The Imam, Shaykh Al-Qaradawi, departs this world

 

Co-authored by 

Mufti Abdul-Malik Sheikh & Muhammad Abul Kalam

 
On Monday 26th September 2022/29 Safar 1444AH, the noble scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the founding president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, died at the age of 96. 
 
Innalillahi wa Inna ilaihi Rajioon. 
 
Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was a great scholar and an intellectual who combined between tradition and modernity. The Shaykh was one of the greatest Islamic personalities of this century, and a reviver of the Deen.  
 
The Messenger of Allāh said: 
“Verily, Allah sends for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years the one who renews for it its religion” (Abū Dawūd)
 
 
The Shaykh is considered the leading advocate for Islamic moderation (Wasatiyyah) that combines between traditionalism (Salafiyyah) and renewal (Tajdid). In his book, “Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase”, Dr Qaradawi successfully analyses the programme of Tajdid, politely offering invaluable advice and suggestions to wasati (balanced middle path) Islamic Movements. 
 
Allāh has placed in the Shaykh traits that are not usually found in one person. He was a great scholar, thinker and intellectual. The Shaykh had a distinguished jurisprudential approach that made his stature high among contemporary jurists. 
 
The Shaykh’s approach focuses on the understanding of tradition (Fiqh Al Sunnah), the understanding of purposes/objectives of the Shariah (Fiqh Al-Maqasid), and the understanding of priorities (Fiqh Al-Awlawiyyat), and balances between the fundamental principles of Islam and the changes of the age and time. 
 
It was in this space that the Shaykh’s writings and thoughts had the most profound impact, particularly for Muslim minorities living in the west. The Shaykh managed, more so than any other before him, to clarify the balanced, middle path, moderate nature of the Prophetic Shariah. He gave life and spirit to the idea that the Quran and Sunnah as well as the way of the salaf allowed for contextual expressions of Islam. It was the Shaykh who revived the idea that Islam was a universal, humane and just way of life applicable in all times and ages. 
 
The Shaykh was a prolific writer who never tackled a subject without reaching its highest points of fulfilment and persuasion. Among the most important books of Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was his Fiqh Al-Zakah, a seminal work for all Muslims and an important reference book for scholars and researchers. 
 
He was the symbol of the Islamic awakening in our time, directing its current with his unwavering conviction, strong faith, and profound wisdom. 
 
He was an effective and powerful orator. He served as the voice of the Ummah. He advocated for the disadvantaged and spoke out against injustice, for which he faced trials and hardships. 
 
The Shaykh was renowned for his independent thinking and Ijtihad. He did not confine himself to blind imitation, rather he was capable of independent research and thinking. Indeed many of his contemporaries regarded him as a Mujtahid of our time. 
 
For young Muslims, Dr Al-Qaradawi offered genuine guidance and thought leadership, he was the scholar of the masses. He empowered millions of young Muslims across the globe to stand confident and tall, to believe in the innate goodness Islam has to offer humanity and to invest their youth in living by and spreading Islam.  
 
Imām Al-Shafi’i said: 
 
“People are dependents on Abū Hanifah in jurisprudence” (Siyar A’lam an-Nubula of Dhahabi)
 
 
In our time, the same can be said about our Shaykh as the Ummah depended on his knowledge, wisdom and guidance. 
 
Scholars do not give people anything of money or the riches of the world, but rather they teach them knowledge and provide guidance. They live to serve the people with their knowledge. The passing of a scholar is great calamity for the Muslims as the Prophet said: 
 
“Verily, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from His servants, but rather he withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars, until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders. They are asked and they issue judgments without knowledge. Thus, they are astray and lead others astray.” (Reported by Al-Bukhāri) 
 
The Ummah and humanity as a whole has lost a great jurist (Faqih), a profound legal theorist (Usuli), a wise preacher, a poet who stirs emotions with the sincerity and depth of his emotions, and a writer of the first order, just as they have lost a wonderful man and a compassionate, caring father. 

