Muhammad Taqi Usmani (born 5 October 1943) is a Pakistani

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

and former judge who is the current president of the Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia and the vice president and Hadith professor of the

Darul Uloom Karachi Darul Uloom Karachi ( ur, دارالعلوم کراچی) is a Madrasa in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Muhammad Shafi Deobandi in June 1951 at Nanak Wara and later on it transferred to Korangi, Karachi, on March 17, 1957. It continues the ...

. An intellectual leader of the Deobandi movement, he has authored 143 books in Urdu, Arabic and English, including a translation of the Qur'an in both English and Urdu as well a 6-volume commentary on the ''

Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued b ...

'' in Arabic, '' Takmilat Fath al-Mulhim'' and ''Uloomu-l-Quran''. He has written and lectured extensively on

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

, and

Islamic finance Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ar, مصرفية إسلامية), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economic ...

. He chairs the Shariah Board of the Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). He is also a permanent member of the Jeddah-based

International Islamic Fiqh Academy International Islamic Fiqh Academy ( ar, مجمع الفقه الإسلامي الدولي) is an international Islamic institution for the advanced study of Islamic jurisprudence and law based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded following a ...

, an organ of the OIC. In Pakistan, Usmani served as a scholar judge on the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court from 1982 to 2002, and on the

Federal Shariat Court The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) is a constitutional court of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has the power to examine and determine whether the laws of the country comply with Sharia law. The court was established in 1980 during the gove ...

from 1981 to 1982. From 1977 to 1981 he was a member of Zia's

Council of Islamic Ideology Council of Islamic Ideology (CII; ( ur, ) is a constitutional body of Pakistan, responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government and the Parliament. This body was founded in 1962 under the government of Ayub Khan. Funct ...

and was involved in drafting the

Hudood Ordinances The Hudood Ordinances (Urdu ; also Romanized Hadood, Hadud, Hudud; singular form is ''Hadh'' or ''hadd'') are laws in Pakistan that were enacted in 1979 as part of then military ruler Zia-ul-Haq's "Islamisation" process. It replaced parts of the ...

Early life and education

Muhammad Taqi Usmani was born on 5 Shawwal 1362 AH (3 October 1943) in the city of Deoband in Saharanpur district, United Provinces,

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 ...

. He was the fifth and youngest son of

Mufti Muhammad Shafi Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn ‘Us̱mānī Deobandī ( ur, ; ar, محمد شفيع بن محمد ياسين العثماني الديوبندي, ''Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn al-‘Uthmānī ad-Diyūbandī''; ...

(1897–1976). With his full ''

nasab Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/ family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughou ...

'' (patronymic), he is Muhammad Taqi ibn Muhammad Shafi ibn Muhammad Yasin ibn Khalifah Tahsin Ali ibn Imam Ali ibn Karim Allah ibn Khair Allah ibn Shukr Allah. The forefathers of Miyanji Shukr Allah are unknown, but the family claims descent from

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...

, the third

caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

and a companion of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

, hence the '' nisbat'' "

Usmani Usmani or Othmani or Uthmani is a large Muslim community (Urdu: عثمانی), found mainly in South Asia. The word Usmani or (one and the same thing) is a surname. Usmani are found throughout South Asia mainly in India and Pakistan. Notable peo ...

". Usmani was born to several generations of educators. The title "Miyanji" applied to several of his ancestors indicates that they were teachers. His grandfather Muhammad Yasin (1865/661936) taught Persian at Darul Uloom Deoband. Born the year before the madrasah's founding, he had been one of its first students and studied with some of its early teachers including Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi, Sayyid Ahmad Dihlawi, Mulla Mahmud Deobandi, and Mahmud al-Hasan Deobandi. Usmani's father Muhammad Shafi was also a product of the Deoband seminary. He taught there for several decades and held the post of chief

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 role ...

