Ibrahim Saeed facts for kids

Ibrahim Saeed (born May 20, 1945 – died May 27, 2007) was an important Indian writer and publisher. He was also known as Sayeed. He worked hard to share knowledge and bring people together.

After a pilgrimage to Mecca, he stepped down from a leadership role at Jamat-e-Islami, an organization he led from 2003 to 2006. For ten years, he was also a member of their national group in Delhi. Saeed helped start a publishing company called Shanthi Prakashana. Later, he became the head of this company.

Ibrahim Saeed: Writer and Speaker

Ibrahim Saeed was well-known in Karnataka, India, not just as a journalist but also as a deep thinker and scholar. He was a great speaker who traveled a lot. He gave talks on many topics. These included how people from different religions can live together peacefully. He also spoke about building good character and the importance of democracy in India.

He cared deeply about sharing knowledge about Islam. He wrote several books on this topic. Many of his speeches in Kannada and Urdu languages were recorded. He even did the voice recording for the first electronic translation of the Quran into Kannada.

Saeed knew many languages. He was fluent in Kannada, Urdu, and English. He also learned Arabic and Malayalam by himself. Every week, he held sessions to discuss the Qur'an. He led these talks in Kannada and also in Beary bashe, a special language spoken by the Beary community in coastal Karnataka.

Working for Peace Among Religions

Ibrahim Saeed strongly believed that people from different religions often misunderstood each other. He thought this happened because they didn't know enough about each other's beliefs. He studied many religions. He worked to remove misunderstandings and bring people closer. He did this through his translations, writings, and speeches.

His Books and Writings

One of Saeed's famous books was Tappu kalpanegalu (meaning 'Misconceptions'). It was so popular that it was printed nine times! This book made him well-known in nearby states. It was translated into English, Marathi, and Tamil. He also led Shanti Prakashana, a publishing company in Mangalore.

He wrote Mahakavi Iqbalara kavanagalu. In this book, he tried to share the ideas of the great poet Allama Iqbal in Kannada. He first started writing about this in his weekly newspaper, Sanmarga. Later, Shanti Prakashana published it as a book. This was the first major work in Kannada about Allama Iqbal's poetry and ideas.

Ibrahim Saeed also helped translate and explain the Qur'an into Kannada. He worked on Divya Qur’an, which is a translation. He also worked on Qur’an Vyakhyana, which is a commentary explaining the Qur'an. This commentary was a shorter version of a famous Qur'an explanation called Towards Understanding the Qur'an. He played a huge role in making the Kannada Qur'an translation available as audio cassettes and later as CDs.

His book Pravadi Jeevana Sandesha is a biography of Muhammad. It includes proper references and sources.

Ibrahim Saeed was also a regular writer for Prajavani. This is the largest Kannada daily newspaper in Karnataka. He wrote under the pen name Sanmargi.

His Passing

Ibrahim Saeed passed away on May 27, 2007, at the age of 62. He died at a hospital in Mangalore. He had been admitted to the hospital the night before. He left behind four sons and four daughters.

His Funeral

Many people attended Saeed's funeral in Mangalore. Important leaders visited his home. These included the Chief Minister of Karnataka, H. D. Kumaraswamy, and former Chief Minister Dharam Singh. Other notable people like Mallikarjun Kharge and C. K. Jaffer Sharief also paid their respects.

Saeed was buried in the central graveyard of Zeenat Bakhsh Juma Masjid. This happened after the Asr prayer on May 28, 2007, in Mangalore. His oldest son, Ameen Ahsan, led the funeral prayers (Salat al-Janazah) at Zeenat Baksh Juma Masjid.

Funeral prayers were also held in other places, like Qatar and Riyadh, in the Middle East.

Remembering Ibrahim Saeed

A special meeting was held in Mangalore to remember Ibrahim Saeed. It was organized by the Kannada Sahitya Parishad, Dharma Samanvaya Mangalooru, and Jamat-e-Islami. Many respected people spoke at this gathering. They shared their thoughts and memories of Saeed.