Khurshid Ahmad

Khurshid Ahmad or Ahmed may refer to:

Khurshid Ahmad (scholar)

Khurshīd Ahmad (Urdu: خورشید احمد; born 23 March 1932) is a Pakistani economist and Islamic activist who earned fame in his pioneering development of Islamic economic jurisprudence as an academic principle.

A senior and known ultraconservative figure, he has been long-standing member of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), and successfully contested in 2002 general elections for a technocrat seat on a platform of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)—an alliance of rightist parties. Previously, he had served as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission in a military government of President General Zia-ul-Haq, where he played an influential role in Islamization of the country's national economy in the 1970s. Ahmad is cited as the father of modern Islamic economics and Islamic capitalism, and is considered one of the influential thinkers in the field of Islamic economics.

Biography

Ahmad was born into a religiously firmed family on 23 March 1932 in Delhi (now part of Republic of India and state capital as well), former British Indian Empire. His family had a deep ultraconservative background with Islamic teachings and practices were strictly followed. After being home schooled and gaining traditional Islamic education, Ahmad entered in Anglo-Arabic higher secondary school in Delhi where he excelled with good marks and standings. In 1947, his family moved to newly established state, Pakistan, and settled in Lahore, Punjab Province. In 1949, Ahmad enrolled in Government College University (GCU) where he studied commerce and economics where he gained first position in his courses. It was his years at the GCU where he developed serious interest and interaction between Capitalism and Islam, the twin passions of much of his life work. The same year, he became active Islamic activist and subsequently joined the Jamaat-e-Islami.