Sheikh Aboobacker Ahmad
Encyclopedia
Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar (Malayalam: കാന്തപുരം എ.പി. അബൂബക്കര്‍ മുസ്ലിയാര്‍, born Aboobacker Ahmed) is the leader of one of the traditionalist Sunni factions of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s in Kerala state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 called A. P. Sunni
A. P. Sunni
A. P. Sunni is one of the powerful and influential traditional Sunni factions of Muslims in Kerala, South India under the Karanthur Markaz. They belong to the Sunni-Shafi branch of Islam. It was named after the cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, general secretary of All-India Jamiyyathul...

s and is one of the most famous Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 personalities in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar is known for his professionalism, which was not known among the Muslim scholars of Kerala.

He is presently the General Secretary of All-India Jamiyyathul Ulama, the organisation Muslim scholars and clerics under A. P. Sunni
A. P. Sunni
A. P. Sunni is one of the powerful and influential traditional Sunni factions of Muslims in Kerala, South India under the Karanthur Markaz. They belong to the Sunni-Shafi branch of Islam. It was named after the cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, general secretary of All-India Jamiyyathul...

s and Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama (Kanthapuram). Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar is also the General Secretary and Principal of Karanthur Markaz
Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya
Jamia Markazu Ssaqafathi Ssunniyya is a Shafi'i Sunni Islamic school in Kerala, India under Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar, the supremo of the A. P. Sunnis. Operating since 1978, the foundation stone of it was laid by the Islamic scholar of Makkah sayed Muhammad-ibn Alavi-al-Maliki...

, a charitable and educational institution in Karanthur, Calicut, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. He was appointed as a member of the NAC for the implementation of the RTÉ act in 2010.

The split in Samastha and the rise of Kanthapuram

He came to prominence in late 1980s when he broke away from Samastha Kerala Jamiyatul Ulema, the 40-member supreme council of traditional Sunni scholars in Kerala, and formed a parallel organisation. A good organiser and pragmatist, Kanthapuram had disagreed with most of the Ulemas in the council on many issues including the support given to Indian Union Muslim League(IUML
Indian Union Muslim League
Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala...

). Then a staunch opponent of IUML, Kanthapuram called on his followers to vote against all IUML candidates, especially those who are not Sunnis, in the elections. He also criticized Samastha leaders’ soft corner for IUML and the alleged dilution of their Sunni spirit. His faction was called 'Arival Sunni' (sickle Sunni), named after the election symbol of the Communist Party because he asked his followers to vote for it in the elections to defeat IUML candidates.

Meanwhile, Kanthapuram was then accused of appropriating the money donated by a UAE citizen to set up a mosque in Areekkad, near Calicut. This and his brazen criticism of other eminent scholars such as EK Aboobaker Musliyar and Kanniyat Ahmed Musliyar, who were his own teachers as well, led to his isolation in Samastha.Later, he convned a conference of his loyalists defying Smastha leaders which resulted in his ouster from the organisation.

After he was sacked from the parent organisation, Kanthapuram formed a new Samasatha and became its secretary.

Name

Known in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 as Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar, the first part of the name 'Kanthapuram' comes from the name of his village, Kanthapuram situated in the Kozhikode District
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...

 of Kerala. The initials A. P., by which he is better known among the traditionalist Muslims of Kerala, stands for his family name 'Alangam Poyil'. Musaliyar is a usual suffix in Kerala attributed to a religious scholar in the Muslim community.

Biography

Born in Kanthapuram, a village in the Kozhikode District
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...

 of Kerala, on 22 March 1939, Kanthapuram hails from a mediocre peasant family, 'Alangam Poyil'. His father, Mouthariyil Ahmed Haji, was very pious and so was his mother, Kunheema Hajjumma, who was the daughter of Kuttoosa Molla, a teacher of Quran in the locality of Mangad, where reaches the family routes of his father too. He has two brothers and three sisters. His father died when he was twelve. Zainab is the wife and he has six children, namely, A.P. Abdul Hakeem Azhari, Maymoona, Hafsa, Sakeena, Rayhana, and Najma Firdousi. C. Muhammed Faizee, Abdul Bari Musliyar, Muhmmed Koya Saqafi and Obeidullah Saqafi are his inlaws.

He completed his elementary studies from A.M.L.P. School of Kanathapuram, where both Islamic and public instruction system coexisted. Later he completed his higher Elementary education.

