The indispensability of
education, both in worldly pursuits and religious devotion, had gained
paramount importance in the thoughts of Muslims from the very beginning of
Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared, "Seeking
knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim man and woman." The very first
revelation from God in the Holy Quran, "Read," also emphasises
education above all else. The Prophet's unforgettable statement about the high
status of the pursuit of knowledge is: "The ink of the scholar's pen is
holier than the blood of a martyr." Such a statement establishing the
unparalleled value and dignity of education is rare in history. Therefore,
education was a matter of great pride in the history of Islam, and Muslims have
demonstrated extreme proficiency in this field throughout the ages. The
educational centres and libraries that Muslims established in places like
Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo still inspire awe in the world today. Muslims were
the first to establish primary schools (maktabs) for education and universities
for higher learning.
Education in the early
days of Islam was centred around the mosque. The mosque was a meeting place for
all, where ordinary people would gather alongside scholars, listen to their
discourses, read books with them, and thus acquire knowledge. Many renowned
scholars of Islam acquired knowledge in this way, and they imparted knowledge
to their students using the same method. The four main interpreters of Islamic
law—Imam Abu Hanifa (RA), Imam Malik (RA), Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RA), and Imam
Shafi'i (RA)—usually sat and discussed with scholars gathered in the mosques
and acquired education in Islamic law. This tradition of educational practice
continued to some extent in various parts of the Muslim world. In the three
holiest places of Islam—the Haram Sharif in the holy city of Mecca, the Masjid
al-Nabawi in Medina, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem—Islamic scholars
regularly sat and delivered lectures, which were open to all for listening and
acquiring knowledge.
The system of education
through the conventional madrasa system first began in the city of Fez,
Morocco. Established in 859 AD, Al-Qarawiyyin University is considered the
world's first university. This educational institution was founded by a
remarkable woman named Fatima al-Fihri. Subsequently, with the spread of Islam
across the world, the Madrasa education system also expanded.
The history of Madrasa
education in our Barak Valley is very ancient. As far as is known, in the 14th
century, Shah Ziauddin, a close disciple of Hazrat Shah Jalal Yamani (R.A.),
established the first Madrasa in the undivided Surma-Barak Valley in Badarpur,
in the present-day Karimganj district. Unfortunately, the first established
Madrasa of the Barak Valley and the adjacent mosque were lost due to erosion by
the Barak River.
The Madrasa, whose
century-old context we are trying to review in this article was established
sometime in 1916. Therefore, considering the above discussion, the Rajghat
Darul Faiz Madrasa was established almost five hundred years after the
establishment of the first Madrasa in the Barak Valley. We are residents of Bam
in the 21st century. We are not entirely deprived of the touch of the global
revolutionary changes in communication, education, industry, science, and
technology. The establishment of new schools, colleges, and Madrasas is now a
daily occurrence. But it does not require much analysis to understand that
thinking about establishing a Madrasa and giving practical shape to that
thought in the socio-economic and educational environment of this literally
remote region a hundred years ago was not as easy as it is today.
Let alone Bam, it would
not be an exaggeration to say that until 1832, there was virtually no modern
education system in undivided Cachar (the combined form of present-day Cachar
and Hailakandi). In the remotest region of Cachar, Bam, the matter was simply
unthinkable. Until then, Maktabs, Madrasas, and Tols were prevalent throughout
Cachar, which were run through the teaching of Maulvis and Pandits. In fact,
the Silchar High Grammar School was established in 1863, which was later
renamed Silchar Government High School.
Its establishment marked the beginning of modern school education in the
region. However, even after the establishment of this school in Silchar, the
headquarters of Cachar district, the attendance of students from rural Cachar
remained very low. Between 1891 and 1894, out of 140 students at Silchar
Government School, only 20 were residents of Cachar. Of these 20, 17 were from
the Muslim community, which clearly shows that the Hindus of rural Cachar at
that time were also far removed from the modern education system. Most of the
students of Silchar Government High School were from the families of government
officials, tea garden employees, and those originally from Sylhet. An
interesting fact is observed in the statistics from 1885-86. It was found that
out of 164 students in Silchar High English School in 1885-86, only 22 were
genuinely from Cachar.
