Mushahid Ahmad Bayampuri

Mushāhid Aḥmad Bāyampūrī (মুশাহিদ আহমদ বায়মপুরী, مشاهد أحمد البايمفوري; 1907–1971) was a late-twentieth century Bengali Islamic scholar, teacher, writer, orator and politician. Bayampuri served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the professor of Hadith studies at Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah, the principal of Darul Uloom Kanaighat and the president of the Eastern Sylhet Independent Religious Arabic Madrasah Education Board. His numerous works, which covered a range of disciplines in Islamic literature such as Sufism, Qur'anic exegesis and the political aspects of Islam, were written in the Arabic, Bengali and Urdu languages. Some of his books are part of syllabic studies under the Independent Religious Board of Education.

Early life and education
Mohammad Mushahid Ahmad was born on a Friday in Muharram 1327 AH (1907 CE), in the village of Bayampur in Kanaighat, Sylhet District, British Raj. Both of his parents were Sunni Bengalis. His father, Alim bin Danish Miah, was a qari, while his mother, Sufia Begum, was a hafiza. He was the second of their three sons, and they were raised by their mother following the death of his father during Bayampuri's childhood. Bayampuri was known among the locals as Kalamanik, a moniker reflecting his notably dark complexion and prominent nose.

Bayampuri studied the Qur'an, Bengali and Urdu with his mother at the age of seven years. At that age, he was then enrolled to the local school at Bayampur and later at the Kanaighat Islamia Madrasa (now Darul Uloom Kanaighat) from the age of ten.

He began his career as a teacher after completing his studies at the madrasa but returned to education later on in North India. He studied for five years at the Madrasa Aliya of Rampur State and two year at the Alia Madrasa of Meerut. He wrote two books in this period which were published under the name of his teacher. Although he went back to teaching in Bengal after these seven years, Mushahid later enrolled at the Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur in 1936 where he graduated with a degree and got the highest mark in Hadith studies after one and a half years of studying there.

Career
Bayampuri briefly taught at the Lalarchak Primary School before spending seven years at North India. He gave Hadith studies classes at the Alia madrasas of Badarpur and Rampur. Prior to his studies at Deoband, he taught at his local Lalarchar Rahmania Madrasa too.

When he returned to Bengal, he was offered a position as Shaykhul Hadith at the Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah. He also served in this position at the Gachhbari Jamiul Uloom Kamil Madrasa, and during his term here, this madrasa was nicknamed The Second Darul Uloom Deoband. However, as he did not get on well with the management at Gachhbari, Bayampuri left the madrasa to join the Kanaighat Islamia Madrasa in 1953. He eventually became the principal and Shaykhul Hadith of this madrasa until his death, and renamed it to Darul Uloom Kanaighat. In order to unite the madrasas of eastern Sylhet (Sylhet and Moulvibazar), he established the Azad Dini Arabic Madrasa Education Board in 1953. He served as the board's president for the rest of his life. The board now has authority over 175 madrasas. In Ramadan, he used to give lectures at the Bandarbazar Jame Mosque from tarawih to suhur.

Political career
As a student of Hussain Ahmed Madani, Bayampuri rejected the Pakistan Movement and Partition of India. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Bayampuri continued to be a part of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. He participated in the 1962 basic elections as an independent candidate, defeating opponent Begum Serajunnessa Choudhury and successfully gaining a seat in the 3rd National Assembly of Pakistan representing Sylhet-II constituency.

During his term, he felt that the strength of Islamic parties were even close to the strength needed to change the political landscape. As a result, he joined Ayub Khan's Convention Muslim League for the greater good. He benefitted by taking grants from the government for funding Kanaighat Darul Uloom and Akuni Madrasa. However, joining this party made him unpopular. He lost this seat at the 1965 basic elections to Ajmal Ali Choudhury. At the 1970 Pakistani general elections, Bayampuri competed for the seat as a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam candidate but failed for a second time.

