Jafar Masood Hasani Nadwi


Jafar Masood Hasani Nadwi was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar, educator, writer, and translator. He was associated with Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, where he held the position of Secretary from 2023 until his death in 2025. Nadwi also served as the editor-in-chief of Al-Raid, an Arabic fortnightly journal, and contributed to the promotion of Islamic literature through his leadership as General Secretary and later President of the International League of Islamic Literature. He was known for his translations and writings in Arabic and Urdu on Islamic thought, history, and literature.

Early life and education

Jafar Masood Hassani Nadwi was born on 13 September 1965 in Takia, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India, into a family with a strong Islamic scholarly background. His father, Wazeh Rashid Hasani Nadwi, was an Arabic writer and journalist, while his uncle, Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, was an Islamic scholar.
Nadwi completed his early education in Raebareli, memorized the Quran, and later enrolled at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow. He received his Alimiyah degree in 1981 and Fazilah degree in 1983. He subsequently obtained an M.A. in Arabic from Lucknow University in 1986 and completed a teaching training course at King Saud University in 1990.
He was the son-in-law of Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, the former chancellor of Nadwatul Ulama.

Career

Nadwi started his career in 1985 as a teacher of Hadith and Arabic literature at Madrasa Aliah Irfania, a branch of Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow. During this time, he also taught social sciences and broadened his understanding of academic and Islamic subjects.
In 2013, he was appointed the managing editor of Al-Raid, an Arabic fortnightly journal published by Nadwatul Ulama, and in 2019, he became its editor-in-chief.
He held the position of Secretary of Nadwatul Ulama and also served as the Secretary of the Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow. Additionally, he was the General Secretary and later became the President of the International League of Islamic Literature.

Death

Nadwi died on 15 January 2025 in Lucknow, India, in a traffic accident on the Lucknow–Allahabad highway. He was 59. He was buried on 16 January 2025 in his family's ancestral graveyard at Takia Kalan, Raebareli. His funeral prayer was led by Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi, the chancellor of Nadwatul Ulama, and was attended by a large number of people.
Public figures, including Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Akhilesh Yadav, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sajjad Nomani, Akram Nadwi of Oxford University, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, and Priyanka Gandhi, offered condolences. Expressions of grief were also received from notable individuals in India and abroad.

Literary works

Nadwi started writing at an early age, producing scholarly and literary articles on topics such as literature, Islamic thought, and history, in both Urdu and Arabic. His writings were regularly published in Arabic in Al-Raid and in Urdu in Tameer-e-Hayat and other journals and newspapers. He also translated several Urdu articles, academic papers, literary works, and political writings into Arabic, along with full books. Some of his notable works include: Fī Masīrat al-Hayāt – Arabic translation of Karwan-e-Zindagi by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi. Al-Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Kandhlawi: Hayatuhu wa Manhajuhu fi al-Da'wah – Arabic translation of the Urdu book by Muhammad Thani Hasani Nadwi. Al-Imam al-Muhaddith Muhammad Zakariya al-Kandhlawi wa Ma'athiruhu al-Ilmiyyah – Arabic translation of the Urdu book by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi. Da'wah lil-Ta'ammul wal-Tafkir – Original work in Urdu. Basāir – Urdu translation of the Arabic book by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi.