Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

Riyadh ul Haq
Born	1971 Gujarat, India
Residence	Leicester, United Kingdom
Occupation	Islamic scholar
Title	Shaykh
Religion	Sunni Islam
Website
http://www.akacademy.org
Notes Ul Haq at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester.

Riyadh ul Haq (born 1971) is a British-Indian scholar and the former chief Imam of Birmingham Central Mosque.^[1] In 2004 he founded the Al Kawthar Academy.

Education

His father, Mawlana Muhammad Gora,^[2][3] began his son's religious instruction at a very young age. By the age of ten Riyadh ul Haq had memorised the entire Qur'an, and also completed the study of a number of books in various Islamic topics. At thirteen ul Haq enrolled at Darul Uloom al Arabiyyah al Islamiyyah, Bury, UK, and graduated six years later, in early 1991. Herein he studied the traditional Dars-i Nizami syllabus which includes a deep study of Arabic, Qur'anic tafsir (exegesis), ḥadīth (recorded speech and action of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and that of his Companions رضىالله عنهم) and fiqh (jurisprudence) under traditionally qualified scholars. He has ijazah (authorisation) in various Islamic sciences from Yusuf Motala and the late Islam ul Haq. He also has ijazah in ḥadīth from the late Mahmood Hasan Gangohi and the famous Muhaddith, Yunus Jaunpuri of Saharanpur, India.^[4]

Preaching and teaching

Riyadh ul Haq teaching 'Fundamentals of Understanding the Glorious Qur'an' Course in London, June 2009

Early Work

After his graduation, he became the Khaṭīb of Birmingham Central Mosque,^[5] and then began teaching ḥadīth at Madinatul Uloom al Islamiyyah, Kidderminster, UK. Until 2003, Abu Yusuf served as the honorary headmaster of Madinatul Uloom Al-Islamiyyah, where he was previously Sadr Mudarris (head teacher/dean of the faculty).^[6]

Since graduation he has devoted himself to the work of religion and actively engaged in propagation of Islam and teaching. He has taught and commented on numerous classical Islamic works and has lectured extensively on a range of topics including Qurʼānic tafsīr, ḥadīth, aqīdah, fiqh and spirituality. He has also travelled widely, teaching and lecturing in various countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.^[7] Many of his sermons and lectures are recorded and are widely available. He has also authored two books, The Salah of a Believer in the Quran and Sunnah ^[6][8][9] and 'Causes of Disunity' ^[10]

Sahih al-Bukhari

Since August 2001 Riyadh ul Haq has been teaching ‘The Abridged Sahih al-Bukhari’, to the lay public,^[11] which is a comprehensive collection of ḥadīth (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). This collection is considered the most important book after the Holy Qur'an for Sunni Muslims.^[12][13] This is the first time that these aḥadīth have been taught in English in a systemic, detailed and thorough manner.^[14][15] He has always argued that the hadith are an integral part of Islam and that fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) cannot be understood without the hadith.

Spirituality

Alongside teaching of hadith, ul Haq focuses on spirituality (tazkiyah). His spiritual chain (silsila) is well-documented. Short excerpts from his spiritual discourses are published online.^[16] His emphasis on tazkiyah has led to him being labelled as a 'Sufi' and attacked by madkhali groups.^[17][18]

Current Affairs

Riyadh ul Haq has also been at the forefront of addressing global events from an Islamic perspective. He was amongst the first Islamic scholars in the UK to discuss the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami tragedy from a religious perspective as well as the great recession.

Charitable Work

His expertise and experience is sought by many charities, organisations and bodies for whom he regularly lectures for. These include assisting with humanitarian appeals such as Ummah Welfare Trust's,^[19] 'Cries of the Ummah' appeal,^[20] as well as local community work within Leicestershire (for example Leicestershire Youth Awards 2008 with the Federation of Muslim Organisations).^[21] He has also been involved in assisting the work of Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC).^[22][23]

Influence and international recognition

Ul Haq is listed in the 2010 Third Edition of 'The 500 Most Influential Muslims' published by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.^[24] This publication is the third of an annual series that provides a window into the movers and shakers of the Muslim world. It highlights people who are influential as Muslims, that is, people whose influence is derived from their practice of Islam or from the fact that they are Muslim. It gives valuable insight into the different ways that Muslims impact the world, and also shows the diversity of how people are living as Muslims today. Ul Haq appears in a section of the publication where "450 leaders are categorized by their diverse fields of work and appear unranked". In the publication, it is stated "Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq is a very influential speaker and leading Deobandi scholar in the UK. He has been markedly influential through his work with the Al Kawthar Academy in Leicester. Al Kawthar is a leading Islamic educational institution at the forefront of knowledge proliferation through diverse media forms."^[24]

Ul Haq is also listed in the 2012 Second Edition of 'The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2012' ^[25]

He is also recognised amongst his peers as a polymath, able to speak with authority on both theological and secular topics. An incident is related in a recent publication where a group of South African ulama tested his general knowledge and found he was able to discuss about each topic they raised at great length.^[26]

Media Portrayal

Andrew Norfolk Articles

In September 2007, The Times published a news item by Andrew Norfolk accusing Riyadh ul Haq of being the "homegrown cleric who loathes the British"^[27] and a commentary article from the same author claiming there was a "hardline takeover of British mosques" led by ul Haq. In an opinion piece by the same author on the same date there was a claim that ul Haq was in line to become the spiritual leader of the Deobandi 'sect' in Britain, despite allegedly having extreme views.^[28] Andrew Norfolk published further opinion articles in The Times calling the Deobandis historically anti-British,^[29] including an article about another internationally respected Deobandi scholar, Muhammad Taqi Usmani.^[30][31]

Response of UK Muslim Community

Andrew Norfolk's articles have been widely criticised by various Muslim groups and commentators.^[32] Andrew Norfolk's analysis of Deobandis was apparently based on a police report. However, it has been suggested that the source was a report written by an external consultant for the City of London Police, which had been in circulation for over a year before The Times article.^[33] The consultant, Mehmood Naqshbandi himself writes ‘the attention given to a presumed cadre of extremist and foreign imams preaching in mosques is seriously misplaced’.^[32][34]

Amongst the immediate responses, 'The Guardian carried a "Comment is Free" opinion article by Inayat Bunglawala, media secretary for the Muslim Council of Britain, calling Norfolk's work a "toxic mix of fact and nonsense".^[35] The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) claimed on their own web-site that even the Berelvis were coming out in defence of Riyadh al Haq.^[36] MPACUK also referred to the attacks on ul Haq as a "decapitation strategy" because he pro-actively advocated political activism.^[37]

Condemnation of Terrorism

Riyadh ul Haq joined religious leaders and the wider Muslim community in Leicestershire in condemning the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013. He 'expressed his deepest sadness and condemnation at what unfolded in Woolwich'.^[38]

Publications

Books written

• The Salah of a Believer in the Qur'an and Sunnah (ISI: Birmingham, 2002)

• Causes of Disunity (ISI: Birmingham, 1998)

Poems written

• Whispers of the Night (ISI: Birmingham, July 2000)

References

External links

• Al Kawthar Academy - Lectures of Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq, 18 December 2013
• - Whispers of the Night, 28 December 2013