. In 1948, when Usmani was four years old, his father immigrated the family from Deoband to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Since there was not a madrasah nearby, Usmani's primary education began at home under his parents. He was later enrolled in

after Mufti Shafi founded the school in 1950. After completing his primary education, he began his formal religious training in the

Dars-i Nizami Dars-i Nizami is a study curriculum or system used in many Islamic institutions ( madrassas) and Dar Ul Ulooms, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century and can now also be found in parts of South Africa, Canada, the United ...

curriculum in 1953. He passed the Fazil-i Arabi (Punjab Board) with distinction in 1958, and received his '' Alimiyyah'' degree with distinction from Darul Uloom Karachi in 1959. He then obtained his ''Takhassus'' (specialization) degree in ''

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

'' (Islamic jurisprudence) and ''ifta'' ( fatwa issuance) from Darul Uloom Karachi in 1961, earning the title of "

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 role ...

". Usmani continued his education at the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (wh ...

, obtaining a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in economics and politics in 1964, then a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

with second-class honours in 1967. In 1970 he obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

with first-class honours in Arabic language and literature from the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

Teachers

Usmani received teaching licenses to teach hadith from Islamic scholars including Muhammad Shafi,

Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi Muḥammad Idrīs ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl Ṣiddīqī Kāndhlawī ( ur, ‎; 20 August 189928 July 1974) was a Deobandi Islamic scholar particularly known as a scholar of hadith and tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an). He held the post of Sh ...

Qari Muhammad Tayyib Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi (known as Qari Muhammad Tayyib) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar who served as Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband for more than half a century. He was grandson of Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, the founder of the Daru ...

Saleemullah Khan Saleemullah Khan (1921 – 15 January 2017) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and former President of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, Pakistan. His students include Muhammad Rafi Usmani and Muhammad Taqi Usmani. Khan established Jamia Farooqia in ...

, Rashid Ahmed Ludhianvi, Sahban Mahmud,

Zafar Ahmad Usmani ) , office1 = Ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam , term_start1 = 1949 , term_end1 = Unknown , predecessor1 = Shabbir Ahmad Usmani , successor1 = Abdullah Darkhawasti , title = , religion = Islam , ...

, Muhammad Zakariya Kandhalvi, Hasan al-Mahshat Al-Makki Al-

Maliki The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary ...

, 'Abdu-l-'Azeez Ibn Baz Al-

Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda ʿAbd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah ( ar, عبد الفتاح بن محمد بن بشير بن حسن أبوغدة الخالدي, ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ ibn Muḥammad ibn Bashīr ibn Ḥasan Abū Ghuddah Al Khaldi) (9 May 1917 – 16 February 1997) was a ...

h, Abi Al-Faid Muhammad Yasin Al-Fadani Ash-

Shafi'i The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...

, and others. Usmani also studied Sufism with

Abdul Hai Arifi Abdul Hai Arifi (1898–27 March 1986) was a Pakistani Muslim scholar and a Sufi mentor of the Chishti order. He was a disciple of Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He authored books including ''Uswah Rasool-e-Akram'' and ''Death and Inheritance''. He served ...

who was a mentor of the

Chishti order The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...

Islamic Economics

Usmani pioneered the concept of Islamic banking in Pakistan when he established the

Meezan Bank Meezan Bank ( ur, ) is the first Islamic bank in Pakistan and commenced operations in 2002, after being issued the first-ever Islamic commercial banking licence by the State Bank of Pakistan. The Bank is headquartered at Meezan House in Karachi, ...

. Usmani has authored books in Arabic, Urdu, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

on Islamic topics in addition to articles on Islamic banking and finance published in journals and magazines. According to ''The Muslim 500'': "Usmani's chief influence comes from his position as a global authority on the issue of Islamic finance."

Awards and honours

* 2022: 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 ...

ranks Usmani 6th in the 2023 edition 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 ...

''. * 2022: Honorary doctorate degree awarded in ''

Islamic Law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

and

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

'' by American International Theism University * 2019: Sitara-i Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) in the field of public service, conferred by the President of Pakistan * 2019: The

ranks Usmani 1st in the 2020 edition of ''

''. He has been included in the top 50 in every edition of the publication since its inception in 2009. * 2017: The Global Islamic Finance Report ranks Usmani 2nd most influential person in the global Islamic financial services industry * 2017: Lifetime Achievement Award, Islamic Finance Excellence Awards (IFEA), Center of Islamic Finance at

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology The COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), formerly known as COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), is a public university in Pakistan. It is a multi-campus university with its principal seat located in Islamabad. Comsats was envisio ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

* 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award, Islamic Finance Forum of South Asia (IFFSA) * 2014:

Islamic Development Bank The Islamic Development Bank ( ar, البنك الإسلامي للتنمية, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi ...

