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Ghulam Ahmed Perwez

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File:Ghulam ahmad parwez.jpg
Ghulam Ahmad Parwez (1903 - 1985)

Allama Ghulam Ahmad Parwez (also transliterated in different ways- Parvez, Perwaiz, Parvaiz, etc.) (1903-1985) was a 20th century Muslim reformer. He is today most known for denying the authority and authenticity of some of the Hadiths which he believed were fabricated and go against Quran and for initiating the Tolu-e-Islam movement. He is also considered as a leading activist in the Pakistan movement.

Biography

Ghulam Ahmed Pervez was born in a Sunni (Hanafi) family of Batala, Dist. Gurdaspur, on the 9 July, 1903. Batala, a town now in the Indian part of Punjab, was at that time a very prominent seat of Islamic learning, philosophy and culture where his grandfather Hakim Maulvi Raheem Bakhsh enjoyed the status of a celebrated scholar and eminent Sufi of the Chishtia Nizamia discipline of mysticism.

According to his own writings, from a very early age he possessed an inquisitive nature and never let any thought pass unquestioned. As he grew, he often questioned that if the Islamic beliefs and practices are true and correct, then why do these not produce the results the Qur'an promises?

He joined the Central Secretariat of the Government of India in 1927 and worked in the Home Dept, Establishment Division. He is also supposed to have come in contact with Allama Muhammad Iqbal whom he became inspired of. In 1938 Parwez started publishing monthly Tolu-e-Islam where he propagated his interpretation of the Qur'an. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947 he worked the Central Government and was also a counselor to Muhammed Ali Jinnah. Pervez took pre-mature retirement as assistant secretary in 1955 to focus more on the religious work.

His work and research produced many books on Qur'anic teachings, the most well known of them being Lughat-ul-Qur'an in four volumes, Mafhoom-ul-Qur'an in three volumes, Tabweeb-ul-Qur'an in three volumes, Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat, Islam A Challenge to Religion, Insaan Ne Kiya Socha (History of Human Thought), Tasawwaf Ki Haqiqat, Saleem Ke Naam in three volumes, Tahira Ke Naam, Qur'ani Faislay in five volumes and Shahkar-e-Risalat (the biography of the second Caliph Hazrat Omar). He delivered many lectures on Iqbal’s viewpoint of implementing the Qur'anic injunctions, which were later compiled and published as a presentation on Iqbal’s philosophy under the title "Iqbal aur Qur'an".

He also gave weekly lectures on exposition of the Qur'an at Karachi which he continued (even after shifting to Lahore in 1958) till October 1984 when he was taken ill and expired subsequently on 24 February 1985. This was in addition to his lectures on the Qur'anic teachings to college and university students, scholars and general public at various occasions.

He organized a country-wide network of spreading his ideas of the Qur'anic teachings called Bazm-e-Tolu-e-Islam. Such organizations have now been formed in a number of foreign countries as well.

He left behind a widow and a brother (both now deceased) and a sister. He had no children. His works are being continued through Idara-Tolu-e-Islam, The Tolu-e-Islam Trust, The Qur'anic Research Centre, the Qur'anic Education Society, the Parwez Memorial Library and his audio and video recordings.

Parwez's legacy

Allama Pervez was very close to Quaid-e-Azam. He was the only person which was permitted by Jinnah to meet him without any protocol. Pervez used to discuss islamic ideology with Jinnah, who was the leader of the movement for an islamic state. Jinnah himself was an admirer of Allama Pervez and he assigned him a duty to publish an Urdu journal to defend Muslim League and Pakistan movement against Jamiat's propaganda. Allama Pervez penned countless essays and articles exposing Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and famous anti Pakistan cleric Abulala Maududi. Due to his enthusisatic efforts against Pakistan's opponents, he was termed as "Munkir-e-Hadees" by Jamat-e-Islami and other anti Pakistan religiopolitical parties. In the reign of President General Ayub Khan the military ruler of Pakistan, Pervez was instrumental in the formulation of the Muslim Family Laws framed during the time as he was against the unregistered marriages which were strongly advocated by Maududi and other religious figures. He was of opinion that the strong hold of Mullahs on the maternal affairs has distorted the real concept of marriage and family system of Islam . Some of his critics also accused him for not giving the credit to the research scholars he engaged to work on some of his publications. Pervez is widely admired among the youth for his non-cleric attitude. Several Pakistani columnists present his thoughts in their own words which has introduced Pervez's ideas to the Pakistani youth. The movement started by Pervez, Tolu-e-Islam, has its offices in all the major cities of Pakistan where Allama's literature is available but due to the anti Pervez propaganda by clergy, society is reluctant to adopt his ideas openly. Jamat-e-Islami and other cleric groups believe in total rejection of Allama's thoughts. Sometimes Tolu-e-Islam offices are also attacked by the cleric groups as, Tolu-e-Islam Faisalabad's office was attacked and activists were beaten up by a cleric group. Book fairs conducted by universities are several times attackeby by IJT, the student wing of JI,if Allama Pervez's books are presented there. On the other hand, communists also victimze Tolu-e-Islam movement and Allama Pervez's thoughts by their propaganda. Pakistani liberals and communists term Allama Pervez as "ISI's agent".

Major Publications

  • Matalibul Furqaan (7 vol)
  • Lughat-ul-Quran (4 vols.)
  • Mafhoom-ul-Quran (3 vols)
  • Tabweeb-ul-Quran (3 vols.)
  • Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat
  • Islam A Challenge to Religion (English version)
  • Insaan Ne Kiya Socha (History of human thought)
  • Islam kia he (second part of Insan ne kia socha)
  • Tasawwaf Ki Haqiqat
  • Saleem Ke Naam (3 vols.)
  • Tahira Ke Naam
  • Qurani Faislay (5 vols.)
  • Meraj-e-Insaaniat (about Muhammad S.A.S)
  • Barke toor (about Mosa)
  • Joe noor (about Ibrahim)
  • Shola e mastoor (about Esa)
  • man(o) yazdan (about ALLAH in light of Holy Quran)
  • Shahkar-e-Risalat (about Khalifa Omar)
  • Iblis o Adam
  • Jahane farda
  • Mazahebe Alam ke Asmani kitaben

See also

See also: Liberal movements within Islam

Sources

Biography compiled by: Sh. Allah Ditta and Late Mohammad Omar Draz and Published by Tolu-e-Islam Trust, 25-B, Gulberg-2, Lahore-11, Pakistan (http://www.pakistanvoice.org/GA_pervez.htm)

Tolu-e-Islam homepage (http://www.tolueislam.com/)

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