Ziya ur-Rahman Faruqi

Zia ur Rehman Farooqi (Urdu: ضیاءالرحمن فاروقی; 1953 – 18 January 1997) Pakistani Islamic scholar and a Religio-political figure who was the co-founder and the chief of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.^[1][2]

He had also served as the Sarparast-e-Aala (patron-in-chief) of the organization from 1994 to 1997.^[3][4]

In 1997, Farooqi was assassinated in a bombing at a court in Lahore. The attack occurred during a court hearing.^[4] Sipah-e-Sahaba accused its rival group, Sipah-e-Muhammad, of carrying out the assassination.^[5]

Early life and education

Farooqi was born on March 4, 1953, in Khanewal, into a Deobandi family. His father, Maulana Muhammad Ali Janbaz, was an active member of the Majlis Ahrar-e-Islam and was imprisoned in Sukkur Central Jail at the time of Farooqi's birth.^[6]

Farooqi received his primary education in his hometown. He then studied Quranic memorization at Jamia Rashidiya in Sahiwal.^[7]

For his formal religious education, he attended Darul Uloom Kabirwala and completed his Dars-e-Nizami from Jamia Khair-ul-Madaris in Multan.^[8]

In addition to his religious qualifications, Farooqi earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with distinction from Punjab University.^[9]

Early religious and political career

He entered politics as a member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). He was a leading figure in Mufti Mahmood's election campaign during the 1970 general elections.^[10]

After Mahmood assumed the office of Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Farooqi worked closely with him and was appointed to the position of provincial leader within the party.^[11]

Joining Sipah-e-Sahaba

After initially being associated with the Jamiat Talba-e-Islam and Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam, Farooqi became a colleague of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. He left the Jamiat to co-found the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) with Jhangvi, playing a key role in expanding the organization from Jhang to a national level.^[12] During this period, he was also associated with the Majlis Ahrar-e-Islam.^[13]

Leadership of Sipah-e-Sahaba

Following the killings of Jhangvi and Isar-ul-Haq Qasmi in 1991, Farooqi was appointed as the chief of the organization while he was on a Tablighi tour in Bangladesh.^[14]

Upon his return to Pakistan, Farooqi faced significant legal challenges. He was placed under house arrest by authorities for nearly three years and was repeatedly restricted from international travel.^[13]

According to sources, Farooqi aspired to establish a university aimed at producing scholars who could articulate Islamic teachings to non-Muslim countries in their native languages. As part of this objective, he proposed expanding the existing Jamia Umar Farooq Islamia into a larger institution, tentatively named Umar Farooq Islamic University. He reportedly acquired 42 kanals of land in Faisalabad for the project and sought significant funding from his organization.^[15]

Arrest and Assassination

On 20 November 1995, Farooqi and Azam Tariq, were arrested and jailed in a crackdown targeting the organization for its anti-Shia activities.^[16][17]

While appearing at the Sessions Court in Lahore in February 1997, a large explosion occurred. The blast killed Farooqi and seriously injured Tariq.^[13] Following the killing of Farooqi, Tariq was appointed as the new leader of the organization.^[18]

Writings

He has authored more than 60 religious books on various subjects. His two famous books, "The Leaders and the Prophets" and "Faisal, a Bright Star", were awarded prizes by the Saudi government and the International Research Center, respectively.

Some of his books include:

• شہید کربلا
• سیدہ فاطمہ
• تاریخی دستاویز
• خطابات منبر و محراب
• خطبات فاروقی
• جواہرات فاروقی
• عائشہ صدیقہ
• ابوبکر صدیق
• عمر فاروق
• سیدنا عثمان غنی
• سیدنا علی المرتضی
• سیرت النبی
• رہبر و رہنما
• فیصل ایک روشن ستارہ

References