Shaikh Aboobackar Ahmad is the
General Secretary of the All India Muslim
Scholars Association and founder and
Vice Chancellor of Jamia Markazu
Ssaquafathi Ssunniyya (Sunni Cultural
Centre), Karanthur, Kozhikode, Kerala. He
is also chief patron of the Sunni Youth
Society and General Secretary, Jamiat
Ulema (Kerala)[2][3][4]
Biography
Born in Kanthapuram, a village in Calicut
District of Kerala, on
22 March 1939,
Kanthapuram hails from a mediocre
peasant family of 'Alangam Poyil', the
much popular and better known "A.P." His father, Mouthariyil
Ahmed Haji, was very pious and so was
his mother, Kunheema Hajjumma, who
was the daughter of Kuttoosa Molla, a
teacher of Qur-An in the locality of
Mangad, where reaches the family
routes of his father too. His father
died when he was twelve. Zainab is the
wife and he has six children, namely,
A.P. Abdul Hakeem Azhari, Maymoona,
Hafsa, Sakeena, Rayhana, and Najma
Firdousi. Muhammed Faizee, Abdul
Bari Musliyar, Muhmmed Koya Saqafi
and Obeidullah Saqafi are his in-laws. He completed his elementary studies
from A.M.L.P. School of Kanathapuram,
where both Islamic and public
instruction system co existed. Later he
completed his higher Elementary
education. Kanthapuram completed his course in
Qur'An studies from Vennakkode
Abdulla Musliyar, who was a scholar
and qari'a, (one who recites Qur An
phonetically). He persuaded his studies
in the Darses (the form of schools exist
in mosques for religious and spiritual
education) of Kanthapuram, Vavad,
Kolikkal, Chaliyam and Thalakkadathur. He was awarded the degree of Moulavi
Fadhil Baqavi from the renowned
Islamic study centre of Baqiyath
Swalihath, Vellore, in 1963. Sheikh
Hassan Hazrath, Muhammed Abubakkar
Hazrath, O.K. Zainudheen Kutty Musliyar,
Puthoor Abdulla Musliyar, Kizhakoth
Abdul Hameed Musliyar, Vavad Pocker
Kutty Musliyar, Kuttikkattor Bichali
Musliyar are some of his famous
teachers in different institutions and
disciplines. The Leader:
He brought about a good social status
and dignity for the religious scholars
with his active interference in the
society. He became a member of the
Central Mushawara of Samastha Kerala
Jam-iyyathul Ulema in 1974, followed
by the office secretary, before
becoming the joint secretary of the
Samastha. He was a member of the
committee, which was appointed to
expand the organization in all India
level in 1976. He held the designation
of the general secretary of Samastha
Kerala Sunni Yuvajana Sangham, (S.Y.S.) from 1975 to 1996, and he was the
president of the organization during
the tenure of 1996- 2004. Presently,
Kanthapuram is the Chairman of the
Supreme Council of S.Y.S. He also served
as the member of Hajj committee of
Kerala and Chairman to the Editorial
board of the Arabic Text Books of Govt. Schools of Kerala. He splited samastha kerala jamiyathul
ulama the largest muslim body in the
state, and formed sunni jamiyathul
ulama, and currently he is the general
secretary of the organistation.In 1993,
when the All India Jam-iyyathul Ulema
was set up, Kanthapuram became the
General Secretary and in the same year
he was endorsed as the Consortium
Qasi of Calicut.Besides these,
Kanthapuram is the treasurer of
Samastha Kerala Sunni Education Board
and General Secretary of the famous
Markazu-ssaquafathi-ssuniyya or The
Sunni Markaz. The debates and dialogues of
Kanthapuram is very famous especially
against those sects of the Muslims who
emerged against the puritan nature of
Islam and the teachings of Qur-An. The
debates of Kuttichira, Ayiroor, Kuttoor,
Pattambi, Pulikkal, Valiyaparambu,
Kottappuram etc. with Kanthapuram in
lead, was surely a blow to these
sectarians. In the post independent India, where
illiteracy and poverty were the ruling
factors as the balance sheet of the
colonial rule, Kanthapuram began his
revivalism, keeping in mind the social