Kanthapuram completed his course in Qur'an studies from Vennakkode Abdulla Musliyar, who was a scholar and qari'a, (one who recites Quran phonetically). He persuaded his studies in the Darses (the form of schools exist in mosques for religious and spiritual education) of Kanthapuram, Vavad, Kolikkal, Chaliyam and Thalakkadathur. He was awarded the degree of Moulavi Fadhil Baqavi from the renowned Islamic study centre of Madrasa Al-Baqiyathus Salihath
Madrasa Al-Baqiyathus Salihath
Madrasa Al-Baqiyathus Salihath is an Islamic religious seminary located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. The seminary propagates the Sunni Islam and was founded by Shaykh Shamsul Ulama Abdal Wahab Hazrat....

 , Vellore, in 1963. Sheikh Hassan Hazrath, Muhammed Abubakkar Hazrath, O.K. Zainudheen Kutty Musliyar, Puthoor Abdulla Musliyar, Kizhakoth Abdul Hameed Musliyar, Vavad Pocker Kutty Musliyar, Kuttikkattor Bichali Musliyar are some of his famous teachers in different institutions and disciplines.

Starting his career as a Mudarris, (Principal of Dars) at the Juma Masjid of Mangad (Elettil), in 1964, he served the same in Kolikkal Juma Masjid between 1970–76 and in Kanthapuram Juma Masjid during 1976 to 1981. In 1978, he among other prominent leaders, founded the Markazu-Ssaquafathi-Ssunniyyah or the Sunni Cultural Centre, at Karanthur, near Calicut. Since 1981 he is the chief instructor at the Markaz Shariath College.

Position

Since Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 reached Malabar as early as 7th century it had almost mixed with the culture and traditions of Keralites. So, ultimately the Islahi Movement in Kerala
Islahi Movement in Kerala
The renaissance of the ancient Sunni Muslim community in the Kerala state, South India mostly owes to the rise of Salafi ideas and scholars in the early 20th century, referred as Islahi movements of Kerala. Salafism is a puritanical and legalistic Islamic movement under the Sunni umbrella, and is...

, part of the guiding agency of the traditional faith the community, resulted in the division of Mappilas as "Sunnis(with out sunna)" (more deviated sect than the other) and "Salafis" in 1925.The Shia branch is almost absent amongst the Muslims of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

.

Now kanthapuram leads the Sunni faction in Kerala.He also has been a magnificent figure in international level.He now runs Jamia markazussaqafathissunniya,one of the most prominent Islamic universities in Asian continent.He is now the general secretary of All India jamiyyathul ulama.

Books And literary works

kanthapuram wrote about 100 books
In Arabic
  • Ismathul Anbiya (عصمة الأنبياء)
  • Assiyasathul Islamiyya (السياسة الإسلامية)
  • Al Vahdathul Islamiyya (الوحدة الإسلامية)
  • Al Ithibau wal Ibthidau (الاتباع والابتداع)
  • Riyadhu Thalibeen (رياض الطالبين)
  • Idharul Farah Wassuroor bi Meeladi Nnabiyyil Mabroor


(اظهار الفرح والسرور بميلاد النبي المبرور)
  • Almoulidu Rraviyy (المولد الروي)
  • Tha'adeemul Akabir wahthiramu Sha'air (تعظيم الأكابر واحترام الشعائر)
  • Faidanul Muslsalath Fee Bayanil Ijazah Al Muthadavilah


(فيضان المسلسلات في بيان الاجازة المتداولة)
  • Tariqathu thasawwuf (طريقة التصوف)
  • Al Barahin ul Qat’iyyah fir Raddi Alal Qadiyaniyyah


(البراهين القطعة في الرد على القاديانية)
  • Adillathu Salatit Tarawih (أدلة صلاة التراويح)
  • Eesal ut Tawab Li Inqaz il Mayyiti Min al Eqab (ايصال الثوب لإنقاذ الميت من العقاب)

In Local language (Malayalam)
  • Islam and Qadiyanism
  • Women and Prayer
  • A Complete study about Ahle Sunnah
  • Tolerance in Islam
  • The Hajj
  • Thoughts of the Muslim World
  • The Group Prayer after Namaz
  • A Comprehensive Study about the Spirituality in Islam.

