Sheikh Ahmad Bashir
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Ahmad bin Haji Bashir Mohammed Shafi, {Arabic الشيخ أحمد بن حاجي بشير محمد الشافي} (January 1, 1919 – July 10, 1989) was a Filipino
-Muslim
Ālim
, former president and founder of the Agama Islam Society
. Sheikh Ahmad was born on the 1st day of January 1919, in Miondas, Tamparan, Lanao del Sur
, Philippines
.
, Salahudden, Samra and a daughter: Sairah; and also to Hadja Aminah, whom he had a son: Mahdi and three daughters: Samiah, Saminah, Sarah. Both wives were kept in an adjacent houses at the same time as this polygamy
practice is allowed in Islam
.
to break preparatory education and further continued his education in Makkah or Mecca. He joined the Al-Falah School in Makkah, a religious science school till he completed his studies in the year 1953; and later joined the Al-Soltiyyah School in the Grand Mosque
also in Makkah. He was awarded a degree in Islamic Sciences
, which was considered at that time the highest religious education at the Sacred Mosque.
In 1956, Sheikh Ahmad Bashir, his devoted companions, and traditional group, founded the Agama Islam Society, after the establishment of the Shoura Council. His intention was to spread Islamic schools in all areas that are in need of such, to propagate Islamic principles, teachings, and beliefs among others. These institutions have reached 363 branches in all regions of the Philippines, visited by more than 5,000 students in the academic year 1986-1987.
This Council established the society to propagate Islam in 1956, as Sheikh Ahmad Bashir was quoted in his book History of Islam in the Philippines, written in Arabic, printed in 1964, who said by God's mercy: "The Agama Islam Society, an Islamic organization and its governing body is based on the Shura
, called the Shura Council in application of the concept of two verses “who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation,” (Quran 42:38) “and consult them in the affairs.” (Quran 3:159)
Sheikh Ahmad Bashir, may Allah have mercy on him, died peacefully in Iligan City, after succumbing to complicated diabetes diseases on Monday, 7th day of Dhul Hijjah 1409 AH, corresponding to July 10, 1989. His remains was buried in Marawi City, Philippines.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
-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...
Ālim
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
, former president and founder of the Agama Islam Society
Agama Islam Society
The Agama Islam Society is a consultative council of Islamic scholars that are based in Marawi City, Philippines. The basis in instituting the society is to act as an assembly in the establishment of Islam in 1956. The society was organized and led by late Sheikh Ahmad Bashir in the year 1955...
. Sheikh Ahmad was born on the 1st day of January 1919, in Miondas, Tamparan, Lanao del Sur
Lanao del Sur
Lanao del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Marawi City and borders Lanao del Norte to the north, Bukidnon to the east, and Maguindanao and Cotabato to the south. To the southwest lies Illana Bay, an arm of the Moro Gulf...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Early childhood and education
Sheikh Ahmad received his first non-formal education from his father, and then later on studied at the School of Islam complete primary school in the city of Marawi. As a child, he was a school leader, a potential that made him prominently known, not only in the Philippines but more specific in the Islamic nations, during his lifetime.Personal life
Sheikh Ahmad was married to Hadja Zainab, whom he had four sons: Monib, SaidAleem Said Ahmad Basher
Said Ahmad Basher is a Filipino-Muslim Aleem or Alim, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He is the current chairman of the Imam Council of the Philippines; an active Islamic preacher, broadcaster, lecturer, Islamic consultant , a leader and Imam; who tends to the community development, social needs and...
, Salahudden, Samra and a daughter: Sairah; and also to Hadja Aminah, whom he had a son: Mahdi and three daughters: Samiah, Saminah, Sarah. Both wives were kept in an adjacent houses at the same time as this polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
practice is allowed in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Education in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
In 1951, Sheikh Ahmad Bashir traveled to the HejazHejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
to break preparatory education and further continued his education in Makkah or Mecca. He joined the Al-Falah School in Makkah, a religious science school till he completed his studies in the year 1953; and later joined the Al-Soltiyyah School in the Grand Mosque
Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque is another name for Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, the holiest mosque in Islam.Grand Mosque may also refer to:*Grand Mosque in Adana, Turkey*Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait*Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Bousher, Oman...
also in Makkah. He was awarded a degree in Islamic Sciences
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
, which was considered at that time the highest religious education at the Sacred Mosque.
