HAFIZ ASHFAQ AHMED (HEC Roll No.

121403)
I have completed my PhD in Islamic Studies under the Supervision of Prof. Dr. Samar Fatima (ex-dean
Faculty of Islamic Studies, University of the Punjab)

I am Ashfaq Ahmed, born on 10-10-1973, in Multan. My father was a Physical Education

Teacher in Municipal Corporation Multan. He was the first matriculate of the family of farmers.
My family belongs to Mianwali a well-known district of the province of Punjab. The major
profession of my forefathers was farming. I received my early education from M.C. Primary
School, Chowk Shaheedan Multan. After completing 7th class my family had to move back to my
native village, Chah Zaman Wala, in Mianwali as my father got retired from the service. There I joined Govt. High
School Pathi Joyianwali (a town almost one and half mile away from my village). There were no basic facilities
like electricity, water supply etc. in my village those days. We used to study in dim light of kerosene lamps at night.
I had to go to school on foot crossing the sand dunes. After completing my Middle School, I left school education
and went to a Madrassa for HIFZ-E- Qur’ān at Khanqah Sirajia another nearby town.
Degree / Certificate Group / % age CGPA Any Distinction in
Institution, City, Country
with year of passing Specialization obtained Obtained academics
Govt. High School, Pathi Joyian,
SSC, 1991 Science 73% NA First in School
Mianwali, Pakistan

F.Sc, 1993 Govt. College, Mianwali, Pakistan Pre-Engg 57 % NA

B.A, 1995 Govt. College, Mianwali, Pakistan Isl Std. & History 62% NA First in College

M.A, 1998 Punjab University, Lhr. Pakistan Islamic Studies 62% NA

PhD, 2015 Punjab University, Lhr. Pakistan Islamic Studies 3.0

By the grace of Allah Almighty, I completed my HIFZ in almost three years and came back to school
education. I did my Matriculation from Govt. High School Pathi Joyianwali and stood first in the school. During
school days I started taking part in Urdu debates and won several prizes on district as well as divisional level. After
completing high school education I joined Govt. College Mianwali for further studies and got admission in Pre-
engineering. I completed my F.Sc. in 2nd division as my chief interest was in debates and literary activities. I
decided to study Arts subjects in B.A and did my Graduation in 1 st division. During college days I participated in
many debates and declamation contests and won many prizes on provincial and national level. I also remained
editor of college magazine for two years and got Roll of Honour. After completing B.A, I moved to Lahore. In
those days the session of Punjab University was late and admissions were offered the next year of passing
graduation exams. I did different jobs in Lahore before my admission in Punjab University.

Having a rural background, I am much more passionate about further improving my education. I have
worked in different private institutions for about almost six years, prior to applying for HEC scholarship. The
selection process was a rigorous process starting from a GRE-based test. After being short listed by HEC, I got
admission in Department of Islamic Studies, University of the Punjab. When my admission was confirmed, I was
offered scholarship by HEC. It was a moment of great pride for me and my family. It was not an ordinary feast for a
boy of a small village to have won a prestigious Government scholarship, which was contested by thousands.

During the course work of my PhD in University of the Punjab I have attended many seminars and
conferences that added a lot to my understanding of Research. I wrote research articles that latterly published.
Year of Volume;
Author(s) Name of research paper Name of the Journal
Publishing Number; pages
The Holy Qur’ān Text Translation and Al- Azwa, Sheikh Zayed Islamic
Ashfaq Ahmed Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali July-Dec 2015 Centre, Punjab University, Lahore. Vol. 30 No.44
Samar Fatima (A Critical Review) ISSN-1995-7904 (7 pages)
Ashfaq Ahmed English Translations Of The Holy 27-02-2016 International Conference on
Qur’ān In The Sub-Continent Education and Social Science, The (9 pages)
University of Lahore, Lahore
Ashfaq Ahmed English Translation and Commentary of Submitted for Al – Qalam, Department of Islamic
the Holy Qur’ān By Abdulmājid Review Studies, Punjab University, Lahore, (7 pages)
Daryābādi (A Critical Review) ISSN-2071-8683

I chose the field of Qur’ānic Studies for my research as the Holy Qur’ān is the basic source of Islamic law.
I wrote my dissertation on comparison of English Commentaries of the Holy Qur’ān. My topic was “English
Commentaries of the Holy Qur’an: A Critical Study and Comparative Analysis”. Unfortunately I was attacked by
Dengue Virus and fell ill, resultantly my research work got late. I completed my research after a long struggle
because of health issue and scarcity of Primary resources. HEC scholarship helped me a lot to meet my expanses. I
was awarded PhD Degree on 19th December 2015.

My research on English Commentaries of the Holy Qur’ān opened up a new horizon for me and I came to
know that today a lot of western people are approaching the Qur’ānic message through its English Translation and
interpretation. So it is important for Muslim scholars to highlight the actual importance of the holy Qur’ān in
English. The Muslim legacy of Qur’ānic studies and research is very rich and should be conveyed to the Modern
man. This will not only make the world aware of the ultimate truth but also will be helpful in interfaith dialogue.