Jamia Nizamia

Coordinates: 17°21′37″N 78°27′53″E / 17.36040°N 78.46469°E / 17.36040; 78.46469
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Not to be confused with Nizamiyya.

Jamia Nizamia
TypeIslamic seminary
Established1876
AffiliationSunni Islam
ChancellorSyed Shah Ali Akbar Nizamuddin Hussaini Sabiri
Vice-ChancellorMufti Khaleel Ahmed
Location
Hyderabad
,
Telangana
,
India

17°21′37″N 78°27′53″E / 17.36040°N 78.46469°E / 17.36040; 78.46469
CampusUrban
Websitewww.jamianizamia.org
Grand Mufti of Palestine Shaykh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri at Jamia Nizamia

Jamia Nizamia more properly, Jami'ah Nizamiyyah, is one of the oldest Islamic seminaries of higher learning for Muslims[1] located in Hyderabad, India.

History[edit]

It was founded by Shaykh al-Islam Imam Muhammad Anwaarullah Farooqui, honorifically known as Fadilat Jung (the title was bestowed upon him by the Nizam), in Hyderabad in 1876.[2] It flourished under the patronage of the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is located in the Hussaini alam area of today's old city, Hyderabad.

Over the last 146 years the Jamia has preserved the understanding of Islam and its sciences by the means of unbroken chains of Islamic authorization, viz, the Ijazah and the Isnad, which go back fourteen centuries to tie the institution and its scholars to Muhammad. It was mainly known due to the scholarly works accomplished by the faculty of the Jamia Nizamia in the late 19th and 20th centuries that the Hyderabad served as a major hub of academic activities for the sub-continent. The Jamia constitutes a major part of Islamic history in the sub-continent, particularly, the Deccan.

Organisation[edit]

Jamia Nizamia has not the status of a university or deemed to be university according to the Indian University Grants Commission Act of 1956 and, therefore, can not confer or grant degrees.[3] According to the Jamia Nizamia website, their "Moulvi", "Alim", "Fazil" and "Kamil" are recognized by Osmania University as equivalent to degrees in oriental languages such as B.A.L. and M.A.L. After passing exams in English language prescribed for B.A., Fazil-passed students can be given admission to M.A. at Osmania University. Although previously the students would only be given admission into the Faculty of Oriental Languages at Osmania University, in 2022, Fazil certified graduates can directly gain admission into the MA Arabic, Faculty of Arts at Osmania University. Further recognizing universities would be Aligarh Muslim University, Al-Azhar of Egypt, Jamia Umm al-Qura of Mecca, the Islamic University of Madinah and the University of Kuwait[4] The Jamia set up the Girls College in 1995.[5]

Arabic language students found employment in Arabic call centers in the last years, and student enrollment at Jamia Nizamia soared from 500 to 1,300 between 2004 and 2007.[6]

The Jamia Nizamia budget in 2004–2005 was 97,72,000.00 INR (US$220,000),[7] expenditure in 2004–2005 was 1,41,56,000 INR (US$31,5000 in 2004).[8]

Research[edit]

The scholars of Jamia Nizamia researched and published around 1000 books including rare Arabic Manuscripts which are the essential books for Islamic knowledge. The project was mainly accomplished under the auspices of another research institute known as the Dairatul Ma'arif an-Nizamiyyah or Dairat al- Ma'arif al-Uthmaniyyah. The graduates of Jamia Nizamia established the Lajnah Ihya al-Ma'arif an-Nu'maniyyah which enabled them to advance research and publish Arabic manuscripts pertaining to the Hanafi fiqh, in particular, and Islamic legal theories in general.

Fatwa[edit]

A fatwa is basically a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a qualified jurist in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government to him.

The jurists also answer questions asked weekly by subscribers to the Siasat and the Etemaad Daily in print, and fatwas are available through email.[9] In 2003–2004, fatwa fees earned 40,000.00 INR.

Fatwas covered a wide range of topics:

  • 2000: In 2000, a fatwa banned Muslim actors like (Shabana Azmi) from performing "acts of polytheism" (such as puja) on screen and asked them to denounce themselves being Muslims if they can't follow it.[10]
  • 2005 : In another fatwa, the Jamia Nizamia had absolved qazis from responsibility for data such as age, previous marriages that is entered on the nikahnama forms in relation to the bride.[11]
  • 2005: In October 2005, Jamia Nizamia issued a fatwa calling suicide bombings Un-Islamic.[12]
  • 2007: A fatwa was issued in 2007 against the state government's move to provide reservations or quotas to Muslims in education and employment on the basis of caste system.[13][better source needed]
  • 2022 : A fatwa was issued by Jamia Nizamia in September 2022, stated that Islamic punishment for blasphemy cannot be administered in a democratic, non-Islamic country like India.[14] Legal avenues must be explored and no individual has right to enforce this Islamic punishment.[15] The fatwa stated that enforcing Sharia penalties is the exclusive domain of Islamic countries.

Notable alumni[edit]

  • Abul Wafa Al Afghani, former Shaykh Ul Fiqh of Jamia Nizamia and Founder of Ihya Al Ma’arif An Nomaniya
  • Muhammad Hamidullah, Islamic scientist, translator of the Qur'an in French and Muslim jurist
  • Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi, current Shaykh Ul Fiqh, and Sadar Mufti, Jamia Nizamia and Founder-Director of Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hyderabad seminary issues fatwa against viral Malayalam song"."Now, a fatwa to sing Vande Mataram". The Times of India.
  2. ^ "Ramzan activities in Hyderabad will be kept low-key in wake of Covid-19 | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  3. ^ Central Universities. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Retrieved on 2007-10-05 from internet archive
  4. ^ "Jamia Nizamia Website: Recognition". Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  5. ^ Jamia Nizamia to have Internet Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Islamic Voice, August 2000
  6. ^ Arabic call center jobs lapped up by Jamia Nizamia univ students Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine sulekha, 29 May 2007
  7. ^ Jamia Nizamia Website: Budget 2000-01: 78,97,480.00 INR, Budget 2004-05: 97,72,000.00 INR, Budget 2006-07: 3,27,21,892.85 INR
  8. ^ Jamia Nizamia Website: Expenditure 2000-01: 72,21,000 INR, Expenditure 2004-05: 1,41,56,000 INR, Expenditure 2006-07: 2,24,71,803 INR
  9. ^ "Welcome to Jamia Nizamia - Hyderabad India". Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  10. ^ Indian Muftis Ban Acting Archived 25 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine Islamonline, 6 March 2000, Fatwa against Shabana Azmi by Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad, 3 March 2000
  11. ^ ‘Fatwa’ allows 4x1 weddings, The Asian Age, 23 August 2005
  12. ^ "Suicide bombings un-Islamic: Fatwa", The Asian Age, 17 October 2005
  13. ^ Fatwa against caste-based quotas in AP 20 June 2007
  14. ^ "'Death penalty fatwa not for India'". The Times of India.
  15. ^ Mohammed, Syed (2 September 2022). "Islamic punishment for blasphemy cannot be administered in a democratic, non-Islamic country: Fatwa". The Hindu.

External links[edit]

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