Several Muslim groups and scholars across the globe have expressed grief over the demise of a prominent Islamic scholar in India, Maulana Yusuf Islahi.
Islahi, an author, speaker, and founder of several educational institutions, breathed his last at a hospital in Noida on Tuesday. He was 89.
Islahi, one of the senior faces of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, authored over 60 books in his lifetime, including renowned works like “Easy Jurisprudence” and “Etiquettes of Life in Islam.” Several of his works were translated into more than a dozen languages.
Islahi became a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind at the age of 25 years and has been entrusted with various key posts of the organization. He is a member of Markazi Majlis Shura (Central Advisory Committee) of the JIH for the last five terms.
Syed Sadatullah Husaini, chief of JIH has expressed his grief over the death of Islahi. Husaini pointed out many of Islahi’s notable works in a note in Urdu shared on social media.
Islahi was also the Nazim (President) of the Jamiatus Salehat, Rampur, a distinctive school focussing on higher Arabic and Islamic education for girls. He also guided Markazi Darsgahe Islami, Rampur.
Expressing grief over the death of Islahi, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) Vice-President Khalid Ansari said Maulana Islahi has left behind a rich legacy of dedication and selfless service spanning an entire lifetime.
“He was an exemplary Muslim, in his piety, humility, and profound sensitivity for the human condition,” said Ansari.
Maulana Yusuf Islahi was also the patron of the Islamic Circle of Noth America (ICNA).
“He was a notable speaker and an integral part of ICNA’s National Conventions. The entire Ummah alongside the membership of ICNA has lost a leader, mentor, murrabi and a visionary scholar. An uncountable number of Muslims and Islamic Centers across the world benefited from his knowledge and experience,” read a statement by ICNA.
“Another pillar of the community departs,” responding to the news of Islahi’s death, Islamic scholar and former Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam Khan said.
“He was the embodiment of a noble scholar, with a legacy that shall be difficult to match. I had the great fortune of meeting him many times and benefitting from him,” said Dr. Yasir Qadhi, a well-known Muslim educator in the US.
