Biography of Hafiz Masood Alam

His family and birth

Hafiz Masood Alam’s father Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri was a famous Ahl e Hadith scholar. Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri was from the area of Hisar in Eastern Punjab, and he moved after the partition in August 1947 to Pakistan. After some time, he settled in Pakistan in the area of Sharakpur.

Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri married the daughter of Haji Muhammad Rafiq, who was from Kot Kapurah in India and moved to Pakistan near Khanewal in Chak N 41. Haji Muhammad Rafiq was very much impressed by Shaykh Ata’ullah Haneef Bhujiyani, and Shaykh Ata’ullah recommended him to marry his daughter to Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri.

From this blessed marriage, Hafiz Masood Alam was born on the 22^nd October 1953.

His education

Hafiz Masood Alam learned from his father how to read and write and he completed reading the Quran from him. Afterwards he also learned beginners books of Dars Nizami from his father. He memorised the Quran at the age of 9 from his local Masjid.

Hafiz Masood Alam learned from his father the translation of the Quran, Arabic grammar and morphology, the book of Arabic Adaab “Mirah Al-Arwah”, some parts of “Shafiyah” (Arabic morphology), “Sharh Shuruz Az-Zahab” (of ibn Hisham), some parts of “Mughni Al-Labib”, some parts of “Al-Kamil” of ibn Al-Mibrad. Shayk Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri also instructed him to read “Al-Qa’idah Al-Jaleelah fi At-Tawassul wal Waseelah” of Shaykh Al-Islam ibn Taymiyah.

When his father would leave the city to deliver lectures in other cities, his paternal uncle Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Kaleem would teach him beginners books. He also learned some books from Shaykh AbdulLateef from Sahiwal. At this time, he read himself Persian books “Gulistan”, “Bustan”, “Pand Namah” and others. He learned “Maqamat Hariri”, “Hamasah” and other books from Shaykh AbdulJabbar who came from Nabipur Piran (Nankanah).

In 1968, Hafiz Masood Alam joined Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala and studied there up to 1970, he benefited there from:

a) Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi: he sat in some of his lessons on the translation of the Quran.

b) Shaykh Muhammad A’zam: Second volume of “Mishkat” and the book of Arabic grammar “Kafiyah”

c) Qari Muhammad Ashraf: Fiqh, Usul Al-Fiqh, Mantiq, Falsafah and others.

d) Shaykh Abul Barakat Ahmad: Jami At-Tirmidhi, Sunnan An-Nasa’i, Muqaddimah ibn Salah, Sharh Nukhabtul Fikar, Tafsir Jami Al-Bayan, “Al-Kahil” of ibn Mibrad, Al-Fiyah ibn Malik Sharh ibn Aqeel.

e) Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Bhujiyani: books of Arabic Adaab.

Among scholars who studied at Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala at the same time, we count: Hafiz Muhammad Haneef Sharakpuri, Hafiz Muhammad Ilyas, Sayid Muhammad Akram Shah, Hakeem Mahmood, Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti, Shaykh Mahmood Ahmad Mirpuri.

Before joining Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala, Hafiz Masood Alam had memorised “Umdatul Ahkam” from his father, and he started there to memorise “Al-Fiyah ibn Malik” but could not complete it. He completed later on its memorisation in Madinah University.

In 1970, Hafiz Masood Alam passed Matric. In 1971, he joined Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad and studied there for 3 years. He benefited there from:

a) Shaykh UbaydurRahman Madni

b) Shaykh Sanaullah Hoshiarpuri: Sunnan Abi Dawood, Sahih Muslim, Bidayatul Mujtahid, Hujjatullah Al-Balighah

c) Hafiz Abdullah Budhimalwi: Sahih Al-Bukhari. He also taught him books outside the curriculum upon the request of Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Sharakpuri.

d) Hafiz Muhammad Binyamin Toor: Mantiq, Qatbi, Mukhtasar Al-Ma’ani, Mutawal

e) Shaykh Ali Mushrif Al-Umri: Insha and Kitab At-Tawheed

f) Shaykh Muhammad Aman Al-Jami: Fath Al-Qadeer Imam Shawkani, Sharh Aqidah At-Tahawiyah and Bidayatul Mujtahid

g) Muhammad Khudri (Misr): Usul Al-Fiqh, books of creed

Shaykh Al-Umri, Al-Jami and Khudri were sent by Madinah University and Hafiz Masood Alam benefited from them in 1972 and 1973.

