Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) [a brief intro]

[abuhajira]

ALIM & IFTA COURSE:
As well as being a Hafiz of the Quran, Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) has studied sacred Islamic knowledge in Dabhel for nine years: commencing from the Arabic Language and comprising Usool-e-Fiqh, Hanafi Fiqh, Logic, Usool-e-Hadith, Hadith, Usool-e-Tafseer, Tafseer. Having completed the Dars-e-Nizamiyyah he then studied the principles of issuing Fatwas for two years in Dabhel under Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri Saheb, a renowned and leading Scholar in India, and another year under the grand Mufti of India, Mufti Mahmoodul Hasan Saheb (RA) (compiler of Fataawa Mahmoodiya).

TASAWWUF:
Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai (damat barakatuhum) has the honor of being the khalifah of his Shaykh Mufti Mahmood-ul-Hasan Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi), the late grand mufti of India & the most senior khalifa of Hazrat Shaykh Maulana Zakariya Kandhalwi (rahmatullah alahi). As part of his training in Tasawwuf, Mufti Saab (db) spent time in the Khanqah of Dabhel where he used to lead Qiyaam-ul-Layl during the last ten nights of Ramadan.

TEACHING:
He currently teaches Mishkat, Sahih Bukhari and Tirmidhi and answers fatwa inquires received at Dar Ul Ifta at Madrasa Inaamiyah, Camperdown, South Africa.

PUBLICATIONS:
He has authored two fatwa books, Al Mahmood Vol. I & II, a book for Hadith students: Introduction to Hadith, and numerous articles on a wide spectrum of topics and issues relating to Islam.

DAWAH TRIPS:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) also has been visiting the US & Canada for the past 10 years in an effort to educate and revive the Islamic spirit among the Muslims here.

OTHER:
Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan Al-Shaybani (rah) was asked why had had not compile a book on Zuhd (ascetism/piety). The Imam (rah) replied that he had: Kitaab ul Buyoo (The Book of Business Transactions) meaning that if a person were to make his business dealings Shariah Compliant, that would be an enormous act of Zuhd. This is even more relevant in our society where halal earnings have been given a very low priority. In the spirit of reviving concern for halal earnings and making Muslims aware that our earnings have a great effect on our Spirituality and Faith, Mufti Saab has hosted numerous workshops on making businesses Shariah Compliant. These workshops are held annually in South Africa, and were held this past Ramadan in the US.

[abuhajira]

Silsilah of Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) in the Chishti Tariqah

