Public notice

In the name of Allah most Beneficent , Merciful

The sad demise of a the legal custodian of the Abbey Mills London Markaz , Ameer and Chairperson of the London region Tabligh Community 

One of the Uks most senior Muslim leaders who was the london region lead for the Tabligh Jamaat Haji Zulfiqar Ali Bajwa has sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday the 10th of February 2024 at the Royal London hospital. 

Inna Lillahi wa Inna ILahi Rajioun

The funeral (Janazah)  took place at the Gardens of Firduas in Chingford. 

He was amongst the earliest of community grass root workers who touched the lives of countless people in London, UK, Europe and the rest of the world. He had travelled to more then 70 countries for the propagation of peace through the teachings of Islam.

He was based in Tower hamlets and considered The East End of  london home throughout his 64 year role in assisting , guiding and inspiring the community to better thier lives by helping empower the needy through educational and charitable activities.

He was from a well known Jatt Bajwa Family with large agricultural land in Bhakkar Pakistan. His grandfather Chowdhury Qarmur Rasul Bajwa was one of the founders and first Principals of the largest agriculture University in Asia. His father Haji Yaqub Bajwa would walk many miles to attend the Majlis of Hazrat Maulana Ahmed Ali Lahouri in Lahore. Haji Zulfiqar Ra first arrived in the UK as a young student where he initially enrolled at a college in Leyton with the aim to complete his Higher education.

He thereafter got involved with the Tabligh Jamaat from the East london Mosque site on 446-448 Commercial rd E1 and was involved in the East london Mosque until it was relocated to the current site in Whitechapel.He was later appointed as the Ameer for the London region of the Tabligh Jamaat.

Since then he dedicated his life to the propagating of Islam and was a senior lead and representative of the Uk Tabligh Jamaat which is one of the worlds largest Muslim missionary movement which annually  attracts the secound highest gathering of Muslims after Hajj in Tongi Dhaka Bangladesh and Raiwand Lahore Pakistan. 

A Jamaat from Karachi had come to the UK around 1962. Subsequently the first ever Jamaat from within the Uk to travel to the Indian subcontinent by road was formed by the efforts of the Jamaat from Karachi which included within it Haji Zulfiqar Ali ra. Upon Haji Sbs ra return to the UK due to the insistance of the elders of Tabligh he got actively involved in the work of Dawah throughout the UK.He later travelled again back to Pakistan in 1965 to spend more time in the company of the pioneers of the work of Dawah. 

It was upon this occasion that Qureshi sb ra (first Ameer of Pakistan) gave high regard to Haji Zulfiqar ra and had the foresight which he saw in Haji Zulfiqar Ra that he selected Haji Zulfiqar Ali sb ra together with Ml Abdul Aziz Khulnawi ra (who was later appointed as the first Ameer of Bangladesh) to join the Jamaat of the Ameer of Tabligh at that point Shaikh Yusuf Ra (author of Hayatus Sahaba and Muntakhab Ahadith etc) who was spending his final 40 days in West Pakistan at that time. 

Both Maulana Abdul Aziz Khulnawi ra and Haji Zulfiqar Ra were officially appointed to sit, right at the front during the bayaan where a cloth (chaadar) would be placed on the ground for them to sit on and write down the entire Bayaan of Ml Yusuf ra. Hazratjis bayaans were the purest of pure filled with Tawheed Dawat and the absolute correct vision of Dawat and Tabligh. It was in this final 40 days where Hazratji Ml Yusuf ra suddenly passed away in lahore in 1965. The first ever Ijtema (public gathering) considered as the foundation of the work of Dawah and Tabligh in Uk and Europe was overlooked by the Mashwarah of three individuals in Sheffield 1972 which included the late Hafiz Sharif ra  and Haji Zulfiqar ra. 

Haji Sb ra was behind the purchase of the Brick lane Mosque and the Christian St Markazi Masjid E1. A Trustee of the Dewsbury Trust appointed by the special instructions of Haji Abdul Wahhab Ra who advised the Dewsbury elders namely Hafiz Sb ra not to make any major decision without consulting Haji Zulfiqar Ra. 

As the Chairperson of the London Tabligh community he authorised the purchase of the large 22 acre  Abbey Mills Revirine Centre site in Stratford West ham in 1994. His humility, magnetic personality and selfless dedication influenced the opening of hundreds of Masajid in the london region.Haji Zulfiqar was a honorary Trustee of the Medina Mosque in Oxford as well as the Monks Park Mosque in Wembley.

Haji Zulfiqar left behind a legacy for helping bring people together through educational and charitable activities to help humanity prosper through tolerance and respect for all.

Tributes have poured in from all over the world in appreciation for his contribution locally, nationally and globally.

May Allah forgive him and raise his ranks in Aakhirah and give the London Tabligh  community the Tawfique to unite to build the London Markaz into a beacon for guidance  and peace for mankind. Ameen

www.london-markaz.com 

Trustees@london-Markaz.com

Reg number: 11793139 Site: Abbey Mills Canning Road London Correspondence Address: 20 a High Street , Stratford E15 2PP                                              Email:Trustees@London-Markaz.com