Imam Qasim Nanotwi Award & Conference: Azaadville 2014

Assalaamu 'Alaykum The conference is organised by the IIACSH  headed by Shaykh Muhyuddin bin Muhammad Awwamah. The first was held in Turkey in 2010.

World Ulama Conference in Azaadville to recognise Deoband Ulama and establish framework for unity

Sakeena Suliman – Cii News | 14 January 2014/12 Rabi ul Awwal 1435

Senior Ulama from around the world are set to gather on a united platform for a pioneering conference at Darul Uloom Azaadville. The conference is the “brain-child” of Sheikh Muhyuddeen Awwamah, son of prominent scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Awwamah, both currently residing in Madinatul Munawwarah.

Through an interpreter, Maulana Ayub Jeenah, Cii Radio spoke to Sheikh Muhyuddeen Awwamah about the conference and its objective of bringing Ulama together to discuss five fundamental understandings and teachings of Islam which inherently unite Muslims.

The five aspects concerned are Muslim ideology and mindset, our beliefs, Fiqh, Hadith and Tasawwuf. The basic idea behind the conference is to bring various Ulama together to strengthen the foundation of these fundamentals because of the threat and attack Muslims are facing.

“… The Ummah of the world are being attacked from every angle and… in every way and our fundamentals are being shaken by the enemies of Allah SWT in the world..,” said Sheikh Muhyuddeen Awwamah.

He said the West and Orientalists are making major attacks on Muslim ideology and thought, especially the outlook held by Islamic scholars. “They are trying to change their outlook and the vision of the Deen of Allah SWT. Here again we remind ourselves what the original Deen of Allah SWT is and that we strengthen ourselves against such attacks.”

As far as our belief system is concerned, the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah beliefs are based upon those recorded in book form by the two great imams of the early centuries of Abul Hasan al- Ash’ari RA and Imam Abu Mansur Maturidi RA.

Also, in terms of Fiqh, he said the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah has been unanimous on following the four main schools of thought (madhabs) for many centuries. “The basics, as far as fundamentals of following the four madhabs, have been attacked tremendously in this day and age and again we strengthen ourselves and discuss how we can defend the shariah of Allah SWT and the beliefs of the Muslims against those who are attacking it.”

With regards to Hadith it is quite evident that there are people, “modernists in the world”, who are attempting to break down and destroy the authenticity and the authority of the Hadith of Rasulullah SAW at different levels. This will be discussed to give strength to the Ulama in the face of these kinds of trials they face in different parts of the world.

The pure and sound Tasawwuf that has been derived from the Quran and from the hadith of Rasulullah SAW and which has been followed by our pious predecessors will be discussed to “strengthen ourselves and those who are attacking our stance as far as Tasawwuf is concerned also”.

The objectives of the conference are to unite the Muslims and ultimately revive the teaching of original and pure understanding of the “Deen of Allah SWT [throughout the world]. This is done in the hope that it will unite the Ummah of Rasulullah SAW on the basic and the most fundamentals of Islam “in such a way that we do not experience any harm from the attacks that have been made against our Deen”.

Various Ulama have been invited also to present the best of what they have in research and knowledge for other Ulama to benefit from. This will allow everyone to benefit from the sharing of the best of knowledge.

Another objective of the conference is to present an award to one of the great scholars of the world, a scholar who epitomises the message of the conference, “who has given his life and his breath and his time… his entire life for the Deen of Allah and for the service of the Deen of Allah SWT and he has also acquired a great extent of the knowledge of the Deen of Allah SWT and he has served the Ummah of Rasulullah SAW”.

The award has been named after Moulana Qasim Nanotvi RA, the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband, so that people may become acquainted with who the great scholar was. The “old system of acquiring the knowledge of the Deen of Allah” is what impressed the Sheikh on his visit to several Darul Ulooms in India six years ago and so he chose to name the award after the Moulana.

This method, Sheikh Muhyuddin said, was something he did not witness being practiced anywhere in the world to the extent and manner he saw it among the Ulama in Deoband. “The old system of acquiring knowledge, unadulterated system of acquiring knowledge from the scholars of Ilm and Deen that have no other attachments attached to them, not being bound by other forces that can adulterate their methods.”