and educational uplifting of the
downtrodden class including that of the
Muslims. He visualized and translated
into action farsighted projects in order
to change the social anarchy and
educational backwardness of the
Muslims, which were prevailing in the
Muslim society after the 1921 Malabar
Mutiny. Kanthapuram is the visionary,
founder and founder General Secretary
of Markazu-ssaquafathi-ssuniyya,
which is a world famous educational
consortium, including that of
Orphanages, Vocational Training
Centers, School of Islamic Shariah,
School of Qur-An Learning, Engineering
College, English Medium Educational
Institutes, International Public Schools,
Women's Educational Centers, Hospitals
and Commercial Complexes. Apart from
this, Kanthapuram serves as the chief
patron and Chairman of about 300
Educational Institutions, which are
spread all over India. The Islamic
Educational Board, headed by
Kanathapuram runs more than ten
thousand Madrassas, which provides
religious education up to the secondary
level. Focusing his attention on the
suppressed and sidelined population,
he felt that the need of the hour is to
provide proper education to lift them
up from all type of inhibition thus
giving them all round social
development. He pragmatically proved
the concept of education by the very
resolute principle of Modern education
in any branch, backed by moral
traditions and religious values. A Social Reformer:
Those different orphanages run by him
adopt the poor and orphan students of
either s*x and provide them with free
food, accommodation and education. They are supported until they complete
higher education and attain a self-
stand. The Thurkiyya Orphanage, in the
Markaz campus Karanthur, alone
shelters more than 10000 students. Markaz do have projects to protect and
look after those men who are affected
by natural calamities and riots. Those
deprived and orphaned due to the
earthquake in Andaman & Nicobar
Islands and the suburban provinces of
India and Pakistan, are educationally
fed in Markaz. Markaz shelters and
provides with education to more than
600 Kashmiri students, who are either
orphaned or denied of education
because of the endless and year long
fights. Kanthapuram is famous in India
and more in Arab countries by the title
"Abul Aytam", meaning 'the Father of
Orphans', for the services he rendered
to the orphans and destitute.
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Books and literary works
As a writer in Arabic, Urdu and
Malayalam in the leading journals,
Kanthapuram has authored some
scholarly studies. He is well conversant
in Arabic, English, Urdu, Tamil and
Malayalam. To name some of the books written by
him are:
Thoughts of the Muslim World. An Introduction to the Study of Islam. The Hajj
The American Diary. The Holy Prophets
Congregational Prayer in Islam
Women and the Friday Prayer
Thareeqat- A Study
Ismathul Ambiya (Arabic)
Idhharul Farahi Va Ssuroor (Arabic)
Assiyasathul Islamiyya (Arabic)
Thaleemul Aqabir (Arabic)
Al Ithibaau Wal Isthidaau (Arabic)
Al Wahdathal Islamiyya (Arabic)
Riyaalu Twalibeen (Arabic)
Failaanul Musalsila (Arabic)
[3] [5]
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Award and facilitations
Indian Islamic Centre Award 2000 for
the best social cultural and educational
worker in India. He was named among "500 Most
Influential Muslims in the world" in
2009 and 2011. (http://www.gwu.edu/
~ieresgwu/assets/docs/
Kavakci_500.pdf )
He was awarded with the “Shaik
Muhiyudheen Abdul Khadar Jeelani
Award” in 2009
The Ras-Al Khaima Islamic Academy
Award for the best Social Worker, in
1992. The Indian Islamic Centre Award in
recognition of the best Educational and
Social Services. Hamil Al Ghait International Holy
Quran Award, 2005. The first MACC- U.A. Award for the
best Indo-Arab Islamic Personality,
2006.