When the state of
education in the entire undivided Cachar was like this, it is easy to
understand how difficult it was to establish a madrasa in the southern region
to promote Islamic education. In the distant past, overcoming extremely adverse
circumstances, this difficult task was accomplished, illuminating the Muslim
society, which was immersed in illiteracy, ignorance, and various
superstitions, with the light of true religious knowledge.
In 2016, when the Rajghat
(Bhagabazar) Darul Faiz Madrasa completed one hundred years of its
establishment, the Madrasa management committee, inspired by Zia Uddin
Chowdhury, a distinguished son of Bam and a retired officer of the Assam
Cooperative Department currently residing in Guwahati, decided to celebrate the
centenary. A proposal was also accepted to publish a commemorative souvenir on
this occasion, and the responsibility of editing it was entrusted to me.
While fulfilling this
responsibility of editing the souvenir, the need for historical information and
details about the establishment of the Madrasa became inevitable. For accurate
information regarding the location and land of the Madrasa's establishment, we
had to rely on information received from members of the Madrasa management
committee and elderly citizens of the area. According to the oral information
received, the Madrasa was started sometime in 1916/17 in the 'Tongi' house of
the late Tutiraja Barabhuiya of Saptagram. About a year later, the Madrasa was
shifted from there to the house of the late Maulana Arzad Ali Chowdhury of
Rajghat (who was more widely known as Lamba Maulvi). According to oral
information received from Mr Zia Uddin Chowdhury, the son of Maulana Arzad Ali
Chowdhury and a retired director of the Cooperative Department of the
Government of Assam, the Madrasa's classes continued for several years at their
ancestral home in Rajghat. Maulana Arzad Ali Chowdhury, who had received his
certificate from Rampur, was then given the responsibility of managing the
Madrasa. He performed this duty for a long time without remuneration. After a
few years, the Madrasa was again moved to Bhagabazar and established near the
government pond located almost in the middle of the now-defunct market.
Subsequently, due to various reasons, the Madrasa was divided into two
branches: Bhagabazar Darul Faiz Madrasa and Rajghat Darul Faiz Madrasa. The
first madrasa remained on the Bhagabazar Secondary School premises, and the
second was established on land donated by the brothers Rashid Ali Lasker, Harun
Rashid Lasker, and Idris Ali Lasker, residents of Rajghat (Rangaouti), and
named Rajghat (Rangaouti) Darul Faiz Madrasa. The madrasa remains in that
location to this day. We do not have any written evidence regarding the exact
dates and years of the initial establishment and subsequent relocation of the
madrasa to various places. We have had to rely entirely on oral accounts and
information based on the memories of elderly people. Therefore, there are
considerable inconsistencies and disagreements in the information regarding the
year and date of the original establishment, the relocation to various places,
and the duration of the madrasa's stay in those locations. Such discrepancies
in memory-based information can be considered normal.
The certified copy of the
document we have regarding the land and property endowed in the name of the
madrasa is dated February 26, 1924, and its official registration date is
February 28, 1924. The document states that due to financial difficulties, running
the Darul Faiz Madrasa had become almost impossible, so Munshi Ibrahim Ali, son
of the late Idan Mia of Bangram, endowed land worth a total of fifteen hundred
(1500.00) rupees in the name of the madrasa. Munshi Mahmud Ali, son of the late
Munshi Chhana Mia of Bangram, was appointed as the Mutawalli (trustee) to
manage the endowed property and the madrasa. Along with him, Mamud Khurshid,
son of the late Mahmad Husain Mia, Ibrahim Mia Munshi, son of Haji Ichhan Mia
of Bangram, and Maulvi Arjad Ali, son of Qasim Mufti of Rajghat, were nominated
as members. It is particularly noteworthy that many senior citizens directly or
indirectly associated with the madrasa and from the Bam region have repeatedly
mentioned in their memoirs a manuscript of a book written in Sylheti Nagari
script by a Sufi named Pir Khurshid Ali, and they expressed the opinion that
this manuscript contains all the information related to the madrasa. It is
known that the late Sufi Khurshid Ali was originally from Khalajal village in
Chapghat mouza of the undivided Sylhet district of India. According to
prevailing information, he arrived in the Bam region in 1912 and resided in
Saptagram. He played a significant role in establishing mosques, madrasas, and
Eidgahs in this area.
