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MADRASAHS

Madrasah Movement in Bhalessa
By: Sadaket A Malik

“We talk about inter-community relations. We must understand each other’s religious sentiments; respect them instead of condemning and denouncing them”.

There is an unprecedented growth in the madarasah’s owing to which the students are graduated at the pattern of Dar ul Uloom Deoband of Utter Pradesh. The unique feature of these Madarasah’s is that they focus on Inter community relations. What is interesting is the donations and frequent visits by local Hindu’s to these madarasah’s.

In a hilly hamlet Bhalessa (Doda) also, a rising tide in madrasah education is being witnessed with increasing number of Madersah’s that rose to 12 in a short period of time. Besides nurturing the Islamic clerics from these Madrasah’s including Hafiz and Ulema, education also at the pattern of other government schools under the ambit of the state government is also imparted t the students studying in these Madrassahs.

Innovative Madrasah’s like the Jamia Gunyat ul Uloom are increasingly visible today. Jamia Gunyat ul Uloom Bhatyas established in the year 1983 and named after Hazrat Abdul Gani Sadiqui managed by Gunyat Ul Uloom Trust Bhalessa is the largest Institution imparting Madrasah and academic education to the students of Bhalessa. It currently has more than a thousand students on its rolls. Patterned on the Dar ul Uloom Deoband model, it is one of the few madrasah’s in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that provide Islamic education till the Alim Fazil or specialization level.Besides Jamia, there are several other maddersa’s like Madrasah Asrar Ul Uloom at Neeli Bhalessa named after Shah Asrar ud Din Bagdadi (RA). Other Madrasa’s are:- Madrasah Anwar-e-Madina Gandoh, Madrasah Aweesya Ameenya Dhraveri, Gulshan-e-Madina at Dhadkai hamlet, Akhyar ul Uloom at Kahara, Gayas Ul Uloom at Gingota hamlet, Inam ul Uloom at Donadi, Ume-Sadiqa at Kilhotran, Madrasa Taleem ul Quran Bharti and Zia-ul Uloom at Thathri.

Madrasah Um —e Sadiqa has very recently been founded by the Fredya Welfare Society Bhalessa headed by Alhaj Shoket Ali Batt. The madrasah is unique in the sense that it is meant for Girls only. There are as many as 80 girl students getting Islamic education. The madrasah is named after Hazrat Aishya Sidiqa (RA). The Madrasah focuses on the life and teachings of Hazrat Aishya Sadiqa (RA). All these institutions follow the curriculum prescribed by the Jammu and Kashmir State Board for Education, and the students studying in hem are being graduated at the pattern of Dar ul Uloom Deoband of Utter Pradesh.

In Jamia there are as many as 250 students memorizing Quran popularly called Hifz. They stay for a night in the hostels managed from the donated money by the management of the institute. The students, neatly dressed in spotless kurta-pajamas and topis, sit in a circle on a large quilt accompanied by a qualified Hafiz or a Maulana- the teacher who teaches the students in madrasah. The Maulana translates verses of Quran or teaches as to how to pronounce the verses in a particular language. Jamia is situated in a mountainous slope where Haji Sahib’s residence is located. Haji sahib is also regarded as a Mohatmim of Jamia.

There is a frequent visit by one and all even by the local state politicians like Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to express their sympathy to Madersah on occasions like annual celebrations or meeting with revered Sufi Haji Sahib.

On being prompted by management committee, the Madersahs organize an annual day celebrations with the initiative of the local masses and students of nearby maddersas. The students stand up and deliver an impassioned speech in Arabic and recite Naat Khuwani in Urdu.

I visit these Institutions frequent especially in connection with the Annual day celebrations. On that very day I sit among the students to watch the details of the programme presented by them. The management focuses on the importance of academic education and on how Islam positively encourages it.

The Deobandi elders are not against modern education as is commonly uderstod. Mufti Ishrat Mattu who was graduated from Jamia argues, “Islam says that all beneficial knowledge can be acquired and so our ulema have never opposed what is good in the modern educational system. What they were opposed to, however, was Western culture. We can and, indeed, should acquire knowledge of all the beneficial modern disciplines, provided this is done according to our culture and that it helps us become better Muslims”. Maulana Shoket Ali Qasmi President of Madersah Asrar Uloom Neeli Bhalessa tells me about the 60 such students who are enrolled in the hifz course to memorize the Quran. According to him, this institution that was set up in 1980 has 210 other students enrolled for academic courses up to 8th class and is recognized by the state government. The Maderasah is functioning on public donation.

In contrast to most other institutions that specialize in hifz, this institution teaches Mathematics and Science as well. ‘Our ulema must keep themselves abreast with modern knowledge and contemporary developments’, he stresses. ‘That is essential for them to provide proper leadership to the community’.

According to Mufti Abid Hussain Madrassahs have nothing to do with politics. Brushing aside the allegations about madrasah’s in Jammu and Kashmir being allegedly involved in promoting ‘terrorism’ he asserts adding that woring of Madrassahs is completely transparent and has nothing to hide. ‘Not a single madrasah in Jammu and Kashmir has been identified by intelligence sources as engaged in that sort of activity’ he claims adding that the vision of Madersah is different from the Politics of land. “In Madersah we offer to the aspirants the teachings like, Nazra Quran, Tajweed e Farsi, Ilm-e-Nahw, Sarf- e- tafseer, Hadees-e-Mantiq, Falsafa-e-Bayan, balagat and fiqah,” Sas the Mufti.

On Hindu-Muslim reations he says, “We talk about inter-community relations. We must understand each other’s religious sentiments; respect them instead of condemning and denouncing them”.

Sadaket Malik is a researcher in education based in Bhalessa. He has conducted a research on Peace keeping and Human conflict in J&K state funded by The Institute of Third World Studies Philippines. sadaketmalik@rediffmail.com

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