Senior teachers of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam, popularly known as Hathazari Madrasa, issued a joint statement on Monday, saying that Shah Ahmad Shafi died a natural death.
Mawlana Yahiya, senior teacher and member of the Hathazari Madrasa Managing Committee, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
As per the statement, it is an outright lie to hold someone responsible for the death of Shafi. It would not be right to destabilize the Qawmi arena with the death of Shafi for the sake of any vested group or individual.
Shafi consciously and willingly handed over charge to the Shura Committee. He died naturally and the madrasa authorities are deeply shocked at the demise, the statement reads.
The current situation of the age-old institution is stable and academic activities are going on without a hitch, it also stated.
The signatories to the statement are head of the Madrasa Managing Committee, Abdus Salam, member Sheikh Ahmad and Maulana Yahiya, education secretary Junayed Babunagari, assistant education secretary Maulana Shuaib, senior teachers Jashim Uddin, Kabir Ahmad, Ashraf Ali Nizampuri, Ahmad Didar Kashemi, and Forkan Ahmad, among others.
Shah Ahmad Shafi, the chief of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, died on September 18 undergoing treatment at a Dhaka hospital, a day after stepping down from his position of the director general of the Hathazari madrasa in Chittagong.
Following his death, on September 19, the Shura Committee (highest decision making forum) of the madrasa held a meeting and formed a three member managing committee to run the institution.
The three members of the managing committee are Abdus Salam, Sheikh Ahmad, and Mawlana Yahiya.
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Secretary General, Junayed Babunagari, was made Chief Shaikul Hadith and Nazim-e-Talimat (director of education) after the death of Shafi.
Previously, on June 17, the madrasa Shura Committee relieved Junayed Babunagari of his post of Assistant Director replacing Sheikh Ahmed.
The Hathazari Madrasa has more than 7,000 students taught on the basis of the principles of the Deoband school of Islam.
