Zubair Ali Zai
| Zubair Ali Zai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Al-Hafiz, Muhaddith |
| Born |
Muhammad Zubair bin Mujaddad Khan 25 June 1957 Hazro, Pakistan |
| Died | 10. November 2013 (aged 56) |
| Other names | Abu Tahir |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Ethnicity | Pashtun |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Zahiri |
| Movement | Ahl al-Hadith |
| Notable work(s) | (Tahqeeq, Takhreej) - Hadith Editing and Referencing of Sahih Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, An-Nasai and Ibn Majah -Printed by Darussalam |
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Influenced by
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| Website | http://zubairalizai.info/ |
Hafiz Zubair Ali zai (Urdu: زبیر علی زئي) was a preacher, theologian, Islamic scholar, muhaddith and former merchant marine from Pakistan.
Life
"Zubair" was from the Pashtun tribe of Alizai, itself a branch of the larger Durrani confederation tracing their descent back to Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Durrani Empire.
Zubair was born in 1957 in the village of Peerdad, near Hazro in the Attock District of Punjab. His father having served two jail sentences for his membership in the Jamaat-e-Islami Islamist political party, Alizai became familiar with corruption and civil strife early on.[1]
Zubair married in 1982 and had three sons and four daughters. He was a polyglot; in addition to his native language of Hindko language and the Arabic language from his graduate study, Alizai was also fluent in English, Urdu, Pashto and Greek, and can read and understand Persian.[1] His skill with Greek was earned during his time working with the Greek Merchant Navy, which he used to surprise a group of Christian missionaries during a public debate in 1997.
He died on 10 November 2013 after being hospitalised for two months.
Career
Education
Zubair completed a bachelor's degree and later on two master's degrees, one in Islamic studies in 1983 and another in the Arabic language in 1994 from the University of the Punjab in Lahore. Additionally, Alizai graduated for a fourth time from the Salafi University in Faisalabad.[1]
On top of his education in higher institutions of learning, Alizai was also a graduate of Pakistan's Madrasa system. Alizai extensively studied the field of Hadith, or the statements and actions of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, in addition to the sub fields of Hadith terminology and Biographical evaluation.[1] He was a student of Badi' ud-Din Shah al-Rashidi during this time, in addition to other scholars of the Ahl al-Hadith movement in Pakistan. Like his teacher Rashidi, Alizai followed the Zahirite school of Islamic law.
Editing and publishing
Zubair was, like his former teacher Rashidi, a bibliophile, having amassed a private library of some renown in Hazro, where he spent most of his time.[1] His work in both editing and republishing manuscripts of ancient Muslim texts eventually took him to Saudi Arabia, where he worked as a consultant for Darussalam Publishers and Distributors.
Works
Much of Zubair's work consists of editing and referencing ancient texts of prophetic tradition and evaluating them according to the Categories of Hadith. Working with Dar us Salam, Alizai has reviewed the Al-Kutub al-Sittah, considered canonical in Sunni Islam. Besides, he has also authored many of his own books both in Urdu and Arabic
Hadith referencing
- Sahih Muslim of Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Riyadh: Dar us Salam Publications, 2007. 1st Ed. 7 volumes.
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi of Muhammad ibn 'Isa at-Tirmidhi. Riyadh: Dar us Salam Publications, 2007. 6 volumes.
- Al-Sunan al-Sughra of Al-Nasa'i. Riyadh: Dar us Salam Publications, 2008. 6 volumes.
- Sunan Abu Dawood of Abu Dawood. Riyadh: Dar us Salam Publications, 2008. 1st Ed. 5 volumes. Translated by Yasir Qadhi. ISBN 978-9960-500-11-9
- Sunan ibn Majah of Ibn Majah. Riyadh: Dar us Salam Publications, 2007. 1st Ed. 5 volumes. ISBN 9960-9881-3-9