Muhammad Taqi Usmani

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Retired Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani (Usmani) ad-Deobandi (Urdu: محمد تقی عثمانی) is an Islamic scholar from Pakistan who has held a number of positions on the boards of prestigious Islamic institutions. Usmani received his Takhassus degree in Islamic education, equivalent to a PhD, from Darul 'Uloom Karachi in 1961. He also holds a master’s degree in Arabic literature from Punjab University and a bachelor of laws (LLB) degree from Karachi University.

1 Biography
2 Associations
3 Works
4 ‎External Links
- 4.1 Online Books

[edit] Biography

Usmani served as a judge on the Shariah Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1982 to 2002 and as a judge of the Federal Shariah Court of Pakistan from 1980 to 1982. He has written numerous books in Arabic, Urdu and English on vital Islamic topics in addition to a large number of articles on Islamic banking and finance published in many journals and magazines.

In March 2004, United Arab Emirates Vice-President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented an award to Usmani in recognition of his lifetime service and achievement in Islamic finance during the annual International Islamic Finance Forum (IIFF) in Dubai, one of the largest events in Islamic finance.

In tradition to the scholars of Deoband, recognizing the importance of Tasawwuf, he traversed the path under the guidance of Sheikh Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi and Mawlana Maseehullah Khan ra, both khulafa of Hakeemul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi ra, and is authorized by both of his mentors in Silsila e Ashrafia: Chistiyyah, Naqshbandiyah, Qadiriyah and Suharwardiyah. He is himself a mentor to numerous spiritual aspirants all over the world and delivers regular weekly lectures on self improvement at Darul-Uloom Karachi on Sundays between Asr and Maghrib. [1]

He continues to teach Sahih al-Bukhari in Darul Uloom Karachi, and is also known for his Islahi Khutbat (sermons educating Muslim to become better human beings). He was a key member of a team of scholars that helped declare the Qadiani as non-Muslims by Pakistan's National Assembly during the era of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1970s. During the time of general Zia-ul-Haq, he was instrumental in making laws of Hudood, Qisas and Dayiat. He strongly opposes the women protection bill as it serves only as a window dressing, designed to gather media attention and confuses the real underlying issues, such as serious flaws in the law enforcement system.

[edit] Associations

Muhammad Taqi Usmani presently is a member of the following organizations:

International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Jeddah (Permanent member)
Darul 'Uloom Karachi, Karachi (Vice President)
Accounting and Auditing Organization of Islamic Financial Institutions, Bahrain. (Chairman of Shariah Standard Council)
Bahrain Monetary Agency (now Central Bank of Bahrain), Bahrain (Chairman of Shariah Board)
Amana Investments Limited, Sri Lanka. (Chairman of Shariah Board)
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, UAE. (Chairman of Shariah Board)
Guidance Financial Group, USA. (Member of SHARIA SUPERVISORY BOARD)
Meezan Bank Ltd, Pakistan. (Chairman of Shariah Board)
Islamic Bank of Britain plc,UK (Chairman of Shariah Board)
HSBC Amanah Finance, Dubai.
BankIslami Pakistan Limited, Pakistan. (Chairman of Shariah Board)
Jamiat ul-Ulama USA, USA.

[edit] Works

Takmilat Fath al-Mulhim - Arguably his most important work in Arabic.
Uloomul Quran - An Urdu work on the sciences relating to the revelation and exegesis of the Qur'an; it has been translated into English under the title, An Approach to the Quranic Sciences.

His outstanding works in English include:

Islamic Laws of Animal Slaughter recently published by White Thread Press
An Introduction to Islamic Finance
Historic Judgment on Interest
Ma'ariful Qur'an, an eight-volume English edition of the famous commentary of the Holy Qur'an, originally compiled in Urdu by his father, Mufti Muhammad Shafi. The latter work could be considered to be the best of the available English commentaries of the Qur'an, as Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and others state.
English translation of the Holy Quran in two volumes with explanatory notes.