Daily Times

Just minutes after the news of death of Tableeghi Jammat chief Haji Abdul Wahab on Sunday morning, condolences began pouring in to pay tribute to the renowned scholar.

Haji Abdul Wahab passed away after a protracted illness at the age of 95. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Lahore.

Funeral prayers for Haji Abdul Wahab were offered at Raiwind Tableeghi Markaz, Lahore. Later, he was laid to rest in a graveyard adjacent to Tableeghi Markaz in Raiwind.

President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry and Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Haji Abdul Wahab.

The prime minister, president and the federal ministers in their separate messages offered condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Loads of people and notables, including Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi and others participated in the funeral prayer led by Maulana Nazar-ur-Rehman after Maghrib prayers.

Leaders of former ruling party Nawaz Sharif and Marriyum Aurangzaib also prayed for the higher ranks of Haji Abdul Wahab.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the religious services of Tableeghi Jamaat chief would be remembered forever. Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Sirajul Haq, Chaudhry Shujaat also expressed profound grief over the death of Haji Abdul Wahab.

The religious leader was third chief of Tableeghi Jamaat’s Shura (council) in Pakistan.

Famous scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel said Tableeghi Jamaat and all of their followers were part of the garden created by Haji Abdul Wahab. “We all are aggrieved today. I have no words (to describe my feelings),” he said. Haji Abdul Wahab was born in New Delhi in 1923. Before the partition, he worked as Tehsildar (tax officer) in his birth city. After migrating to Pakistan, he graduated from Islamia College, Lahore. Later, he left his job and joined the Tableeghi Jamaat.

Published in Daily Times, November 19^th 2018.