Israr Ahmed

Israr Ahmed is a Pakistani Islamic scholar, theologian, and orator who developed a significant following across South Asia and among Muslim communities in North America, Western Europe, and the Middle East. He founded Tanzeem-e-Islami and served as a member of the National Assembly between 1981 and 1982. The scholar authored approximately 60 books in Urdu regarding Islam and Pakistan.

Early life and education

Israr Ahmed was born on 26 April 1932, into a Ranghar family of Muslim Rajputs in Hisar. This city is located in the Punjab Province of British India, which is now Haryana, India. His ancestral roots trace back to the Muzaffarnagar district of modern-day Western Uttar Pradesh. Because his grandfather's properties were confiscated following the 1857 War of Independence, his family moved to Hisar. His father worked as a civil servant for the British government and eventually relocated the family from Hisar to Montgomery, which is now Sahiwal, in West Punjab.

After he graduated from a local high school, Ahmed moved to Lahore to attend King Edward Medical University in 1950. He earned his MBBS degree from the institution in 1954 and began practicing medicine. Later, he obtained a master's degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi in 1965. During the Independence Movement, he worked briefly for the Muslim Student's Federation.

Following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he served with the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba. He joined Jamaat-e-Islami in 1950 under the leadership of Abul Ala Maududi. He eventually left this party in 1956 because it became involved in electoral politics. Ahmed believed that involvement in national politics was irreconcilable with the revolutionary methodology used by the Jama'at before 1947.

Career

Ahmed resigned from Jamaat-e-Islami in 1956 to found the nucleus of Tanzeem-e-Islami. He disagreed with the party on significant policy matters and criticized its turn toward power politics. He viewed this shift as a disastrous degeneration from a pure Islamic revolutionary party into a mere political one. His primary goal was to reform society through a practical way to establish a true Islamic State or the System of Khilafah.

In 1971, he gave up his medical practice to launch a movement for the revival of Islam. This transition led to several organizational developments. He established the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Quran Lahore in 1972, founded Tanzeem-e-Islami in 1975, and launched Tahreek-e-Khilafat Pakistan in 1991.

His public profile grew significantly through television after President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq requested a weekly show on the state-owned Pakistan television channel in 1981. This program was one of the first instances where a scholar delivered lectures to an audience on television. He is thought to have been instrumental in implementing changes on PTV, such as requiring the hijab and eliminating Western dress for women. However, he later refused to appear on television after segments calling for a ban on televised cricket matches were censored.

As a political figure, Ahmed opposed modern democracy and the electoral system. He argued that a ruler in a true Islamic state holds the power to overturn decisions made by an elected assembly. He also held a unique view regarding the Caliphate. While many Sunni activists seek its return, he believed the foundations for the caliphate should be in Pakistan rather than in Hijaz or Baghdad.

His literary contributions include over 60 books written in Urdu. As of 2017, twenty-nine of these works have been translated into various languages, including English.

Awards and recognition

In 1981, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz. This honor is the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan.