Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri is one of the contemporary Islamic Scholars and poets, who have been blessed by the unique intuition and vision of serving the eternal Book of Revelation – The Holy Quran. He has embarked on a journey of completing the translation of the Quran by Aala Hazrat, Ahmad Raza Khan Fazil-e-Barelvi Raziallahu Anho, Kanzul Iman and the exegesis of the Holy Book by Syed Mohammad Naimuddin Moradabadi Rahmatullah Alaih, Khazainul Irfan accompanied, which is an integral part of Kanzul Iman in the verse and he has managed to travel half of the journey so difficult to tread and less travelled. With this laurel to his credit, Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri has become one of those fortunate individuals who constitute the list of poets who rendered the translation and exegesis of the Holy Book in poetry of other languages. He has spent many years in teaching the Islamic Sciences in various Islamic seminaries in India while pursuing his instinct of poetry versifying on a number of subjects in various genres.
Early Life and Family
Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri, original name Hafiz Arshad, was born in a small hamlet Bara Buzurg, Panchayat Atrar, block Aurai, District Muzaffarpur in a Sheikh Siddiqui Family in 1975 AD. His father’s name is Abdul Jabbar and mother Shakila Khatoon. His grandfather was Sheikh Yusuf son of Zahruddin. His Phopha, Habib son of Nizamuddin and Phuphi were childless so they brought him up and arranged for his proper education but he left for heavenly abode when Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri was in his tender age itself. One of his family ladies namely Batulan also has a special place in his life during childhood. His maternal family lived in Rudauli of Sitamarhi District of Bihar, which was more prosperous and happened to be his matrimonial home as well because his maternal grandfather and mother engaged the daughter of their son Hafiz Abdussalam to Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri, who happily got married to him and the couple was blessed with four daughters and three sons.
The eldest son Mohammad Rashid was born in 1422H and then Mohammad Hamid in 1424H. Both Mohammad Rashid and Mohammad Hamid are pursuing their studies now in the State of Kerala. The youngest son Mohammad Khalid joined them in 1434H. In the intervening period the couple was blessed with four daughters and all of them are studying in modern educational institutions acquiring Islamic learning and training at home, who, by grace of the Almighty Allah and His last Messenger Hazrat Muhammad Peace Be Upon him, shall spread the mission and vision of their parents In Sha Allah.
Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri discharged his obligation as an elder brother too like he served his mentor and proved an excellent householder. He has two brothers – Maulana Faizul Haq and Hafiz Saif Raza. Both the brothers got education and training under the guidance of his elder brother Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri and now they are rendering services in their respective fields.
Education:
Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri has particular association with Maqsudpur Aurai. His Phupha and Phuphi lived here, who being issueless, took special care of him. He got admitted in the Jamia Qadria, a renowned Islamic Seminary established by the famous Islamic Scholar and Mystic Mufti Aslam Razvi Qadri Rahmatullah Alaih. He studied here for three years from third grade to the fifth grade of the eight year curriculum of Dars-e-Nizami, which is normally taught in all madrasas of the subcontinent as well as in those Islamic institutions established by the Ulema of India, Pakistan and Bengaladesh elsewhere in the world. During this period, he strove hard in acquiring the Islamic sciences from the expert teachers in Jamia Qadria Maqsudpur particularly from its founder, who gave special attention to the class of Maulana Kaif teaching Tahrir-e-Sanbat, Isaguji and Sharahul Jami. The current rector of Jamia Qadria Maqsudpur, Maulana Mohammad Arshad s/o Mufti Mohammad Aslam Razvi was his classmate including Maulana Ozair and others. Before moving Varanasi to complete his Fazilat degree, he studied some time in a madrasa namely Khairiya Sasaram, Bihar and Jamia Qadria itself after Khairiya. It was a time, which brought a turning point in his life when he realized his poetry potential while reading Diwan-e-Raza, which is the source of inspiration for many poets and he composed hamd for the first time in the year 1410H corresponding 1990 which continues till date.
