{{Short description|Bangladesh Islamic scholar (born 1945)}} {{Infobox religious biography|religion=[[Islam]] |name = Syed Kamaluddin Abdullah Zafree |image = |caption = |title = |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|3|5|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Bhola District|Bhola]], [[Bengal Presidency]] |death_date = |death_place = |death_cause = |resting_place = |other_names = |nationality = [[Bangladeshi]] |era = |region = |occupation = [[Fiqh|Faqih]], academic |denomination = [[Sunni]] |main_interests = [[Hadith studies]], education |notable_ideas = |notable_works = |alma_mater = |Sufi_order = |disciple_of = |awards = |influences = [[Ibn Baz]], [[Yusuf al-Qaradawi]] |influenced = |module = |website = {{URL|kamaluddinzafree.com}} }} '''Sayed Kamaluddin Abdullah Zafree''' (born 5 March 1945) is an [[ulema|Islamic scholar]] from [[Bangladesh]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Biography |url=http://www.kamaluddinzafree.com/biography/ |accessdate=23 January 2016 |website=Sayed Kamaluddin Zafree}}</ref> He is the chairman of the board of trustees of [[Bangladesh Islami University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://biu.ac.bd/?page_id=307 |title=Bangladesh Islami University (BIU)}}</ref> He is the chairman of the Sharia Council of Prime Islami Life Insurance Limited.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prime Islami Life Insurance Limited |url=https://www.primeislamilife.com/shariahCouncil.php |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.primeislamilife.com}}</ref>
== Birth and Family Background == Sayed Kamaluddin Abdullah Zafree was born on 3 March 1945, to a scholarly family in the village of Sayed Auliya in [[Burhanuddin Upazila|Burhanuddin]], [[Bhola Island]].<ref name=":3">Abul Kalam Azad (2020), Neyamat Ullah Nizami, editor, ''Maulana Syed Kamal Uddin Jafri'' , pioneer of spreading Islam in the world, Muktabuli</ref> The family trace ancestry to an [[Arab]] Islamic preacher, known by locals as ''Sayed Auliya'', who had arrived in [[South Bengal]] with his family in the eighteenth century.<ref name=":3" /> They were granted two small islands east and west of the coast of [[Bhola Island|Bhola]] rent-free by the erstwhile ''[[jagirdar]]'' [[Mirza Agha Baqer|Agha Baqer Khan]], land grants such as this were common for foreign scholars visiting Bengal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Islam, Bengal - Banglapedia |url=https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Islam,_Bengal |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=en.banglapedia.org}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Zafree's paternal grandfather, ''[[Mufti]]'' Sayed Abdul Hadi, was a ''khalifah'' of [[Furfura Sharif]]'s [[Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique]], a gold medalled graduate of the [[Aliah University|Calcutta Alia Madrasa]] and the founder of the local [[Mirzakalu Islamia Fazil Madrasa]]. His father, Sayed Abu Zafar Abdullah, was a famed ''[[mawlana]]'' and the principal of the aforementioned madrasa. Zafree's mother, Fatema Khatun, was the daughter of Alhaj Maqbul Ahmed of [[Tazumuddin Upazila|Mahadevpur]], a ''[[Khalifah (Sufism)|khalifah]]'' (successor) of the [[Homna Upazila|Pir of Kolagachia]] and acquaintance of Syed Abdul Ghani Madani.<ref name=":3" />
==Early life and education== Zafree completed his primary education at the village ''[[Kuttab|maktab]]'', before joining the Mirzakalu Islamia Fazil Madrasa whose principal at that time was his father. At an early age, Zafree founded the ''Namaz Qayem Parishad'', which encouraged local youth to [[Salah|establish prayers]]. In 1956, Zafree enrolled at the Kumradi Darul Uloom Senior Fazil Madrasa in [[Shibpur Upazila|Shibpur, Narsingdi]], which was one of the best ''[[Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board|alia madrasas]]'' in [[East Bengal]] at the time.<ref name=":3" /> Aged only eleven years, Zafree was unable to cope at Kumradi and returned to Mirzakalu Madrasa. He passed his ''dakhil'' qualification from Mirzakalu in 1958. He then returned to Kumradi for four years, completing his ''alim'' qualification in 1962. Although he spent two more years undertaking the ''fazil'' course in Kumradi, he could not take the examinations and was returned home, where he completed the exams at Mirzakalu in 1964.<ref name=":3" />
