Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith
Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith is a Islamic religious organization and political party in Pakistan, Although a Islamist missionary political party the MJAH derives itself from the Ahl-e-Hadith a Salafi reform movement. It was founded in 1948 by Salafi Islamic scholars in Lahore.
Although Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith is one of the country's largest Salafi religious organization and political party but it has spliter faction internally called Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan led by Zahir's son Hisham Ilahi Zahir.
The Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith supported Pakistan [Muslim League (N)] in the 2013 [Pakistani general elections], 2018 Pakistani general election and its the first religio-political organization which is openly supported by Nawaz Sharif and his party the both parties maintain close political alliance in Pakistan's national politics. The MJAH always has made noteworthy diplomatic efforts that strengthened Pakistan–Saudi [Arabia relations|the bilateral ties] between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
History
The Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith Maghribi Pakistan was founded in a historic meeting on 24 July 1948 at the Darul Uloom Taqwiyatul Islam in Lahore by a number of Salafi Islamic scholars, including Ibrahim Mir, Abdullah Ropari, Muhammad Ishaq Bhatti, Dawud Ghaznawi and others. Dawud Ghaznawi was elected as the first president of the Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith. After the death of Dawud Ghaznawi in 1963, Muhammad Isma'il Salafi was appointed the president of the organization and served in the position until his own death in 1968.The religious organization was launched as a political party in 1986 by Ihsan Ilahi Zahir. A year later, in 1987, Zahir was killed. After his death, the organization split into two factions, the main one being led by Sajid Mir, and the other one named Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan by Zahir's son Ibtisam Ilahi Zahir. Later on, in 2018, Ibtisam merged his faction into Sajid Mir's MJAH and reunited the organization.
However, in 2023, another of Ihsan's son, Hisham Ilahi Zahir, was expelled from the MJAH and he re-started the JAHP as president.