Inna Lillahi Wainna Ilayhi Raajioon Maulana Rafiqul Haque sab, the long serving Imam of Markazi Masjid, London, has passed away at approximately 5:30pm London time, in Kingston Hospital, aged 59.
He was a dedicated individual to the Masjid he served, to Da'wah and Tabligh, to his students, to his congregants and to his family.
He became a Hafiz at the hands of the late Hafiz Muhammad Patel Rahimahullah (lovingly known as Hafiz Patel). He was one of the earliest students at Darul Uloom Bury and became a loving student of Hazrat Yusuf Motala Rahimahullah. Maulana Rafiq would lead Salah in Darul Uloom Bury, and during Ramadhan he would do i'tikaf there, Shaykh Yusuf would get him to lead Fajr and Maghrib salah. He was the 6th khalifah of Hazrat Shaykh Yusuf Motala Rahimahullah.
He also studied in Al-Azhar in Egypt.
Maulana is known for his beautiful and unique style of recitation. People would travel from other locality just to pray behind him, especially during Tarawih.
Some people have said that during Ramadhan in I'tikaf he would recite the whole Qur'an each day! People would sit next to him just to hear him recite.
Maulana was a dedicated Imam to Markazi Masjid, commonly known as Christian St Mosque or Old Markaz. He would travel all the way from Enfield to lead Salah there. This was for near 27 years!
Though he was Imam of a largely Sylheti congregation, everyone respected and loved him despite him speaking a different dialect of Bangla, as he was from Munshiganj in Bangladesh.
Many people learnt to read the Qur'an in his hands, learnt Duas, how to pray Salah etc. One thing so unique about him having prayed behind him for the past 20 odd years, is that he would do the Jumuah khutbah from memory. I never saw him holding a book or piece of paper for it. He would always make Dua for people after Salah with so much passion.
He would regularly wear the Imama/Turban, something he has observed for decades.
I remember once I was vacuuming the Masjid hall and he came and grabbed it from me. I felt embarrassed and tried taking it back but he wouldn't let go. Then I said, "maulana you done a good job, MashaAllah the carpet looks nice!" He then lovingly slapped me on my back and gave the vacuum cleaner back!
A little known fact is, that he once led Salah in Masjid Al-Aqsa!
A legend that has left a void in the community he served. May his voice echo in Jannah and may he be in the company of the prophets, the saliheen, the Shuhadah and awliyah, Aameen
His children have set up a YouTube channel where they have uploaded some of his Qir'at and talks in Bangla, English, Urdu and Arabic:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BzFTvaKzK1COMipCqS2FA
Allahumma Aameen
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