Zafree then enrolled at the [[Government Madrasah-e-Alia]] in [[Dhaka]], for his higher education and ''kamil'' degree. However, he became engrossed with numerous responsibilities and was unable to continue his studies there. Due to the critical situation in erstwhile [[East Pakistan]], Zafree joined the ''Jamiat Ettehadul Ulama'' presided by Muhammad Abdul Ali, a member of the [[East Pakistan Provincial Assembly]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Despite being a student, Zafree was appointed as the vice-president of the organisation's East Pakistan branch from 1967 to 1968 due to his fluency in both [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Urdu]].<ref name=":3" /> He was then employed by national radio [[Radio Pakistan|Radio Pakistan (Dacca Centre)]] as a host for their Islamic programme, ''Amader Zindegi'' (Our Life). It was this role which led to Zafree becoming famous across the country. As a result, the Baitul Musharraf Mosque committee in [[Mirpur, Dhaka|Mirpur]] offered him the position of ''[[imam]]'' and ''[[khatib]]'' (sermon-giver) at their mosque. Zafree accepted the offer, and became engaged with numerous religious responsibilities which made him unable to continue his studies at Madrasah-e-Alia.<ref name=":3" /> In 1971, Muhammad Abdussalam, the founding principal of the Durbati Madinatul Uloom Alia Madrasa in [[Kaliganj Upazila, Gazipur|Kaliganj, Gazipur]], appointed Zafree as the ''Second [[Muhaddith]]'' with a wage of 220 [[Bangladeshi taka|takas]]. Zafree spent two years teaching in Durbati and simultaneously studied for his ''kamil'' degree there, graduating first class with honours from the faculty of [[Hadith]] in 1973. He studied at the [[Umm al-Qura University]] in [[Makkah]] after Saudi officials visited his madrasa in 1978.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />
==Career== Zafree was famed for his public religious speeches since his time as a student at Kumradi madrasa in Narsingdi. His popularity increased significantly whilst teaching at Durbati, gaining a growing following in Narsingdi.<ref name=":3" /> Zafree subsequently moved to Narsingdi, as a result of numerous invitations from various Muslim leaders there such as Rustam Ali Ashrafi, Ashabuddin Madhu Bhuiyan, Muhammad Jalaluddin, Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, Tayebuddin Bhuiyab, Tafazzal Husayn, AKM Zainul Abidin, Tota Miah, Shamsher Ali, Shamsuddin Bhuiyan, Shahabuddin Miah, Muhammad Badruzzaman and Mawlana Fazlul Haq.<ref name=":3" />
The aforementioned scholars also appealed to Zafree to help them establish a modern residential [[Islamic university]] in Bangladesh. Zafree accepted their proposal and promised to dedicate himself to this task. The first meeting was held on 7 January 1974 at the Brahmandi Mor Jame Masjid (now Baitul Aman Mosque), with Zafree officially becoming a member of the organising committee.<ref name=":3" /> The ninth meeting was held on 4 August 1976 in which the inaugural secretary Muhammad Jalaluddin stepped down due to other responsibilities. Subsequently, Zafree was unanimously nominated as the committee's secretary after an initial nomination by Bashir Uddin, backed by Shamsher Ali. The [[Jamea Quasemia Kamil Madrasa]] was established in the same year, with Zafree becoming its founding principal.<ref name=":3" />
In 1977, the Jamea Quasemia management committee decided to send Zafree to [[Saudi Arabia]], to perform the [[Hajj]] pilgrimage. Zafree also found an opportunity to appeal of the [[Muslim World League]], who responded by gifting 12 [[lakh]] takas for the development of the Jamea Quasemia.<ref name=":3" /> The funds were used to build the Imam Ibn Taymiyyah building and buy land for the madrasa eidgah. The Saudi ambassador [[Fouad Abdulhameed Alkhateeb]] visited the madrasa in 1978, during the annual meeting, and provided assistance in enrolling at the [[Umm al-Qura University]] in [[Makkah]], where Zafree studied classical Arabic for two years. During his time there, he also presented Islamic programmes on [[Arab Radio and Television Network|Radio Jeddah]]. [[Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz]], the [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia]], appointed him as his representative in Bangladesh.<ref name=":3" />
In 2006, he founded the [[Bangladesh Islami University]] in Dhaka, and serves as the chairman of its governing body. Zafree was also the founder of the [[Holy Crescent School]] in [[Uttara (town)|Uttara]], an Islamic school in line with the [[National Curriculum for England|British Curriculum]].<ref name=":3" />
