Asghar Ali Engineer sahab passes away

[ghulam muhammed]

Renowned Islamic scholar, progressive thinker, author Asghar Ali Engineer no more

http://kractivist.wordpress.com/2013/05 ... r-no-more/

[Safiuddin]

Very sad news indeed. A loss to the world.

[ghulam muhammed]

Mr.Engineer was very well known on various online forums, I reproduce below some beautiful messages sent by members of such forums :-

"I am deeply grieved by the demise of a great Islamic scholar Dr Asghar Ali Engineer. May Allah grant him eternal Peace, Amen. May the Almighty also give forbearance to his family to bear this irreparable loss.

Dr Engineer's moderate language brought peace and harmony to many a difficult social issues which had the immense potential to spark fire, passion at the cost of communal harmony. Indeed his pen spoke the language of Peace as Islam wishes to portray. We have lost a great man, the country surely has but even more the Community as a whole will be impossible to replace his Genius.

On reading his article from a news paper in Delhi, I sent an email to thank him for such wonderful service to humanity particularly Muslims in guiding them to follow laws as enshrined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. Promptly he replied and his simplicity, kindness and humility in his writing so touched my heart that I kept in correspondence with him since 1995.

One day we will have to leave this world. As holy Quran reminds us " Kullu Man Aliha Fan" and scholars like Dr Asghar Al Engineer have left a deep foot prints on the Secular canvass of India to emulate his writing in letter and sprit. Amen."

We pray for the departed soul.

In Grief,

Air Vice Marshal Hamid Shahul,
Former Chairman,
Airports Authority of India.


"The nation has lost one of its stalwarts.Islam and muslims in India have lost their most potent intellectual. Civil Society has lost its best known friend in the muslim community.The Quran has lost its most enlightend interpreter. We have lost a very personal friend and mentor.His spirit will continue directing us no doubt.
May his soul rest in peace.Our heartfelt condolences and sorrows to the rest of the family"
Dr.Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed & Bader Sayeed
Chennai.


"We are shocked to hear the news of Asghar Saheb's death. Death is always mournful, but his death is irreparable loss to the democratic and liberal discourse. His writings and personality moulded the lives of hundreds of us. His prolific writings enriched the debate and concerns in an era of poverty of philosophy. One could differ with him, he welcomed it and never shied from dialogue. His leadership against totalitarianism in the religious organizations gave new directions to the sufferers. His writings and activism at the ground level will keep him always alive.

Please convey our condolences to sister, family and friends. In this hour of immense grief take care of yourself".

With love and regards,

Neelima Sharma & Shamsul Islam on behalf of Nishant


"I am deeply grieved to learn about the sudden death of Dr. Asgar Sahib. His wealth of knowledge on various subjects his boldness in expressing his views was of great strength to human Right activists. I still recall the conference that was held at Simla, last year. He phoned a couple of month back and told me about a conference he was planning. But then we mortals must bow to God's will. He was a brave person and we all will remember him with all our reverence".

With regards,

Rajindar Sachar


"A truly noble soul, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer impacted our thought process in the most impressive way. He taught us how to interpret the holy Quran, the sharia and the Islamic values in a modern society and how to marry the urges of a plural society with the spirit of religions. He salvaged us from the clutches of regressive ideologues. He very meticulously etched to relief the Quran's dominant themes and make us learn how to view Islam in the post-modern context. An iconoclast, Dr. Engineer suffered a lot at the hands of the clergy within his minuscule Bohra community as well as without. But his pen never got tired of attacks both from the religious conservatives as well as far right communalists.

In his death we have lost a scholar who influenced the thought process of at least three generations of modern day youth".
May his soul rest in peace, Ameen!
M. A. Siraj
Bangalore


"Dr. Asghar Ali was the personification of courage, compassion, and commitment rolled into one great big C. The campaign to spread secular values, love and peace has lost its most committed advocate. However he has provided us with a firm rudder to carry on. Let's pledge to continue the work, that would be the best tribute to a relentless campaigner. With heartfelt condolences to Irfan, Sandhya, Ram, Dr. Vasundhara Mohan, CSSS friends, and all friends and well wishers closely associated with Asghar Saab",

from the Aman Vedika teams in Hyderabad and in 6 other districts, Balyamitra Network and Women for Secularism and Democracy (HYD).

[ghulam muhammed]

Reflections of a Crusader

For 38 years, since way back in 1961 when he was a student of engineering, Asghar Ali Engineer has been waging a two–pronged battle — against the divisive forces of communalism and the gross human rights violations of ordinary Bohra Muslims by an oppressive and corrupt priesthood under the head–priest — Syedna Burhanuddin.

http://www.sabrang.com/cc/comold/april99/tribute.htm

[JC]

Indeed it is a great loss for Muslims of Sub-Continent to have lost such a scholar and human being.

to Allah we all have to return ......... mortals can never be immortals.