1. Rasulullah Muhammad Al Mustafa (sallahu alayhi wa sallam)
2. Ameer-ul-Momineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiyallahu anhu)
3. Hasan Al-Basri (rahmatullah alahyi)
4. Abdul-Wahid ibn Zaid (rahmatullah alahyi)
5. Fudahyl ibn Iyad (rahmatullah alahyi)
6. Ibrahim ibn Adham (rahmatullah alahyi)
7. Huzaifah Al-Marashi (rahmatullah alahyi)
8. Abi Hubayrah Al-Basri (rahmatullah alahyi)
9. Mamshad Al-Dinwari (rahmatullah alahyi)
10. Abi Ishaq Ash-Shami (rahmatullah alahyi)
11. Abi Ahmad Al Abdal Al Chisti (rahmatullah alahyi)
12. Abi Ahmad Al Muhtaram Al Chisti(rahmatullah alahyi)
13. Abi Yusuf Al Chisti (rahmatullah alahyi)
14. Maudood Al Chisti(rahmatullah alahyi)
15. Sharif Al Zindani (rahmatullah alahyi)
16. Usman Al Haruni (rahmatullah alahyi)
17. Khwaja Moinuddin Al Chisti (rahmatullah alahyi)
18. Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Al Kaki (rahmatullah alahyi)
19. Fariduddin Shakar Ganj (rahmatullah alahyi)
20. Alauddin Ali Ahmad As Sabir (rahmatullah alahyi)
21. Shamsuddin Al Turki Al Panipati (rahmatullah alahyi)
22. Jalaluddin Al Panipati (rahmatullah alahyi)
23. Ahmad Abdul-Haq Radaulawi (rahmatullah alahyi)
24. Ahmad Arif Al Radaulawi (rahmatullah alahyi)
25. Muhammad Arif Al Radaulawi (rahmatullah alahyi)
26. Abdul-Quddus Al Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi)
27. Jalaluddin Thanesari (rahmatullah alahyi)
28. Nizamuddin Al Balkhi (rahmatullah alahyi)
29. Abi-Said Al Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi)
30. Muhibullah Ilahabadi (rahmatullah alahyi)
31. Shah Muhammadi (rahmatullah alahyi)
32. Muhammad Al Makki (rahmatullah alahyi)
33. Adhuddin Al Amruhi (rahmatullah alahyi)
34. Abdul Hadi Al Amruhi (rahmatullah alahyi)
35. Abdul Baari Al Amruhi (rahmatullah alahyi)
36. Shah Abdurahim Ash Shahid (rahmatullah alahyi)
37. Nur Muhammad Jhinjhanawi (rahmatullah alahyi)
38. Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (rahmatullah alahyi)
39. Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi)
40. Maulana Khalil Ahmad Al-Ambhetvi (rahmatullah alahyi)
41. Shaykh ul Hadith Maulana Zakariyya Kandhalwi (rahmatullah alahyi)
42. Mufti Mahmood-ul-Hasan Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi)
43. Mufti Ebrahim Desai (damat barakatuhum)

[Abu Hurayrah]

Assalamu Alaikum

InshAllah you and your family are doing well.

Can you please tell us more about Mufti Ebrahim Desai. Like how he talks and how he is in general.

Also, with regards to the books "Introduction to Hadith", i have been waiting for it for a very long time. I was wondering if it is published yet if where will i be able to get it. I know he put one chapter online.

Also, can you please tell us any updates about those ansaar dudes.

JazakAllahu Khairan for your time and effort.

Ma salam

[abuhajira]

:salam:

I can relate to you of his personal habits and all but cant tell you about his book untill I ask him.

From my first impression, he is completely opposite than what we may perceive him to be from his fatawa. I mean he is very social person. You love to simply sit with him. Sometimes I just go to his office and sit in front of him.

He talks softly, but not too soft. His classes are same as his lectures... with great vigour.. Sometimes he just stops the lesson and start saying that..Its shame how many of us become ashamed of who we are..."

In general he is extremely busy person. mostly spends time working. Sometimes he takes his bench out in the open field and writes fatwa there in an open field under the sun. His desk is probably one of few in Madrassah that is properly organized. he doesnt like loose papers on his desk so he sorts them as soon as possible.

He loves to help people out..I personaly know many who have been helped by him. He also likes jokes at time, but he feels much better when he see any of his student do something Islamic. I remember when I first gave my Friday Bayan in madrassah, he called me over and gave me a hadiya . Similarly, if he has a student in crowed he would not lead the salah rather tell the student to lead. He once told me that it makes him feel satisfied.

I once told him after my Jummah Bayan at local mosque that had I known he was also in the crowd, I would not have dared to step near the mimbar.. and he said, "It gave me more pleasure to see my student give bayan to our locality".

He normally wears a black Imama, shaves his mustache once in a while. and is always in motion. His humbleness is amazing, at times when I confront him by saying that I cannot say so and so to Fulan Fulan because he is my teacher, he replied , who would not listen to you and why would anyone listen to me?...

He is very much worried about the Ummah. I have seen many a times him saying that we are not doing a portion of what we should do..even though I do not see him idle..always working..

May Allah increase and continue Mufti Sahib's shadow and guidance upon us...Amin

:Ws:

[islamonline]

Aameen! Jazakallahu Khair :)

[Abu Hurayrah]

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

JazakAllahu Khayran for this. That was very benficial mashAllah. Maybe one day i will meet him inshAllah. Hope you had a good time at the zoo.