Zafree appears in [[ATN Bangla]] as an advisor in its Islamic programmes section. In addition to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, Zafree has toured forty countries. He has visited the [[United Kingdom]] where he was invited to numerous public events and radio shows in Manchester and London's [[Channel S]].<ref name=":3" /> He has served as an ''[[imam]]'' and ''[[khatib]]'' at the [[East London Mosque]], including [[Eid prayers]], and was a chairman of its committee. He was the founding chairman of a mosque during his travels to [[Austria]], with the present imam and khatib being his student [[Rafiqul Islam Madani]]. Zafree was one of the founders of the [[Toronto Islamic Centre]] in [[Canada]].<ref name=":3" />
=== Finance === Zafree has been playing a leading role in the introduction of an interest-free financial system in Bangladesh. He is one of the founding secretaries of the [[Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd]]'s [[Sharia]] Advisory Council. He is also the chairman of the Central Shariah Council for Islamic Insurance of Bangladesh.<ref name=":3" /> Zafree is serving as the chairman of numerous Sharia boards of Bangladeshi life insurance companies as well. Outside of Bangladesh, he was also the chairman of Al-Amin Commercial's [[Sharia]] board in Europe.<ref name=":3" />
=== Social activities === Zafree was involved in an awareness campaign against [[AIDS]], funded by the [[United Nations Fund for Population Activities]] as part of its intervention program involving religious leaders.<ref name=":3" />
Zafree founded and served as the principal of Jamea Quasemia Madrsah.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Augustin |first1=Sujan |title=Khaleda takes Iftar with orphans, Ulema, Mashaikhs |url=http://www.risingbd.com/english/Khaleda_takes_Iftar_with_orphans_Ulema_Mashaikhs/15851 |accessdate=23 January 2016 |agency=Risingbd |publisher=Risingbd |date=30 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
He founded the [[Bangladesh Islami University]] in 2006<ref>{{cite news |title=Private universities have their role to play |url=http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Archive/010411/pu/06.html |accessdate=23 January 2016 |publisher=The Holiday |date=1 April 2011 |archive-date=30 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730033300/http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Archive/010411/pu/06.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and serves as the chairman of its governing body.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Bangladesh Islami University |url=http://www.biu.ac.bd/content/professor-kamaluddin-abdullah-zafree |website=Bangladesh Islami University |accessdate=23 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201142034/http://www.biu.ac.bd/content/professor-kamaluddin-abdullah-zafree |archivedate=1 February 2016}}</ref> He is also the chairman of the Central Shariah Council for Islamic Insurance of Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=http://csciib.org/executive-committee/board-of-directors/ |website=Central Shariah Council for Islamic Insurances of Bangladesh |accessdate=23 January 2016 |archive-date=28 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128124214/http://csciib.org/executive-committee/board-of-directors/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Views== In 2005, at a seminar of Islamic scholars in [[Dhaka]], Zafree and others denounced [[terrorism]] in the name of [[Islam]] and endorsed the [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party|BNP-led government's]] fight against it.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |title=Islam doesn't allow militancy: alems at seminar |url=http://bdnews24.com/politics/2005/12/03/islam-doesn-t-allow-militancy-alems-at-seminar |accessdate=16 May 2016 |work=bdnews24.com |date=3 December 2005}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zafree, Sayed Kamaluddin}} [[Category:1945 births]] [[Category:Bengali Muslims]] [[Category:Bangladeshi Islamic religious leaders]] [[Category:Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]] [[Category:Islamic education in Bangladesh]] [[Category:Umm al-Qura University alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Heads of schools in Bangladesh]] [[Category:People from Borhanuddin Upazila]] [[Category:20th-century Bengali people]] [[Category:21st-century Bengali people]] [[Category:Bangladesh Islami University people]] [[Category:Government Madrasah-e-Alia alumni]] [[Category:Writers from Bhola District]] [[Category:Bangladeshi people of Arab descent]] [[Category:Islamic religious leaders from Barisal Division]] [[Category:Politicians from Bhola District]] [[Category:Academics from Barisal Division]] [[Category:Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politicians]]