Khadim Hussain Rizvi (May 1966 – November 19, 2020) was a Pakistani Islamic author and the founder of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a political-religious organisation created in 2015 to oppose changes to Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
He was notable for his speeches in defence of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and for heavily referencing the poetry of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi and Muhammad Iqbal, whom he believed to be his main influences. He was fluent in Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, and Persian.
Early Life and Education
Khadim Hussain Rizvi was born in 1966 to a Punjabi Awan family in Pindi Gheb, Attock District, Punjab. His brother, Ameer Hussain, served as a retired Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Pakistan Army.
Beginning his educational journey in Jhelum, Rizvi pursued hafiz classes and later enrolled at Jamia Nizamia Rizvia in Lahore. Known as a Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith, he delivered Friday sermons at Lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid during his tenure in the Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department. However, a tragic accident near Gujranwala in 2009 rendered him a wheelchair user after the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while travelling from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
Founding of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Rizvi's Advocacy
In 2017, Rizvi founded Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), emerging as the political face of Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYP). The genesis of TLP followed the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, due to his opposition to blasphemy laws. Rizvi, serving as an auqaf official in the Punjab government during Taseer’s assassination, defended Qadri’s action, leading to his removal from public service after repeated warnings to cease advocating for blasphemy laws.
Post-removal, Rizvi intensified his advocacy across Pakistan, advocating for Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, dealing with blasphemy against Muhammad. He staunchly supported Mumtaz Qadri’s release, earning him the moniker “blasphemy activist” within religious circles. However, criticism mounted against Rizvi for prioritizing blasphemy accusations while turning a blind eye to alleged sexual abuse in Pakistani madrassas.
Controversies
2017 Faizabad sit-in
On November 6, 2017, Rizvi organised a substantial march from Lahore to Islamabad, demanding the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid from PML(N). This demand stemmed from alleged modifications in the bill of the “2017 Election of Pakistan,” which was perceived as favouring Ahmadis. Rizvi’s campaign quickly garnered public and political support, leading to widespread protests across the nation. The public echoed the call for the Law Minister’s resignation, resulting in a complete shutdown. As the situation escalated, the government responded by forcefully shutting down news channels and blocking social media networks in an attempt to manage the escalating chaos. Consequently, mayhem and confusion spread across Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, and several other areas in Punjab. Finally, by late evening the army chief intervened and asked “both sides” to show restraint.
2018 Asia Bibi protests
On October 31, 2018, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in Pakistan, was found not guilty of blasphemy by the Supreme Court. She had been accused and imprisoned for eight years before this decision. The court said one of the people who accused her broke an important agreement made by Prophet Muhammad with Christians. The judge mentioned that the accusers did not tell the truth and that the accusation against Bibi was made up. There were also doubts about the things witnesses said during the trial.
After Bibi was freed, the TLP, led by Rizvi, protested in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Multan. These protests caused clashes with the police. A leader from TLP made threats against the judges of the Supreme Court. The situation got worse when the area around the Supreme Court in Islamabad was closed off by the police. Rizvi demanded punishment for Bibi and said he would keep protesting until the government did something about it. Later, Rizvi and other TLP leaders were arrested in November 2018 but were released on bail in May 2019.
Murder of Professors
In March 2019, at Bahawalpur’s Government Sadiq Egerton College, a student named Khateeb Hussain fatally stabbed associate professor Khalid Hameed. Before the attack, Hussain contacted Zafar Gillani, a senior TLP member, for approval over WhatsApp. The reason behind the murder was claimed to be insulting remarks about Islam made by the professor.
In 2018, another student killed Sareer Ahmed, the principal of Islamia College in Charsadda. This 17-year-old accused the principal of blasphemy after being scolded for missing classes to attend TLP rallies.
Both attackers said they were influenced by Rizvi’s words and beliefs.
2020 Zindagi Tamasha Controversy
Rizvi organised protests against the release of the Pakistani film Zindagi Tamasha in 2020. He accused filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat of blasphemy. He claimed that the content he claimed was blasphemous included criticism of ulama and a reference to bacha bazi. Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif, who saw both the banned and uncensored versions of the film, denied that it featured any criticism of ulama.
Death
Rizvi collapsed on November 19, 2020, and was rushed to the Farooq Hospital in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town area. He was declared deceased on arrival at the hospital. He was then taken to Shaikh Zayed Hospital, where he died at 8:48 p.m. He’d been sick for a few days and had been using a wheelchair for some time. Rizvi’s son, Saad Hussain Rizvi, stated that his father began breathing again five minutes after he was declared dead, but then stopped and died. The funeral prayers were led by Saad at the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. Rizvi was later buried at Madrassah Abuzar Ghaffari, which is affiliated with the Rehmatul Lil Alameen mosque.
Books
Some of the books he published include:
- Tayaseer Abwab-ul-Sarf, Maktba Majadia Sultania, 2013, 680 p. On facilitating the learning of Arabic grammar.
- Taleemat-e-Khadimiya, Allama Fazal Haq Publications, 2015, 677 p. On facilitating the learning of the Arabic language.
- Fazail-e-Durood Shareef, Dajkot, 2018, 332 p. On the spiritual benefits of Durood, quoting scholars such as Abdul Qadir Gilani (1078-1166) and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (1292-1350).