{{short description|Indian Islamic scholar}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox religious biography |religion= [[Islam]] |honorific_prefix = {{small|Maulana}} |name = Azhar Shah Qaiser |image = Azhar Shah Qaiser.jpg |birth_date = December 1920 |birth_place = [[Deoband]], [[Saharanpur]], [[United Provinces of British India]] |death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1985|11|27|1920|12}} |death_place = [[Deoband]], [[Saharanpur]], India |resting_place = Mazar-e-Anwari, [[Deoband]] |father = [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]] |region = India |denomination = [[Sunni]] |jurisprudence = [[Hanafi]] |movement = [[Deobandi]] |main_interests = [[Urdu literature]] |alma_mater = [[Darul Uloom Deoband]], [[Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, Dabhel]] |notable_works = ''Yadgaar-e-Zamana Hain Ye Log'', ''Seerat Abu Bakr Siddiq'', ''Zara Umr-e-rafta Ko Awaaz Dena'' |occupation = Author, [[islamic scholar]] |relatives = [[Anzar Shah Kashmiri]] (brother) | office1 = Editor-in-chief of [[Monthly Darul Uloom]] | term_start1 = 1952 | term_end1 = 1982 | predecessor1 = Abdul Hafeez Balyawi | successor1 = Riyasat Ali Zafar Bijnori }}
'''Azhar Shah Qaiser''' (1920–1985) was an Indian Islamic scholar, journalist and writer. He wrote articles and books in Urdu. He was the elder son of the Indian hadith scholar, [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]]. During his career, he served as the editor of ''[[Monthly Darul Uloom]]'', the monthly journal of [[Darul Uloom Deoband]].
==Birth and education== Azhar Shah Qaiser was born in December 1920 at [[Deoband]].<ref name="qirtas">{{cite book |author1=Ubaid Anwar Shah Qaiser |title=Qirtas-o-Qalam |pages=45–52 |edition=October, November 2012 |language=Urdu |chapter=Aasman-e-Adab-o-Sahafat Ka Aftab-e-JahanTaab Syed Azhar Shah Qaiser}}</ref> His father [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]] was a hadith scholar.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Aaliya Chishti|editor1-last=Rafiabadi |editor1-first=Hamid Naseem |title=Challenges to religions and Islam: a study of Muslim movements, personalities, issues and trends |publisher=Sarup & Sons, New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7625-732-9 |page=928 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WRMZ4Q4yezAC&pg=PA922 |accessdate=11 July 2019 |language=English|year=2007 }}</ref><ref name="albalagh">{{cite journal |editor1-last=[[Taqi Usmani]] |title=al-Balagh |journal=5 |volume=53 |issue=February 2018 |page=17 |url=https://archive.org/download/Al-Balagh-Magazine/2018_02_February_Al_Balagh.pdf |accessdate=11 July 2019 |publisher=[[Darul 'Uloom Karachi]] |language=Urdu}}</ref>
Qaiser enrolled in the [[Darul Uloom Deoband]]. When his father resigned from the Darul Uloom Deoband in 1927, and moved to [[Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, Dabhel]], Qaiser went with him to [[Dabhel]] and continued his studies there. Qaiser was about 12 years old when his father [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]] died in 1933. Facing consequences, Qaiser was not able to complete his studies.<ref name="sahafat" />
==Career== When his father died, people throughout the country offered condolences, including [[Zafar Ali Khan]], an [[Urdu]] author and journalist.<ref name="sahafat">{{cite book |author1=Nayab Hasan Qasmi |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ka Sahafati ManzarNama |publisher=Idara Tehqeeq-e-Islami, [[Deoband]] |pages=183–189}}</ref> A condolence ceremony was organised at Jama Masjid in [[Deoband]] and the welcome address was prepared by 12-year-old Qaiser. Qaiser presented a copy of this address to [[Zafar Ali Khan]] and it was also read aloud in the congregation. [[Zafar Ali Khan]] liked this laudatory address so much that he published it on the front page of his ''[[Zamindar (newspaper)|Zamindar]]''. Thus began Qaiser's literary life.<ref name="sahafat" />