 

Co-authored by 

Mufti Abdul-Malik Sheikh & Muhammad Abul Kalam

 
On Monday 26th September 2022/29 Safar 1444AH, the noble scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the founding president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, died at the age of 96. 
 
Innalillahi wa Inna ilaihi Rajioon. 
 
Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was a great scholar and an intellectual who combined between tradition and modernity. The Shaykh was one of the greatest Islamic personalities of this century, and a reviver of the Deen.  
 
The Messenger of Allāh said: 
“Verily, Allah sends for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years the one who renews for it its religion” (Abū Dawūd)
 
 
The Shaykh is considered the leading advocate for Islamic moderation (Wasatiyyah) that combines between traditionalism (Salafiyyah) and renewal (Tajdid). In his book, “Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase”, Dr Qaradawi successfully analyses the programme of Tajdid, politely offering invaluable advice and suggestions to wasati (balanced middle path) Islamic Movements. 
 
Allāh has placed in the Shaykh traits that are not usually found in one person. He was a great scholar, thinker and intellectual. The Shaykh had a distinguished jurisprudential approach that made his stature high among contemporary jurists. 
 
The Shaykh’s approach focuses on the understanding of tradition (Fiqh Al Sunnah), the understanding of purposes/objectives of the Shariah (Fiqh Al-Maqasid), and the understanding of priorities (Fiqh Al-Awlawiyyat), and balances between the fundamental principles of Islam and the changes of the age and time. 
 
It was in this space that the Shaykh’s writings and thoughts had the most profound impact, particularly for Muslim minorities living in the west. The Shaykh managed, more so than any other before him, to clarify the balanced, middle path, moderate nature of the Prophetic Shariah. He gave life and spirit to the idea that the Quran and Sunnah as well as the way of the salaf allowed for contextual expressions of Islam. It was the Shaykh who revived the idea that Islam was a universal, humane and just way of life applicable in all times and ages. 
 
The Shaykh was a prolific writer who never tackled a subject without reaching its highest points of fulfilment and persuasion. Among the most important books of Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was his Fiqh Al-Zakah, a seminal work for all Muslims and an important reference book for scholars and researchers. 
 
He was the symbol of the Islamic awakening in our time, directing its current with his unwavering conviction, strong faith, and profound wisdom. 
 
He was an effective and powerful orator. He served as the voice of the Ummah. He advocated for the disadvantaged and spoke out against injustice, for which he faced trials and hardships. 
 
The Shaykh was renowned for his independent thinking and Ijtihad. He did not confine himself to blind imitation, rather he was capable of independent research and thinking. Indeed many of his contemporaries regarded him as a Mujtahid of our time. 
 
For young Muslims, Dr Al-Qaradawi offered genuine guidance and thought leadership, he was the scholar of the masses. He empowered millions of young Muslims across the globe to stand confident and tall, to believe in the innate goodness Islam has to offer humanity and to invest their youth in living by and spreading Islam.  
 
Imām Al-Shafi’i said: 
 
“People are dependents on Abū Hanifah in jurisprudence” (Siyar A’lam an-Nubula of Dhahabi)
 
 
In our time, the same can be said about our Shaykh as the Ummah depended on his knowledge, wisdom and guidance. 
 
Scholars do not give people anything of money or the riches of the world, but rather they teach them knowledge and provide guidance. They live to serve the people with their knowledge. The passing of a scholar is great calamity for the Muslims as the Prophet said: 
 
“Verily, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from His servants, but rather he withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars, until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders. They are asked and they issue judgments without knowledge. Thus, they are astray and lead others astray.” (Reported by Al-Bukhāri) 
 
The Ummah and humanity as a whole has lost a great jurist (Faqih), a profound legal theorist (Usuli), a wise preacher, a poet who stirs emotions with the sincerity and depth of his emotions, and a writer of the first order, just as they have lost a wonderful man and a compassionate, caring father. 