Ma salam

[Yassin_Shafii]

Salam aleykoum,

Does somebody know how to take bayat from him,incha Allah ?

[Tazkiyah]

Salam aleykoum,

Does somebody know how to take bayat from him,incha Allah ?


You can take baya through the email. Please visit www.almahmood.org for further information.

[Yassin_Shafii]

Salam aleykoum,

Jazak Allah my beloved brother!!

How to I do when i'm on the site? I send him a mail ?

[Tazkiyah]

Salam aleykoum,

Jazak Allah my beloved brother!!

How to I do when i'm on the site? I send him a mail ?


You can just email him from the email address on the website. Mufti Ebrahim Desai is a very busy man so write a detailed email and inshallah he will reply in 5-7 days.

[KhanAltaf]

Assalamu alaykum, all!


... shaves his mustache once in a while.

Does he shave/trim his beard?

Just wondering...

[Tazkiyah]

Assalamu alaykum, all!



Does he shave/trim his beard?

Just wondering...

I have seen him shaved most of the time..

[slaveof Allaah]

I have seen him shaved most of the time..

You mean he shaves his moustache and NOT his beard right?

[Ajami]

I have seen him shaved most of the time..
I highly doubt Mufti sahb shaves his beard.


But Alhamdulillah, I had the good fortune of meeting Mufti sahb when he came to Chicago. And by meet I really mean I had a chance to shake his hand. As brother abuhajira explained, Mufti sahb seems like a very humble person. After he gave bayan at Jame masjid in Chicago (there must have been at least over 500 people there), there were atleast 100-150 ppl afterwards who went up to him to shake his hand. As far as I could tell, Mufti sahb made eye contact with each and every one of them, and gave each one a very heartfelt smile. That might not sound like a lot, but when you're surrounded by a horde of people who want to meet you, to make each one feel like a special individual instead of a face in the crowd, in my opinion, is something truly special. May Allah (swt) increase Mufti sahb in his knowledge, and may He give him barkat in his life.

[mospike]

Alhamdullilah he sounds like a very nice person.
I live in South Africa but have not had the opportunity of meeting him, maybe one day Inshalallah

On a critical note if any one here speaks to him again please ask him why they changed the website to the new one which is pathetic in terms of its user friendliness.
Also is there someone who does editting for the website some of the spelling and grammer found on the site is pathetic.

Please BRING BACK THE BLUE AND WHITE WEBSITE

[banana]

Salam


I highly doubt Mufti sahb shaves his beard... And by meet I really mean I had a chance to shake his hand.

So when you did shake his hand, had he his beard shaved?

[Ajami]

Salam



So when you did shake his hand, had he his beard shaved?
No, his beard was not shaved.

[slaveof Allaah]

Looking back at the question it was stupid for being asked (by myself). There is no way he would not have a full fist length beard, just by looking at askimam.com :cheesygri

[abuhajira]

:salam:

Ok here is some clarification on part of my dear Mufti Sahib, May Allah increase his shadow over us, Amin.

Hazrat Mufti Sahib has a full length beard which at most times when I have noticed is beyond one fist. I am not entirely sure whether he trims it down to one fist or not but considering that he does Umrah quite regularly I think he trims them at that time.

His mustaches are mostly trimmed and often shaved as in the Mustahab Hanafi view.

He keeps a faint smile on his lips even when he is silent.

I have seen him angry(well worried) at times regarding some students, even then he does not lose his calm. whatever dicisoin he makes he simply states it..for eg once I saw him getting angry at a student for continuous absence from classes etc... he said to the reponsible teacher.. "Please deduct 20% of his marks from finals, so the only way for him to proceed to next year would be to study hard for those 80%" he said so and then said to the student in question, "I tried to give you as much leeway as I could.. now its upto you."

