Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi

Allamah
Sayyid Sa'eed Akhtar Rizvi
سيد سعيد اختر رضوي
Personal
Born 5 January 1927
Gopalpur Sadaa, Siwan district, Bihar
Died 20 June 2002 (aged 75)
Resting place Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Religion Shia'ism (an Islamic Group)
Nationality Indian Tanzanian
Home town Gopalpur, Siwan, Bihar, India
Spouse Roshan Jahan and Fatima Zahra
Children 1. Qaisar Jahan

2. Ali Imam 3. Muhammad 4. Zaki Imam 5. Masud Akhtar 6. Zainab

7. Mukhtar Saeed (aka Murtaza)
Parent Father: Maulānā Ḥakīm Sayyid Abul Ḥasan Rizvi Mother: Ṣiddīqah Khātūn
Citizenship Indo-Tanzanian
Website Allamah Rizvi Foundation
Personal
Religion Islam
Denomination Shia
Jurisprudence Jafari (Usuli)
Creed Twelver
Known for Chief Missionary of Bilal Muslim Mission
Occupation Islamic scholar
Allāmah Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi

Sayyid Sa‘eed Akhtar Rizvi (Urdu: سيد سعيد اختر رضوي) (1927–2002) was an Indian born, Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, who promoted Islam in East Africa. He was given authorizations (Arabic: اجازة) by fourteen Grand Ayatullahs for riwayah, Qazawah, and Umur-e-Hasbiyah.

Biography

Rizvi was born in Ushri, Saran district, Bihar state, India, in 1927. His father was Sayyid Abul Hassan Rizvi and who was also a Hakim (Yunani medicine doctor) and a religious scholar. He had five sons and two daughters. His second eldest son, Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the Imam of the Islamic Shia Ithna‘asheri Jamaat (ISIJ) of Toronto. He spoke and wrote in Urdu, English, Arabic, Persian, Swahili and was also familiar with Hindi and Gujarati.

In 1959 he was appointed the Islamic scholar (Arabic: 'alim) for Lindi, Tanzania. In 1962, he conceived a plan for propagating Islam. His plan was proposed and approved at the triennial Conference of the Supreme Council of Africa Federation of K.S.I Jamaats of Africa in Tanga in 1964. and became the Bilal Muslim Mission. Rizvi was transferred from Arusha to Dar es Salaam in mid-eastern Tanzania and Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania was officially registered in 1968. The Bilal Muslim Mission of Kenya was founded in 1971. Through his mission he introduced correspondence courses in Islamic studies in English and Swahili. He traveled and lectured to university students in Africa, Europe, Canada and United States.

His funeral was held in Dar es Salaam with two scouts holding black flags in the cortege to the burial site. Officials and Scholars from several countries were present. The Islamic funeral prayer (Salat al-Mayyit) was given by his son, Muhammad Rizvi.

Rizvi authored over 140 books, some of them having been translated into many languages.

The Bilal Muslim Mission had been able to accomplished at lot in its objective of spreading the true teaching of Islam, through the hard work of its dedicated founders. This was achieved with very limited means and resources. Main source of spreading the Islamic faith was person to person or through correspondence and publication of books and its dissemination. People from Guyana in South America to Poland in Europe and from Malaysia to West Africa benefitted and embraced the true Islam. At the time of his death according to PEW research there where approximately 2 million Shias in Tanzania.


This Biography is about the Challenges, Achievements and Life of Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. "The Shining Star"

If you want a detailed Biography of Allamah Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, you can download its PDF and order hard copy on Al-Ma'ārif Publications website for FREE.

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This Biography is written by his son: Maulānā Sayyid Mohammad Rizvi.

Bibliography

As author

As translator

As editor

Journal articles

See also

Suggested reading

  • Outline of Shi'a Ithna-ashari History in East Africa by Marhum Mulla Asgharali M.M. Jaffer