Top politicians were at his beck and call. They responded to his every request at short notice. Such was the stature of Mujahidul Islam Qasimi who as a scholar and personality transcended all politics.

His death has left a void that will be difficult to fill. Though the loss will be felt nationally, it will be more acute in the Muslim community and in the world of Islamic jurisprudence. The distinguished scholar and jurisprudent was always at the forefront of all Muslim issues and his rulings in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) were well respected.

Not only has the Muslim community lost a scholar and a orator of repute but also Indian politics has lost a great adviser and a voice of reason. That he was regularly solicited for advice by politicians of every shade shows the respect and awe the politicians held him in.

Qasimi’s status was enhanced because he steadfastly refused to join any political party. But he was always ready to provide crucial guidance in a nation where Muslims are the largest minority.

Qasimi, president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, died on Thursday — April 4, 2002 — after battling cancer for four years. The news of his death, a severe blow to the Muslim community, was also most unfortunate for India, particularly when the country is experiencing the throes of communal upheaval while also trying to remain secular.

Qasimi’s visionary leadership guided the community in the right direction. Whether it was the government’s attempts to alter Muslim Personal Law or attempts by the Hindutava forces to impose their agenda on Muslims, Qasimi always provided the community with the best advice and led them from the front.

He was unique for his remarkable understanding of contemporary social, political and economic problems and combined it with a deep insight into Islamic jurisprudence. One of Qasimi’s greatest achievements was to train Muslim scholars who served as Qazis (magistrates) among Muslims to adjudicate on family problems while following the Shariah.

Although frail in health, Qasimi kept in touch with the affairs of the Muslim community, especially of the Personal Law Board that he had headed since 2000. Among his rulings a month ago, Qasimi gave the go-ahead to an assembly of India’s top Muslim leaders to reject a proposal by a Hindu religious leader over Ayodhya dispute.

Born in 1936 in Jale village of Darbhanga in Bihar, Qasimi lived in Patna for several decades before moving to Delhi in 2000 for treatment after he was diagnosed with cancer. The same year he became the third president of the Personal Law Board. Qasimi’s father, Abdul Ahad Qasimi, was a disciple of Syed Mahmoodul Hassan, a renowned Islamic scholar and freedom fighter, who was jailed by the British for his nationalistic views.

His father’s nationalism rubbed off on the son. Qasimi was widely seen as an honest and simple man who spoke his mind rather than taking refuge in diplomatic euphemisms. He never believed in the separation of religion and politics. His view was whatever a Muslim did for the sake of God and in the service of religion and his country was all worship and religion.

Qasimi never believed that Indian Muslims should limit themselves to educational and research works. He was of the opinion that Muslims must influence the course of events and exert their power in politics, on legislatures, administration, education and even on the country’s foreign policy. He called service to the country a necessity without which Muslims would be unable to maintain their identities and distinctions.

To fulfill these objectives and to provide the community with a platform to pursue them, in 1993 Qasimi formed the All India Milli Council. It is a platform for the community to come together and debate non-personal law matters such as politics and education. The council also coordinates with other Muslim organizations.

As with every entity, most people now involved with the Milli Council, especially in foreign countries, proved to be liabilities to the group. In many cases, these people failed to understand Qasimi’s views and hence were not in a position to put them into practice.

To keep in tune with an ever-changing world, Qasimi sought to foster rational and scientific minds among Muslims. He always advocated better social ties with Hindus which would help the uninterrupted growth of the Muslim community. At the same time, he never hesitated in making clear that nothing should be done at the cost of Islamic religio-cultural beliefs. He always expressed concern at the deterioration in communal relations, the hate campaign and violence perpetuated against minorities.

Qasimi, a product of Darul Uloom Deoband, was a prolific writer and an active protagonist for Islam. He wrote over 24 books in Urdu and Arabic and devoted his life to asserting the excellence of Islam while denouncing materialism, Western civilization and other forces which have corrupted Muslims. His books have also been translated into English and other languages as well.

In 1989, he founded the Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence) Academy with the purpose of establishing Islamic opinion on current issues. The academy soon became the final word in expressing the opinion of the Qur’an and the Islamic Shariah on developments in such fields as science and technology, banking, real estate transactions, organ transplants and others. Qasimi believed in the simplification of issues and of taking new developments into account.

He was an Islamic scholar who founded many trusts — all with the intent of fulfilling the requirements of the Muslim community. His towering personality will continue to influence the many institutions he helped establish. His memory will continue to guide us.