On the other hand he is very very laxed to the students.once a foreign student said to him that he cant do Urdu in studies, so he said.. "then dont do it.." the student couldnt find any other answer and came back to the class. after the student left I asked him, you gave him ijaza just like that.. he said, "Let him excell in whatever he can, who knows gaining his ground in something else will keep him among the teachers and later make a gem out of him"...

Finally, they had to change the server for askimam because of technical dificulties. I understand the new view is way bad, but it would be better for you to send that comment through email to the webmanager. InshAllah they will do something about it.

BTW, mufti Saheb is of the idea to change the webpage into "Red / Yellow and Green" what do you think?? Or better yet any of you people who have free time on their hand can come up with a template for his web and I will pass it by him...

:ws:

[ImamGhazzaali]

:salam:

:jazak:
:ws:

[hiso]

:salam:
:jazak: moulana, for the information.
Masha'Allah, i wanted to meet and convey my personal regards to mufti sb (db) for the great job that he has done. askimam has been a saviour for people like me, and is indeed a great benefit for the ummah in this age.
May Allah(s.w.t) always keep us in the shelter of our elders like these. Ameen.

[Salman253]

Does Mufti Ebrahim Desai still teach at Madrassah In'aamiyyah?

[ImamGhazzaali]

No.

www.daruliftaa.net

[sudoku]

:salam:

Mufti saheb teaches in Darul Uloom Numaniyyah, in Chatsworth near Durban.

[Taliban1]

Met Mufti Sahib in Mina last year. Great person, very humble. Liked him alot.

[ImamGhazzaali]

Met Mufti Sahib in Mina last year. Great person, very humble. Liked him alot.

:salam: ya Shaykh,

If it is okay with you, can you tell us a bit about your meeting with Fadeelatus Shaykh, Mufti Ebrahim Desai [hafithahullaah] ?

:jazak:
:ws:

[ImamGhazzaali]

:salam:

Is there an updated biography of Mufti Ebrahim Desai [Hafithahullaah].

[seedat7]

ASSALAMUALEYKUM
There is a saying that respect all strangers for you do not know there background and hence who they are.
an incident: we were on our way to ummrah it was 20th of ramazan. after taraweeh we left for the airport
where in the boarding lounge we met an old man who had missed his connecting flight and would be boarding
the next day. feeling sorry for him we offered some tea and snacks and left him with some loose change for his
sehri. with few slapps onthe back and comforting words we boarded. the jummah bayan and khutba after we
had returned was performed by no other than the old man that we had slapped in the back out of sympathy and
kindness!!!! he was Mouland Abdul Jabbar. when we met him after the jumma prayers he smiled and and said 'aha
harare wale'.
similarly when i was in Dabhel madressah, i was in the same dormitory as these two Durban boys who were brothers.
they were very generous and one of them was well reserved and it was roumoured that he was intelligent. the other
seemed to have come to india for a gas as he had completed his hifz and was only doing dor. i left Dabhel in 1986 and
later on began to read about this mufti.

[Taliban1]

:salam: ya Shaykh,

If it is okay with you, can you tell us a bit about your meeting with Fadeelatus Shaykh, Mufti Ebrahim Desai [hafithahullaah] ?

:jazak:
:ws:

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته

Nothing special about the meeting except Mufti Sahib himself :)

I stated calling Mufti sahib before hajj. He had left Madinah Munawwarah and was in Makkah when i got his number. During the hajj i disturbed him alot. It was only his Sabr that he evenanswered my calls. I would call him after every 10 mins asking, Mufti sahib is this Jaiz? Is this jaiz. What if you do Tawaf from outside the Haram in a car on the ring road cause it's over crowded inside Haram :P.. etc etc ... He mustve been thinking what kind of a silly guy this is.

