He was 92. Maulana Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadwi, former Mohtamim (principal/administrator) of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama and a scholar of Arabic language and literature, died in Lucknow after a prolonged illness. His death was mourned in academic, literary and religious circles in India and abroad.
Maulana Azmi Nadwi was associated with Arabic literature, criticism, education, research and journalism. He served for decades as chief editor of the international Arabic journal Al-Baas-ul-Islami, helping build intellectual links between the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent. He later travelled to Baghdad for advanced studies, where he studied under scholar and litterateur Taqiuddin Hilali Marakashi. Scholars, teachers, intellectuals and students from India and abroad paid tribute to him, describing his death as a loss to Islamic learning and Arabic scholarship.
The government of India conferred the Presidential Award on him in 1994 for his contribution to Arabic language and literature. Born on May 14, 1934, in Azamgarh, he received his early and religious education at Jamia Miftahul Uloom in Mau before specialising in Arabic literature at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. From 1993 to 1999, Maulana Azmi Nadwi served as dean of the Faculty of Arabic Language and Literature at Nadwatul Ulama. In 2000, he was appointed Mohtamim of the institution and held the post for several years.