His pioneering role is
widely known. The Momji Mosque located in Dhalaibazar (which is now deprived of
a Muslim community) was established by him. Besides this, his name is
associated with the establishment of many other mosques in the region. In one
place of the manuscript of Khurshid Ali Sahib's waqf document, translated into
Bengali script as mentioned above, a clear mention of the number of mosques in
the area at that time can be found. For example, he wrote— "There are 21
mosques in this pargana." The establishment and management of the
century-old Darul Faiz Madrasa, as well as the supervision of the land endowed
in the name of the madrasa, are all associated with Khurshid Ali Sahib. As far
as is known, in the last part of his life, this scholar, education enthusiast,
and Sufi went to the holy city of Mecca; he died there and was buried in the
sacred Jannatul Mualla cemetery in Mecca.
The manuscript of a book
written by Pir Khurshid Ali Sahib in Sylheti Nagari script has already been
mentioned. While collecting information about the madrasa, I was desperately
searching for that manuscript. After searching in all possible places as described
by the relevant individuals, when I had completely given up hope of finding the
book, a small handwritten notebook of a few pages came into my possession by
chance. While discussing this matter with some elderly members of the
Bhagabazar Jame Mosque and the Bhagabazar Darul Faiz Madrasa, I was going
through a file of the Bhagabazar Darul Faiz Madrasa kept in a cupboard in the
office of the Bhagabazar Jame Mosque, with the intention of finding any old
unknown information related to the madrasa, because, as mentioned earlier, the
madrasa, which is currently located in two different places under two different
names, was a single unified madrasa at the time of its establishment. That's
when my attention was drawn to the pages of a small notebook carefully preserved
in the file. At first glance, I understood that the notebook contained some
lines written in the form of poetry. As I slowly and intently tried to
understand the writing, it was not difficult to realise that someone had
transcribed a portion of the will concerning the land donated to the Rajghat
(Bhagabazar) Darul Faiz Madrasa, originally written by the widely known Pir
Khurshed Ali Sahib (which was primarily written in Sylheti Nagari script), into
Bengali script. A complete match was observed with the contents described in
the land deed of the waqf property from 1924.
When I was completely in
the dark regarding the approximate amount of land donated to the madrasa and
the names and identities of the donors, that small notebook I suddenly found
seemed to solve all the problems in an instant. I have quoted a few lines from
it, written in poetic verse, from which I believe inquisitive readers will
easily find much lost information. Under the heading "Date of Waqf
Deed," it is written as follows:
“On the English date
18/05/26
4th day of Jyeshtha
month, 31st of Bengali year
In 4 villages, 25 bighas
in 36 plots
I willingly purchased and
donated to the Madrasa.
In the two villages of
Laylapur and Jamalpur
Know that there are 12
katha and 1 poa of land.
Ambar Ali one poa, Usman
Ali one
Mashraf Ali half katha,
Yakub Ali one
Ahmad Ali Haji, resident
of Jamalpur.
Donated ten and a half
katha of land as Waqf.
Mabat Ali gave half katha
in Jamalpur
The Waqf conditions were
written and finalized.
Five ploughs and one and
a half katha are now complete
All that is in this
Madrasa is covered by the Waqf conditions.
Written elsewhere—
Ten and a half katha of
land were purchased
The money for which is
kept as Waqf, a testament of faith.
Seven in Saptagram, three
in Banagram, four in Hawaithang.
Three in Channighat.
All of them gave five
hundred and twenty taka
The purchase cost was
five hundred and thirty-two.”