He said this was not the case in the Arab world where we Islamic universities have become the place to acquire knowledge of the Deen. “The universities have a lot of evil within them and they are not completely pure as far as the place is concerned and as far as what they give off as far as the Deen of Allah SWT is concerned.”

He said the Ulamas in Deoband and other parts of India still retained the old pure method as far as their syllabus and books and system was concerned and he felt that this goodness needed to be shared with the rest of the world.

The general thought of Arab scholars is that the old methodology of acquiring knowledge is not to be found anywhere in the world anymore. “It has come to an end.” The conference hopes to make them aware that South African Darul Ulooms have maintained this methodology where Deen is being taught according to the original and old method.

Sheikh Muhammad Awwamah was born in Aleppo in Syria and hails from the blessed family of Rasulullah SAW through Hadhrat Hussein Ibn Ali RA. Sheikh was schooled by world renowned scholars such as Sheikh Muhammad al-Salqni RA, Sheikh ‘Abdullah Sirajudeen RA and Sheikh ‘Abdul Fattah Abdul Ghuddah RA. He is one of the most respected scholars of Hadith in the world.

Sheikh Awwamah is his son’s foremost teacher but Sheikh Muhyuddeen has also acquired knowledge in the conventional and academic system in the world in Islamic Science and the sciences and Fiqh and Hadith. 

 The conference will be held at Darul Uloom Azaadville and begind after Maghrib on Thursday, January 16 and continue until Monday evening. Anyone who wishes to attend is welcome but on condition of emailing or calling the organisers at the Madressah via [email protected] or 0114132786 to be accommodated.

Assalaamu 'alaykum

List of speakers at the conference: www.iiacsh.org/portal/page/show/11

1. Prof. Dr. Muhammad al-Ahmadi Abu al-Nur (Egypt, Jordan)
2. Shaykh Muhammad Awwamah (Syria, Madinah)
3. Mawlana Khalid Sayfullah Rahmani (India)
4. Prof. Dr. Abdul Majid Mahmud (Malaysia ??)
5. Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Fattah al-Bayanouni
6. Shaykh Abdul Malik al-Saadi
7. Shaykh Dr. Usama Abdul Razzaq al-Rifa'i
8. Shaykh Abdullah Husayn al-Arfaj
9. Prof. Dr. Qasim Ali Saad
10. Shaykh Salih al-Gharsy
11. Mufti Rafi Uthmani (Pakistan)
12. Shaykh Abdul Hafiz Makki (Makkah)

South Africa to host 2nd Imam Qasim Nanotwi Award Conference

umm Abdillah, Radio Islam Programming -  2013.01.16

The 2^nd Imam Qasim Nanotwi Award Conference is set to be held in Azaadville, South Africa over the weekend, insha Allah. An international soiree hosting the strongest academic minds from around the globe is being convened in South Africa under the auspices of the Sheikh Muhi’uddeen Awwamah, the son of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Muhammad Awwamah(db). The senior is a leading hadith scholar from Syria who currently resides in Madinah Munawwara. Three years ago, the first time this type of conference was convened, renowned and respected members of the Ulama fraternity gathered from 43 countries to meet in Istanbul. There, Sheikh Mahmud Ustaosmanoglu, also known as Sheikh Mahmud Effendi of Turkey was presented with an “Outstanding Service to Humanity Award”.

The theme for this year’s seminar ‘Unity of the Ummah’ has manifold objectives. Beginning after Maghrib on Friday, January 17 2014, over 3 days, lectures, discussions and academic discourse aim to promote the following:

a) An awareness of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah principals of Deoband Ulama among segments of the ummah (Arab, Chinese, Malaysian, and Russian etc.) who are unaware of their sterling academic contributions to Deen.

b) Averting calculated ploys and machinations seeking to distort the image of Muslim scholarship, and destroy its pristine outlook.

c) To create within visiting dignitaries’ and languid scholars deep impressions of our past Ulama, making clear their ways of thinking, and explaining their robust methods of discipline. Especially, in so far as their unity in Sunnah; Aqeeda; Fiqh; Hadith; Tarbiyah & Sulook, enabling scholars facing challenges with regards these, and reigniting a passion to tread along their steps.

