The city’s literary crown lost a glittering gem on Friday. Known for his immense knowledge in the field of religion and a very forthright style in teaching, Abdul Ghafoor Parekh will continue to rule the hearts and minds of many who have been associated with him -- be it business, social cause, religious teaching etc. He passed away after a prolonged illness at the age of 71. He was born in 1948 in Nagpur and completed his post graduation in Commerce from Nagpur University.

 

 

He is widely known amongst the people who have an aptitude to serve the society by means of education, feeding hungry, helping needy purely on humanitarian ground, irrespective of caste, creed, language or religion. He was a businessman, an industrialist who believed that philanthropy can change the face of earth. Being the eldest son, he played a key role in the mission of his father Padma Bhushan Maulana Abdul Karim Parekh. Ghafoor Parekh was well-versed with English, Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Arabic languages. Being in love with Arabic and having a passion to spread the language, he developed a unique modern scientific system to make people familiar with the language in a short span of 200 hours. He conducted Arabic classes throughout the country and has millions of students throughout the world. Many academic institutions and universities in India and abroad have adopted this system in their curriculum.

 

 

An outspoken person, he avoided publicity and always conveyed the messages of human values in his own capacity. His mission was to develop values, morality, tolerance and broad mindedness in the society. Some of his students, who hail from different fields, shared their views in their condolence messages. “If people all over India understand Quranic Arabic in large numbers or even more, if people believe, it is possible to learn and understand the language, it is because of Ghafoor sir. He opened our minds and hearts to the word of God and made us believe that it reigns supreme. He leaves behind a literary legacy for teachers to emulate in India and abroad. He was a friend, philosopher and guide, a beacon for teachers and a proud mentor. He could cut you down to size with his words and yet praise you in the next sentence,” said Dr Kamran Khan, Surgical Oncologist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, with deep sorrow.

 

 

“It’s indeed a great loss. Like his father Janab Abdul Kareem Parekh, he worked very hard to spread the knowledge of Quran with understanding and left a legacy which is truly an inspiration for the generations to come,” said Haseeb Ahmad Khan, Manager, IT, MSEDCL. “His teaching style was so influencing that one can not afford to miss a single class,” said Farheen Khan, a homemaker.