Zubayr Ali Za'i

Zubayr Ali Za'i was a prominent Pakistani Islamic scholar who served as a leading Ahl-i Hadith Salafi authority in Pakistan. He worked extensively as a muhaddith, writer, and biographical evaluation scholar.

Early life and education

Zubayr Ali Za'i was born on 25 June 1957 in the village of Pirdad. This village is located near Hazro within the Attock District of Punjab. He belonged to the Pashtun tribe of Ali Za'i, which is a branch of the Durrani confederation. His lineage traces back to Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire.

He pursued higher education at the University of the Punjab in Lahore. After completing a bachelor's degree, he earned a master's degree in Islamic studies in 1983. He later obtained a second master's degree in the Arabic language in 1994. Za'i also graduated from the Salafi University in Faisalabad to complete his academic training.

Career

Much of his professional work involved editing and referencing ancient texts regarding prophetic tradition. He evaluated these texts according to the specific Categories of Hadith. While working with Dar us Salam, he reviewed the Al-Kutub al-Sittah, which are considered canonical in Sunni Islam. His scholarly contributions include several major publications through Dar us Salam Publications.

He completed the 7 volume edition of Sahih Muslim in 2007. He also worked on the 6 volume edition of Jami' at-Tirmidhi that was published in 2007. In 2008, he contributed to the 6 volume Al-Sunan al-Sughra and the 5 volume Sunan Abu Dawood. His work on the 5 volume Sunan ibn Majah was also released in 2007.

Za'i was a dedicated bibliophile who amassed a private library of renown in Hazro. He authored many books in both Arabic and Urdu. Some of his published titles include Anwar al Sunan Fi Tahqiq Aasar il Sunan and Anwaar ul Saheefah Fi Ahadees Zaheefa Min Sunnan e Arba'a. He also wrote Taufeeq Al-Bari Fi Tatbeeq Al-Quran wa Saheeh Al-Bukhari.

Other written works include Fazael Sahaba and Noorul Enain Fi Masalate Asbaate Rafa-ul-Yadain. He produced Tahqeeq Tafseer Ibn Kathir along with Tahqeeq wa Takhreej Kitabul Arbaʿīn Le Ibn Taymiyyah. His research covered various topics such as Musafaha wa Mohaniqa Ke Ahkaam wa Masael and Nabi Kareem ﷺ kay Lail wa Nahaar.

Personal life

Za'i was a multilingual scholar who spoke Pashto and Arabic. He was also fluent in English, Urdu, Hindko and Greek. He possessed the ability to read and understand Persian.

He married in 1982 and started a family. He was the father of three sons named Tahir, Abdullah and Muaz. He also had four daughters.

Zubayr Ali Za'i died on 10 November 2013. He passed away at Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi due to lung failure.