DR. RAFAT PASHA: AND RABTA ADAB AL ISLAMI AALAMI
BY ABU TARIQ HIJAZI
Dr. Abdur Rahman Rafat Pasha was born in Areeha in the north Syria in 1920. He attended primary classes in Madrasa Khusraviya of Aleppo which was the oldest Islamic Sharia school in Syria. For further studies he went to Cairo and secured the Higher certificate in Islamic Usool from Azhar Sahrief along with B.A. in Arabic literature from King Fuad College. Later he was awarded Master’s degree and Doctorate from newly named Cairo University.He began his professional carrier as teacher then promoted to Senior Inspector of Arabic language, and then Manager Zahiriya Library Damascus. He also worked a visiting professor of Damascus University. He was fortunate to visit Hijaz in 1964 and get a chance to work as Professor at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University Riyadh. He acted as member of Literary Academy and Head of Arabic Critic and Publication departments. During his long stay of 22 years in Riyadh,he contributed valuable suggestions on the Research projects.
Throughout his long life he was attached with the Language of Holy Quran and promotion of Islamic literature. Acknowledging the efforts made by his predecessors, he embarked on the gigantic project of compiling Mosooaa Adab Dawah Islamia (an encyclopedia of Islamic Dawah Literature) sponsored by Arabic Language College Riyadh. He also supervised the following famous research studies on Arabic poetry:
Dawah Islamic Poetry, in the period of Prophet and his Caliphs.
Dawah Islamic Poetry, in Umavi Period.
Dawah Islamic Poetry, in the First Abbasi Period.
Dawah Islamic Poetry, in the Second Abbasi Period.
Dawah Islamic Poetry, in the Third Abbasi Period.
Besides this achievement in poetry, he compiled a long series of 14 books in prose named ‘Suwar min Hayat al Sahaba’ on the stories of 108 leading Sahaba (companions of Holy Prophet s.a.w.) starting from Anas bin Malik to Amr bin Umayyah Damri covering about a 1000 pages. The books received good acceptace world- wide. Many of them were entered into the school courses and many translated into Urdu, Bengali and English languages. His another famous collection is ‘Suwar min Hayat al Tabeiin’ stories from the pupil of Sahaba covering stories of 37 Tabeiin in six volumes starting from Ataa bin Rabaah to Imam Abu Hanifa in about 500 pages. He did not forget the Sahabiyaat (lady companions) and wrote another volume on leading women around the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
Besides the above he authored the following ten important books in Arabic:
Shair Dawah fi Asr Nabavi (The poetry during the Prophet’s period).
Lughat al Mustaqbil( The language of the future).
Al Deen al Qayyem (The solid religion).
Al batoolah (The Heroism).
Hadath fi Ramadhan (Events in Ramadan).
Adwaan ala Arabia adwaan ala Islam. (Attack on Arabic language is the attack on Islam).
Tareeq elaa Andalus (The road to Andalus).
Nahv Mazhab al Islami fi Adab al Naqd (Towards Islamic literature).
Ard al Batoolaat ( Syria, the land of Heroism)
Ali bin Jaham (the life and works of an Arabic poet)
The Mosooaah edited by him proved to be a landmark in the history of Arabic literature. Dr. Ayesha Abdur Rahman Bint Shaateii wrote an articles specially praising the high standard of the book. Dr. Pasha also supervised many Arabic literature theses, of Doctorate for the universities of Azhar, Cairo, Baghdad and Rabat . He also delivered radio talk series as “With the Dawah Arabic literature” of 240 shows from Rabi II 1375 (1975) from Radio Riyadh.
Dr. Pasha structured the foundations of Arabic Dawah literature making it as a separate subject on strong footing. Allama Abul Hasan Nadvi, the world renown scholar highlighted his efforts creating it as a separate entity. Dr. Pasha convened the first seminar on this subject at his residence in 1400 AH (1980) which was attended by many leading scholars including Allama Nadvi. Later a seminar was convened at Jamia Islamia Madina Munawwarah in Rajab 1402 and another at Imam Mohammed bin Saud University Riyadh in Rajab 1405. Finally Nadwah Aalami le Adab al Islami was declared at Nadwatul Ulama University Lucknow (India) in Rabi II 1406 (Jan 1986).
One of the great achievement of Dr. Pasha, with Allama Nadvi, was the primary seminar of “Rabita Adab al Islami al Aalamiyah” in Jamad II 1401 (1981) where Dr. Pasha was elected as Vice President of Nadwa with Allama Nadvi as President. After the sad demise of Allama Abul Hasan Nadvi, Dr. Abdul Quddus Abu Saleh was elected as the president and the head office was shifted from Lucknow to Riyadh Saudi Arabia in 1421 (2000AC).
Later The International Adab al Islami Org (IAI) established regional offices in different parts of the world located in Saudi Arabia , Jordon, Egypt , Morocco, Sudan , Yemen, Kuwait, , Pakistan, Turkey, Syria and Bangladesh. IAI is also issuing leading monthly periodicals in different languages as under:
Majalla Adab al Islami, Saudi Arabia
Majalla Mishkaat,Arabic , Morocco
Majalla Qaflat al Adab, Urdu, India
Majalla Qaflat al Adab English, Arabic and Urdu, Pakistan
Majalla al Haqq Bengali, Bangladesh
Majalla al Adab al Arabi, Turkish, Turkey.
Majalla Electronic, on site of Rabta Adab al Islami al Alamiya.
After passing a hectic life of 66 years in the service of Islam Dr. Pasha breathed his last on Friday 12th Zilqaada 1406 (18th July 1986) in Istanbul, Turkey and was buried in the graveyard of another Great soul named Caliph Mohammed a Al Fateh where many other Sahaba are buried around. May Almighty Allah grant peace to their souls. Ameen.