Qaiser's articles featured firstly in ''Monthly Guncha'' which was published from [[Bijnor]] and ''Monthly Payam-e-Taleem'' of the [[Jamia Millia Islamia]]. ''Weekly Sadaqat, [[Saharanpur]]'' was released in 1936 and Qaiser became its permanent writer and a member of its editorial board. He started a weekly journal ''Isteqlal'' along with Sultan-ul-Haq Qasmi Bijnori. It is difficult to state when it was firstly released although its ''Eid Number'' edition appeared in December 1937. In 1939, when Qaiser was 19, a collection of 16 of his articles were published in ''Sadaqat''.<ref name="sadaqat">{{cite journal |editor1=Muhammad Ishaq Hilal |editor2=Jamali |title=Jareeda Sadaqat |journal=Mash'hur InshaPardaaz Ibnul Anwar Syed Azhar Shah Qaiser Ke Muntakhab Mazameen Ka Majmua |date=24 February 1939 |volume=5 |issue=7–8 |pages=28 |publisher=Sadaqat Newspaper, [[Saharanpur]] |language=Urdu}}</ref>
In November 1940, Qaiser released ''Bi-monthly al-Anwar'' from Deoband. The journal focused on the life and works of [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]]. Before 1940, in 1939 he worked for ''[[Zamindar (newspaper)|Zamindar]]'' honorary. Besides ''Sadaqat [[Saharanpur]]'' and ''al-Anwar, Deoband'', Qaiser took the editorial responsibilities of ''Haadi, [[Deoband]]'', first edition of which appeared in May 1949. He wrote short stories and tales like ''Tuta Huwa A'ina'' (Broken Mirror), ''Inqelab'', ''Sharabi Shayar'' and ''Azaadi''.<ref name="qirtas" />
Qaiser edited ''[[Monthly Darul Uloom|Darul Uloom]]'', the monthly journal of [[Darul Uloom Deoband]], from 1951 to 1982. He also edited ''Bi-monthly Ijtemah, [[Saharanpur]]'', ''Monthly Khalid, Deoband'' (under supervision of [[Izaz Ali Amrohi]]), ''Monthly Tayyib, Deoband'' (1983–1985), ''Bi-monthly Isha'at-e-Haq, Deoband'' (1975–1985).
==Literary works== Qaiser's books include:<ref name="sahafat" /><ref name="qirtas" /> *''Yadgaar-e-Zamana Hain Ye Log'' *''Seerat Abu Bakr Siddiq'' *''Zara Umr-e-rafta Ko Awaaz Dena'' *''Safeena-e-Watan ke Na Khuda'' * ''Aazaan-e-Bilal''
==Death and legacy== Qaiser died on 27 November 1985 (13 [[Rabi' al-awwal]] 1406 [[Hijri year|AH]]) in Deoband.<ref name="asir">{{Cite book|title=Tazkirah Mashāhīr-e-Hind: Karwān-e-Rafta|author=[[Asir Adrawi]]|chapter=Mawlāna Syed Azhar Shah Qaiser|pages= 29|location=[[Deoband]]|publisher= Darul Moallifeen |language=Urdu |edition = 2 |date= April 2016}}</ref> He was buried next to the grave of his father [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]] in Mazar-e-Anwari, [[Deoband]].<ref name="qirtas" /> His son Naseem Akhtar Shah Qaiser is an author of [[Urdu]] and a professor at [[Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband]].<ref name="nayab">{{cite book |author1=Nayab Hasan Qasmi |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ka Sahafati Manzarnama |publisher=Idara Tahqeeq-e-Islami |location=[[Deoband]] |pages=284–286|edition=2013 |language=Urdu |chapter=Mawlāna Nasim Akhtar Shah Qaiser}}</ref> He has written a concise biography of his father and his uncle [[Anzar Shah Kashmiri]] in his book ''Do Gohar Aabdaar''. He has also written ''Syed Muhammad Azhar Shah Qaiser Ek Adeeb, Ek Sahafi'' ("Syed Muhammad Azhar Shah Qaiser: A writer and Journalist") about his father.<ref name="gohar">{{cite book |author1=Naseem Akhtar Shah Qaiser |title=Do Gohar Aabdaar |publisher=[[Jamia Imam Muhammad Anwar Shah, Deoband]] |language=Urdu}}</ref>
== See also == * [[List of Deobandis]]
==References== {{reflist}}
* * * * {{Portal bar|Biography|India|Literature|Journalism|Islam}}
[[Category:1920 births]] [[Category:1985 deaths]] [[Category:Deobandis]] [[Category:Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]] [[Category:People from Deoband]] [[Category:Urdu-language Indian poets]] [[Category:Scholars from Uttar Pradesh]] [[Category:20th-century Urdu-language writers]] [[Category:Urdu-language columnists]] [[Category:Urdu-language journalists]] [[Category:Urdu-language religious writers]] [[Category:Jamia Islamia Talimuddin alumni]] [[Category:Muslim scholars]]