Tributes pour in as Lucknow bids farewell to Maulana Kalbe Sadiq

People transcending caste, community, religion and sect barriers trooped out on the road to bid adieu to their ‘dear maulana sahib’, cleric Kalbe Sadiq during his last journey in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The maulana, a prominent Islamic scholar, reformer, educationist and vice-president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board died Tuesday night at the age of 83 at the Era Medical College.

Soon after his death, tributes began pouring in from all over the world. Many political personalities took to Twitter handle to condole his death, calling it a loss to the entire mankind.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, ‘The passing away of Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, who was deputy chairman of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. is very saddening. He made remarkable efforts for social harmony and brotherhood. My condolences to his family and loved ones.’

Defence minister Rajnath Singh said in a tweet, ‘The passing away of Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a prominent Shia religious leader, is very sad. He was the vice president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and always stressed on strengthening brotherhood in society. He was a noble and great personality. I express my condolences to his family and loved ones.’

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others also expressed grief over the cleric’s demise, calling him ‘the most secular person’. AIMPLB said Sadiq’s loss was a big tragedy. “With his demise, the country has lost a great personality and the board has lost one of its main and true servants. His educational and social services will always be remembered,” the board said in a statement on Wednesday.

Maulana Kalbe Sadiq’s last journey began at around 11:30 am from Unity College in Hussainabad (Old City), where a massive crowd joined the funeral procession. “Maulana Sadiq was one person who was never associated with any religion or sect. In fact, he used to be among the common invitees, be it in a Muslim or non Muslim gathering,” said Dinesh Mishra, a trader from Nazirabad who came to pay floral tributes to the maulana.

Special prayers were offered by Shia clerics for the departed soul after which the maulana’s mortal remains were taken to Imam Bara Janab Ghufranmaab, Chowk, where his last rites were carried out at 2 pm. “Such was the personality of Maulana Sahib that Sunni Muslims too offered special prayers (Namaaz-e-Janaza) for him which is a rare sight,” said S Mohammed Haider, mutwalli, Sibtainabad Imambada.

“My father remained very punctual throughout his life. Hence we made sure that the burial took place on time. I am thankful to all for their love and respect. Remember us in prayers,” said Kalbe Sibtain, son of Maulana Kalbe Sadiq.

“I see him as the most secular person of the city of nawabs. Not only was he an embodiment of composite culture but also a messiah of the destitute,” said Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, a descendant of the royal family of Awadh.

Maulana Yasoob Abbas, general secretary, All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) called the cleric’s demise a loss not only to the Shia community and Muslims but to the entire mankind. “We haven’t seen any personality like him. He was a harbinger of change and he changed the life of many by facilitating their education through his trust. He will be missed.”

Kalbe Sadiq was born in Lucknow and was known for his lectures, mostly during Muharram.

His father Kalbe Hussain was an Islamic scholar and orator and his brother Kalbe Abid was also an Islamic scholar. He was the uncle of Shia scholar Kalbe Jawad. He received his early education from Sultan ul Madaris and then moved to Aligarh Muslim University from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later went on to pursue his master’s degree in Arabic literature from the same university. He got his doctoral degree from the Lucknow University. Sadiq was an international Muslim scholar, reformer, educationist and preacher.