Tariq Jameel

Tariq Jamil is a Pakistani Islamic cleric, preacher, and member of the Tablighi Jama'at. He is a recipient of the Pride of Performance award and has been included in The 500 Most Influential Muslims list every year since 2012. In the 2024 edition of this publication, he held the rank of 34th most influential Muslim alive.

Early life and education

Tariq Jamil was born on 1 October 1953 in Mian Channu, Punjab. He belongs to a wealthy Punjabi Rajput family of large landholders who descend from the 12th-century ruler Prithviraj Chauhan. His family once ruled the town of Tulamba, which is located near Mian Channu, during the 16th century reign of Sher Shah Suri. His younger brother, Dr. Muhammad Tahir Kamal Sahu, serves as a well-known cardiologist at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore.

Jamil completed his primary schooling at Central Model School in Lahore. He is an alumnus of Government College University, Lahore, and he pursued a pre-medical education at Government College Lahore. Although he enrolled in King Edward Medical College to study medicine, he left the institution before completing his MBBS. He decided to dedicate himself to religious studies instead.

He received his formal Islamic education from Jamia Arabia, Raiwind. During his time there, he studied the Qur’an, hadiths, Sufism, logic, and Islamic jurisprudence.

Career

Jamil is a preacher from the Deoband school of thought who delivers religious sermons on an international scale. His teachings focus on self-purification, the avoidance of violence, the observance of Allah's orders, and pursuing the way of Prophet Muhammad. He actively supports ethnic and sectarian harmony through his work. Since 2012, the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan has named him one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world.

In April 2020, he made controversial remarks regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. He attributed the spread of the virus to God's wrath caused by dishonesty in society and the immodesty of women. While he prayed for the welfare of the country, he stated that Allah’s torment comes to nations where daughters practice immodesty and youth indulge in immorality. These comments faced condemnation from human rights proponents and members of Pakistani society. Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari described the remarks as misogynistic and ignorant.

Jamil is also involved in business and philanthropy. He launched the MTJ Brand, a flagship clothing line, in March 2021 with headquarters located in Karachi. It is claimed that revenue from this business funds his madressahs and helps build schools and hospitals across the country. Additionally, he established the Maulana Tariq Jamil Foundation in Tulamba, Khanewal. This non-profit organization gathers funds to provide social work, health, and education services to the people of Pakistan.

As a writer, he has authored several books in Urdu. His bibliography includes Majmua Bayanat-e-Jameel published in 2014, Hamare Masail Ka Hal released in 2014 by HarperCollins, and Guldasta-e-Ahle Bayt in 2018.

Personal life

Jamil is a member of the Tablighi Jama'at. He remains a prominent figure in Pakistani religious discourse.

Awards and recognition

He received the Pride of Performance award for his contributions. Jamil also topped YouGov polls in 2018 and 2020, where he was named Pakistan’s most admired man.