Khair it went on till the last day of Hajj. I hadn't met Mufti sahib till then. It's very difficult to meet someone in Hajj time. On the last day, 12th ZulHajj, I called him in the morning and told him i'm coming to meet you with family. He said welcome. I was on the other side of Mina just besides Jamaraat and he was on the other end. We walked 1 hour to go meet him. Mufti sahib came out of his tent and he recognized me immediately when he saw me although it was my first ever meeting with Mufti sahib. (You will recognize me in a million people).

He took us inside, sent my wife to the ladies section to meet his family. Then i sat with Mufti sahib. He brought a juice. I was very thirsty. Then I asked him some masaail. Discussed some things. The meeting was around 1 hour. Talked here and there. He told about his background, where he studied etc. Asked me about my background. I gave him the Ta'addud book :) and read to him some excerpts from the book. And I told him why Ta'addud is necessary today :). It was Zuhr time, and we had to leave for stoning and then back to Madinah. I asked permission from Mufti sahib. He took out a VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL ITTAR BOTTLE and gave it to me. Wallahi, it was so nice.. I can't forget it ever. And it was an expensive one (strange for a gujrati :P). My son broke it :( I couldn't sleep properly that night. Then Mufti sahib came outside to see me off and told me, if you need anything, any juice/water just take it from the fridge. I filled my bag with juices :D

Meeting Mufti sahib was like a breath of Fresh Air. I felt like renewed. I felt noor in my heart after meeting Mufti sahib. It stayed with me for a long time until i lost it because of my sins. He's the second ALIM/MUFTI who has impressed me all my life. First is Mufti Abu Lubaba sahib دامت بركاتهم, second if Mufti sahib. It was like after years I had met an Alim who i really felt happy meeting. The best thing about him was that he didn't have any arrogant chamcha [khadim] who don't let you meet the sheikh.

Then we walked back, got stuck in shias.. Good thing i was wearing a black turban. They thought i'm one of them :P. Went to Jamaraat after Zuhr. As soon as we stepped outside and were walking towards Haram, it started to RAIN. Such a heavy Rain. Makkah roads were flooded..... Rest is history...

So that is my story of meeting with Mufti Sahib.

And i kept on calling him till he boarded his flight. I also called him once or twice from here but it's very expensive. He also called me once :) which is a privilege for me.

جزاك الله خيرا

P.S: Those were the best days of my life..

Ya Shaykh --- isn't it Shirk :P

[hazratji]

"TASAWWUF:
Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai (damat barakatuhum) has the honor of being the khalifah of his Shaykh Mufti Mahmood-ul-Hasan Gangohi (rahmatullah alahyi), the late grand mufti of India & the most senior khalifa of Hazrat Shaykh Maulana Zakariya Kandhalwi (rahmatullah alahi). As part of his training in Tasawwuf, Mufti Saab (db) spent time in the Khanqah of Dabhel where he used to lead Qiyaam-ul-Layl during the last ten nights of Ramadan."

Mufti saab used to lead Qiyaam ul layl :S
is There Qiyam ul layl in hanafi fiqh :S

[ImamGhazzaali]

He normally wears a black Imama,

He is very much worried about the Ummah. I have seen many a times him saying that we are not doing a portion of what we should do..even though I do not see him idle..always working..

May Allah increase and continue Mufti Sahib's shadow and guidance upon us...Amin

:Ws:
:salam:

Insha'Allah.
Amin

[Salman253]

:salam:

I'm a bit confused about where Mufti Ebrahim Desai teaches exactly? I heard it's a Darul Uloom called Numaniyyah if so where is it located and can someone give some details about it. Really interested in meeting the Mufti seems like an amazing person.

[ImamGhazzaali]

daruliftaa.net

[Salman253]

Still a bit confused, so doesn't teach at that Darul Uloom?

[sudoku]

:salam:

Mufti saheb teaches at Nu'maniyyah. It's located in Chatsworth.

[shakibbhat]

Feels like reading app beti of hazrat shaykh(r.a), may Allah preserve their shadow over us!!!!