PESHAWAR: The killing of noted religious scholar Maulana Muhammad Idrees has caused widespread grief across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as his colleagues, students, and political associates remembered him as a composed, scholarly, and widely respected figure whose life was devoted to teaching and religious service.
Maulana Idrees, a senior teacher of Hadis at Darul Uloom Haqqania and a member of the central consultative council as well as provincial patron of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUIF), was shot dead by “unknown” assailants in Charsadda on Tuesday morning while he was on his way home.
His driver and a security guard sustained injuries in the attack. The driver later succumbed to his injuries. Maulana Idrees served as a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from 2002 to 2007.
Born in 1961 in Turangzai village of Charsadda, he belonged to a well-known family of religious scholars. His father, Maulana Hakim Abdul Haq, was widely known for his scholarship, while his grandfather, Mufti Shehzada, was a graduate of Darul Uloom Deoband. The family’s long-standing association with religious learning and teaching played a key role in shaping his academic outlook.
He was the son-in-law of one of the province’s most prominent religious scholars, Maulana Hassan Jan Shaheed, further strengthening his association with an established scholarly tradition.
Maulana Idrees began his teaching career in 1983 at Jamia Naumania in Uthmanzai village of Charsadda district, where he taught various Islamic disciplines for several years. He later served as Sheikhul Hadis at Darul Uloom Islamia Tangi and went on to teach major Hadith books, including Sahih al-Bukhari, Jami’ al-Tirmizi, and Sahih Muslim. In 2013, he was appointed Sheikhul Hadith and head of faculty at Jamia Naumania, Uthmanzai.
A graduate of Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, in Nowshera district, he later joined the same institution as a senior Hadith teacher after the death of Maulana Dr Sher Ali Shah, at the request of the late Maulana Samiul Haq. He taught thousands of students for more than three decades, earning recognition as a seasoned teacher of Hadith.
Alongside his academic career, Maulana Idrees remained active in politics. He was elected to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in 2002 on the platform of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and later served as a member of the central and provincial consultative bodies of JUIF.
People associated with him described him as a soft-spoken and well-mannered person. Students and colleagues recalled that his teaching style combined clarity with a calm and accessible manner, which attracted a large following over the years.
In recent weeks, he had faced criticism on social media and from some political quarters after expressing views on regional developments, particularly the role of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in efforts to ease tensions, which he openly lauded. Reports of threats against him after his remarks had also circulated. However, investigations into his killing are underway, and it would be too early to draw conclusions.
His killing has once again raised concerns about the security situation in the province, particularly the vulnerability of religious scholars and prominent figures. The participation of an unprecedentedly large number of people in his funeral reflected the public’s deep affection for him.