Seminars and conferences attended

  • National and International seminars conducted in different states of India
  • Presided over various Islamic conferences conducted all over India according to different occasions.
  • He has been attending in the International Islamic Conference held by Islamic Supreme Council  of The Arab Republic of Egypt almost every year since 1990.
  • In the year 1996 he Attended the First International Unity Conference held in Los Angeles, U.S.A and delivered a lecture on Religious Harmony in India.
  • In the same year he attended an International Seminar held in British Columbia, Canada.
  • In the year 1998 he attended the Second Islamic Unity Conference held in Washington D.C, U.S.A.
  • In the Year 1999 Sheikh participated in the Inaugural ceremony of Masjid Abee Ubaidah Al Jarrah in Jordan and the Seminar on Importance of Prophetic Teachings.
  • In the year 2000 he attended in the International Islamic Conference held in Sri Lanka
  • In the Year 2001 he attended in the Islamic Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • In the year 2003 he attended the International Fiqh Seminar, held in Johannesburg, South Africa
  • In the year 2004 he attended the Hasanyya lectures conducted in Morocco by His Majesty the King of Morocco.
  • In Year 2005 he attended a Conference in kashmir and led the Foundation of Islamic University in Islamabad. Kashmir J&k (IOK)

Award and Facilitations

  • Award for the best social worker in the world by Darul Islam academy Rasal Khaima, UAE in 1992.
  • Indian Islamic Centre Award 2000 for the best social cultural and educational worker in India.
  • International Islamic Personality Award by Indo Arab Foundation UAE in 2006.
  • Islamic heritage award for his service to protect Islamic culture and heritage, by Jeddah(KSA)based Islamic heritage,2009,January


And He Visited All GCC Countries

He called on

International heads of states like President Husni Mubarack of Egypt, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Late King Hussain of Jordan, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zaed Al Nahyan of UAE, Present UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Hasan VI of Morocco Prince Muhammad bin Naif

The Prime Ministers of India namely, Atal Bihari Vajpeyi, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, V.P.Singh , Deve Gowda & Dr. Manmohan Singh and Chief Ministers of different states and cabinet ministers.

Political view

Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar has confirmed and announced a policy of "helping those who help us" to support any political party. In recent years his role in Parliament and assembly election was noted by almost every politician in Kerala, . It's important to note that, the traditional rivals of the A. P. Sunnis and Kanthapuram, the E. K. Sunni
E. K. Sunni
E. K. Sunni is one of the powerful traditional Sunni factions of Muslims in Kerala, South India under the Chelari Samastha. They belong to Sunni-Shafi school of law. It is largest Muslim faction in Kerala in terms of number of followers and was named after the cleric E.K...

s, always supported the Indian Union Muslim League
Indian Union Muslim League
Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala...

 in the United Democratic Front (India)
United Democratic Front (India)
United Democratic Front is an alliance of political parties of Kerala state in India. This alliance is led by the Indian National Congress....

.

Chekannur Moulavi case

Kanthapuram A.P. Abubackker Musaliar is often associated with the disappearance of Chekannur Maulavi
Chekannur Maulavi
Chekannur Moulavi was a progressive Islamic cleric who lived in Edappal in Malappuram district of Kerala, India. He was noted for his controversial and unconventional interpretation of Islam based on Quran and Hadeeth...

. Chekannur Moulavi was a progressive Islamic cleric who lived in Edappal in Malappuram district of Kerala. He was noted for his controversial and unconventional interpretation of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 based on Quran and Hadeeth. He disappeared on 29 July 1993 under mysterious circumstances and is now widely believed to be killed.

Holy Hair Controversy

According to A. P. Sunnis, India's largest mosque is being built in Kozhikkode under the patronage of Kanthapuram. He claims to have the Muhammed's hair, but the rival Sunni outfit, the E. K. Sunni
E. K. Sunni
E. K. Sunni is one of the powerful traditional Sunni factions of Muslims in Kerala, South India under the Chelari Samastha. They belong to Sunni-Shafi school of law. It is largest Muslim faction in Kerala in terms of number of followers and was named after the cleric E.K...

s, has contested this and demanded proof. Addressing a press conference in Kozhikode, secretary of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF), Onamballi Mohammed Faizi, and secretary of Sunni Yuvajana Sangham, Abdul Hamid Faizi Ambalakkadavu, dubbed Kanthapuram's claim that he was in possession of a " holy relic" as "false". But, Kanthapuram clarified that the Markaz was safekeeping the “holy hair” not to worship, but as a mark of respect to the “beloved Prophet.”

According to him, it was Shaikh Ahmad Al Khazraji, son of Shaikh Muhammed Al Khazraji, former Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, United Arab Emirates, who had handed over one of the “holy hair” to Markaz during its last annual convocation conference in January 2011. The leader of the rival Sunni faction and Muslim League leader, Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, had while speaking at a Sunni (E.K. Faction) scholars' conference in the city accused Aboobacker Musaliyar of “cheating the believers” in the name of sacred hair.

See Also


Sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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