The amount of land
donated to the Madrasa, the land address, and the names of the donors are as
clear as daylight based on the above description. In addition, there are clear policy
guidelines under headings such as Madrasa management system, teachers'
responsibilities and duties, teachers' salaries, leave, library use, etc., some
of which are quoted below—
ওয়াকফ নামার শর্ত—
চারি শর্ত ওয়াকফ নামার
লিখিয়াছে ছাপ
এক শর্ত ভঙ্গ হইলে না হইবে
মাফ।
এক শৰ্ত্ত কোন মতে হইলে
লংঘন
মক্কার মুদরসার হক নজরে
মইয়ন।
শৰ্ত্ত আছে আলিমেৰ ফতওয়া
যে বন্ধ
ওয়াকফ নামায় লেখা আছে
দেখ হুসমন্দ
তবে কেও রাখে যদি এ শৰ্ত্ত
ভাঙ্গিয়া
ইসবার হক দিব হাসরেতে
গিয়া
বয়ান শর্ত তাল্লাসী :
ওয়াকফ নামা আছে দেখ
মুতওল্লির হাতে
না পাইলে সকল চায় আছে
অফিসেতে।
ফারণ বই, চিট বই দেখ মিলাইয়া
ওয়াকফে ইসলামিয়া পুথিয়ে
দিলাম লিখিয়া।
সাড়ে দশ কিয়ার জামি হইল
খরিদ
টাকা যার রাখ ওকফ আছে ইমান
ছাবিদ।
নিয়মঃ
পাঁচ ঘণ্টা দরমিয়ান যাইতে
হইল মানা,
নয়টার আগে, দুইটার বাদে মরাবারী
যাওয়া।
পাঁচ ঘণ্টার আগে করে
বওয়া।
উপস্থিত যাওয়ার সময়
হাজিরা বইতে।
আগে করে কয়েক মিনিট লেখা
হইবে তাতে।
মৌলানা সাহেব কিংবা তিনির
পরিবর্তে,
ঠিক মতে লেখা যাইবে হাজিরা
বইতে।
নিয়ম-
কুতুবখানা হইতে কিতাব
তালেবাকে দিবে
বাপের নাম, ঠিকানা লিখিয়া রাখিবে।
শৰ্ত্ত—
মুদারিছ বিদায় হইতে
একটিনি একজন দিয়া
মুত্তল্লির কাছে বিদায়
লইবা।
মুদারিছের তিনমাস যেদিন
পুঢ়িবে
মুত্তল্লি দুই মাসের বেতন
সেইদিন দিবে।
এক মাসের বেতন হাতেতে
রাখিবে।
রসিদ রাখি পাকা বইয়ে
গাথিয়া রাখিবে।
পাঁচ ঘণ্টা দশ মিনিট হইলে
অপূরণ
বেতন হইতে হিসাব করি
রাখিবায় এখন।
মুততল্লি সাহেব কিংবা
মেম্বার তিনের মাঝে
টাকার হিসাব কিবা শোভা
পাইলে কাজে।
পরগণার সাহেবান আর একজন।
এনে তাড়াইয়া ভর্তি
করিবায় তখন।
২১ খানা মসজিদ আছে এ
পরগণার মাজ।
তিন মাস পরে আমি দেখিতায়
কাজ।
হাজার দালান আমার
মানিয়াদি কাজ।
খাতিঃ না করিবায় মোঢ়ে
আখেঢ়ে পাইবায় লাজ।
দোষ পাইয়া হাকিম হইয়া
খাতির কর মোরে
এ হাকিমের জায়গা হইবে
দোযখের ঘরে।
পরীক্ষা করিয়া সবে দর্শন
দিয়া গেলে
আমার মিটির শোভা সবার দিন
গেলে।
নিয়ম-
জানাজায় কলির ছাহেব কিবা
পরিবর্ত্তে তান,
মুদরিছ তালেবার লইতে
ইন্ডিয়ান
মুদরিছ ছাহেবান আর
মেম্বারান
মৌলানা মুমিনগণ সবার
প্রধান।
ছয়মাস পরে আমি দেখিতা কাজ
দোষ পাইলে তাড়াই দিবা এতে
কিবা লাজ।
ওয়াকফ নামার চারি শর্তঃ
পহেলা শৰ্ত্ত পাঁচ ঘণ্টা
কালে
তালেবারে দৈনিক শিক্ষা
দিবা হামেহাল
দুসরা শর্ত দেওবন্দের
নিয়মের সাথে
করাব উর্দু দরছে নয়
জন্মাত তাত
তিছরা শর্ত জুম্মা সহ
সাতাইশ ঘণ্টা আর
মুদরিছ তালেবা ছুটি
পাইবার।
চারি শর্ত সরকারের সাহায্য
না মিলিবে,
এক শৰ্ত্ত ভঙ্গ হইলে
মক্কার দাবী হইবে।
Conditions of the Waqf Deed—
Four conditions are written and printed in the
Waqf deed,
If one condition is violated, there will be no
forgiveness.
If any condition is violated in any way,
The rights of the Madrasa of Mecca will be
considered.
There is a condition that the fatwa of the
scholar is binding,
It is written in the Waqf deed, see, O wise
one.
If anyone violates this condition,
I will give the right to justice in the
Hereafter.
Explanation of the conditions:
The Waqf deed is with the Mutawalli, see,
If not found, all copies are in the office.
