LAHORE - Jamia Ashrafia Mohtamim (principal) and known Islamic scholar, Maulana Ubaidullah Mufti, passed away here yesterday after protracted illness. He was 95.
He had been appointed mohtamim of the subcontinent’s conspicuous religious seminary in 1961 after the death of his father Mufti Muhammad Hassan Amritsari (RA). Maulana Ubaidullah served the seminary as its principal for 55 years and introduced modern trend of education in it.
Jamia Ashrafia was founded only a month after the independence (September 14, 1947) by Mufti Hassan (RA) at Neela Gumband Anarkali. He was an extremely noble apostle of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA). Due to great regards for Maulana Ashraf Thanvi and in recognition of his services, Mufti Hassan named the institution as Jamia Ashrafia. The campus was, later, shifted to Ferozpur Road near Muslim Town.
Maulana Ubaid’s father was among the few Deobandi scholars of Indo-Pak region, who along with his teacher (Maulana Thanvi) overwhelmingly supported the creation of Pakistan despite opposition of the then known Deobandi scholars and seminaries, including India’s famous Darul Uloom Deoband.
Mufti Ubaid was elder brother of Maulana Hafiz Fazlur Raheem, vice-principal of the Jamia and Muttahida Ulema Board Punjab chairman. Shura will decide the new principal of the Jamia in next couple of days.
Thousands of scholars, leading politicians of PML-N, PML-Q, PTI and other parties, students and people from different walks of life attended the funeral prayers of Mufti Ubaid, which was led by his son Qari Arshad Ubaid. Among the prominent persons who attended the funeral prayers were General Secretary Wafaqul Madaris Qari Hanif Jalandhari, Sheikhul Hadith Maulana Sarwar, Mufti Muhammad Hassan, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, known journalist Mujeebur Rehman Shami, leading heart specialist Dr Shaharyar, Justice (r) Khalilur Rehman, PTI leader Ijaz Chaudhry and delegations from JUI-F, JUI-S, Jamaat-e-Islami and others. He was laid to rest at local graveyard in Shershah, Ichhra.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, JUI-S head Maulana Samiul Haq, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq and leaders of other parties termed the death of Maulana Ubaid a great loss to the Muslim world. They paid tribute to Maulana Ubaid for his services and prayed for the departed soul.