The 95-year old, who runs the Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam madrasa in Chattogram’s Hathazari, also made the attendees of the institution’s annual gathering on Friday make some other promises.

These included growing beard following Sunnah, offering regular prayers and making girls use veil, according to reports.

The Daily Samakal published an audio of Shafi’s speech in its report.

The Hifazat chief said parents may let their daughters study up to grade five so that the girls can keep a tab on their husband’s finances and write letters to their husband, the newspaper said.

Many other news publishers covered the event. Shafi’s aide Md Shafiul Alam declined comment on the reports when bdnews24.com approached him.

In the audio published by the Samakal, Shafi is heard saying: “Don’t send your daughters to school, college. You may let them study up to grade four or five so that they can keep track of their husband’s money and write letters to their husband.”

“But if you let your daughter study a lot, she will not be your daughter any more after some days. Someone else will take her away as you’ve seen in newspaper reports what happens to the girls who study grades nine, 10, MA, BA,” he said.

He then made the audience make the promise, according to the report.

Shafi is the chairman of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, the agency consisting of the six Qawmi education boards.

He is often called 'Tentul Hujur' by his critics for his misogynistic remarks because he once had compared women with 'Tentul' (tamarind), which he said make man's mouth water.

Shafi’s Hifazat made global headlines in 2013 when its members carried out mayhem in Dhaka's Motijheel after calling a rally against the government’s policies on different issues, including women and education.