The extra curriculum activities in Farooqiya Varanasi had enormously enriched his skills in writing and inspired to do better in future. The student association Anjuman Faiz-e-Raza convened biannual gathering in the name of Jashn-e-Faruqi and Jashn-e-Raza. In one of its functions he was rewarded the first prize in essay writing and Maulana Syed Asghar Imam Qadri, Principal, Jamia Faruqia Varanasi, one of syeds of Amjhar was so happy with his essays that he rewarded eleven rupees as a token of appreciation. The event has been very memorable for him. He completed his Madrasa education here. Another significant holy opportunity came to him when Maulana Sibtain Raza Khan Qadri, Bareilly Sharif visited Faruqia Varanasi and he took oath of allegiance to him. Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri has boundless affection and respect for his Pir-o-Mirshid. Among the eminent Ulema who taught him are Mufti Aslam Razvi, Maulana Nasimuddin Razvi, Maulana Faiyaz, Maulana Ghulam Mustafa, Maulana Nurul Huda from Purniya, Maulana Yahya of Bara, Maulana Saghir Ahmad Mauna, Qari Shahid, Hafiz Imran, Maulana Zillur Rahman, Hazrat Malikuzzafar, Mufti Syed Asghar Imam, Maulana Mohamamd Husain Qadri Bharaichi, Maulana Abdul Hadi Khan, Siddique Alam Qadri, Maulana Akhlaq, Maulana Taiyab and Maulana Kamal are to be mentioned.
Teaching and other career
Financial concerns have always haunted the students of lower middle class family. Maulana Kaif also was concerned to get a job to earn his livelihood immediately after completing his education.
Mr Qadri began his teaching career from an Islamic seminary in a village Satwanti Chaprang Bhabhua District, where he taught for a year. Then, he came to Syed Raja Chandauli a town in a vicinity of Varanasi near Police Station GT Road. He rendered his services here for some years. He worked as an Imam in the mosque too. Some of his students now are the veteran Ulema, some of them are Arsh Azam and Abdul Bari in the area serving Islam and humanity. Then, an offer was made to him from a Madrasa namely Anwar-e-Raza in Bhadli Azamgarh and he shifted from Syed Raja here. It is the place, where Mr. Qadri got inspiration to experience poetry bringing some name and fame to his credit.
While staying here, he chanced upon reading the versified translation of Surah Rehman and he tried to render the translation of Surah Yaseen and he succeeded. Encouraged by it, he completed the translation of Surah Yusuf and it became the starting point of his ground breaking project, Tanwirul Quran. He became committed to versify entire Kanzul Iman and Khazainul Irfan. He completed versifying Surah Fathia and Baqra in Varanasi.
He left Varanasi and shifted to Kolkata in Salimiya Kamarhati, where he pursued his ambition converting the verses into poetry during time he got after rendering his services as a teacher completing Surah Nisa. One year later he came to Singhachauri, then, Kalyar in Jahanabad as a teacher and Imam of a mosque. Because of odd conditions he could not work on his project and he faced many hardships in earning his livelihood. Even in the harshest time, he did not lose his heart and his target never drifted from his gaze.
For many years he worked at many places including Shakri, Gangti and Medidih on the advice of Mufti Aslam Razvi. Maulana Gulsher Misbahi and Hatim Raza working in Bareilly Sharif are among his prominent pupils of this era. He read Tafsire Kabir also from Mufti Aslam Sb, who accorded permission to him for imparting Islamic knowledge.
Since teaching in small madrasas has never been the source of sufficient income to meet the household necessities, he decided to try his hand at business. He started the works of printing cards etc after computer designing but it was not his destiny and the Almighty God had intended otherwise. One day when Hazrat (Mufti Aslam Razvi) knew about it, he called him and appointed him in his own Jamia, Jamia Qadria Maqsudpur as calligrapher. He continued serving the Jamia even after his glorious demise and he was appointed the editor of the magazine Irfan-e-Raza by the office bearers. The editorship of the magazine paved way for his extraordinary works in prose and poetry and when it could not survive, he was appointed a teacher in Jamia Qadria Maqsudpur.
His Prose and Poetry
One of the distinguished characteristics of Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri is that no one has been his mentor and teacher either in prose or poetry and his own academic and poetic instincts given by the Almighty God have guided him. Now about a dozen of works are to his credit.
