Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilayihi Raajioun….. Mohamed Niyaz Moulavi passed away

Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilayihi Raajioun….. Moulavi Niyas Mohammad Gafoori , Founder Director of Ihasaniyyah Arabic College, and Advisor to the President on Muslim Religious Affairs passed away last night in Badulla.

It is reported that Moulavi Niayas Mohammad has left to Badulla last evening (3rd July 2010) to attend a Programme scheduled for today, Niyas Moulavi has said that he feels un-easy and would not be able to attend the scheduled event before he went to bed last night.

The arrangements are being made with the assistance of the Presidents office to air shift the Janaza to Colombo for funeral arrangements.

May Allah forgive his sins accept his noble deeds and grant him Jennathal Firdouse. 



Niyas Moulavi, a household name, not only in Sri Lanka but in the Indian sub continent and in most other places. He is being loved and cherished not only by Muslims but also by Sinhalese, Hindu and Christian brethren as well, purely for his down to earth humanity that knows no religious and ethnic boundaries. He looks upon every one as a fellow human being. 

His mission has been, and still is, upholding peace and harmony every where. Every prominent figure whether they be religious or political, respect the ideas, advises and suggestions of Niyas Moulavi. This is because Niyas Moulavi never tried to ‘market’ or ‘sell’ his religion when he has access to mass media. He respects every religion and every faith. That is the attitude Islam encourages. It was the teaching and attitude of the Great Prophet of Islam. 

When ill informed leaders of Afghanistan proceeded to destroy the statues of Buddha in their country ignoring the outcry of the entire world, it is Niyas Moulavi who staged protests in this country while other Muslim jumbo figures remained gagged. Wherever injustice and unfairness surface, Niyas Moulavi will be there with horns blaring.

He is a gifted orator. Then he is religious personality praying aloud for the prosperity and peace of the country. When need arises, he is warrior against injustice. Then he is a politician. When chaos rages the country he is peace maker. In times of hardship he is cheer leader. In short, he is illustrious citizen. Above all he is down to earth human being. That is Niyas Moulavi.

Niyas Mohamed was the second son in a 14 children family of a poor tailor named Cader Sahibu Samsudeen Abdur Raheem and his meek wife Zainabu Beevee. Though Cader Sahibu lacked material wealth, he was a dignified man in his own right. He was very pious man with a religious knowledge that came very close to a qualified religious scholar and people of his native Talawakele often sought his advice on religious uncertainties. Unlike present times, honor and dignity pursued after upright and honest men those days and soon the poor Cader Sahibu was elected trustee of the Talawakele mosque and he later became the marriage registrar for the region.

Little Niyas got his primary school education in Talavakele Hindu College and preliminary religious teaching in the neighborhood Madrasa.

Around this time, few sinister politicians dragged a hitherto peace nation into a nasty ethnic clash using a single word Sri, as their evil weapon. Clashes and riots ravaged the island and especially the country side and it extended its tentacles to Talawakele as well, making the neighborhood unlivable by peace loving people. Eventually, Cader Sahibu family fled the raging area to nearby Gampola where they had relatives offering heaven.

Niyas Mohamed continued his schooling in Gampola and started to study in Sinhalese language medium in Zahira College, while continuing his religious studies in Mariyawatta mosque. Little Niyas was an avid hockey player as well.

Jamaldeen master, who was a teacher at Zahira, was the first mentor who turned the attention of young Niyas toward religious striving through the work of Thableegh. Consequently, Niyas Mohamed enrolled fulltime in the Gaffooriya Arabic College in Maharagama in the year 1966. At that time Samuddeen Alim Bakavi was the principal of the Arabic college. He, as most religious scholars who headed Arabic schools in Sri Lanka, had come from south India.

Niyas Mohamed became Niyas Moulavi from Gaffooriya and soon got his ‘Kiyadhee’ certificate from Madampe Arabic College and started his long journey that was destined to make him one of the best known Alims in the history of Sri Lanka.

