Shabbir Ahmad Usmani

Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (11 October 188713 December 1949) was a Pakistani independence activist and Islamic scholar who served as the of Pakistan in 1949.

He was the first to demand that Pakistan become an Islamic state. He was a religious scholar, writer, orator, politician, and an expert in tafsir and Hadith.

Born in 1887 in Bijnor, Usmani was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was the son of Fazlur Rahman Usmani. His brother Azizur Rahman Usmani was the first Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband. Usmani was the first to hoist the Flag of Pakistan at Karachi on 14 August 1947, and led the funeral prayers of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. His major work is the Tafseer-e-Usmani, which he co-authored with his teacher Mahmud Hasan Deobandi.

Early life

He was born on 11 October 1887 in Bijnor, a city in North-Western Provinces, British India. His father, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, was a deputy inspector of schools and had been sent on assignment to Bareilly, when his son Shabbir was born. His nephews include Atiqur Rahman Usmani and Shams Naved Usmani.

Education and career He was educated at Darul Uloom Deoband, where he became a disciple of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi,

After the Partition of India, Usmani became a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and remained a member until his death in 1949.

He is best remembered for having spearheaded the Qarardad-i-Maqasid Objectives Resolution for Pakistan, which was passed by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 12 March 1949.

In 1946 Usmani furnished the Quranic basis for the establishment of Pakistan by citing the distinction between momin (believer) and kafir (non-believer).

Death and legacy Usmani died at Baghdadul Jadid in Bahawalpur State on 13 December 1949, and was buried at Islamia Science College (Karachi) the next day. His death is seen as the end of an important phase in the movement for the establishment of an Islamic constitution in newly independent Pakistan, as noted by Sayyid A. S. Pirzada, a scholar from Quaid-i-Azam University.

Books +TitleDescriptionTafsir-e-Usmani an Urdu translation of the tafsir of the Quran written by Mahmud ul HasanFath al-Mulhim bi-Sharh Sahih al-Imam Muslima commentary on Sahih MuslimAl-‘Aql wan-Naqla philosophical study on the relation between faith and reason from an Islamic perspective I’jaz ul-Qur’anon the miraculous nature of the Qur’anMas’alah-yi taqdiron predestination in Islam