to teach there. This is how the teaching of the correct recitation of the holy Quran had been started in 1946.
During the communal riots of 1950, Allamah Fultali left for his home in Zakiganj, Sylhet. He started teaching the holy Quran in his own home. First, Fultali Saheb used to teach the assembled students in the month of Ramadan in his own house and used to feed them preparing meals in his home. When the number of students went up, he arranged for a makeshift boarding in his new house and served foods and accomodations to the students. When number of students went up drastically and it was difficult to manage them, Allamah Fultali constituted a trust called ‘Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust’ after his father Mawlana Abdul Majid Saheb (R.). This trust, a seven member body was formed under the chairmanship of Allamah Abdul Latif Fultali (R.). Head office of the trust is located at Fultali and is operating it’s activities in Bangladesh and abroad. Mawlana Imad Uddin Chowdhury has been serving as the Secretary General of the trust. Gradually, this trust spread its branches not only in Bangladesh but also in India, Pakistan, Kuwait, the UK and the USA as well. As per the sources, in 1992, there were 250 sub-centres; it rose to 643 in 1999, excluding the sub-centres of Pakistan, the UK, the USA and Kuwait. In 2001, there were 735 sub-centres under the trust. Now, more than 1500 sub-centres spread across the world are imparting the perfect recitation of the holy Quran. This institute of Darul Qirat runs almost like a University. The sub-centres get affiliation from the main centre after meeting the required conditions. Management of a branch is entrusted to the organiser (who is called ‘Nazim’ of the centre) who discharges his duty in consultation with the head Qari. There is an elected student body with the head Qari as an ex-officio chairman to assist in the management of the branch.
This institution of Darul Qirat has a prescribed course curriculum for 7 years i.e. 7 Ramadan months. Classes are as follows;
(1) Jamat-e-Sura.
(2) Jamat-e-Awal. (Class I)
(3) Jamat-e-Thani. (Class II)
(4) Jamat-e-Thalis. (Class III)
(5) Jamat-e-Rabi’. (Class IV)
(6) Jamat-e-Khamis. (Class V)
(7) Jamat-e-Sadis. (Class VI)
After qualifying the 7th class i.e. Sadis, a student is recognised as a Qari. Mention may be made here that, the class and the final examination of the 7th class are held at the main centre of Darul Qirat at Fultali Saheb Bari Zakigonj, Bangladesh. Other sub-centres only impart education up to the 6th class. After qualifying the 7th class, a student becomes eligible to serve as a teacher in any centre of Darul Qirat.
This institution of Darul Qirat is a unique and innovative one in the realm of the learning of the tilawat of the holy Quran. This is some sort of a ‘Refresher Course’ in every month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is the month of the revelation of the holy Quran. The holy Quran started revealing to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the month of Ramadan. Even angel Gibrael used to repeat the already revealed portions of the holy Quran to the prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the month of Ramadan. It is a coincidence that, training for the perfect recitation of the holy Quran is imparted in the very month of the revelation of the holy Quran. This institution of Darul Qirat is not only meant for the children but the aged people also take the opportunity to rectify their mistakes in recitation of the holy Quran. Moreover, there is a separate ‘hour’ in the daily routine of the Darul Qirat Called ‘Akhlaqi Tarbiat’ i.e. moral teaching class. In this hour, lectures are delivered on a particular topic on daily basis. This helps the students as well as the Muslim masses to build up an understanding of the basics of the religion of Islam.
Institution of Darul Qirat is an example of discipline and punctuality. I myself spent 5 Ramadans of my life in the much disciplined routine of Darul Qirat. It starts at 9 O’clock in the morning and continues upto 4 O’clock in the evening. Where there are boarding facilities provided to the students, classes are also held at night as well. Admission process of the institution starts in every centre from 1st Ramadan to 3rd Ramadan generally. Examinations are held after 20th Ramadan and results are published on 27th Ramadan. It would be nice to mention over here that the central authority sends inspectors to the sub-centres to monitor their activities, whether they are adhering to the prescribed rules and regulations of the trust or not. In our time, when the system of inspection is getting eroded, it is a good symptom that Darul Qirat is strictly adhering to it.
Contribution of Darul Qirat towards raising the standard of basic Islamic education
Islamic civilisation is a mosque-centric one. During the early days of Islam and that too before the migration to Madina, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to teach the lessons of Islam to his companions at the home of Arqam (RA.).This Dare- Arqam or the home of Arqam is the first Madrasah of Islam. When prophet Muhammad (SAW) migrated to Madina, he established a mosque called ‘Masjid-e-Nabawi’. There was a portico called ‘suffa’ in that mosque. Companions of the Prophet (SAW) in general and Muhajirin or migrants in particular used to live in that portico. They were called “Ashab-e-Suffa” or the inhabitants of the portico. They were the migrants, have not people. During the daytime, they used to do hard labour for their livelihood and during night they used to assemble around the Prophet (SAW) and listen to his sayings.
History says that, wherever Muslims went, they first established a mosque over there. Centering the mosque, they started a small revolution in the socio-religious welfare activities. Mosque is the centre of Islamic basic education.
In Assam and Bangladesh and the areas inhabited by Bengali Muslims, a mosque centric system of Islamic primary education at morning called ‘Sabah-e-Maktab’ is going on down the ages. This system of ‘Sabah-e-Maktab’ imparts the essential teachings of Islam to the children, which are part and parcel of the daily life of a Muslim. But sometimes, many a students do not get proper training at childhood for various reasons. To compensate that deficiency in basic Islamic education Darul Qirat plays a crucial role. Experience says that in just one month of rigorous training, students learn what they may not learn in 1 year in the traditional system. Moreover, this institution of Darul Qirat acts like a refresher course during the month of Ramadan. People (even aged ones as well) get the opportunity to revise and rectify their mistakes. Proper management and strict adherence to routine distinguishes the institution of Darul Qirat from other institutions.
Let me now present a picture of the network of ‘Darul Qirat’ in Bangladesh. Datas of the affiliated branches have been collected from the head office of ‘Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust’ and been furnished districtwise.
Our survey shows that in these branches of ‘Darul Qirat Majidia Fultali Trust’ students enrolment ranges from 100 to 500 excluding the main centre which trains more than two thouasand students in every month of Ramadan. If we take for example at least 100 students per centre then around 1500 branches of Darul Qirat train nearly 1.5 lakh students and inculcate basic Islamic values in them every year, which is one of the biggest organised efforts to impart the Quranic teaching in every Ramadan in South East Asia.
[The writer is a Junior Research Fellow, Centre of Arabic and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi 67]
