Ashraf ul Madaris (full name ) is an Islamic seminary located on the GT Road in Okara, Punjab, Pakistan. It offers instruction from matriculation level to postgraduate religious studies and is affiliated with Tanzeem ul Madaris Ahle Sunnat, the examination board for Barelvi seminaries in Pakistan. The certification awarded through Tanzeem ul Madaris is recognised by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan as equivalent to a master's degree.
The institution is named after the 14th-century Sufi saint Ashraf Jahangir Semnani. It was established in 1954 by the Pakistani religious scholar Ghulam Ali Okarvi, who was later buried on its grounds.
History Ashraf ul Madaris was founded in 1954 in Okara, Punjab. The Pakistani scholar and orator Shafee Okarvi is also recorded as having established the seminary on the Grand Trunk Road at Okara in the same year, and as remaining among its mentors and sponsors thereafter. Since its establishment, the institution has provided religious education to students from various parts of Pakistan.
Ghulam Ali Okarvi was buried on land belonging to the seminary on the GT Road following his death on 11 June 2000.
Affiliations The seminary is affiliated with Tanzeem ul Madaris Ahle Sunnat, the religious educational board responsible for the curriculum and examinations of Barelvi madaris across Pakistan.
Departments The seminary offers instruction across the following departments: Hifz (memorisation of the Qur'an) Tajweed (rules of Qur'anic recitation) Dars-e-Nizami (the traditional curriculum of Islamic studies) Ifta (training in the issuance of religious verdicts under Islamic law) Publication
Notable alumni Muhammad Shafee Okarvi, scholar and co-founder of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Kaukab Noorani Okarvi, religious scholar and orator, who received his early religious education at the seminary
References
External links Official website Official Facebook page