South Africa was chosen because of our country’s internal infrastructure and ease of travel for international guests. Further, those with no knowledge of systems employed within structures where a ‘Deoband’ flavour exists would be able to witness first-hand methods of learning and teaching within Dars’ Nizaami Darul Ulooms; at the Tabligh markaz; and from organisations like Darul Ihsaan, The Jamiatul Ulama, MJC etc.

In recent times the term ‘Deobandi’ had been erroneously bandied about like a sect of Islam. Rather than purporting a homogenous and monolithic identity, an affiliation to Deoband merely draws on the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, Islamic revivalist and anti-imperialist ideology the Deobandi’s began to develop. These adhere to the concept of taqlid (scholarly authority of the Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, Sha’fii Imaams) and condemn inter-school eclecticism. Their Sufism is closely integrated with Hadith scholarship and the proper legal practice of Islam. The Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary organisation, began as an offshoot of the Deobandi movement.

The award presented at the end of the conference pays homage to Moulana Muhammad Qaasim Nanotwi رضي الله عنه (d.1880) who shouldered a renaissance of religious sciences in India and created guiding principles for madaris on which their survival depends.  Moulana Qaasim Nanotwi was called Hujjatul Islam (the proof of Islam). His lineage reaches back to Abu Bakr Siddique (rad), which is why he is known as Siddiqui. He is among the notable founders of Darul Uloom Deoband. Qari Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi (db), celebrated Islamic scholar and orator, the 8th Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, is his grandson.

We pray for the success of the conference with all its aims, and that Allah Almighty protects the ummah from dysfunctional educational systems; knowledge that is of no benefit, or bereft of amal. We pray for safe passage for those travelling to and from the venue and those who attend will share its’ pearls precisely and generously. Ameen.

Further information can be obtained via http://www.iiacsh.org/portal/ or by calling +27-11-4132786 or by emailing [email protected].

umm Abdillah, Radio Islam Programming – 2014.01.20

Herewith, a series of summaries of some discussions held at the 2^nd Imam Nanotwi Award Conference  in Azaadville, 17-20 January 2014.

Chad: Sh. Dr. Abu Bakr Wular Madhu (Masjid Ateeq)

1) Shaykh Dr. Hussein Hasan Abu Bakar, Imam and President at the Higher Council for Islamic Affairs in Chad was unable to attend due to other Deeni engagements.

2) Chad is a former French colony, a landlocked country in the area of northeast Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west.

3) Islam in Chad as the first (revealed religion) arrived around 640 AD. By the time Arab migrants began arriving in the fourteenth century, the faith was already widespread.

4) Arabic is not the maternal language of the majority of Chadian Muslims, however there are over one million huffadh in Chad.

5) Chadian Islam adheres to the Maliki legal school (which, like the other three accepted schools of Islamic jurisprudence, is based on extensive legal literature). They follow Ash'arism as Islamic philosophy

6) Most Chadian Muslims identify with the Tijaniyya order or silsilah, a brotherhood, which basically institutionalised its teachers' interpretations of Islam.

7) Higher Islamic education in Chad is rare; thus, serious Islamic students and scholars go abroad to study. Problems in recent times have arisen of extremism from students having studying abroad. This extremism and rigidity drives people, Muslim and non-Muslim away from Islam and creates schisms and factions destroying the image of Islam and is contrary to the teachings of Islam.

8) The Shia movement, supported by Iran, has targeted Chad as it has targeted many parts of Africa, seeking to divide and conquer.

9) Chad, like most parts of Africa remains plagued by political violence, and is one of the poorest countries in the world. We require duas and assistance to defect attacks on the aqeeda of the Ahlus Sunnah and Jama’ah and specifically against extremism and radicals who do more harm than good.

Chile: Ml. Sulaymaan Jada (Masjid Al Salaam)

Chile is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It stretches over 4,300 km (2,670 mi) north to south.

Islam in South America arrived with Muslim navigators from Spain and Africa who developed contacts with Mexico and other parts of Central and South America well before Columbus. Along the coast of South America Arab coins have been found dating back to 800 AD.  Columbus’ 1492 expedition coincided with the fall of Granada, the very last Muslim stronghold in Spain. This led to some very harsh times for Spanish Muslims, culminating in the Spanish Inquisition. This turn of events encouraged many displaced Muslims to go to the New World in the hopes of freely exercising their religion once again. “Muslim artisans in the 16th and 17th centuries, came to the colonies without their families and their descendants – Mestizos – born of local women, preserved their art in Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.”

