Afzalur Rahman

Afzalur Rahman was born in 1915 in Malikpur Village in Gujranwala, Punjab.

An athlete and an all-India record-holder for cross country walk, he studied at Islamia College, Lahore (1934-1940) where he received his Bachelor and Master's degree. He was a lecturer in a college in Jullundar (now Indian Punjab), and then in Pakistan he taught and lectured briefly at Islamia College, Lahore (1948-1951) and Emerson College, Multan (1951-1955) where he also began his writing on the Economic aspects of Islam.

Afzalur Rahman traveled to London in 1955 to do doctoral research in Islamic economics and took admission at the London School of Economics. He gave up his research and took up teaching taking a position in Makkah al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia for a year (1964-65) thereafter returning to London where he joined the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) as a teacher.

He was one of the founders of The Muslim Educational Trust (MET), formed in 1966. During this time he began writing the book series, Economic Doctrines of Islam. In 1976 he left the MET to form The Muslim Schools Trust where his focus began to shift towards full time writing and book publishing. This is when Afzalur Rahman, now a prolific author, had the idea of publishing an Encyclopaedia on the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him). 8 Volumes of Muhammad: Encyclopaedia of Seerah were published between 1981 and 1992, with the Seerah Foundation being created to manage this task.

Afzalur Rahman wrote dozens of books on Islam, the majority of which are now available here as ebooks. He passed away in London in 1998, aged 83. May Allah accept his deeds and bestow His mercy upon him.