Unable to turn down the constant insistence of people, Niyas Moulavi led his first group to Hajj pilgrims in year 1978 and continuously guided pilgrims to the Holy city of Mecca until the year 2006 and was soon awarded with an honor title ‘Murshidul Haji’ 

In the meantime, he never forgot to devote time for the noble work of Dawa Thableegh and visited just about every mosque in the country during the past 3 decades. He also went to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Great Britain, Malaysia and several other foreign countries on Dawa work.
Niyas Moulavi also divided time between media programs in radio and television. He did ‘Ayyamum Theliwum’ in Tamil language and ‘Doramandalawa’ and ‘Sandakada Pahana’ in Sinhalese language winning audience in every ethnic group by his captivating eloquence sprinkled with a sense of humor and with hilarious anecdotes that induced one to think deeply as well.

Though Niyas Moulavi could be seen most of the time with the average man in the street, he has close ties with VIPs of the nation including the present president Mahinda Rajapakse to Chandrika Kumaranathunga. He was fairly close with just about every past and present political heavy weights including Srimao Bandaranayake, Sir Razick Fareed, Niana Marikkar, Bakeer Markar, MHM Ashrof, Mjeed MP, Lalith Ethulathmudali, Gamini Disanayake, Osee Abegunawardane, Anvar Ismail and many others. But this acquaintance with such jumbos did not make Niyas Moulavi dizzy and he managed always to place his foot on ground.

Every one in the country knows his valuable advocacy during communal clashes that occurred in Maligawatte, Mawanella, Panadura and Galle. Niyas Moulavi was first among those who rushed to console and assist the victims of Tsunami other calamities as well. He helped despondent people with is own money as much as he possibly could, without waiting for donations to arrive.

During 1972, Niyas Moulavi became the Pesh Imam in Colombo Peer Shaib Macan mosque and by 1975 he married an orphan from a poor family. The ceremony was attended by prominent late Muslim scholars such as Mashood Alim, Abul Hasan Kahiri, Nansoor Noory, Abdur Rahman Bahji. The late Ameer Shahib of Thableegh Jamath Janeefa Hadjiar who added new trend to the work of Thableegh also attended the Nikah ceremony. 

Niyas Moulavi has six children of whom four are boys. 

Then he proceeded to start an Arabic college with fewer than 20 students. Ihsaniya Arabic College, which it later came to be known, has close to 300 students presently and has sent out close to 500 religious scholars and Hafils to serve the community. Meanwhile, classes for computer studies also have been commenced recently and Niyas Moulavi’s son Umar Hafil and his son-in-law Lameer Hafil, head the new division. One of the other sons, Ubaid presently studies in Egypt. All praise to be Allah!
Niyas Moulavi is honorary member of the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulama, while being the president of the Sri Lanka Muslim Peace Council and he heads the Majlisul Ulama, a union that looks after the welfare of the Alims in this country. In the meantime, he is an all island Justice of the Peace as well as a religious advisor for many societies including the mosques in the up country.

Niyas Moulavi has been honored with various titles such as ‘Thajul Uloom’ ‘Alimul Faleel’ ‘Murshidus Salam’ ‘Desha Keerthi’ ‘Desha Bandu’ ‘Sama Manya’ ‘Keerthi Sri’ ‘Excellency India’ ‘Excellency Singapore’ and so forth. But he maintains in public as if he had never heard of those honorary titles. He disclaims that any of those attainments his own accomplishments but humbly says all of those traits are the grace of the Al Mighty. An imposing truth many successful ones conveniently forget!

Amidst his hectic work load Niyas Moulavi finds time to discharge his most pressing obligations as well. Never forgetting his rural backdrop, he proceeded to establish a branch of Ihsaniyya in the native Talawakele. He also operates another Madrasa in Mikbar Jumma Masjid in Kochcghikade, Negombo as well.

In essence Niyas Moulavi has lived up to the Holy Qur’an verse we mentioned at the beginning of this treatise ‘Perform righteous deeds, Verily Allah adores righteous people’

In the course of strives, Niyas Moulave has earned the adoration not only of the Creator but also of the creations as well. Every one simply loves Niyas Moulavi. Those few who find it difficult to love this man, ought to be having fever in their hearts!
We pray to the All Mighty that he may will that the service of this wonderful human being continues for many many years to come. Ameen!

‘If Allah giveth no power on earth or heavens can stop it. If Allah denies no power on earth or heavens can give it either’
Wassalam!