Eminent Islamic economist Nejatullah Siddiqi passes away
NEW DELHI (AA) – An eminent Islamic economist and Indian scholar, Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqi has passed away at the age of 91 in the US, Muslim organizations have confirmed.
Siddiqi, an alumnus of India’s renowned Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and widely recognized for his work in Islamic economics, was the recipient of the prestigious King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies.
Zafarul Islam Khan, former chief of the Delhi Minorities Commission, said that Siddiqi had been living with his children after retirement.
“He was a prolific Urdu and English writer who has 63 works published in 177 publications,” he said, adding, “his works have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and other languages.”
He said Siddiqi’s most widely read book is “Banking without interest” which was published in 27 editions between 1973 and 2000.
Siddiqi was described by Khan as a “lofty pillar of the community” who is “no more.”
Siddiqi, who was also associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, remained a founder-member of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Indian Muslim organizations established in 1964, Khan says.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Secretary General Arif Ali Thottanchery also expressed condolences on Siddiqi’s death on Twitter.
Rahat Abrar, a former AMU faculty member, said that Siddiqi was a great scholar whose contribution was immense.
“He has made enormous contributions to Islamic finance and Islamic economics. When he first started working in this field, there was very little literature available,” he said, adding that his death is a great loss for everyone.
Siddiqi, born in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1931, earned a master’s degree in economics from AMU in 1960. He worked in the varsity’s Islamic Studies department after remaining affiliated with the department of economics.
He worked at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University and held editorial and advisory positions in a number of countries. He received the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies in 1982.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
