By Noorain Ansari
An erudite scholar, Maulana Mustafa Hussain Ansari would always stress the importance of rational thought in removing cobwebs of ignorance and modernising Muslim society.
Born on March 21, 1945 in Srinagar, Maulana Mustafa Hussain Ansari went on to become one of the top religious scholars of Kashmir. One of the best orators, his religious insights helped many to understand the complexities of religion better. Unlike many of his contemporaries who rely heavily on arousing sentiments, Maulana Mustafa always made it a point to talk logic.
During sixty three years of his eventful life Maulana waged an unrelenting battle with the verbal and written word, which the history will record in golden letters, to dispel doubts from the minds of believers and to create a pious society. Known for his forceful and penetrating discourse, Maulana Mustafa has scores of specialist treatises to his credit, including the first ever Kashmiri commentary of the Holy Quran, and biographical works on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Imam Hussain (AS). Maulana was always logical. He was a preacher, who never believed in playing with the sentiments of the Muslim ummah.
Having dedicated his life to scholarly pursuits, the Maulana was a highly sought-after figure in society at home and outside the country, and was often called in to defuse grave crises involving confrontations arising between sects due to misunderstandings.
By tackling “unthinkable” domains such as the problems associated with the rise of ‘establishment clergy’ within Muslim community of Kashmir, Maulana embarked on topics that have preoccupied Muslims for most of the past 1,400 years.
Maulana has about forty scholarly works to his credit, among them a commentary on the Holy Qur’an, both in Urdu (Minhaaj-ul-Qur’an) and in Kashmiri (Misbah-ul-Qur’an) the latter being unpublished except for the first two chapters titled Kashaf-ul-Aneeq-fe-Sharh-e-Qanoon-al-Ameeq. The first-ever Kashmiri translation and commentary of the Nahj-ul-Balagha is another of his noted achievements. The Maulana has also penned down the biography of the Blessed Prophet, Pbuh, (Aftab-e-Nabuwat, his first work after his return from Iraq, and the life of Hazrat Imam Hussain, AS, (Qateel-e-Nainava) which was published after he passed away.
Maulana Mustafa was also a remarkable novelist and debuted three highly successful historical novels (Inteqaam, Qabeelah, and Saazish) based on events in the tumultuous course of Islam. Some of his well-known write ups include Aakhri Tabassum, Mujrim, Al Meezaan, Khayaban, Islam Mein Haq-e-Talaq, Ameed-e-Madni Bajawab Kaleed Ludni, Mere Jigar Ka Lahu, Noor-se-Naar Tak and so on.
His final work, Rakht-e-Safar, which he wrote two years before he passed away, deals with a human-being’s final journey. As if to indicate that his time was near, the Maulana had concluded his long tryst with the world of thought and letters with a treatise on the hereafter.
Throughout his lifetime, he was busy in shaping up the future of the modern youth and he never failed in his endeavours. The religious and tireless efforts in working for unity among the Muslims and addressing misunderstandings between various sects will always be remembered.
His forceful expression, better understanding of Islam, history and his logical approach were his main assets. He was a preacher belonging to a particular community but was not communal in approach and conduct. He was deeply entrenched in Qur’an and Sunnah and was well aware of the basics of Islam. His speeches were very impressive and interesting no matter which topic he was talking on.
The tireless, dynamic and knowledgeable Maulana will always be remembered with moist eyes throughout our lives.
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