Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari (23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018), also known as Tajush Shari'ah or Azhari Miya, was an Indian

Barelvi The Barelvi movement ( ur, بَریلوِی, , ), also known as Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaah (People of the Prophet's Way and the Community) is a Sunni revivalist movement following the Hanafi and Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, with strong Suf ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

scholar, cleric and

mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...

. He was the great grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered to be a

Mujaddid A ''mujaddid'' ( ar, مجدد), is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" ( ar, تجديد, translit=tajdid, label=none) to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every ...

by his followers and was the founder of the Barelvi movement. He was recognised by Barelvi Muslims as the

Grand Mufti of India The Grand Mufti of India is the most senior and influential religious authority of the Barelvi Muslim Community of India. The incumbent is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, general secretary of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, who was conferred the ti ...

. He was ranked 22nd on the list of

The 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by the

Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. Its publications include: *'' A Common Word Between Us and You'' *'' The Amman Message'' *''Forty Hadith on Divin ...

. He had tens of millions of followers in India.

Early life

He was born on 23 November 1943 in Bareilly,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered to be a

by his followers and founder of the Barelvi movement. He went to school at the Manzar-e-Islam madrassa of the Dargah Aala Hazrat, and then at Islamia Inter College,

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

. He studied at

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

in Egypt from 1963–66, where he won the "Fakhre Azhar" (pride of Azhar) award. In 1967, he became a teacher at the Manzar-e-Islam madrasa in Bareilly.

After retirement

He formally retired from teaching in 1980, but continued to issue fatwa, and holding seminars for students at Dar al-Ifta. In 2000, he founded the Centre of Islamic Studies

Jamiatur Raza Jamiatur Raza is an Islamic seminary situated in Bareilly, India. It was established by Akhtar Raza Khan in 2000. The founders have evolved a plan to develop it into an Islamic university.

based in Bareilly,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. He was considered by his followers as the

. He had been ranked 22nd on the list of

in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by the

. He had tens of millions of followers in India. He died following a long illness on 20 July 2018, aged 74. The estimated attendance at his funeral was just under one million. His funeral occurred on 22 July 2018 at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. The prayer was led by his son and successor Asjad Raza Khan. 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 'Tajushariya'" and "one of the few prominent persons across the world to be allowed to visit the inside f the

Kaaba The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

in Mecca."

Publications

Rulings (Fatwas)

His

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

One of his

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

s 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 safety 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).

Poetry

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

Books

He was the author of "more than 50 books on Islamic theology and thought in Urdu and Arabic", including: * ''Hijrat-e-Rasool'' * ''Aasaar-e-Qiyamat'' * ''Al-Haq-ul-Mubeen'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Fatawa Tajushhariyah (in four volumes) by Dar al-Ishaat al-Islamiyya, Jamia al-Raza, Bareilly Sharif.

Family tree

References

External links

Website of Jamiatur Raza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Akhtar Raza 1943 births 2018 deaths Indian muftis 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam Sunni Muslim scholars Barelvis People from Bareilly Grand Muftis of India

Akhtar Akhtar ( fa, links=no, ) means "star" in Persian. It is a unisex name. It is also a common surname. A variant spelling is Akhter. Notable people with the given name or surname include: Given name Akhtar * Akhtar Aly Kureshy Pakistani lawyer ...

Indian people of Pashtun descent Al-Azhar University alumni