21st century has witnessed a number of global issues and events that have led to global tensions on the rise, especially in the arena of Muslim World interaction with
the West. These phenomena have acted to obscure the true teaching of Islam. The need for a well designed curriculum which guides young minds of the Ummah has risen.
There is also a greater need for qualified individuals to provide both correct information and positive guidance. Dr. Abidullah Ghazi was one such individual. It is
with great excitement, but with no less surprise, that his name along with his wife Dr. Tasneema Ghazi has been included in the list of “The 500 Most Influential
Muslims” of the world by the “Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in 2020”. This is a fitting recognition for this one of a kind man, given that in him are blended
the moderation of his traditional Islamic upbringing (which has equipped him with the knowledge of Islamic Studies), an inherent appreciation of the humanistic
heritage of the West (which was gained from his Harvard years and teaching in various Indian, Middle Eastern, American and European institutions of higher learning) as
well as an extensive initiatives and involvements in interfaith dialogue. His teacher, Professor Habib at Aligarh wrote in 1959 about him, “Abidullah Ghazi is the very
best of the students that this University has produced, both from the perspective of academics and social service.” Prominent Indian educator Syed Hamid, Chancellor of
Hamdard University of Delhi called him “A Man of Millennium”.
Dr. Abidullah Ansari Ghazi hails from a family long established in Islamic educational endeavors and freedom struggle. His distant ancestor was none other than Abu
Ayyub al-Ansari, the host of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Khwajah Abdullah Ansari (1006-1088), scholar and Sufi teacher of Herat Afghanistan (also known as
Pir-i-Heart) was another of his versatile ancestors. He was famous mystic theologian, interpreter of the Qur’an and perhaps the best Persian as well as Arabic poetry
and prose writer ever. In more recent times his great grandfather, Mawlana Muhammad Qasim Nanawtawi (1832-1880), who first participated in India’s first war of
independence in 1857, later was instrumental in establishing one of the most prestigious Islamic Seminaries (Madaris) of the Muslim World, the Dar ul-Uloom (1867), the
mother of all Madaris in the Northern Indian town of Deoband.
Dr. Abidullah Ansari Ghazi a prominent writer, speaker, educationist, poet community activist and specialist in comparative religion was born on July 6th, 1936 in
Saharunpur (Peerzadgan) in U.P. His early education was in Deoband. There he learned Persian, elementary Arabic and the basics of Islamic theology and jurisprudence.
However, his path was not destined to be that of a traditional Aalim. Through his grandfather’s advice, (whose vast travels exposed him to new ideas) Abidullah was
taken from the madrasah system and sent into the world of modern academia. Dr. Abidullah completed his MA in Political Science from world renowned Aligarh Muslim
University (formerly Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College), Aligarh, in 1959. While there he displayed great intellectual aptitude and achieved several exceptional
distinctions as a student. He was elected secretary of the student union in 1954, president of the student union in 1959 and finally was unanimously elected as
chairman of the National Council of University Students of India in 1959. As a student leader he had an opportunity to interact with the national leadership of India.
He was an advisor and worked with such luminous figures as Jawaharlal Nehru (1947-64), Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad(1947-1958), Dr. Rajinder Prashad (1950-1962), Dr. Zakir
Husain (1967-1969), and Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani. He was the favorite student of Dr. Zakir Husain Khan (Vice Chancellor of AMU) and President of India, a foremost
educator and founder of Jamia Millia Islamia at New Delhi. Following his favorite teacher, Dr. Ghazi abandoned his political ambitions and decided to work for the
promotion of education in general and Islamic education in particular. He was committed to interfaith dialogue and promotion of better inter-religious understanding
and many others. Abidullah Ghazi was well known throughout student-circles in India for his constructive and positive ideas and he made his name as an educator,
orator, writer, poet and community worker. In the year of 1953, he secured all the first prizes University’s for debates, many national awards and was nominated to
receive University’s prestigious Saifi Fida Husain Gold Medal for Best Speaker of the year. While most people expected a bright political career in waiting for him, he
chose academic life and declined many opportunities of political careers open to him in India, Pakistan and USA. He taught at Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution
founded by Mahatama Gandhi and Shaykh ul-Hind in 1919, and famous Delhi College, one of the first educational institutions established to provide both religious and
modern education. He completed his Master’s in Middle East Studies in 1966 from London School of Economics. He eventually obtained his PhD from Harvard University in
Comparative Religions in 1975.
Dr. Abidullah Ghazi believed in the concept that “Teaching should be Centered Around the Child, His Needs and Temperament.” He has taught and lectured in India, UK,
USA and the Middle East. In addition he has taught at several universities and colleges in the United States, namely San Diego State, the University of Minnesota,
Northwestern University, and Governor’s State University. He has also taught at the King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. He has been an educational consultant
to several universities and educational institutions. Dr. Ghazi has helped various educational institutions to develop programs of Islamic Studies and special courses
in Islamic and South Asian Studies and is a founding member of East-West University (Established 1983) and the American Islamic College (1985). He along with his wife
Dr. Tasneema Ghazi are educators without borders and have provided educational consultation in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippine, South
Africa, Saudi Arabia and scores of other countries. (To Be Continued)

Email:--showket.ahmad@aarifeen.com