Wazih, Mohammad

Ozih, Mohammad (c 1803-1864) educationist, Islamic scholar and writer. Born in Bihar, he studied and worked in calcutta. He studied at Aliyah Madrasah in Kolkata and took up a teaching position at the same institution. He retired as Head of the Department of Arabic in 1856.

Mohammad Ozih was an influential personality in the Muslim society of Kolkata. He had profound knowledge in Arabic literature. He termed India 'Darul Harb' (an enemy land), and took the view that it was unscriptural and unreasonable to offer Jumma and Eid prayers in a country ruled not by Muslims. He also published a booklet to this effect which was titled Dafush Shurur An Masayilin Nuzur.

Mohammad Ozih was vice president of Anjuman-e-Islami (1855), the first Muslim organisation in Kolkata, and the first president of Abdul Latif's mohammedan literary society (1863). He wrote a book entitled Nizamul Islam (1841) with explanatory notes in Urdu on religious issues. In it he discussed a variety of topics on Shariyah in the form of questions and answers, and attempted to establish the superiority of the Hanafi school of thought among the four mazhabs. His disciple Nasiruddin Sami wrote a long qasida in Persian in praise of Maulana Ozih. [Wakil Ahmed]