Islamic scholar Nurul Islam Hashemi dies at 92

Kazi Md Nurul Islam Hashemi, chairman of Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaah, an Islamic organisation, has died at 92.

Hashemi breathed his last in intensive care at Agrabad’s Maa-O-Shishu Hospital on Tuesday.

The popular Islamic scholar had been suffering from a combination of chronic ailments -- heart disease, pneumonia, diabetes and kidney-related illness -- and was admitted to the hospital on May 30.

His doctor Dr Monir Azad told bdnews24.com that his condition deteriorated after initial signs of some improvement on Monday.

“He suffered a mild stroke in the afternoon and everything was downhill from there as he died in the morning,” Dr Azad said. His samples were collected for coronavirus tests, though he had not shown symptoms like a fever or cough.

President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several other political leaders expressed condolences over his passing.

The president expressed sympathy for his family and prayed for his soul in a condolence message from the Bangabhaban's press wing.

Born in the port city in 1928, Hashemi was connected to several religious institutions in Chattogram and is the author of quite a few religious books