Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari was born on December 27, 1932, and died on April 24, 2016.

He was a scholar of Islamic Studies.

Dr. Ansari was the Director General of the Islamic Research Institute of the International Islamic University.

Earlier, Zafar was the President of the International Islamic University Islamabad.

Zafar Ishaq Ansari has contributed a large number of research articles to journals of international repute and to Encyclopædia Britannica and Encyclopaedia of Religions.

The Doctor was currently editing and translating Sayyid Abul ‘Ala Mawdudi’s Tafhim al-Qur’an under the title Towards Understanding of the Qur’an (Islamic Foundation, Leicester); so far ten volumes have been published, and has spoken at international conferences on Islamic Studies and inter-religious dialogue.

In 1966, he gained his M.A. and PhD from the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

His main thesis for his PhD program was titled “The Early Development of Fiqh in Kufah with special reference to the works of Abu Yusuf and Shaybani”.

He studied at the University of Karachi before going to Canada for his higher studies. He was also associated with Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba.

Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari was fluent in English, Urdu and Arabic, and has a good command of Persian, French and German.

Zafar Ishaq Ansari passed away at 84 yrs old.