 

Co-authored by 

Mufti Abdul-Malik Sheikh & Muhammad Abul Kalam

 
On Monday 26th September 2022/29 Safar 1444AH, the noble scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the founding president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, died at the age of 96. 
 
Innalillahi wa Inna ilaihi Rajioon. 
 
Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was a great scholar and an intellectual who combined between tradition and modernity. The Shaykh was one of the greatest Islamic personalities of this century, and a reviver of the Deen.  
 
The Messenger of Allāh said: 
“Verily, Allah sends for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years the one who renews for it its religion” (Abū Dawūd)
 
 
The Shaykh is considered the leading advocate for Islamic moderation (Wasatiyyah) that combines between traditionalism (Salafiyyah) and renewal (Tajdid). In his book, “Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase”, Dr Qaradawi successfully analyses the programme of Tajdid, politely offering invaluable advice and suggestions to wasati (balanced middle path) Islamic Movements. 
 
Allāh has placed in the Shaykh traits that are not usually found in one person. He was a great scholar, thinker and intellectual. The Shaykh had a distinguished jurisprudential approach that made his stature high among contemporary jurists. 
 
The Shaykh’s approach focuses on the understanding of tradition (Fiqh Al Sunnah), the understanding of purposes/objectives of the Shariah (Fiqh Al-Maqasid), and the understanding of priorities (Fiqh Al-Awlawiyyat), and balances between the fundamental principles of Islam and the changes of the age and time. 
 
It was in this space that the Shaykh’s writings and thoughts had the most profound impact, particularly for Muslim minorities living in the west. The Shaykh managed, more so than any other before him, to clarify the balanced, middle path, moderate nature of the Prophetic Shariah. He gave life and spirit to the idea that the Quran and Sunnah as well as the way of the salaf allowed for contextual expressions of Islam. It was the Shaykh who revived the idea that Islam was a universal, humane and just way of life applicable in all times and ages. 
 
The Shaykh was a prolific writer who never tackled a subject without reaching its highest points of fulfilment and persuasion. Among the most important books of Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was his Fiqh Al-Zakah, a seminal work for all Muslims and an important reference book for scholars and researchers. 
 
He was the symbol of the Islamic awakening in our time, directing its current with his unwavering conviction, strong faith, and profound wisdom. 
 
He was an effective and powerful orator. He served as the voice of the Ummah. He advocated for the disadvantaged and spoke out against injustice, for which he faced trials and hardships. 
 
The Shaykh was renowned for his independent thinking and Ijtihad. He did not confine himself to blind imitation, rather he was capable of independent research and thinking. Indeed many of his contemporaries regarded him as a Mujtahid of our time. 
 
For young Muslims, Dr Al-Qaradawi offered genuine guidance and thought leadership, he was the scholar of the masses. He empowered millions of young Muslims across the globe to stand confident and tall, to believe in the innate goodness Islam has to offer humanity and to invest their youth in living by and spreading Islam.  
 
Imām Al-Shafi’i said: 
 
“People are dependents on Abū Hanifah in jurisprudence” (Siyar A’lam an-Nubula of Dhahabi)
 
 
In our time, the same can be said about our Shaykh as the Ummah depended on his knowledge, wisdom and guidance. 
 
Scholars do not give people anything of money or the riches of the world, but rather they teach them knowledge and provide guidance. They live to serve the people with their knowledge. The passing of a scholar is great calamity for the Muslims as the Prophet said: 
 
“Verily, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from His servants, but rather he withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars, until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders. They are asked and they issue judgments without knowledge. Thus, they are astray and lead others astray.” (Reported by Al-Bukhāri) 
 
The Ummah and humanity as a whole has lost a great jurist (Faqih), a profound legal theorist (Usuli), a wise preacher, a poet who stirs emotions with the sincerity and depth of his emotions, and a writer of the first order, just as they have lost a wonderful man and a compassionate, caring father.