Check the register book and ledger book,
I have written it in the Islamic Waqf book.
Ten and a half katha of land was purchased,
The money for which is kept as Waqf, with
proven faith.
Rules:
It is forbidden to go during the five-hour
interval,
Going to the graveyard before nine o'clock or
after two o'clock.
Work should be done before the five hours.
At the time of arrival, in the attendance
register,
A few minutes earlier will be written in it.
Maulana Saheb or his representative,
Will write correctly in the attendance
register.
Rule-
Books will be given to the students from the
library,
The father's name and address will be written
down.
Condition—
When the teacher leaves, one person will be
sent,
And will take leave from the Mutawalli.
When three months of the teacher's service are
completed,
The Mutawalli will give two months' salary on
that day.
One month's salary will be kept in hand.
The receipt will be kept and bound in a
permanent book.
If five hours and ten minutes are incomplete,
The amount will be deducted from the salary.
The Mutawalli Saheb or one of the three
members,
Will check the accounts and the work done.
The gentlemen of the pargana and one other
person.
Will be brought and admitted then.
There are 21 mosques in this pargana.
I will see the work after three months.
A thousand buildings are my designated work.
Do not show me any favor; you will ultimately face shame.
Having found fault, you act as a judge and
show me favor;
This judge's place will be in the house of
hell.
After everyone has examined and given their
opinion,
The beauty of my gathering will be evident to
all.
Rules:
In the funeral prayer, what is the role of the
Kali's Sahib or his substitute?
The teachers and students are to be from
India.
The teachers and members,
The Maulana and the believers are all
important.
After six months, I will review the work;
If I find fault, I will dismiss them; what
shame is there in that?
Four conditions of the Waqf deed:
First condition: Five hours daily,
The students must be given education
regularly.
Second condition: According to the rules of
Deoband,
Nine classes will be conducted in Urdu.
Third condition: Twenty-seven hours including
Friday prayers,
The teachers and students will get leave.
Fourth condition: No government aid will be
received,
If one condition is violated, the claim will
be made to Mecca.
One is amazed to see such
detailed instructions on running a madrasa a hundred years ago. The
minute-by-hour calculation of teachers' teaching and daily attendance in the
madrasa is similar to the UGC guidelines for colleges and universities today.
There are strict worldly punishments in place to ensure that no improper steps
are taken in the calculation, as well as the associated fear has been shown.
Regrettably, this
translation of the Bengali script has suddenly stopped at one point. Given the
situation, it seems that the author may have left it like this with the
intention of completing it later for some reason, but it was not completed
later. If the writing had been completed, we would have known many more unknown
facts about this madrasa, that is, the left region. But what a small amount of
information we have received through just a few written pages that were
obtained completely by chance!
According to the
information received, it is also known that even after the Darul Faiz Madrasa
in Bhagabaja was separated from the Madrasa and shifted to Rajghat (Bangauti)
and was permanently established as the Rajghat Darul Faiz Madrasa, the two
Madrasas were under the control and supervision of the same management
committee. From 1976/77 onwards, the two Madrasas came under the control of
separate management committees. It is widely accepted that in a vast area
consisting of 45 small revenue villages and 35 inhabited forest villages, this
Darul Faiz Madrasa was the only Islamic educational center at that time. In the
early days, the religious education of this Madrasa had a huge impact on the
Muslims of the Left. Many Hafizs, Qaris, and Munshis came out of this Madrasa.
From here, later on, from Rampur Deoband and Banshkandi, those who became known
in the society as prominent scholars of the area are Munshi Habib Ali, Munshi
Enayetullah Chowdhury, Abdus Damad Laskar, Mashahid Ali Chowdhury, Maulana Formuz
Ali, Maulana Abdul Bari, Maulana Arjumand Ali.
Finally, I pray to
Almighty Allah for those pious souls who gave their wealth, thoughts and
talents to keep the light of religious knowledge burning in this mortal world,
so that their unforgettable contribution may widen and smooth their path to the
desired paradise on the Day of Judgment. Along with this, it is hoped that this
short article will be considered as a documentary document for the inquisitive
readers of the future generation of the left region regarding the introduction
and spread of the early Islamic education system in this area.
About the author: Sabir
Ahmed Chowdhury is the former Head and Acting Principal of the English
Department of Sonai M.C. Das College.
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