BENGALURU: Islamic scholar and religious leader Maulana Sagheer Ahmad Khan Rashadi, widely regarded as one of Karnataka’s most influential Muslim clerics, breathed his last on Monday following prolonged illness. He was 75.
Maulana Rashadi had held the position of Ameer-e-Shariat of Karnataka and served as Sheikh-ul-Hadith, earning deep respect for his scholarship and moral authority. He was the Principal of the Arabic College and Islamic seminary in Bengaluru, to which he devoted his entire life. Under his leadership, the institution emerged as a major centre of Islamic learning in the state, producing generations of scholars, teachers and community leaders.
Renowned for his deep command over Hadith, Fiqh and Islamic jurisprudence, Maulana Rashadi was also popular for his principled public interventions on matters affecting the Muslim community. In 2022, he drew statewide attention when he called for a peaceful bandh in response to the Karnataka High Court verdict on the hijab issue in educational institutions, urging restraint while asserting the right to religious practice. His appeal for non-violence and discipline during that period was widely noted.
Tributes have poured in from Islamic scholars, religious organisations, social activists and ordinary citizens, many of whom remembered him as a compassionate guide who combined traditional scholarship with social responsibility. Several leaders described him as a bridge between faith and contemporary challenges, and a steadfast voice during moments of uncertainty.
Funeral prayers are expected to be held on Tuesday morning at the Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad campus on Nagawara Main Road in Bengaluru, where thousands of mourners are likely to gather to pay their last respects. Rashadi’s passing marks the end of an era in Karnataka’s Islamic scholarship, but his legacy is expected to endure through the institution he nurtured and the countless students he mentored over decades.