May Allah, the Almighty rest his soul in eternal peace, Ameen and may He give Sabr-e-Jameel to his family and friends.

[Muslim First]

Inna lillahe wa inna ilayhe rajeoon

[Al Zulfiqar]

the untimely passing away of this great man was indeed a great shock to me and my family. i have heard many of his speeches personally and through a collection of audio tapes passed on to me by good friends. i have also over the years collected as many books, articles and publications of his as i could find.

what struck me most about him was his modesty and utter simplicity of speech. he expressed himself in the most profound and effective way, but with a very calm, scholarly and simple manner, remarkably without any affectations or pretense. his message hit you like an arrow straight into your heart. he used to be very focused and direct, never wavering from the point. his honesty and sincerity shone through. even his most bitter opponents were disarmed by his extremely good manners and politeness of speech.

a singular voice of reason and courage has departed from our midst. he stood firm on his principles and his human decency despite the many murderous attempts on his life and the dastardly, underhanded methods adopted by the clergy to silence him. he withstood physical assaults on his person and the most abusive slander against his personality, but he budged not an inch. his integrity, knowledge and determination eventually made him the mahatma gandhi of the bohras. he became a thorn in the side of the all-powerful clergy mafia. where they could not succeed in maligning his reputation in the world at large, they buried him with innuendo and character assassination within the narrow confines of the brainwashed bohra community.

where the thinking and discerning world mourns him, ignorants and jaahils dance and celebrate in glee like devils. i feel a sense of great personal loss. what i feel even more is that the reformist movement has lost their leading fighter and champion. he was their public face and bulwark.

INNA LILLAHE WA INNA ILAIHE RAJEUN.

may allah give sabr and courage to his family to bear his loss. this forum and we, its regulars, are here to offer any sort of help if required. that is the least we can do at this sad time.

[bohri]

We will miss Asgharbhai, his wisdom, knowledge, humility and passion for justice. I would say the grandest of people that we have had the fortune of knowing personally. Oppressed women and minorities have lost one of the foremost and relentless advocate. We have lost a dear friend.

[saifuddin ujjain]

Very sad news indeed. A loss to the world.

why should lion of refrome movement be buried in sunni kabrastan was he
sunni or dawoodi bhora

[saifuddin ujjain]

lion of refrome movement fought his whole life against barat and non bur ial of reformist in bohra qubarastan so why we forget his mission wake up brother ?

[saifuddin ujjain]

lion of refrome movement fought his whole life against barat and non bur ial of reformist in bohra qubarastan so why we forget his mission wake up brother ?

[Fateh]

Indeed a sad news ! He shall be remembered with great respect of being a man who stood against corrupt clergy
kalu inna lillah e va inna alaihe rajeun

[zinger]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ)

a great loss to whole reform movement. All sensible Bohras should mourn his death more than they will mourn for their Dai.

Agree.
There is a saying that Allah calls back good people earlier. Dr Engineer died at the age of 78 while Abdes are looking their Dai till Qayamat. Make your own judgments.
May Allah give him place in Jannat and Sabar to his loved ones. A great loss for the Muslim Ummah, While Kotharis were kissing Killer Modi's bottom, he was a voice to reckon with against his atrocities.

SBM, unfortunately, people like you assumed that my message was for just Dawoodi Bohras.
It was for reformists too.
One would assume that someone sensible like you would show some decency. Guess i was wrong.
using opportunities like this to score points over one another is a pathetic attempt.

[Maqbool]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un
in deed it is a great lost to the Muslim in general and bohras in particular.
The way all national and international news papers has carried this news and highlighted his achievements is enough to open the eyes of hardcore abdes.

[saifuddin ujjain]

may his soul rest in peace and etenal garden of heaven with horris nd drink from river s

[Dr AbuTurab]

Condolence to his family and respect to his courage and bravery to stand against injustice and false hood...

[ozmujaheed]

May Allah bless his soul..

This is truly a major loss to the Bohra world , his commitment and contribution to freedom, intellect and justice will be always remembered. My condolences to his family , friends and loved ones.

He inspired me personally , I am at a loss. His ideals will always be kept alive.

[Bohra spring]

This is very sad news ...may Allah give him internal peace and we have to live up to his mission and not let him down.

[Admin]

Please keep this thread for condolence messages only. We will later open another topic to discuss his legacy. Thank you.