(IDB) Prize in Islamic Banking and Finance * 2011:

King Abdullah II Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...

Award * 2011: Lifetime Achievement Award, Islamic Business & Finance Magazine * 2010: Wisam al-Istiqlal (Order of Independence), 1st class, conferred by the

King of Jordan The king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is Jordan's head of state and monarch. He serves as the head of the Jordanian monarchy—the Hashemite dynasty. The king is addressed as His Majesty (). Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. However ...

* 2004: Emir Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktum Award

Academia

He currently teaches Sahih al-Bukhari, fiqh, and

Islamic economics Islamic economics ( ar, الاقتصاد الإسلامي) refers to the knowledge of economics or economic activities and processes in terms of Islamic principles and teachings. Islam has a set of special moral norms and values about individua ...

and is known for his ''Islahi Khutbat''. He was a key member of a team of scholars which helped declare Ahmadis non-Muslims by Pakistan's National Assembly during the era of former Pakistani president,

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

, in the 1970s. During the presidency of General

Zia ul Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

, he was instrumental in drafting laws pertaining to '' Hudood'', '' Qisas'' meaning ''retaliation in kind'' or ( eye for an eye, and '' Diyya'' (blood money).

Personal Views

Usmani strongly opposes elements of explicit modernity, which he describes as engulfing

"the whole world in the tornado of nudity and obscenity, and has provided an excuse for fornication, and more so it has led under thunder claps to the passage of a bill in the British House of Commons to legalize homosexuality. It is in the shadow of the same modernity that Western women are openly displaying banners on the streets demanding legalization of abortion"

At a religious conference in 1984, he urged a more "dynamic attitude" towards the practice of '' ijtihad'', arguing there is no shortage of fine minds capable of interpreting the sharia, but warning against the contamination of sharia by Western ideas such as the elimination of hudud penalties such as amputation and

stoning Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. The Torah and Ta ...

Positions held

Positions held in the past

Bibliography

Usmani has authored 143 books including '' Tauzeeh Al-Qur'an'', '' An Introduction to Islamic Finance'', ''Contemporary Fataawa'', ''The Authority of Sunnah'', ''Uloomu-l-Qur'an''. He has also written a supplement to

Shabbir Ahmad Usmani Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (11 October 188713 December 1949) was an Islamic scholar who supported the Pakistan Movement in the 1940s. He was a religious scholar, writer, orator, politician, and expert in Tafsir and Hadith. Born in 1887 in Bijnor, U ...

's ''Fath al-Mulhim'', entitled '' Takmilat Fath al-Mulhim''.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

*
Studio Recording HD Audio Quran Tafseer Urdu Lectures by Mufti Taqi UsmaniUrdu Books - Mufti Taqi UsmaniEnglish Books - Mufti Taki UsmaniKhutbaat e Usmani (Juma Lectures) of Mufti Taqi Usmani in UrduAudio Quran Tafseer Lectures by Mufti Taqi UsmaniGet Urdu Quran Translation (Audio & PDF Version) by Taqi UsmaniOfficial website of Darul Uloom KarachiAn Introduction to Islamic Finance by Mufti Taqi Usmani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usmani, Muhammad Taqi 1943 births Living people Pakistani Islamic religious leaders Deobandis Pakistani Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Muhajir people Pakistani judges Jurisprudence academics Sharia judges University of Karachi alumni University of the Punjab alumni Translators of the Quran into English Translators of the Quran into Urdu People from Deoband People from Karachi Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi alumni Darul Uloom Karachi people Presidents of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia people Muhammad Taqi Usmani Islamic economists

Early life and education

Teachers

Islamic Economics

Awards and honours

Academia

Personal Views

Positions held

Positions held in the past

Bibliography

See also

References

Bibliography

External links