Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari (23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018),[1] also known as Tajush Shari'ah[3] or Azhari Miya,[4][5] was an Indian Barelvi Muslim scholar, cleric and mufti.[6] He was the great grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and was the founder of the Barelvi movement.[7] He was recognised by Barelvi Muslims as the Grand Mufti of India.[8] He was 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.[9] He had tens of millions of followers in India.[10]
Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan | |
---|---|
Grand Mufti of India | |
In office 1982–2018 | |
Preceded by | Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri |
Succeeded by | Asjad Raza Khan |
Title | Tajush Shari'ah |
Personal | |
Born | Muhammad Ismail Raza 23 November 1943[1] |
Died | 20 July 2018 | (aged 74)
(7 Zul-Qaida 1439)
Resting place | Bareilly Sharif Dargah |
Religion | Islam |
Nationality | Indian |
Children | 6, including Asjad Raza Khan |
Parent |
|
Era | Contemporary |
Sect | Sunni |
Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
Movement | Barelvi |
Alma mater | Manzar-e-Islam (Bareilly), Islamia Inter College, Bareilly, Al-Azhar University 1963 -1966[2] |
Known for | Fatawa Taajush Shariah |
Other names | Azhari Miya |
Relatives | Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi (great-grandfather) |
Grand Mufti styles | |
Religious style | Mufti Azam-e-Hind, and Mufti al-Diyar al-Hindiyyah and Shaykh al-Islām in Arabic |
Alternative style | Hadrat, Sheikh and Sahib-ul-Ma'ali |
Founder of | Jamiatur Raza |
Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Awards | "Fakhre Azhar" (Pride of Azhar)[2] |
Literary works | Book list |
He was born on 23 November 1943 in Bareilly, British India,[1] great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and founder of the Barelvi movement.[7]
He went to school at the Manzar-e-Islam madrassa of the Dargah Aala Hazrat,[10] and then at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly.[10] He studied at Al-Azhar University in Egypt from 1963 to 1966,[1] where he won the "Fakhre Azhar" (pride of Azhar) award.[10]
In 1967, he became a teacher at the Manzar-e-Islam madrasa in Bareilly.[1]
He formally retired from teaching in 1980,[1] but continued to issue fatwa,[1] and holding seminars for students at Dar al-Ifta.[1]
In 2000, he founded the Centre of Islamic Studies Jamiatur Raza based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.[9][11][12]
He was considered by his followers as the Grand Mufti of India.[8] 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.[9][13] He had tens of millions of followers in India.[10]
He died following a long illness on 20 July 2018, aged 74.[14][15][16][17][18]
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 [of the] Kaaba in Mecca."[10]
The estimated attendance at his funeral was just under one million.[10][19][20] His funeral occurred on 22 July 2018 at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. The prayer was led by his son and successor Asjad Raza Khan.[21] His funeral was watched by at least 12,500,000 people across the world.[22][23][24][25] A day of mourning was organised in Bareilly Sharif.[26][27]
The funeral was organised by the Members of Bareilly Sharif Dargah and other organisations related to Dargah. The Namaz-e-Janaza was led by the son of Akhtar Raza Khan and head Mufti of Bareilly, Asjad Raza Khan at 10:00 AM on 22 July 2018.[16]
The Urs of Akhtar Raza Khan Qadri or Urs-e-Tajush Shariah is organised annually at the Bareilly Sharif Dargah to commemorate the death. It is being organised since 2019.[28]
His Urdu-language fatwa collection was known as Majmu'ah Fatawa. His English collection is named Azharul Fatawa.[29][full citation needed] 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 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).[citation needed]
His composition of Na`at was entitled Safina e Bakhshish, written in three languages.[30]
He was the author of "more than 50 books on Islamic theology and thought in Urdu and Arabic", including:[10]
Raza Ali Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
first marriage | second marriage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I. Khanum (daughter) | Naqi Ali Khan | Mustajab Begum | Bibi Jaan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ahmed Raza Khan | Hassan Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hamid Raza Khan | Mustafa Raza Khan | Hussain Raza Khan | Hasnain Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ibrahim Raza Khan | Murtaza Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Akhtar Raza Khan | Uvais Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asjad Raza Khan | Shoeib Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Faiz Raza Khan | Kaif Raza Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He is the great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan (d. 1921), who founded the Barelwi movement in South Asia