Seerat-e-Sher-e-Bihar – Biography of Bihar’s Lion (Mufti Aslam Razvi Rahmatullahe Alaih)
We can see from the preceding paras that the founder of Jamia Qadria Maqsudpur Aurai has always been the staunch mentor and teacher of Maulana Kaif so his first work Seerat-e-Shere-Bihar deals with the life and work of the Hazrat Mufti Aslam Razvi, which saw the light of publication in 1429H during the very lifetime of the subject of biography and it is firsthand account of the Hazrat. He wrote asking him and sufficiently investigating otherwise. It does not cover entire of his life and every aspect, which is projected to be completed in other two volumes. Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri narrated the life of the Hazrat in verse as well in addition to rendering the same in the national language Hindi. He has also collected all the poem sand speeches delivered at the time of his Chahallum in a book at the instance of the sons of Mufti Sb Marhum.
Suraj Sahafat Ka
While Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri was the editor of Irfan-e-Raza, he rendered its editorial in verse on various topics. It is the collection of these articles in verse, which are a rarity.
Shan-e-Raisul Qalam
It is the collection of the biography of Allama Arshadul Qadri, an iconic Islamic Scholar of many facets, in verse. Some of its series were published in Rifaqat Magazine Patna, which is projected to be published after addition and revision in future.
Al-daulatul Makkia
He introduced “Al-daulatul Makkia in hundreds of verses, which were published in Mahnama Ala Hazrat, which infused new enthusiasm in its versifier to go ahead and reach new heights.
Ghazals
He experimented with the most famous of Urdu genres, Ghazal, wherein he composed pomes on the style of the most celebrated Urdu Poet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib naming it “Bar Zamin-e-Ghalib”. Another collection of his Ghazal is “Kaif-e-Sarmadi”. He named his collection of Naat “Nigah-e-Ishq-o-Masti and “Dil Phoolun Ki Basti”. He composed Tazmin on the poetry of Ala Hazrat as well.
His Magnum Opus Tanwirul Quran
Tanwirul Quran is an ambitious ongoing project envisioned by Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri and the half of the journey has already been travelled on the planned six milestones. Tanwirul Quran has to be completed in six volumes; its two volumes have already been published and endorsed by the most respected personalities and organizations of the Country. First volume consisted initial five paras of the Holy Book has been endorsed by the most distinguished family of Bareilly Sharif and the second one containing 6 to 10 paras has the honor of the endorsement from the respected family of scholars and Islamic mystics at Marehra Sharif. The third volume from 11 to 15 is going to be published soon.
Dr Aziz Ahsan, Karachi Pakistan has penned down a valuable and comprehensive introduction to the second volume of Tanwirul Quran. In the last of the treatise, he observes:
“I think, Mr. Kaif has not only attained the status of a researcher of high quality and a poet by birth by versifying the history of exegeses and the Interpreters of the Holy Book, his works in the field of Quranic Exegeses is the sublime destination of his academic and creative journey, for which he has marked six milestones, out of which he has already travelled two of them.”
In addition, a number of dignitaries of the subcontinent such as Maulana Mufti Muhammad Aslam Razvi, Mohamamd Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari, Syed Ghyasuddin Qadri Razvi from Kalpi Sharif, Muhammad Subhan Raza Subhani Miyan and others have appreciated this outstanding endeavor of Maulana Kaiful Hasan Qadri in prose and in poetry too. Since a separate treatise on Tanwirul Quran is being prepared, I would like to limit my words to the appreciation of Tanwirul Quran Dr Shujauddin Farooqui, former Professor of Aligarh made in his extensive and holistic introduction to the third volume of Tanwirul Quran:-
“The newcomer but a great experimenter in this field is our subject of appreciation, Allama Kaiful Hasan Qadri. He has embarked on this journey with all his ambitions and aspirations though he speaks with humility
اس ڈگر پر ناتواں کیف الحسن بھی چل پڑا
(The humble Kaiful Hasan too embarked on this journey)
Although, he considers himself a frail man in this tough endeavor but it seems to me that he is even stronger and more ambitions than others and this magnum opus of his is likely to surpass all other versified translation and exegeses of the Holy Book.”
And with prayer for his success in both the worlds, I conclude my words.
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