Syed Ali Bafaqi Thangal passes away at 88

PROMINENT Islamic scholar and senior religious leader Syed Ali Bafaqi Thangal, vice-president of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama (AP faction) and president of Markaz institutions, passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Monday evening. He was 88.

Thangal breathed his last at 5.20 pm while undergoing treatment. His demise marks the end of a long career devoted to religious, educational and social activities in Kerala.

Born in 1938 in the renowned Bafaqi family of Koyilandy, he was the son of Syed Ahmed Bafaqi and Shareefa Nafeesa Beevi. He pursued his early education at a Mappila school in Koyilandy before joining Quwwathul Islam Arabic College, Taliparamba, in 1950. He later continued his religious studies at various institutions and completed higher studies at Jamia Nooriyya, Pattikkad.

Thangal held several important positions in the religious and educational fields. Besides serving as vice-president of Samastha, he was president of the Sunni Education Board and Sunni Jamiyyathul Muallimeen. He also served as Qazi of several mahals and headed the Koyilandy Khalfan institutions.

He served as the Khatheeb of Koyilandy Valiyakam Juma Masjid for nearly six decades and remained actively associated with Samastha and its affiliated organisations for almost five decades.

His contributions to the educational advancement of the Muslim community through Markaz and various religious organisations were widely recognised.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan condoled his demise, describing it as a great loss to the religious, social and educational sectors of Kerala. He recalled Thangal's contributions to the cultural and educational progress of the Muslim community in Malabar and beyond.

Thangal is survived by nine children. His wife, Shareefa Ummukulsu, predeceased him.

His passing is a significant loss to Kerala's religious and educational spheres.