Maulana Abdul Qadir Halfari
Maulana Abdul Qadir Halfari (1895-1944) was an eminent scholar, orator and poet. He was one of the founding figures of Samasta Kerala Jam’iyyatul Ulema. When Samasta was reconstituted in 1926 with Varakkal Mullakoya thangal elected as the president, Abdul Qadir Halfari became one of the vice presidents of the organization.
Biography
He was born on 23 December 1895 to a Sufi scholar, Pallipuram Yusuf Musliyar. At the age of 5, he joined a Madrasa at his hometown. He learned the recitation of Qur’an from there. However, he had the rest of his primary education under his father’s guidance. His brothers, his nephew Muhammad Hadfari, and others like Pangil Ahmed Noorudheen Musaliar also helped him in learning. After the death of his father, he went to Vellore for higher studies in 1919. And upon the completion of his degree from Baqiyath of Vellore, he acquired knowledge in various disciplines of Islamic learning from Rahmaniya College. He married Swafiyya who was also called Viyyu. They had 3 children. Later, he married Fatima and they had five children, two out of which died at a very small age. As one of the earliest leaders of Samastha, he actively participated in its conferences and Mushawara meetings. He died in Padinjaatumuri in 1944 due to illness.