Dr. Mohammad Rafat, a great Islamic scholar, prolific writer and senior ideologue of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, breathed his last at Al-Shifa Multispeciality Hospital, New Delhi at about 10:30 pm on January 8. He was 65.
Born at Khurja in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh on 26 July 1956, Dr. Rafat did his MSc in Physics from Aligarh Muslim University in 1976 and PhD from IIT, Kanpur in 1984. He joined Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in 1985 and retired as Professor, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities from JMI on July 31, 2020.
At Jamia, he taught B.Tech, B.E., and M.Sc. (Electronics) courses, participated in modernisation of lab projects of M.Sc. (Electronics) programme; developed syllabi of B.E., B.Tech. Physics theory and lab courses, lab manuals for these programmes and problem sets for theory courses in Physics; and established Physics lab. He was also a member of MAAS (Muslim Association for Advancement of Science).
Dr. Rafat was one of the Trustees of Indian Institute of Islamic Studies (IIIS) and also a Faculty of IIIS.
Dr. Rafat, who was associated with the Islamic movement ever since his student days, was a member of the Central Advisory Council and the Central Representatives Council, the highest decision-making bodies of the Jamaat from 1999 till his death.
Besides being Director of the Centre for Study and Research (CSR) of JIH, for the last two years, he had also previously worked as Chairman of the JIH’s Tasneefi Academy and Secretary of the Jamaat’s Shoba-e-Tarbiyat (Department of Training). He also rendered his services as Ameer Maqami of Abul Fazl Enclave Unit in early 1990s and Ameer Halqa of Delhi and Haryana from 1995 to 2011. He had also worked as honorary Editor of Urdu monthly, Zindagi-e-Nau, an Islamic research magazine, from 2009 to 2019. Besides, he headed several important committees of the JIH for policy-formulation and the creation of new institutions and allied organisations.
Dr. Rafat was an acclaimed academician. He had more than 15 books on various subjects in the Urdu and English languages to his credit. His Urdu books include Jamaat-e-Islami ki Panch Bunyadi Khususiyat, Asr-e-Hazir ke Purfreb Narey, Ummat-e-Muslima – Mission aur Khud-Shanashi, Islami Tahreek – Safar aur Samt-e-Safar; Fard, Muashira aur Riyasat – Iqamat-e-Deen ke Tanazur Mein, Ummat-e-Muslima ka Nizam-e-Ijtimai, Ilm-o-Tahqeeq ka Islami Tanazur, Dawat aur Jihad – Asr-e-Hazir ke Tanazur Mein, Musalman aur Hindustani Riyasat, Fikr-e-Islami ka Safar – Rah aur Rahi.
Dr. Rafat also contributed hundreds of scholarly articles to different Urdu and English magazines and periodicals, including Zindagi-e-Nau, Rafeeque-e-Manzil, Radiance Viewsweekly and The Companion.
JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini called the passing away of Dr. Rafat a great loss to the Muslim Ummah, Islamic Movement as well as the country. Expressing condolence over his death, the JIH chief said: “The demise of Dr Rafat is a great loss for the Muslim Ummah, the Islamic Movement and the entire country. He was a leading intellectual, tremendous leader, firm ideologue and benevolent mentor. He was an erudite scholar of Islam and prolific writer. He was blessed with, among many qualities, a razor-sharp memory and a consummate skill of making speeches on a myriad of topics without any notes in such a coherent manner that it would appear as if he were reading a written note. He led an extremely simple life and had a very pleasant disposition. He was a teacher of theoretical physics. This subject of science has a deep connection with philosophy, so he made a direct study of philosophy and important ideas of science from its original sources. As one of the foremost ideologues of Jamaat, he always upheld and acted on the basic and core principles of Islam. May Allah forgive his sins and grant him the highest Paradise.”
Messages started pouring in on social media and other groups, expressing condolence and remembering his contribution to the Islamic movement in the country. Besides JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini, those who posted condolence messages include S. Aminul Hasan, Naib Ameer Jamaat; Dr. Mohammad Raziul Islam Nadvi, Secretary JIH; Mohammad Shafi Madni, Secretary JIH; Dr. Hasan Raza, Director IIIS; Mujtaba Farooq, Director Jamaat’s Public Relations; Khan Yasir, Faculty IIIS; Dr. Omair Anas, a JNU alumnus, currently assistant professor in International Relations at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey.
Mujtaba Farooq, in his condolence message, said Dr. Rafat had the qualities of a Muslim “Dervish”. He described him as “confluence of Modern Knowledge and Islamic Thought as he had very deep knowledge about the modern contemporary issues as well as Islam”.
His colleagues at JMI remembered him as a genius yet very humble man, always ready to help anyone who approached him with some problem. Prof. Masood Alam, who joined the Jamia the same day Dr. Rafat joined, said, “Dr. Rafat was a man of very high quality. It is impossible to find a man like him.” Dr. Alam added that while Dr Rafat taught Physics, he was having equal command over Mathematics and students as well as teachers benefited from his vast knowledge.
Dr. Musheer Ahmad, former Head of the Department of Physics and Humanities, while giving farewell to Dr. Rafat on his retirement in July 2020, described Dr Rafat as “very nice, supportive, cooperative and humble” human being. He helped everyone who came to him with a problem, whether he was a student or a teacher.
Speaking about the vastness of Dr. Rafat’s knowledge, Dr. Ahmad said that while Dr. Rafat taught Physics, in several cases he guided students and teachers in research work on social sciences subject as well. He said that several years ago, Dr. Rafat provided him with material and guided him in preparing a speech on Islam and Christianity at the Carmel Convent School that had a very good effect on the audience.
“Dr. Rafat was a thorough gentleman. There is no parallel to his knowledge in Physics,” Dr. Ahmad commented about Dr. Rafat.
Dr. Rafat left behind him his widow Nusrat Nigar (daughter of former Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and a well-known Islamic scholar, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari), three sons, two daughters, grandchildren and a host of well-wishers. His funeral prayer was led by Maulana Umari after Isha Salat at Masjid Ishaat-e-Islam on January 9. His funeral prayer in absentia was offered at many places like Hyderabad in Telangana and Bhusawal in Maharashtra. He was buried in Shaheen Bagh graveyard, New Delhi.