Akhtar Raza Khan

Muhammed Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari (23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018), also known as Tajushshari'ah[2] or Azhari Miya[3][4] was an Indian Barelvi Muslim scholar, cleric and mufti.[5] He was a great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and founder of the Barelvi movement.[6] He was considered by Barelvi Muslims in India to function as the Grand Mufti of India.[7] He had been ranked 22nd on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.[8] He had tens of millions of followers globally.[9]

Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan
Born
Muhammad Ismail Raza

(1943-11-23)23 November 1943
Bareilly, United Provinces, British India
Died20 July 2018(2018-07-20) (aged 74) (7 Zul-Qaida 1439)
Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
Resting placeBareilly Sharif
NationalityIndian
Other namesAzhari Miya, Janashin-E-Sarkaar Mufti-E-Aazam, Mufti E Azam, Shaikh Ul Islam, Qazi Ul Quzzat Fil Hind, Tajushshariah
OccupationGrand Mufti of India
Years active1982 - 2018
EraContemporary
OrganizationJama'at Raza-e-Mustafa
Known forSpiritual Mythology
Notable work
Azhar Ul Fatawa
StyleGrand Mufti
TitleGrand Mufti of India
PredecessorMustafa Raza Khan Qadri
SuccessorAsjad Raza Khan
MovementBarelvi
Board member ofIslamic Community of India
Children6, including Asjad Raza Khan
Parent(s)
  • Ibrahim Raza Khan (father)
RelativesAhmed Raza Khan Barelvi
Awards“Fakhre Azhar” (Pride of Azhar)[1]
Grand Mufti of India
Preceded byMustafa Raza Khan Qadri
Succeeded byAsjad Raza Khan
TitleTajushshariah
Personal
ReligionIslam
JurisprudenceHanafi
Alma materManzar-e-Islam (Bareilly), Islamia Inter College, Bareilly, Al-Azhar University 1963 -1966 [1]
Founder ofJamiatur Raza
Muslim leader
Literary worksBook list
Websitetaajushshariah.com
Grand Mufti styles
Religious styleMufti Azam-e-Hind, and Mufti al-Diyar al-Hindiyyah and Shaykh al-Islām in Arabic
Alternative styleHadrat, Sheikh and Sahib-ul-Ma'ali
Websitewww.muftiakhtarrazakhan.com/english/

Early life

He was born on 23 November 1943 in Bareilly, British India.[10] a descendant (great-grandson) of Ahmed Raza Khan who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and founder of the Barelvi movement.[6]

He went to school at the Manzar-e-Islam madrassa of the Dargah Aala Hazrat,[9] and then at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly.[9] He studied at Al-Azhar University in Egypt from 1963–66,[10] where he won the "Fakhre Azhar" (pride of Azhar) award.[9]

In 1967 he became a teacher at the Manzar-e-Islam madrassa in Bareilly, where he had been a student as a child.[10]

On 3 November 1968, he married Hasnain Raza Barelvi's daughter in Bareilly. They had one son, Asjad, and five daughters.[11]

After retirement

He formally retired from teaching in 1980,[10] but continued to issue fatwa,[10] and holding seminars for students at Dar al-Ifta.[10]

In 2000 he founded the Centre of Islamic Studies Jamiatur Raza based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.[8][12][13]

He was considered by his followers as the Grand Mufti of India.[7] He had been ranked 22nd on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.[14][8][15][16][17] He had tens of millions of followers globally.[9]

He died following a long illness on 20 July 2018, aged 74. His funeral was attended by millions of people.[9][18][19][20][21] His funeral occurred on 22 July 2018 at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. The prayer was led by his son and successor Asjad Raza Khan.[22]

After his death Mohammad Salim Noori, spokesperson of the Dargah Aala Hazrat, said Azhari was "the lone cleric in India to get a title of 'Tajushari'" and "one of the few prominent persons across the world to be allowed to visit the inside [of the] Kaaba in Mecca".[9]

Publications

Rulings (Fatwas)

His Urdu-language fatwa collection was known as Majmu'ah Fatawa. His English collection is named Azharul Fatawa.[23] One of his fatwas was his edict on the interest given to a Muslim by a non-Muslim:

When there is a dealing between a Muslim and a Muslim or a Muslim and a Zimmi Kaffir (a non-Muslim living in the s afety of an Islamic state), the taking more money than loaned is considered as interest and such a dealing will be unlawful. However, if this condition does not exist, this excess money will not be considered as interest and will be legitimate for a Muslim as it is unanimous that there is no interest applicable when there is dealing between a Muslim and a Harbi Kaafir (a non-Muslim who is not living in the safety of an Islamic State).[23]

Poetry

His composition of Na`at was entitled Safina e Bakhshish, written in three languages.[24]

Books

He was the author of "more than 50 books on Islamic theology and thought in Urdu and Arabic", including:[9]

