Ebrahim Desai

Ebrahim Desai

Full name	Ebrahim Desai
Era	Modern era
Region	Islamic scholar
School	Sunni Hanafi
Main interests	Fiqh, Hadith, Islamic economics
Influenced by Ahmad Khanpuri, Mahmud al-Hasan Gangohi
Influenced Husain Kadodia

Deobandi movement

Key figures

Qasim Nanotvi · Rashid Gangohi Husain Madani · Mehmud Hasan Shabbir Usmani · Ashraf Ali Thanwi Anwar Kashmiri · Ilyas Kandhlawi Ubaidullah Sindhi · Taqi Usmani

Notable Institutions

Darul Uloom Deoband, India Mazahirul Uloom Saharanpur, India Hathazari Madrassah, Bangladesh Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama, India Darul Uloom Karachi, Pakistan Jamia Uloom ul Islamia, Pakistan Jamiah Darul Uloom Zahedan, Iran Darul Uloom London, England Darul Uloom New York, United States Darul Uloom Canada Madrasah In'aamiyyah, South Africa

Movements

Tablighi Jamaat Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat Sipah-e-Sahaba Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Taliban

Ebrahim Desai is a Muslim Deobandi mufti and teacher of Islamic law based in Durban,Sherwood, South Africa. He runs the fatwa website Ask Imam,^[1] an online Islamic questions and answers (Q&A) database and used to head the Dar al-Ifta of Madrasah In'aamiyyah, Camperdown as the Principal Mufti as well as used to be the Senior Lecturer of Hadith (Shaykh al-Hadith) there^[2] He currently heads the Darul iftaa in Sherwood, Durban South Africa and is the oversight for the Fatwa Department of Jamiatul Ulama KZN.

Biography

After completing the memorization (hifz) of the Qur'an, Desai engaged in study of the Islamic sciences at the hundred year old seminary of Deobandi persuasion, in Dabhel, India. Here, he studied the Darse Nizami curriculum for nine years, which included the study of Qur'anic Tafsir, Usul al-Tafsir, Hadith, Usul al-Hadith, Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic jurisprudence)according to the Hanafi school of Islamic law and Arabic language.

After completing his study in Darse Nizami, Mufti Desai Sahab, pursued a takhassus (specialization) course in Ifta under Ahmad Khanpuri of Dabhel for two years. This is where he learned the principles of issuing fatwa. After the completing of this course, he completed another year of studies in Ifta under the late Mufti of India, Mahmud al-Hasan Gangohi, the author of the multivolume Fatawa Mahmudiyya.^[3]

Activities

Desai is also actively involved in Dawah. He travels to various countries on a regular basis.^{[citation needed]} In the past he has held workshops on matters related to Islamic Finance and Shari'ah-Compliance in business and trade in the United States.^[4] In March 2008 he traveled to Hong Kong, China to deliver a lecture as a guest speaker to students at the Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College (IKTMC).^[5]

He also serves as a religious advisor to the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).^[6]

In his role as an authority in Islamic finance, Desai has taken a strict stance on "Shar'iah Compliance" of certain banks and institutions. His opinion shunning the transparency of Al Baraka Bank (South Africa) in Islamic finance activities has generated much discussion among the Muslim community in South Africa.^[7]

In 2005, Desai was elected to the working committee of the South African Islamic Financial Services Authority (SAIFSA).^[8]

He has said that jihad is acceptable against a country that doesn't allow the propagation of Islam to its inhabitants.^[9]

Works

In relation to his work with issuing fatwas at his website Ask-Imam, Desai often finds himself in situations, where he sounds less like a religious leader and more like a physician's assistant or sex therapist^[10] which helps a lot of people to reform and give up their wrong ways.

References

1. ^ AskImam About us page
2. ^ Staff at Madrassah In'amiyyah Camperdown
3. ^ About Mufti Ebrahim Desai at Dar al-Mahmood
4. ^ Report on Islamic Banking and Finance in the United States
5. ^ "A inspirational talk was held for S.1 and S.2 students on 26-03-2008." IKTMC
6. ^ Page 2 on IFANCA Magazine
7. ^ The Voice of the Cape March 26, 2007 Albaraka fatwa an old battle
8. ^ The Voice of the Cape May 10, 2007
9. ^ Spencer, Robert, Religion of peace?: why Christianity is and Islam isn't, p. 40, Regnery Publishing, 2007, ISBN 1596985151, 9781596985155
10. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 22, 2006 Fatwas: Muslim religious edicts are rarely about violence, war

External links

• Ifta

Persondata
Name	Desai, Ebrahim
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