South African-Indian Islamic Scholar Mufti Ebrahim Desai Passes Away

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INDIA / Durban, SOUTH AFRICA :

Mufti Ebrahim Desai, the world-renowned South-African-Indian Islamic scholar, and jurist, who established the Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah in Durban, South Africa where he trained students to become muftis passed away Thursday 15 July in Durban. He was 58.

Mufti Ebrahim Desai had been issuing fatwas in various fields for more than 25 years, mainly through the askimam.org website.

Born on 16 January 1963 in Richmond, South Africa, Mufti Desai memorized the Quran at the Waterval Islamic Institute and studied traditional Dars-i Nizami course at the Jamia Islamia Talimuddin in Gujarat, India. He specialized in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) under Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri and also studied with the former Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, the author of the multi-volume Fatawa Mahmudiyyah.

Mufti Saheb taught Fiqh, Principles of Fiqh, Tafsir, Hadith at Madrasah Ta῾limuddin, Isipingo Beach, South Africa for 10 years. He also headed the Fatwa Department at Jamiatul Ulama, KwaZulu-Natal. He was a senior Sheikhul Hadith at Madrasah In’aamiyyah, Camperdown for another 10 years. In 2011, Mufti Ebrahim Desai Saheb moved to Durban permanently and laid the foundation for Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah, Sherwood, Durban. In the early 1990s, he started Ask Imam Fatawa Portal, an online Islamic questions and answers database of Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah.

Mufti Desai was an Islamic finance expert who served as sharia advisor to various Islamic financial institutions.

He was featured among The 500 Most Influential Muslims compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre and referred to as the “South African Grand Mufti of Indian descent.”

Mufti Ebrahim Desai had authored two books, “Introduction to Hadith: A general introduction to Hadith and its sciences” and “Introductions to Islamic Commerce”. His fatawa have been compiled in a book titled “Al-Mahmood”. Another compilation of his talks at the Shariah Compliant Business Campaign is also available titled “Shariah Compliant Business Campaign”. The latest compilation of contemporary verdicts is also available titled “Contemporary Fatawa”.

Muslims around the world expressed their sadness over his death.