  • Hijrat-e-Rasool
  • Aasaar-e-Qiyamat
  • Al-Haq-ul-Mubeen (Arabic and Urdu)
  • Safeenah-e-Bakhshish (Na'at collection)
  • Fatawa Taj-us-Shari'ah [25]

Family tree
Raza Ali Khan
first marriagesecond marriage
(daughter) i khanNaqi Ali KhanMustajab beghumbibie jan
Ahmed Raza KhanHassan Raza Khan
Hamid Raza KhanMustafa Raza Khan
Ibraheem Raza Khan
Akhtar Raza Khan
Asjad Raza Khan

See also

References
  1. "Bareilly cleric among world's most influential Muslims | Bareilly News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  2. "First urs-e-tajusharia to be observed on July 9–10 | Bareilly News". Times of India.
  3. "Azahri miyan urs: अजहरी मियां के पहले उर्स का हुआ आगाज".
  4. "अजहरी मियां 10 मार्च को मकराना में-" [Azhari Miyan at Makranah on 10 March] (in Hindi). 8 March 2014.
  5. Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan by Muhammad Tariq Lahori Sunni Hanafi jannati Barelwi| archive.org
  6. World's 500 ‘Most Influential Muslims’: 24 Indians in the list; Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan, Mahmood Madani in first 50 117 TwoCircles.net |16 October 2014 "He is the great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan (d. 1921), who founded the Barelwi movement in South Asia"
  7. Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (2018).
  8. Tiwari, Mrigank (20 October 2014). "Barelvi cleric in 'most powerful Muslims' list". The Times of India.
  9. "Noted Barelvi cleric Azhari Miyan dies – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. Khan, Taajush Shari'ah Mufti Akhtar Raza (2018). "Brief synopsis of the life of Taj al-Shariah, by Muhammad Kalim". Safeena-e-Bakshish. TheSunniWay. pp. 17–22 – via Google Books.
  11. Faizan ul Mustafa Qadri, Tazkira Taj ul Shariah, pg. 11, al-Maktaba as-Shadhiliya fil-Bakistan Urdu, 2018. Link is to a file on Google Drive.
  12. Sanyal, Usha (2008). "Ahl-i Sunnat Madrasas: the Madrasa Manzar-i Islam, Bareilly, and Jamia Ashrafiyya, Mubarakpur". In Malik, Jamal (ed.). Madrasas in South Asia: Teaching terror?. Routledge. ISBN 9780415442473.
  13. Plan to develop Bareilly's Jamiatur Raza into an Arabic Persian University By NA Ansari, The Milli Gazette "Maulana Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari set up Madrasa Jamiatur Raza in 2000 in the city's CB Ganj area with the ultimate objective of imparting all types of education."
  14. "Geo Urdu – ﺩﻧﯿﺎ ﮐﯽ500ﺑﺎ ﺍﺛﺮ ﻣﺴﻠﻤﺎﻥ ﺷﺨﺼﯿﺎﺕ، ﻣﻔﺘﯽ ﺗﻘﯽ ﻋﺜﻤﺎﻧﯽ ﺍﻭﺭ ﻋﺎﻣﺮ ﻟﯿﺎﻗﺖ ﺑﮭﯽ ﺷﺎﻣﻞ" [The 500 Most Influential Muslims, Mufti Taqi Usmani and Amir Liaquat are also included] (in Urdu). 28 November 2013. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016.
  15. LLC. 2010. Barelvi: Aala Hazrat Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, Akhtar Raza, Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, Muhammad Muslehuddin Siddiqui, Barelvi, Aboobacker Ahmad. General Books LLC. ISBN 9781155903736
  16. Usha Sanyal. Generational Changes in the Leadership of the Ahl-e Sunnat Movement in North India during the Twentieth Century. Modern Asian Studies (1998), Cambridge University Press.
  17. "The World's Most Influential Muslims in 2011". Crescents Community News. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  18. MuslimMirror (22 July 2018). "Renowned Barelvi cleric Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan passed away, lakhs attend final journey". Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  19. "अजहरी मियां के जनाजे में दिखा जो जनसैलाब, आपने कभी नहीं देखा होगा, देखें तस्वीरें". www.patrika.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  20. "ताजुशरिया के आखिरी सफर में उमड़ा जनसैलाब". Dainik Jagran. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  21. Hindustan Hindi, 23 July 2018
  22. "10 lakh people attend funeral of Taajush Shariah Mufti Mohammad Akhtar Raza Khan Quadri". The Siasat Daily - Archive. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  23. "Azhar-Ul-Fatawa by Huzur Tajjush Shariah, Hazrat Allama Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Al-Azhari Qadiri(Maddazillahul Aali)". Scribd.
  24. "Ahlesunnat.net – Safina E Bakhshish (Jild 8)". books.ahlesunnat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  25. "mahnama-muharram-1440-sept-2018". www.dawateislami.net. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
Religious titles
Preceded by
Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri		 Grand Mufti of India
1981–2018		 Succeeded by
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.