During his time in parliament, Bayampuri petitioned for the erstwhile Republic of Pakistan to rename itself to Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He also believed that no law should be adopted by Pakistan which goes against the Qur'an and Sunnah. In the face of his demand, the Ayub Cabinet was forced to cancel the anti-Islamic clause from an ordinance. Bayampuri also called for the establishment of an Islamic university in East Pakistan. In one part of his political career, Bayampuri briefly left Pakistan for Assam in India due to political oppression. A Pakistani minister later invited him back to the country after a compromise by the King of Saudi Arabia.

Works
Mushahid Ahmad has written a number of works in Arabic, Urdu and Bengali:
 * al-Fatḥ al-Karīm fī Siyāsah an-Nabī al-Amīn (1948, Arabic and Urdu) (Translated into Bengali by Abu Saeed Muhammad Omar Ali as Islamer Raśṭrīyô O Ôrthônoitik Uttôradhikar)
 * al-Furqān bayna al-Ḥaqq wa al-Bāṭil fī ʿIlm at-Taṣawwuf wa al-Iḥsān (Arabic and Urdu)
 * al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ ar-Raḥmān wa Awliyāʾ ash-Shayṭān
 * al-Furqān fī Istiḥbāb Samāʿ al-Qurʼān (Arabic)
 * Śôtter Alo (Bengali, 2 volumes)
 * Islāme Bhoṭ o Bhoṭer Ôdhikar (Bengali)
 * Iẓhār-e-Ḥaqq
 * al-Laṭāʾif ar-Rabbāniyyah fī al-Āyāt al-Qurʾāniyyah (Arabic, unpublished)

Personal life
Bayampuri married 10 times, and is the father of 11 children.

Although he was a student of both Ashraf Ali Thanvi and Hussain Ahmed Madani, he gained khilafah (spiritual succession) in tasawwuf from his pir and murshid Shah Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri, who was the disciple of Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri and teacher of Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali. Bayampuri's murids include Shahrullah and Muhammad bin Idris Lakkhipuri (both former principals of Darul Uloom Kanaighat), Principal Abdul Karim Chhatrapuri of Lafnaut Madrasa, Principal Habibur Rahman of Gachhbari Muzahirul Uloom and Principal Tayyabur Rahman of Shitalang Shah Madrasa.

He completed Hajj three times. On one of these occasions, the khatib had made mention of a prophetic narration in which he erred, consequently from the crowd, Bayampuri stood up amongst everyone and corrected him. After witnessing this, the khatib was impressed with the immense knowledge Bayampuri had possessed of the prophetic tradition, consequently enabling the King of Saudi Arabia to have the state constitution reviewed by Bayampuri to see where it could be amended. Bayampuri suggested that it be amended at 14 places. He was requested by the government of Saudi Arabia to stay in the country and take up teaching positions as his knowledge would be of immense benefit. However after performing istikhara, he had decided not to take up the offer but that it was befitting for him to go back to his homeland.

Death and legacy
Bayampuri died in his village, on the night of Eid al-Adha on 7 February 1971. His janaza was performed by his younger brother Muzzammil Ahmad Bayampuri on Eid day, after the Asr prayer, and he was buried in front of Darul Uloom Kanaighat. It was reported that a strong fragrance came out of his grave a few days later.

A bridge on the Surma River in Kanaighat Upazila is named after Bayampuri. He has been praised by numerous scholars and is mentioned in various books. During Bayampuri's return from Assam to Sylhet, Hussain Ahmed Madani mentioned that "an enlightenment is going towards Sylhet". Abdul Karim Shaykh-e-Kouria mentioned that if all of the ilm of the scholars of Sylhet District were put together, they would match only up to the knee of Bayampuri.

His son, Sheikhzada Faruq Ahmad, contested in the 1973 Bangladeshi general elections losing only to Habibur Rahman (Tota Mia).