Biography of Shaykh Abdul Aala Durrani, senior student of Sayid Abu Bakr Ghaznawi and Shaykh Ataullah Haneef Bhujiyani, one of leading scholars of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK.

Professor Hafiz Abdul Aala ibn Ataillah ibn Fazlillah ibn Sighatillah Durrani Amritsari then Lahori was born in Chenot in the area of Jhang. He completed his preliminary studies and Hifz Al-Quran in Faisalabad. He went after to study in Lahore in Jamiyah Ashrafiyah Muslim Town. He spent some month in Mufti Jamiyah Madeenah. He completed a Quran course in Madrasah Khudam Al-Quran Sheranwalah in Sha’ban and despite his young age obtained 98 percent results.

He had a great longing for the Quran since young age and hence he established links with Shaykh Sayid Abu Bakr Ghaznawi and benefited from his lessons on the Qur’an and his Tarbiyah. The second person from whom he was inspired mostly was his father who instructed him with 2 matters: doing service for the religion and having mastery over the Quran and reading it abundantly. Both Shaykh Abu Bakr Ghaznawi and his father inculcated in him a great emphasis on the Qur’an.

Shaykh Abdul Aala Durrani afterwards went to study in Jamiyah Rehmaniyah in Mananawalah near Shaykhupurah and passed his Matric in Persian there. He also passed exams in Government College Shaykhupurah and obtained an excellent position in Punjab. He completed after many courses such as Islamiyat in Badshahi Masjid and Tajweed and Qiraat in Moti Masjid.

Afterwards he started to study Dars Nizami and joined the famous Jamiyah Salafiyah in Faisalabad where he studied for 2 years consecutively and because he had desire to join Tahreek Nizam Mustafa, he went to further study in Lahore. He studied in Lahore Sahih Muslim from Shaykh Muhammad Atatullah Haneef Bhujiyani. With this he was also in the Majlis Idarat of Dr Asrar Ahmad’s monthly magazine “Meethaq”. At this time he joined the institute “Shahikar” of Sayid Qasim Mahmood and worked as director of “Shahikar Islami Encyclopaedia”.

Upon the advise of Qari AbdulKhaliq Rehmani from Karachi, he joined again Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad where he completed Dars Nizami. There he also passed FA from Jhang Bazar Public College. He obtained 96 percent in his final results in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad and because of this high position he was admitted to Madeenah University in 1982. In Jmaiyah Salafiyah, he learned as well from Hafiz Thanaullah Isa Khan Madni.

Before going to Madeenah in 1981, he had joined “Idarah Ma’arif Islami Academy” in Mansoorah upon request of Shaykh Na’eem Siddiqi and Shaykh Khalil Haamidi and did scholarly work as Naib of Shaykh Haamidi. Shaykh Durrani had written the Fihrist and introduction of all Arabic books of Shaykh Sayid Abul Ala Mawdudi and Shaykh Haamidi was very satisfied with his work and requested him to stay in Mansoorah and pursue his scholarly work rather than going to Madeenah University but Shaykh Abdul Aala preferred further studies in Madeenah at the age of 20.

At this young age Shaykh Abdul Aala Durrani was writing many articles in national newspapers such as daily “Nawae Waqt”, daily “Mashriq”, daily “Maghrabi Pakistan”, daily “Wafaq”.

In 1982 he joined Madeenah University in the faculty of Qur’an and specialized in the 10 Qiraat and among his teachers we count: Shaykh Ali ibn AbdirRahman Huzaifi, Shaykh Mahmood Sebawayah, Shaykh Mahmood Jado, Shaykh Mahmood Marsafi, Dr Ali Al-Qari and others.

After his studies in Madeenah he became teacher in Jamiyah Lahore Islamiyah, Garden Town Lahore. In 1987 he started a magazine called “Digest” and after few numbers the martyrdom (insha Allah) of Allamah Ehsan Ilahi Zaheer occurred which affected him a lot, and because of his attachment to the Jamiat, he was given Nizamat of Markazi Secretariat. He did his MA Arabic from Punjab University at this time. During his Nizamat, he was also chief editor of weekly magazine “Al-Islam” and monthly magazine “Tarjuman Al-Hadith”.

In 1990, Hafiz Abdul Aala was invited for a conference of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK and because the branch of Bradford was impressed with his oratory skills, they requested him to become their permanent Imam and thus he moved to Bradford where he established a Markazi Masjid.

With his activities in Masajid, he was also very active in journalism and wrote articles in London daily “Jang”, daily “Awaz”, weekly “Akhbar Watan”. He did an English course in Bradford and Ilkley Community College and lectured and became Imam of many Masajid in Bradford, Blackburn, Midllesborough. He also played a key role in establishing Masajid and activating Jama’at in France and Holland, in their capitals Paris and De Hague. He played active role in activating Jamaat in Bradford, Glasgow and Reading. He lectured there in English, Arabic and Urdu and had a great influence on the community and youth.

In 1997 he lead Taraweeh at request of a Salafi organisation in Miami and remained at Miami University for a month and taught Tafsir classes in Arabic and English. In 1992 the Jamiat in Holland requested him to work there but he could only stay 3 weeks in Holland and inaugurated a Masjid in De Hague. He was also invited to give lessons in Sarcelles, an area of Paris, where he taught the Qur’an and founded there a big Masjid.

Hafiz Abdul Aala Durrani returned to Pakistan in 2000 where he became attached to Markazi Jamiat’s weekly magazine “Tarjuman” and did revolutionary work in it turning it into a renowned magazine due to his editing and writing skills which he had since young age since trained by Sayid Qasim Mahmood. In UK with writing in different newspapers, he was also chief editor of monthly magazine of Jamiat “Sirat e Mustaqeem”.

In Pakistan, he had many articles in weekly magazine “Al-Islam” Lahore, weekly “Al-Itisam”, weekly “Khudam e Deen” Lahore, weekly “Lowlak” Faisalabad, Monthly “Mohadis”, monthly “Tarjuman Al-Hadith”.

With excelling in writing and journalism, Hafiz Abdul Aala Durrani is also an excellent orator which lead to a Fikri Inqilab in his area.

Adapted from biography written by Muhammad Ramazan Yusuf, Rehmaniyah Dar Al-Kutub Faislabad, biography present at beginning of Tafsir of Hafiz Abdul Aala Durrani entitled “Khulasa Quran” published by Maktabah Islamiyah.

Note: Shaykh Abdul Aala returned afterwards to UK and is working there as Imam and senior leader of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK. Among his published works we count his Tafsir entitled "Khulasah Quran" 628p published by Maktabah Islamiyah.