IOS organises condolence meet to mourn the death of Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef

IOS organises condolence meet to mourn the death of Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef

New Delhi: A condolence meeting was organised by the Institute of Objective Studies at the Institute’s auditorium here on October 26, 2025, to mourn the death of Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, an acclaimed scholar, administrator and a devoted leader of global Scouting movement.

Expressing grief over the passing of Dr. Nasseef a few days ago in Jeddah, the Chief Patron of the IOS, Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam in his message read over by Mr. Mohammad Alam, Secretary General, IOS, said that his demise marked the end of an era—the departure of a visionary and a scholar who was known for his strong dedication to education, moral improvement and service to humanity. Dr. Nasseef was an educator who held many important positions, such as the president of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA. He led the university to become one of Saudi Arabia’s top academic institutions, promoting research and global cooperation. He was very active in Islamic groups worldwide and student movements outside of the school. This could be understood from the fact that he was the secretary-general of the Muslim World League from 1983 to 1993. His passion for youth development and moral education found early expression when he joined the Scouting Movement in 1956 as a Rover Scout, he noted.

Dr. Alam held that as vice-president of Shura Council of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Nasseef served his country with honour and knowledge, giving important advice on education, ethics and national development. In 1991, he received King Faisal Prize in recognition of services to Islam. He was also given King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class in 2004 followed by the Bronze Wolf, the singular honour bestowed by World Scout Committee in 1983. Referring to his close association with the IOS, he said that Dr. Nasseef was a valued member of the Editorial Board of the Religion and Law Review, the Institute’s flagship bi-annual journal. His engagement with the IOS reflected his life-long interest in fostering dialogue between faith and reason, religion and law, as well as tradition and modernity. He visited India several times and attended programmes organised by the Institute. Among these programs the notables were—a lecture on the topic ‘Islam in the 21st Century’, held at the Hamdard Convention Centre, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi on March 7, 2001 and a three-day international conference on ‘Inter-Civilizational Dialogue in a Globalising World’ held at FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi on April 8-9, 2005. His presence at these programmes was always a source of inspiration, he noted.

Dr. Alam observed that those who met Dr. Nasseef would always remember how kind-hearted and humble he was. He was friendly and personable despite his global fame. He possessed the unusual gift of inspiring scholars, students and ordinary people to serve humanity through knowledge and morality. Dr. Nasseef strongly believed that knowledge and faith were inseparable from each other. He often reminded educators that knowledge without ethics could not bring about change in society. He believed that good education must combine intellectual excellence with spiritual and moral progress, and advocated for Muslim educational reforms. He also built bridges between people of different faiths, generations and countries across the globe. Through inter-faith discussions, academic conferences and global initiatives, he dispelled myths about Islam, and promoted peace and cooperation. “For the Institute of Objective Studies, Dr. Nasseef’s association was an honour and a source of enrichment that strengthened our academic partnership and reinforced our shared vision of social reform through scholarship and dialogue”, he added.

Paying his tribute to Dr. Nasseef, the secretary-general of International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Jeddah, KSA, H.E. Dato Dr. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, said that he was the confluence of the classical and modern knowledge. He created awakening about education in the Islamic world. His contribution traversed borders. He was the President of King Abdulaziz University. He was a global academic partner and the embodiment of service to humanity. He was also a votary of inter-faith dialogue and harmony. His life and contributions had illuminated hearts of so many people. He was a tall mountain of thought and knowledge, and an epitome of wisdom. He undertook many visits to India. His scholarly achievements and humanitarian services would be remembered forever. He contributed significantly to Islamic scholarship. For me, he was not a teacher, but a father. He did so much for the Islamic world and Muslims. He held that the realm of Dr. Nasseef’s intellectual, religious and humanitarian services was very wide. His life and services were worthy of emulation, he stressed.

Prof. Dr. Omar bin Abdullah Omar Nasseef, the elder son of Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, paid an emotional tribute to his father. He described his father as a symbol of high level of ethics and morals. He expressed his gratitude to the admirers of his father.

President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and secretary-general of Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA), Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, held that Dr. Nasseef was the pillar of knowledge and a man of action.

Former Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Prof. Dr. Ali Ibrahim Namlah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Prof. Samir Qasim Fakhro, Bahrain; Ameer of Markazi Jameeat Ahle-Hadis Hind, Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi Salafi; Abdullah Al-Misfir from Riyadh Foundation, KSA; Assistant Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Dr. Rizwan Ahmad Rafiqi; Dr. Kaleem Alam, Member Governing Council, IOS, New Delhi; and senior journalist of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Laiqullah Khan also expressed their views and paid tribute to Dr. Nasseef.

Recorded video messages of the President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Qatar, Dr. Ali Mohiuddin Al-Qardaghi and the General Manager of the International Islamic Charity Organisation, Kuwait, Engineer Badar Al-Sumait were presented at the condolence meeting.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. M. Afzal Wani, Chairman, IOS remarked that Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef (born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1939) obtained degrees in Chemistry and Geology from King Abdulaziz University and University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was a man with prime quality of being concerned about the Muslims and peace-loving people of the world.  He possessed deep thinking, strong communication skills, empathy, courage, vision and commitment to inclusiveness. In his qualities, he was a born Researcher and played a great role in establishing research institutions to promote studies in socio-economic development, preservation of faith, promotion of intellect, universal education, peace, sustainability and cooperation among individuals, institutions and nations. He had a good grasp on the principles of Islam relating to these human values. As the secretary-general of Muslim World League (1983-1993), he worked firmly with commitment to persuade the leadership of the world to follow those cardinal principles of cooperation for minimising conflict and making contribution for reducing illiteracy, ignorance, sufferings of people in minority through promotion of research studies and understanding for purposeful programming and action. He possessed the qualities of a jurist also and acted as the Vice-President of the Shura Council of Saudi Arabia (the Advisory Legislative Council) effectively. Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef provides a decent model of friendship, sincerity, public service and empathy for the youth to promote values for bringing a better world into existence with sustainability. Dr. Nasseef did memorable work in the direction of streamlining Hajj Pilgrimage Management and for focussing on Muslim Minority affairs. His efforts were appreciated to be declared the Chief Scout for the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association (having joined it in 1956) and later was the President of the International Union of Muslim Scouts. He also received the Bronze Wolf (the only global distinction of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement) in 1983 for services to world scouting, characterised by research, audit and advice on matters of sustainability. In 1991, he received the King Faisal Prize (Service to Islam category) and was awarded the King Abdulaziz Medal – First Class in 2004. He shall be remembered as a man of science, research, management and cooperation, and a role model for many to follow. We pray to Almighty Allah for acceptance of his good deeds and rewarding him with Magfirah and Jannah.

The condolence meet began with the recitation of a verse from Holy Qur’an by Qari Hammad Kaleem. In-charge of the Arabic section, Dr. Nakhat Husain Nadwi conducted the proceedings. The meeting ended with the dua’ offered by Maulana Abdullah Tariq.