Pir Maroof Shah

"Pir Sahib came to Bradford in 1961 as an economic migrant, he sought work in a mill in Oxenhope near Keighley. He worked night shifts and before going to work he would teach young men who wanted to learn the Quran and practice Islam. He dedicated his time and efforts to give to the thirsty. Afterwards, he worked in Smith Blumer’s mill in Queensbury. He lived at 18 Southfield Square and stayed in that terraced house all his life, a sign of his frugal and simple lifestyle.

Chaudry Khadim Hussain one of his early followers said, “To make his Islamic work formal he held a meeting in 1963 to establish an organisation, called Anjuman Tabligh-ul Islam, which was later renamed Jamiyat Tabligh-ul Islam (JTI). It was this organisation that was instrumental in establishing dozens of Mosques. One of his friends Babu Mistry Khadim asked Pir Sahib to open a Masjid in the Lumb Lane area of Bradford. So, in 1965 he bought a house at 68 Southfield Square and converted it to a Masjid”. Haji Liaquat a lifelong Lieutenant of Pir Sahib said “Then in 1970 he opened another Masjid on Browning Street. This mosque building project moved with a gust to become a movement of mosque building. So, people from other cities sought his support. He was generous with his time and resources and readily helped them to buy property to build a mosque. Mosques were established in Oldham, Sheffield, Preston, Nottingham, Derby and Halifax. Jamiyat Tabligh-ul-Islam manages 18 mosques and supplementary schools in Bradford alone.”

Source: https://www.musharrafhussain.com/tribute-to-pir-maroof-naushahi/

Compiler: JS