Ajiria Alia Madrasa (Bengali: আজিরিয়া আলিয়া মাদরাসা, Arabic: المدرسة العالية الأجيرية) is an alia madrasa, situated in Fulbari, Golapganj Upazila, Sylhet District, Bangladesh.[1][2]
| Ajiria Alia Madrasa আজিরিয়া আলিয়া মাদরাসা | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
Fulbari, Ward 6, Golapganj, Sylhet District Bangladesh | |
| Information | |
| Type | Madrasa |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Islam |
| Established | Before 1860 |
| Founder | Muhammad Ajiruddin Ahmad |
| School board | Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board |
| Language | Bengali, Arabic |
History
editThe descendants of Mughal statesman and zamindar Mir Hazara established a madrasa in the village of Fulbari.[3] Among his descendants was the 19th-century mystic Shah Abdul Wahhab Choudhury, who headed up the madrasa immediately before it was transformed into its present form. His Sufi background turned the madrasa into a notable centre for the production of literary works in the Sylhet Nagri script, and among the erstwhile students were Sufi poets Shitalong Shah and Ibrahim Ali Tashna.[3]
In 1860, Allama Muhammad Ajiruddin Ahmad Choudhury, a student of Abdul Wahhab Choudhury, used his family wealth to re-endow it and transform it into an Alia Madrasa, related to the style of the Alia Madrasa of Calcutta. From then on it came to be known as Ajiria Alia Madrasa.[4] Ahmad was a renowned Persian-language author,[5] and among his books are Guldasta-i-Aqaid and Aqaid-i-Ajiria (Creed of Ajiria). He also wrote books in Urdu.[6][7] In the 20th century, Sufi Habibur Rahman Chowdhury became the headmaster.[8] His son, Majd Uddin Chowdhury, was a prominent tea pioneer and former principal of Murari Chand College. He was also the father of Mohius Sunnah Chowdhury, who played a great role in the development of the madrasa.[9]
The madrasa became an important centre for the Pakistan Movement, with key activities from its alumni Abdul Musabbir of Gohorpur, who founded the Sylhet District Muslim Student Association, and Sayad Naziruddin Ahmad of Balikandi.[10][11] Other notable alumni include Ibrahim Chatuli and Ismail Alam.[3] Notable teachers at the institute include the Deobandi cleric Maulana Abdul Jalil Choudhury, a leading opponent of Partition in the area who would eventually migrate to India in protest at the creation of Pakistan.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mohanta, Rasamay (1990). সিলেট অঞ্চলের শিক্ষাঙ্গন: অতীত ও বর্তমান (in Bengali). Sarasvatī Mohānta. p. 3.
- ^ Jamil, SM, ed. (1948). The Muslim Year Book of India and Who's who: With Complete Information on Pakistan, 1948-49. Bombay Newspaper Company. p. 247.
- ^ a b c Rahman, Fazlur (1991). "ফুলবাড়ী আজিরিয়া মাদ্রাসা" [Phulbari Ajiriya Madrasah]. সিলেটের মাটি, সিলেটের মানুষ [Sylhet's soil, Sylhet's people] (in Bengali). p. 151.
- ^ Rahman, Fazlur (1993). সিলেটের কাব্য সাধনা (in Bengali). p. 101.
- ^ Sajjadi, Hasnain. "গোলাপগঞ্জের প্রথম লিখিত ইতিহাসগ্রন্থ এবং একজন আনোয়ার শাহজাহান". Anupom News 24 (in Bengali).
- ^ Chisti, Syed Hasan Imam Hussainy (1999). "Arabic and Persian in Sylhet". In Ahmed, Sharif Uddin (ed.). Sylhet: History and Heritage. Bangladesh Itihas Samiti. p. 610. ISBN 984-31-0478-1.
- ^ Husam, Shamshad. "বাংলা সাহিত্যে সিলেট". Thikana (in Bengali).
- ^ Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan. Pakistan: Biographical Research Institute. 1960. p. 375-376.
- ^ Siddiquee, Iqbal (7 Nov 2009). "Remembering Mohius Sunnah Chowdhury". The Daily Star (Bangladesh).
- ^ Choudhury.
- ^ Laskar, Mahbubur Rahman (2015), "Madrassas of Surma-Barak Valley in Partition" (PDF), Madrassas and Partition 1940-1947: a study of the Madrassas of Surma-Barak Valley and their Responses to the Partition and Anti-partition Movement, Assam University
Further reading
edit- Choudhury, Mustansirur Rahman. আঞ্চলিক ইতিহাস: ফুলবাড়ী আজিরিয়া আলিয়া মাদ্রাসা [Regional history: Fulbari Ajiriya Aliya Madrasha] (in Bengali).
- Choudhury, Mustansirur Rahman; Choudhury, Fakhrul Islam (1992). ফুলবাড়ী, ইতিহাস খ্যাত একটি গ্রাম (in Bengali).