[g1g]

This is indeed tragic news. The Reformist community, India and the world has lost a tireless Reformer/activist and a brilliant man who always spoke out against injustices at great risk to his life.
We have great admiration and respect for Asgharali bhai and he and bhen Sakina stayed with us during his first trip to Toronto in the 1970’s.
Asgharalibhai was recognized the world over for his dedication to the causes of the underprivileged and he particularly set the record straight on the role of women in Islam.
His interpretation of Islam and issues which affect us all was indeed refreshing and very pertinent to the modern age we live in. We enjoyed reading his prolific pamphlets and books and hearing him speak when ever we had the opportunity.
The beauty of Asgharalibhai was that he was a very simple , selfless man who was above all the pettiness that goes with belonging to a divided community. He was able to rise above it all and enter the world of international academics. His greatest service and contribution was to impart tremendous knowledge to the world about the misunderstood Islam, which took a great deal of courage, and many many people revered him.
The Bohras have lost a great leader whose worth will be recognized by the generations to come in the literature he has left behind.
May Allah grant him Jannat and may He give solace to Irfan and Seema as well as his family members at this difficult time.

[Conscíous]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un..

[ghulam muhammed]

Crusader against communalism

All his life he tirelessly worked for interfaith peace and harmony and religious reform in his own community

As a child in Wardha at the time of Partition, Asghar Ali heard “horrible stories of people being killed and trains full of dead bodies.” Those stories, he wrote in his autobiography, A Living Faith, disturbed him so much that he began thinking very early in his life about why people killed each other in the name of religion.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/c ... 715201.ece

[ghulam muhammed]

Asghar Ali Engineer's autobiography out

Love Concurs the World. That was the message that rang out at the book release function of the noted writer Asghar Ali Engineer here on Tuesday evening.

They praised Mr. Engineer's autobiography ‘A Living Faith' for championing liberal and secular values.

In his brief address, Mr. Engineer said religion does not have to divide people. A true follower of religion had the qualities of truth, humility and compassion. “Unfortunately, we are neglecting what is here,” he said pointing to the heart.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyd ... 811025.ece

[ghulam muhammed]

Memorial Meeting for Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer and Peoples’ Convention against the State’s onslaught on the right to freedom of expression and association

The Convention will begin with a memorial meeting for Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, who was also the founder president of Insaf. Those in Delhi, please do attend.

Join the Peoples’ Convention against the State’s onslaught on the right to freedom of expression and association

Venue: Deputy Speakers Hall, Constitution Club of India

Date: 17th of May 2013 Time: 2.30-6.00 pm

Denial of fundamental rights & freedom of expression & association all through from AFSPA, Sedition laws to FCRA act 2010!!!!

Let us all collectively stand up against the conspiracies unleashed by neo-liberal and anti people politics

JANADHIKAR SANGHARSH SAMITI

Organisers:

(Ashok Chowdhury, Anil Chaudhary, Kalyani Menon Sen, Achin Vanaik, Chitranjan Singh, Afsar Jafri, Anand Swaroop Verma, Roma, Mansi Sharma, Shweta Tripathi, Bharghavi, Satyam Srivastava and many others)

[asad]

The Reformist As Pacifist: Asghar Ali Engineer's Islam

http://www.ummid.com/news/2013/May/16.0 ... r_ali.html

[Dazzling]

R I P

[bohra_manus]

May Allah grant sabr to his family and loved ones.
May Allah show mercy to his soul.

[S. Insaf]

The Constitution of India has given certain privileges/exemptions to Muslim minority. To avail these prerogatives, the Dawoodi Bohras who consider other Muslims inferior call themselves Bohra Muslims when time comes. But Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer was a Dawoodi Bohra, a Muslim, a humanist and a secularist in true sense. In March 2000 when he was attacked at Bombay airport the Bohra clergy was condemn world over. That is when the Bohra clergy realized his international popularity. Therefore when his mother, Maryam bai died she was buried in Kurla Bohra cemetery without any struggle and a Mulla was sent for performing her last rites along with Asghar Ali saheb and other reformists. If we wanted we would have easy buried his body in any Bohra cemetery in Bombay without any resistance. But Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, being a true Muslim, had told his son, Irfan and daughter, Seema that he would like to be buried where his friends, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nisaar Akhthar, Majruh Sultanpuri and Ali Sardar Jafri, and his wife Sakina were buried.

[salim]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un..

[ghulam muhammed]

Engineer of Islamic reform dead

MUMBAI: In February, while returning to Amritsar airport from the Wagah border, Asghar Ali Engineer fainted and was hospitalized. He wrote his keynote address for a conference in Indonesia from the hospital bed and mailed it to the conference organizer, apologizing for not being physically present. On Tuesday, the 74-year-old was no more.

After over 50 years of tirelessly fighting against the forces of fanaticism and communalism, the leading Islamic scholar, activist and Bohra reformist leader lost his battle against multiple infections at his Santa Cruz (E) home.

Engineer often blamed doctored history for the Hindu-Muslim divide. "In my lectures, when I ask the audience if they have heard of Aurangzeb, everyone says yes. But when I ask if they have heard of Dara Shikoh, many say no. We know Aurangzeb because history paints him as a villain, but we forgot Aurangzeb's brother, Dara Shikoh, who translated the Upanishad into Persian and championed Hindu-Muslim unity," said Engineer in an interview. The big liberal voice is gone forever.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... ara-shikoh