Missionary work
Sheikh Ahmad Bashir went back to the Philippines after completing his studies. At first, he taught at an Islamic School in Marawi City. He helped created some of the schools in various communities with complete and organized conjunctions with some of his peers, colleagues throughout the years till 1955.In 1956, Sheikh Ahmad Bashir, his devoted companions, and traditional group, founded the Agama Islam Society, after the establishment of the Shoura Council. His intention was to spread Islamic schools in all areas that are in need of such, to propagate Islamic principles, teachings, and beliefs among others. These institutions have reached 363 branches in all regions of the Philippines, visited by more than 5,000 students in the academic year 1986-1987.
Distinguished achievements and activities
- In 1972, the Agama Islam Society transferred Ma’had Mindanao Al-Arabie Al-Islamie to Darussalam, Matampay, Marawi City, as main campus through the benevolent assistance of late Sheikh Esmail Laut Sarip and former Lanao del Sur Governor, Sultan sa Masiu, Hon. Mohammad Ali Dimaporo for the exclusion of this land from military reservation pursuant to Proclamation No. 2223 signed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Ferdinand E. Marcos. - As President of the Agama Islam Islam, Sheikh Ahmad had been associated in various Islamic Associations in the Philippines, and also played a role in their creations.
- He was president of the National Union of Arab-Islamic Schools in the Philippines.
- President of the local Council of Mosques in the Philippines.
- He had Attended international conferences with a theme in Islamic mission including the Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Malaysia, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, QatarQatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
& Others (from 1381 to 1406 HijriIslamic calendarThe Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
). - He had authored thirteen books, including Islamic, Arab, and Muslim history in the Philippines.
- The establishment of now defunct Saudi and Philippines Publishing Center in 1980, Parañaque, Metro Manila; under the financial auspices of his Excellency former King Khalid ibn Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
- The establishment of the Jamiatu Muslim MindanaoJamiatu Muslim MindanaoThe Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao is one of the oldest and biggest Madrasahs in the Philippines. It was established by financial backing from the Agama Islam Society in 1956 by the late Sheikh Ahmad Basher, his devoted companions from the Ulama and Traditional Group...
- The completed MaranaoMaranaoMaranao is the term used for the people of Lanao, a predominantly Muslim region in the Philippines island of Mindanao. They are famous for their artwork, sophisticated weaving, wood and metal craft, and their epic literature...
translation of Holy Quran was reviewed by a committee of Maranao Scholars headed by Sheikh Ahmad Bashir.
Agama Islam Society
The basis of the creation of the society was through consultative council, which some academician were from Marawi City, the Philippines under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmad Bashir year 1375H – 1955G.This Council established the society to propagate Islam in 1956, as Sheikh Ahmad Bashir was quoted in his book History of Islam in the Philippines, written in Arabic, printed in 1964, who said by God's mercy: "The Agama Islam Society, an Islamic organization and its governing body is based on the Shura
Shura
Shura is an Arabic word for "consultation". The Quran and Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision....
, called the Shura Council in application of the concept of two verses “who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation,” (Quran 42:38) “and consult them in the affairs.” (Quran 3:159)
Death
Despite the luxurious opportunities that have passed him financially, spiritually, politically, and academically, Sheikh Ahmad never grabbed these for his personal advantages. He died as poor man, without any single property in his possession or his bereaved family.Sheikh Ahmad Bashir, may Allah have mercy on him, died peacefully in Iligan City, after succumbing to complicated diabetes diseases on Monday, 7th day of Dhul Hijjah 1409 AH, corresponding to July 10, 1989. His remains was buried in Marawi City, Philippines.