In response, Spain created a “whole body of laws and regulations” in order to keep Muslims from inhabiting the New World. However, the Queen Isabella was unsuccessful in curbing this flow of migration, so much so that an increasing number of Muslims and Jews continued to settle in Latin America in the similar hopes of freely practicing their faiths.

Most of the Muslim from Africa encountered a fate similar to the Spanish Muslims. They were forced to convert to Christianity. Just like Spain and Sicily, Latin America was successful in wiping out Muslims from its lands. However, with time, it was reborn as a result of waves of Muslim migrants.

1) These migrants were mainly from the land of Shaam, bringing in a resurgence of Arab culture to Chile. Through the 1970s and ‘80s, there were no religious leaders or centres for praying. Muslims who maintained the faith met in the residence of Taufik Rumie’ Dalu, a trader of Syrian origin. In 1990 the construction of the Al-Salam Mosque began, the first in the country.

2) The work of da’wah and tabligh has assisted greatly in creating an awareness of Islam and Islamic identity in Chile.

3) There is an urgent need for committed male and female scholars of the Deen to aid in the efforts of da’wah in Chile.

4) Santiago has become a centre for Spanish translations of Islamic books and it still needs to grow.

5) We require duas and assistance in establishing small makatib and masajid all over the country given its geographical length. Further, the need exists to make halal food accessible, without which a Muslim’s prayers are not accepted.

Some text has been added to the summaries to provide context.

Summaries of the Highlights (Part 2) – 2nd Imam Nanotwi Award Conference

umm Abdillah, Radio Islam Programming – 2014.01.22

Herewith, part 2/4 in a series of summaries of some discussions held at the 2^nd Imam Nanotwi Award Conference in Azaadville, 17-20 January 2014.

Sh. Muhammad Yusuf (China)

The date when Muslims arrived in China is debated. Some say it was during the era of Usman (r) around 650–51 and received warmly by the emperor at the time.  Trade existed between pre-Islamic Arabia and China's South Coast, and flourished when Arab maritime traders converted to Islam. China's long and interactive relationship with the various steppe tribes and empires paved the way for a large sustained Islamic community within China. Islamic influence came from the various steppe peoples who assimilated in Chinese culture. Muslims served as administrators, generals, and other leaders who were transferred to China from Persia and Central Asia to administer the empire under the Mongols. In the Middle Ages, under the Ming Dynasty (1360-1644), Muslims were subjected to a program of the sinicisation of minorities, an assimilation of non-Han Chinese societies to the dominant Han Chinese state and society. This meant as a consequence, they had to practice their faith with discretion amid the predominant Buddhist and Taoist sanctuaries. Though things were different over the eras, the Tang dynasty; Song dynasty; Yuan dynasty; Ming dynasty etc. under China's current leadership, Islam is undergoing a modest revival. There has been an upsurge in Islamic expression, thousands of mosques and many nation-wide Islamic associations have been organised to co-ordinate inter-ethnic activities among Muslims.

We pray Allah grants the hidayah of Ieman into every Chinese home.

Sh. Dr Abdul Nazeer (Burma)

Myanmar is a state in Southeast Asia bordered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh. Burma's population of over 60 million makes it the world's 24th most populous country. Rakhine State (formerly Arakan) is a state in Burma. Muslims constitute more than 96% of the population near the border with Bangladesh and the coastal areas. Muslims arrived in Burma as traders or settlers, military personnel, prisoners of war, refugees, and as victims of slavery. The dawn of the Muslim settlements and the propagation of Islam is widely documented by the Arab, Persian, European and Chinese travellers of the 9th century. The current population of Myanmar Muslims are the descendants of Arabs, Persians, Turks, Moors, Indian-Muslims, Pakistanis, Pathans, Bengalis, Chinese Muslims and Malays who settled and intermarried with local Burmese and many ethnic Myanmar groups. They are mostly Sunni and follow the Hanafi school of Fiqh.

Extra text has been added to the summaries to provide added context.