Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia

Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia, widely known as Charia Madrasa, is a Qawmi madrasa located in Charia, within Mirzapur union of Hathazari Upazila in Bangladesh's Chittagong District. The institution was founded in 1944 by Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi, a former teacher at Darul Uloom Hathazari and its first Sheikh al-Hadith. Its origins lay in an institutional dispute at Darul Uloom Hathazari following the death of its founding director, Habibullah Qurayshi. Although Shah Abdul Wahhab had reportedly been designated deputy director, some senior teachers preferred Sandwipi, who was more senior within the teaching body. Sandwipi and several colleagues eventually left Hathazari. At the urging of local residents and former students, he resumed teaching advanced Hadith texts to a small group of pupils under a mango tree near the Aliya Khan Mosque in Charia. That informal teaching circle became the foundation of the madrasa. After the new institution attracted attention, Chittagong businessmen Abdul Latif, Abdus Sobhan, and Miyan Khan worked with local residents to secure approximately eight kanis of land beside the mosque. Part of the property was already designated as waqf. Construction followed, and the madrasa was operating from a permanent site within about a year. Its educational development differed from the pattern commonly associated with Bangladeshi madrasas: rather than beginning with elementary instruction and gradually adding advanced studies, Charia Madrasa initially centered on higher religious education, especially Dawra-e-Hadith, and later expanded downward to include primary and intermediate levels. The institution subsequently developed a broad curriculum extending from pre-primary education through postgraduate-level religious study. Its documented areas of instruction include Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Arabic literature, Bengali literature, Mutaferrika, Hifz-ul-Qur'an, and Noorani education. This range combines traditional Islamic scholarship with foundational language and general learning stages. A women's section was opened on January 1, 2014, extending the institution's educational provision to female students. The madrasa is situated along Nazirhat Road, approximately 22 kilometers north of Chittagong. Leadership passed from founder Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi to Abdul Jalil after Sandwipi's death. Sandwipi's son, Abdullah Harun, later served as director until his death in September 2023. Usman Saeedi subsequently assumed the role of acting director. The reference material describes the institution as having approximately 1,200 students and 60 teachers and staff members. These figures are contextual estimates rather than independently verified current enrollment data. As a Qawmi madrasa, Charia Madrasa's central identity is educational and religious rather than commercial. It is best understood as an institutional education brand serving local and regional Muslim communities, with a particular historical emphasis on advanced Hadith scholarship and a later full-spectrum madrasa structure. Publicly available reference material does not establish a corporate parent, commercial ownership, stock-market listing, or international operating network.

Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Charia was established in 1944 in Charia, an area now within Mirzapur union of Hathazari Upazila in Chittagong District, Bangladesh. Its founder, Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi, had previously taught at Darul Uloom Hathazari and was recognized as a specialist in Hadith, serving as the new institution's first Sheikh al-Hadith. The madrasa emerged from a succession dispute at Darul Uloom Hathazari after the death of its founding director, Habibullah Qurayshi. Shah Abdul Wahhab had reportedly been appointed deputy director, but a group of senior teachers and local supporters favored Sandwipi. The disagreement eventually led Sandwipi and several senior colleagues, including Abdul Jalil of Charia, to depart. Local students and residents continued to encourage Sandwipi to teach. He began delivering instruction in Dawra-e-Hadith texts to a small group beneath a large mango tree near the Aliya Khan Mosque in Charia. This makeshift beginning became the madrasa's founding episode. As news spread, Chittagong businessmen Abdul Latif, Abdus Sobhan, and Miyan Khan joined with local residents to establish a permanent site. They helped arrange registration of roughly eight kanis of land beside the mosque, including land that had already been designated as waqf. Construction began shortly afterward, and the madrasa was functioning on the site within approximately one year. The institution's early academic model was unusual in relation to the commonly described progression of Bangladeshi madrasas. Rather than developing from elementary classes toward advanced study, Charia Madrasa began with higher religious education and later added lower levels. Over time, it expanded into a multi-level institution offering education from pre-primary through postgraduate stages. The documented departments include Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Arabic literature, Bengali literature, Mutaferrika, Hifz-ul-Qur'an, and Noorani education. These departments reflect a blend of advanced Islamic scholarship, Qur'anic memorization, language learning, and foundational religious instruction. A women's section was introduced on January 1, 2014. The addition marked an institutional expansion in access, although the available reference material does not provide detailed enrollment, staffing, or curriculum information for that section. The madrasa is located beside Nazirhat Road, around 22 kilometers north of Chittagong, and has served as a religious and educational institution for communities in the surrounding area. After Sandwipi's death, Abdul Jalil became director. Leadership later passed to Sandwipi's son, Abdullah Harun, who remained director until his death in September 2023. Usman Saeedi subsequently became acting director. Reference material describes the madrasa as having approximately 1,200 students and 60 teachers and staff members, though the date and methodology of those figures are not specified. No reliable public information in the supplied material establishes a legal corporate structure, parent organization, commercial ownership, listed status, or operations outside Bangladesh. Its public identity is therefore principally that of a Qawmi madrasa and religious education institution rather than a commercial consumer brand.

• 2023

  Acting leadership assumed

  [1]Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Chariaen.wikipedia.org

  Usman Saeedi became acting director after the death of director Abdullah Harun in September 2023.

• 2014

  Women's section opened

  [1]Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Chariaen.wikipedia.org

  A women's section began operating on January 1, expanding the institution's educational provision.

• 1944

  Institution founded

  [1]Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Chariaen.wikipedia.org

  Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi began teaching advanced Hadith studies to a small group near the Aliya Khan Mosque in Charia, establishing the institution that became Charia Madrasa.

• 1944

  Permanent campus developed

  [1]Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Chariaen.wikipedia.org

  Local residents and Chittagong businessmen helped secure approximately eight kanis of land beside the mosque, allowing construction of a permanent madrasa campus.

A traditional Qawmi madrasa rooted in advanced Hadith scholarship, subsequently expanded into a multi-level Islamic education institution serving students from foundational through postgraduate stages.

• Advanced Islamic studies · 1944

  Dawra-e-Hadith

  The institution began with advanced Hadith instruction, taught by founder Saeed Ahmad Sandwipi to a small group of students. Dawra-e-Hadith remains central to the madrasa's historical identity and represents its higher-level religious scholarship offering.

• Islamic scholarship

  Tafsir, Hadith, and Fiqh departments

  These departments provide structured study of Qur'anic interpretation, Prophetic traditions, and Islamic jurisprudence as part of the madrasa's advanced religious curriculum.

• Qur'anic education

  Hifz-ul-Qur'an and Noorani education

  The madrasa offers Qur'an memorization and Noorani instruction, supporting foundational reading and recitation alongside its more advanced programs.

• Madrasa education

  Pre-primary through postgraduate education

  Although the institution began with higher religious study, it later added lower and intermediate levels. Its documented structure now spans pre-primary education through postgraduate religious study, with Arabic and Bengali literature among the associated subjects.

• Women's religious education · 2014

  Women's section

  Introduced on January 1, 2014, the women's section extends the institution's educational services to female students. Public references do not provide further operational details.

1. 1Al-Jameatul-Islamia Qasemul Uloom Chariaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Charia Madrasa official websitechariamadrasha.org