Cleric who challenged TNSM chief is no more
Renowned religious and spiritual scholar Maulana Rahimullah passes away in Swat.
SWAT:
A renowned religious and spiritual scholar Maulana Rahimullah passed away in Swat on Sunday. He was 100. A Shaikhul Hadith, Maulana Rahim was a follower of famous religious scholar Maulana Martoong.
He was appointed as a special judge (Qazi) in Dar ul Qaza set up by the late Wali-e-Swat before the merger of Swat with Pakistan. He taught religious studies for 55 years.
When Maulana Sufi Muhammad came to Swat and started building madrasas in the valley in 1988, he was the first scholar to raise his voice against him and bring Swati people together to destroy the seminaries set up by him. This led to the fleeing of Sufi Mohammad from Swat.
His funeral prayers were attended by more than 15,000 people. Hikmatullah, a medical student from Tank-Dera Ismail Khan, who was among the mourners, told The Express Tribune, “I have not seen him but I have heard a lot about him and came to attend his funeral. His death is a great loss for the new generation as he was a very popular spiritual scholar. It is a very sad day today.”
“He provided great religious services in this area, and his uncontroversial character was much appreciated. People from of all walks of life are present today which proves his greatness,” Niaz Muhammad, another mourner who came from Buner, told The Express Tribune.
Saifullah Kakakhel, a local journalist and a member of a religious family said, “Today is the saddest day for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as such scholars are born in centuries.
His death has left a vacuum which will never be filled after him, he added.
Another mourner said that people from across the country used to come to him for taking advice on religious and spiritual matters.
Even government and judicial officials came for counseling on complicated issues. He was an affectionate, kind-hearted person and we can see that people, young and old, are crying over his death.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2010.
A renowned religious and spiritual scholar Maulana Rahimullah passed away in Swat on Sunday. He was 100. A Shaikhul Hadith, Maulana Rahim was a follower of famous religious scholar Maulana Martoong.
He was appointed as a special judge (Qazi) in Dar ul Qaza set up by the late Wali-e-Swat before the merger of Swat with Pakistan. He taught religious studies for 55 years.
When Maulana Sufi Muhammad came to Swat and started building madrasas in the valley in 1988, he was the first scholar to raise his voice against him and bring Swati people together to destroy the seminaries set up by him. This led to the fleeing of Sufi Mohammad from Swat.
His funeral prayers were attended by more than 15,000 people. Hikmatullah, a medical student from Tank-Dera Ismail Khan, who was among the mourners, told The Express Tribune, “I have not seen him but I have heard a lot about him and came to attend his funeral. His death is a great loss for the new generation as he was a very popular spiritual scholar. It is a very sad day today.”
“He provided great religious services in this area, and his uncontroversial character was much appreciated. People from of all walks of life are present today which proves his greatness,” Niaz Muhammad, another mourner who came from Buner, told The Express Tribune.
Saifullah Kakakhel, a local journalist and a member of a religious family said, “Today is the saddest day for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as such scholars are born in centuries.
His death has left a vacuum which will never be filled after him, he added.
Another mourner said that people from across the country used to come to him for taking advice on religious and spiritual matters.
Even government and judicial officials came for counseling on complicated issues. He was an affectionate, kind-hearted person and we can see that people, young and old, are crying over his death.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2010.