Patrons and Advisors Among Senior ‘Ulama

Sheikh Salman al-Husaini al-Nadwi
(May Allah swt protect him)

Sheikh Salman al-Husaini al-Nadwi is the patron of Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust. He has been involved with the Trust from the very beginning as an advisor, motivator and overal inspiration. His thoughts and insights into how education needs to be revolutionised form the backbone of the Trust’s academic vision.

He is Dean of the Faculty of Shariah at the renowned Nadwat ul-Ulama madrasa in Lucknow, a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, and a senior scholar in India. A descendent of the Prophet (saw) whose very recent ancestry is also a blessed and illustrious list of ulama and mashaikh. The great Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali Al-Hasani Al-Nadwi is his mother’s paternal uncle. He is also a student of the great Sheikh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah under whom he learned while studying hadith at the Jami’ah al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sa’ud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As a young graduate, he founded the Forum of Muslim Youth (Jam’iyyat Shabab al-Islam) which is now one of the biggest Islamic organisations in India. He is generally accepted as the worthy successor to Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali Al-Nadwi and has followed his example in showing great concern for the affairs of the Muslims. He is a man of intuition and insight and considered a great thinker among scholars. He has travelled widely visiting Muslim communities, meeting other ‘ulama, academics and thinkers all over the world to see the work of Muslim organisation and institutes, take ideas from them and share his ideas and thoughts with them. A equally powerful speaker in Urdu and Arabic, he has inspired many people all over Europe, America, the Middle East and South Asia. It has been the good fortune of Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust that it has helped organise many of his journeys accross the UK and Europe and many members of the team at the Trust have been honoured with his company in these trips. He has been a regular visitor to Ebrahim College where he is well known for delivering lectures to the ‘ulama of London.

Despite all of this, he finds time to write and has authored and translated (mainly from Urdu and Persian to Arabic) several works on different topics and in particular his specialities of hadith, ulum al-hadith and al-jarh wa al-ta’deel. He continues to be a major influence on the Trust and its management and staff and many of his ideas are infused in our vision, curricula and methodology.

Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani
(May Allah swt protect him)

Sheikh Taqi Uthmani needs no introduction. His advice has been taken prior to most of the major principle and academic desicions at Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust. We try to seek his advice even if it means taking a trip to Pakistan solely for that purpose. It has been a great honour to have hosted him for a major conference on Zakah in 2004. Many of the staff at EC are his direct students and he remains a great influence and inspiration to us all.

He is one of the greatest scholars of this generation. Son of the great Mufti Shafi (ra). His work on Islamic economics, finance and banking is ground breaking and world renowned and he is probably the greatest orthodox Mufti alive today. He is the vice-president of Darul ‘Uloom Karachi, one of the biggest and most prestigious seminaries in Pakistan, and, amazingly, manages to teach Sahih al-Bukhari there despite all of his national and international engagements, and prolific authorship. His works are varied in topic, language and in size. He has written the multi-volume commentary of Sahih Muslim in Arabic, Takmilah Fath al-Mulhim, published a translation and commentary of the Qur’an in English, and written prolifically in his native Urdu. He has authored books on tafsir, hadith, fiqh and tasawwuf, and continues to work on major projects today. His advice will continue to be valuable to us and we hope we will continue to benefit from him as students of knowledge and as an organisation.

Sheikh Mufti Muhammad Rafi’ Uthmani
(May Allah swt protect him)

Elder brother of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and President of Darul Uloom Karachi. He is known as the grand mufti of Pakistan and is a man of great influence all of the country. He is known to be a perfectionist, a strong administrator and brilliant scholar. His strong leadership and astute management is the reason for the success and prestige of Darul Uloom Karachi where he also teaches Sahih Muslim. He is also the Author of many books on various topics and his students are scattered all over the globe serving the Deen in different capacities. It was our pleasure to host him for several days at Ebrahim College in 2007 and benefit from his advice, example and good cousel.

Maulana Abu Ammar Zahidur Rashidi
(May Allah swt protect him)

Maulana Zahidur Rashidi is the son of the great Pakistani muhaddith Sheikh Sarfaraz Khan Safdar and the nephew of the late Sheikh Abdul Hamid Sawati. He has now taken his father’s place as the lecturer of Sahih al-Bukhari (Sheikhul Hadith) at Madrasah Nusratul Uloom in Gujranwala where he is also vice president. He is also now the head of the Pakistan Shariat Council and the most senior patron of World Islamic Forum. Despite all of his responsibilities Sheikh Zahidur Rashidi is also an author and prolific jounalistic writer. His articles, often written with swift unedited strokes of his pen on planes, trains, or wherever he is inspired, are regularly published in many different newspapers and magazines all over the subcontinent. He is a regular advisor and visitor to Ebrahim College spending time with us at least once every year. May Allah swt grant him a long life and give us the tawfeeq to benefit from his knowledge, experience and advice.

Dr Mahmood Ahmed Ghazi is the former religious affairs minister of Pakistan and the former vice-chancellor of the Internation Islamic University, Isalamabad. He is a brilliant academic and jurist who has authored many works on different topics and in various languages including a translation of the Seerah of Prophet saw from French to English; such is the breadh of his expertise and skill. He has visited the UK many times and has been hosted by Ebrahim College where he delivered lectures and seminars on various topics. His advice on curriculum, strategy and future planning is taken very seriously by the Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust team and to this day he remains just a phone call away whenever he needs to be consulted.

