Maulana Muhammad Farooq Khan, an eminent Islamic scholar, writer and translator of the Qur’ān into Hindi and Urdu, breathed his last in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on June 28. He travelled by taxi from New Delhi to Lucknow in the morning of June 28 to celebrate Eid al-Adha with his son Tariq Anwar Khan and children, took dinner and went to bed to take a rest; when he was awakened for Asr prayer, he was no more. He was 91.
Muhammad Farooq Khanwas born atMasuran village in Kadipur tehsil of Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradeshin 1932. He did M.A. in Hindi from M.M.H. College, Ghaziabad. He started his career with teaching at Azamgarh. Afterwards he switched over to writing, as he had a knack for it.
He joined Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in 1956 and served the organisation with utmost commitment and devotion till the end of his life. He was on the Jamaat’s Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora and Central Council of Representatives for many terms, and in-charge of its Hindi section at JIH headquarters. Earlier, he also served as Sub-Editor of Kanti Weekly.
As commissioned by the first JIH Ameer Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadvi, he translated the Holy Qur’ān into the Hindi language under the guidance of Maulana Amanatullah Islahi and Maulana Sadruddin Islahi. This was his first work. This Hindi translation of the Qur’ān is published regularly by Al Hasanat Publications and is deemed one of the most popular Hindi translations of the Qur’ān. Thereafter he translated Maulana Syed Abul A’laMaudoodi’s Urdu Tarjuma-e-Qur’ān into Hindi. Maulana Farooq Khan also did his own translation of the Qur’ān. Besides, he has written tafsīr of the Qur’ān which is soon to be published. His many Urdu books on Qur’ān studies published from Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers and other publications include Shah Abdul Qadir ki Qur’ān Fahmi, Intikhab-i-Qur’ān, Qur’ān keTadrisiMasail, Qur’ān ka Sauti Ejaz, Qur’ān Majeed keAdbiMuhasin and Eimay-i-Qur’ān, etc.
His compilation of Ahadith with commentary named Kalaam-e-Nabuwwat in seven volumes has been widely acclaimed.
A number of books on various subjects like Dawah, guidance and comparative study of religions are to his credit. He wrote both in the Hindi and Urdu languages. He has also translated many books from Arabic and Urdu into Hindi.
Maulana Farooq Khan was also a poet. In Urdu poetry he used his pen-name Faraz while in Hindi his pen-name was Vinay. His anthologies of poems Harf-o-Sada and Chitijke Par have been published in Urdu and Hindi respectively. The revised edition of Harf-o-Sada has been published under the title Kuliyat-i-Faraz.
His books on Selected Ahadith, Prophet’s Companions and Prophetic Supplications have been published by Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers. They include Mutala-i-Hadith, DuaiyaChehl Hadith, Aasaar-i-Sahaba, Intikhab-i-Ahadith-i-Qudsiya, Hikmat-i-Nabawi Ahadith ki Roshni Mein, and Aan-Huzoor ki Duayen, etc. His book, Ilm-i-Hadith: Ek Ta’ruf deals with importance of hadith, hadith terminologies, and biographies of some muhaditheen.