Hefazat chief Shah Ahmed Shafi passes away
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh chief Shah Ahmed Shafi died on Friday evening while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital.
The Hefazat leader breathed his last around 6:00pm at Asgar Ali Hospital.
Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasa, popularly known as Hathazari Madrasa, assistant director Sheikh Ahmad confirmed the news of his death to Prothom Alo.
The news of Shah Ahmed Shafi’s death was also announced from the Hathazari Madrasa mosque in Chittagong around 7:00pm.
Hefazat-e-Islam’s central joint secretary general Mufti Faizullah said Ahmed Shafi was 103.
According to the sources at the madrasa, Shah Ahmed Shafi was airlifted to Dhaka this afternoon and admitted to Asgar Ali Hospital in Gandaria.
On Thursday night, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. Apart from various old age complications, he was suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
The Hefazat leader on Thursday resigned from the post of director general of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam, popularly known as Hathazari Madrasa, in Hathazari of Chattogram district.
The decision was taken from a meeting of the madrasa’s Shura committee around 10:30 on Thursday night.
Tension ran high in the Hathazari madrasa in recent months over the leadership after Shafi had fallen ill several times.
The dispute between supporters of Shafi and Junayed Babunagri surfaced after the Shura committee had replaced the latter with Sheikh Ahmed in June.
Shah Ahmed Shafi was born in Pakhiartila village of Rangunia upazila of Chattogram.
He is survived by two sons and three daughters. His eldest son Mohammad Yusuf is the director of Pakhiartila Qawmi Madrasa. Youngest son Anas Madani is the publicity secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam.
Ahmed Shafi studied at Sarafbhata Madrasa in Rangunia and Patiya’s Al-Jamiatul Arabia Madrasa.
In 1940, he got admission at Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasa in Hathazari. In 1950, he went to Darul Ulum Deoband Madrasa in India, where he studied for four years.
Ahmed Shafi joined Hathazari Madrasa as a director general in 1986. He has been in the post for 34 years.
Ahmed Shafi was the chairman of Qawmi Madrasa Education Board.