The late Sheikh Ubaidul Haq, Khateeb of Bangladesh
(May Allah swt have mercy on him)

Sheikh Ubaidul Haq was one of the most senior Ulama of Bangladesh. He was the khateeb of the national masjid of Bangladesh, Baitul Mukarram, and the Sheikul Hadith of Madrasah Qasimul Uloom in Dargah, Sylhet. A principled man whose sermons and instructions from the minbar always kept the 50,000 people who attended Jumu’ah at the masjid under strict disciplined control. Rarely can such absolute respect be witnessed. He was a man who was able to unite the ulama of Bangladesh regardless of their backgrounds or political or ideological affiliations and differences because so many of them were his direct students. His last two visits to the UK were by the invitation of Ebrahim College and he offered us priceless advice and support. He was an inspiration to the people of Bangladesh and his demise in 2007 left the whole nation in mourning. May Allah swt shower him with His mercy and grant him the highest place in Jannah.

Maulana Muhi Uddin Khan
(May Allah swt protect him)

Maulana Muhi Uddin Khan is a prolific writer, historian, and the editor of the world famous Monthly Madina (Mashik Madina). He is an inspiring man whose patronage has produced some great Islamic writers and columnists in Bangladesh. His magazine is most circulated Islamic monthly in Bangladesh by a significant margin and many of his works can be found on the bookshelves of most Bangladeshi households. He translated the Qur’an into Bengali glossed with the abridged translation of Mufti Shafi’s Ma’arif al-Qur’an. This translation was published by the Saudi government and disbributed all over the world to every Bangla speaking community. He regularly visits Ebrahim College and advises us with regards our decision, plans and strategies. The Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust team also visits him in Bangladesh to seek his advice and assistance with regards to aspects of the Trust’s work in the UK and Bangladesh. He is now in old age and we pray that Allah swt grants him good health and keeps him with us so we can continue to benefit from him.

Sheikh Fazlur Rahim
(May Allah swt protect him)

Sheikh Fazlur Rahim is the inspiration behind the EC team. He has taught every member of EC’s senior management team and inspired them with his knowledge, wisdom, character and excellent example. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in the 1940s where he studied under the great indian scholar Hussain Ahmad Madani and the other great shuyukh of Darul Uloom at the time. After moving to the UK he was appointed as a lecturer at al-Jamiah al-Islamiah Nottingham where he taught advanced fiqh, tafseer, and hadith including Jami’ al-Tirmidhi. His students are scattered all over the UK and continue to benefit from him long after their graduation. May Allah swt grant us the tawfeeq to make the most of this jewel among scholars.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Doyamiri
(May Allah swt have mercy on him)

Until his recent demise in 2008, Sheikh Abdul Aziz had been a pillar of support for Ebrahim College. His advice has influenced important curriculum and strategy decisions since the start of Ebrahim College. He was the Principal of Jamia Madinatul Uloom (Darus Salam) in Sylhet, Bangladesh, and the Sheikhul Hadith (Lecturer of Sahih al-Bukhari and Jami’ al-tirmidhi) of the same madrasah. Despite having no political affiliations or commitments, he was an extremely influential scholar in Sylhet and the whole of Bangladesh. He has also been a staunch supporter of EC projects in Bangladesh. His demise is a deeply felt loss to EC and the whole ummah. May Allah swt shower his grave with His mercy and grant him the highest station in Jannah.

Sheikh Muhammad Isa Mansuri
(May Allah swt protect him)

Sheikh Isa is one of the senior ulama of London who is known and respected by ulama all over the Indian subcontinent. He lives near Ebrahim College and spends most of his time writing. He is a prolific columnist and author, his articles, which get published in some of the top Urdu papers and magazines around the world will now fill many volumes. Some collections of his articles have already been published. His articles are thought provoking and almost always relate to matters relating to the condition of the whole ummah. Ebrahim al-Khalil Trust is looking in to the possibility of translating a selection of his articles in to English. He has always been exptremely supportive: promoting our work among ulama, regularly visiting and raising concerns, costantly sharing his reading and research so that the Trust’s work and its team are never out of touch with what is happening to ummah around the world and what the priorities of Muslims should be accordingly. May Allah swt grant him a long life of health, barakah, and more productive work.

Sheikh Faizur Rahman Uthmani
(May Allah swt protect him)

Sheikh Faizur Rahman Uthmani is the founding president of Idarah al-Uloom al-Islamiah, in Islamabad, Pakistan. He graduated from Darul Uloom Karachi in 1978 having studied under great scholars such as Mufti Muhammad Shafi as well as his two great sons, Mufti Muhammad Rafi and Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani as well as many other great scholars; he also has an LLB from Karachi University. He is an expert in Ilm al-Uroodh wa al-Qawafi which has become a vary rare subject in Islamic seminaries. The Sheikh has also written a text on the subject calledMudhakkiraat fi ‘Ilm al-Uroodh wa al-Qawafi; he has also written a commentary on al-Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah and a small booklet on the educational philosophy established at his institute called Rehnuma e Talaba. In 2007, the Sheikh taught an intensive course on ‘Ilm al-’Uroodh wa al-Qawafi at Ebrahim College which was mainly attended by EC students studying undergraduate levels of the Alim course, he also taught a separate course for EC staff; both courses were extremely well recieved particularly because of the Sheikh’s ability to deliver the subject with such energy and enthusiasm and because of his meticulous preparation and very diverse and dinamic teaching methods. This year in 2008, the course is being offered by EC as a weekend intensive for Ulama, Imams and anyone who is an advanced student of Arabic. The course will be taught in Arabic only.