After completing Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad, Hafiz Masood Alam joined Madinah University. He benefited there from:

a) Dr Hamood Hamid Al-Wa’ili: Fiqh and Usul Al-Fiqh

b) Shaykh AbdulMuhsin Al-‘Abbad: Fiqh and Creed

c) Shaykh Abdullah Al-Ghunaymaan: Kitab Tawheed and others

d) Shaykh Abu Talib Shahin: Arabic grammar and morphology

e) Shaykh AbdurRauf Al-Lughawi: Arabic grammar and morphology

f) Shaykh Ali Hasan Al-‘Amari: Balaghah, Ma’ani and Badee’

g) Dr Mahmood Shaykhun: Book of Hadith

h) Dr Mahmood Shami: Asanid Hadith

I) Dr Mahmood Al-Hasaan: books on Tawhid Asma was Sifat such as Aqidah At-Tahawiyah, Al-Hamawiyah and others

j) Shaykh AbdulGhaffar Hasan: Books of Hadith

k) Shaykh Hammad Al-Ansari: Books of creed

l) Shaykh Abu Bakr Al-Jazairi: Tafsir and Usul At-Tafsir

m) Shaykh Muhammad Mukhtar Shanqiti: Tafsir and Usul At-Tafsir

n) Shaykh Muhammad Aman Jami: Some books

His teaching

After graduating from Madinah University in 1979, Hafiz Masood Alam was appointed to teach in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad. At the time Hafiz Sanaullah Madni was the Mudeer e Ta’leem there and upon his advise, Hafiz Masood Alam was appointed as Mudeer e Ta’leem of Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad, and he occupied this position for 5 years.

In 1986 Hafiz Masood Alam went to teach in Jamiyah Abu Bakr Karachi. He taught there Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Tafsir Fath Al-Qadeer, Hujjatullah Al-Balighah and others.

In 1991, Hafiz Masood Alam returned to teach in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad, and taught there Tafsir Jami Al-Bayan, Sahih Muslim, Sunnan Abi Dawood, Bidayatul Mujtahid, Usul Ash-Shashi and other books.

Among his famous students, we count: Dr AbdulQaadir, Pr AbdurRazzaq Sajid, Hafiz Muneer Ahmad Azhar (teacher Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad), Shaykh Muhammad Siddiq (teacher Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad), Qari Habeebullah (teacher Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad), Hafiz AbdulAzeem Asad (Darussalam), Shaykh Hafeez Ar-Rahman (Islamabad), Hafiz AbdurRauf (Islamabad)

With teaching in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad, Hafiz Masood Alam also teaches in Markaz At-Tarbiyah Al-Islamiyah of Hafiz Muhammad Sharif in Faisalabad. He is teaching there: Tafsir, Aqidah At-Tahawiyah, Al-Hamawiyah, Khulasah At-Tafasir, Usul At-Tafsir, Al-Fawz Al-Kabeer, Muqaddimah fi Usul At-Tafsir, lessons of Arabic language and Adaab.

With books of curriculum, Hafiz Masood Alam is known to have read a large number of books. Initially Shaykh Ata’ullah Haneef Bhujiyani encouraged him to read a lot. He was also affected from the scholarly gatherings of Shaykh AbdulGhaffar Hasan and from the spiritual advises of Hafiz Muhammad Yahya Aziz Mir Muhammadi, a close friend of his father.

His children

In 1980, Hafiz Masood Alam married the daughter of Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf, who had moved after the partition to Chuniyan (area of Qasur), and afterwards settled in Faisalabad.

Hafiz Masood Alam had 4 daughters or 3 sons. His sons are:

a) As’ad Masood, Faisalabad Agricultural University

b) Sa’d Masood, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute Khaybar Pakhtunkhawah

c) Sa’dun Masood, Qaid e Azam University Islamabad

Source: “Chamestan Hadith” of Shaykh Ishaq Bhatti