Renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajidi breathed his last in the U.S. during medical treatment and was buried there. He was 70 years old.
Born as Wasif Husain Nadeem al-Wajidi in Deoband on 23 July 1954, he came from a family with a strong literary and scholarly heritage that had migrated from Bijnor. His grandfather, father, and maternal uncle were all distinguished Sheikh al-Hadith at well-known madrasas. He received his early education in Deoband and Jalalabad, benefiting from scholars like Masihullah Khan.
In 1967, he enrolled at Darul Uloom Deoband, graduating in 1974. He then pursued advanced studies in Arabic literature and was a prominent student of Wahiduzzaman Kairanawi.
During his studies, he led the Arabic student club and edited its wall magazine, Ash-Shu’oor. He also served as editor-in-chief of the monthly Tarjuman-e-Deoband, which continues to be published regularly. He also authored several textbooks that are still part of the curriculum in many madrasahs.
One of Maulana’s major scholarly achievements was his modern Urdu translation of Imam Ghazali’s celebrated work Ihya Uloom-ud-Deen. His other notable works include Stories of the Qur’an, The Communal and Political Life of Muslims, Our Madrasas: Nature and Approach, Triple Talaq: In the Court of the People, Islam and Our Life, An Exceptional Personality, and A Distinguished Teacher (a biography of his father, Wajid Hussain Deobandi). He authored nearly three dozen books.
On Tuesday, Maulana was laid to rest in the U.S. He is survived by his wife and son, Mufti Yasir Nadeem Al-Wajidi, a prominent Chicago-based Muslim scholar, author, public speaker, and debater.
