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Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded the withdrawal of the Property Transfer (Amendment) Act 2026, passed by parliament on Sunday, describing it as a law contrary to the Quran and Sunnah. The party’s Secretary General, Mia Golam Parwar, warned that the movement would be intensified if the law is not withdrawn.
He also urged the government to review the law after consulting the country’s religious scholars, Islamic thinkers and other people with expertise in Islamic law.
Parwar made the remarks at a protest rally organized by the Dhaka city unit of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in front of the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on Monday. The party later brought out a procession that ended at Kakrail intersection.
The amendment to the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 allows a donor to continue enjoying property during their lifetime after gifting it to their children or grandchildren, or vice versa, or between spouses.
The law also provides that if the recipient dies while the donor is still alive, the right to enjoy the property will remain in place and the property will be transferred to the recipient’s heirs in accordance with the law.
Jamaat and other opposition lawmakers had opposed the bill in parliament, arguing that it could create an opportunity to bypass Islamic principles governing property and inheritance and could potentially undermine the rights of rightful heirs.
However, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said the new provisions would not affect hiba (gift) or other methods of property transfer under Muslim law. Despite objections from opposition lawmakers, the bill was subsequently passed by voice vote.
At the protest rally, Parwar accused the government of directly contradicting Quranic and Sunnah-based principles through the amendment. He said the rules governing inheritance and distribution of property had already been prescribed by Allah and argued that the opinions of prominent Islamic scholars should have been sought before introducing such legislation.
He called for the law to be reviewed by Islamic experts from Bangladesh and abroad, including the Fatwa Board of the Islamic Foundation.
Parwar also criticized the government’s justification for the amendment. He said social problems such as parents being forced out of their children’s homes should not be addressed by changing Islamic principles. Referring to the law enacted in 2013 concerning the maintenance and rights of parents, he argued that enforcing that legislation strictly would be sufficient to protect parents’ rights.
The Jamaat leader further alleged that the government was acting contrary to a pre-election pledge by the BNP that no law conflicting with the Quran and Sunnah would be enacted if it came to power.
He also criticized the law minister’s remarks and called on him to apologize to the nation. Parwar rejected comments suggesting that Islamic law and Islamic banking are outdated in the modern era.
Warning the government, Parwar said passing a law through a parliamentary majority does not automatically ensure public confidence. Referring to the previous Awami League government, he said it too had a parliamentary majority but ultimately failed to remain in power. He urged the government to respect public demands and democratic opinion.
He warned that if the Property Transfer (Amendment) Act is not withdrawn, Jamaat will intensify its movement in protest against what it considers a position contrary to faith, the Quran and Sunnah.
Jamaat lawmaker Rafiqul Islam Khan also criticized the amendment, saying that the Quran clearly determines the shares of heirs. He called for consultations with Islamic scholars in Bangladesh and abroad, including the Islamic Foundation’s Fatwa Board.
Khan also criticized the new law concerning the National Human Rights Commission, describing it as a “black law” and demanding its immediate repeal.
The rally was chaired by Jamaat’s Dhaka South city unit chief and lawmaker Nurul Islam Bulbul and moderated by Jamaat lawmaker Shafiqul Islam Masud. Several other party leaders and lawmakers also addressed the gathering.