Is Mufti Menk Salafi? NO!

I always thought that in Islam all Ulama deserve our respect, courtesy and honour. In South Africa they seem to have given Fatwaas ascribing (illicit and covert) Kuf’r to Shaykh (Maulana) Tariq Jameel (HA) and continue to condemn their own Ulama in the most despicable words.

Shaykh (Mufti) Ismail Ibn Menk (HA) is also a “Mufti” and also a graduate of Deobandi institute, so is his father and his brother? Doesn’t he deserve to be listened to and believed?

Where has he said that he is a Salafi???

And if he hasn’t said that he is a Salafi then isn’t it an accusation on his character to continue to write these things? We are told that if there are any disagreements with Ulama then we should contact them directly so why is Shaykh (Mufti) Ismail Ibn Menk (HA) exempt from such treatment? People can write, blog, make accusations and spread it all over the Internet DESPITE the fact that he is a DEOBANDI MUFTI!  These Ulama who expect people to contact them for clarification why don’t they contact Shaykh (Maulana) Tariq Jameel (HA) or Shaykh (Mufti) Ismail Ibn Menk (HA) before issuing Fatwaas?

Is it one rule for one set of Ulama and another rule for another set of Ulama?

If there is any evidence for Shaykh (Mufti) Ismail Ibn Menk (HA) being Ghair-Muqallid please bring it forward, every inch of evidence points out that he is Hanafi like his father and brother etc.

www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?107077-Mufti-Isma...

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh

Beloved Brother ibn Khuzaymah

I appreciate your mail. You are the FIRST person to actually send me this article and suggest that it could be the source of the matter.

The rest have chosen to gleefully knock themselves over by slanderous accusations whether simply forwarded or fabricated.

Allah Alone knows what the hearts conceal.

The attached document was presented in the midst of many SA Ulama at a symposium on Da'wah in Africa as a continent in 2002. Several of our Ulama also participated & presented papers according to the guidelines by organisers who happened to be the Saudi Embassy at the time.

Remember, my work and that of my family is directly and almost fully amongst local black rural indigenous Muslims in Zimbabwe. We also assist others doing the same. It is very hard work. Only recently have I started lecturing amongst non-blacks because of being invited.

The paper that you attached is regarding Africa as a continent & not South Africa as a country which doesn't really have issues besides the lack of sufficient work amongst black Muslims as compared to ethnic Indian Muslims. This too is improving in a slow way. Alhamdulillah.

I have travelled extensively throughout east, west, central & north Africa. If you have any knowledge of these countries you will know that the bulk and vast majority belong to mystical sufsim orders, dancing in Masaajid, hadra thikr, with graves in most Masaajid and wording beliefs of Badawi, Tijaani, Haqqaani silsilahs which are worse than any Barelvis we know.

Capetown is also slightly affected by this in the south.

The indigenous Africans of the South are also mostly Qadiri Sukooti and Jahriyyah which are outside the fold of what we consider acceptable. They are ignorant though of what they are doing though in Malawi etc unlike those in other parts of Africa.

They also did NOT tolerate and still have issues tolerating anyone following anything else in terms of math-hab or belief.

So mention was made in that paper about problems in Africa.

We do not have and still don't have correct syllabuses in most madaaris in Africa.

There is inter-math-hab intolerance. There is a lot of shirk & bid'ah in most of these countries still and this from a Deobandi point of view.

The need to carefully teach them what the true status of the math-habs are and the correct beliefs can never be understated. A few ideas were mentioned.
Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and a dozen other countries are deep into speaking to the spirits (wardens & shayaateen) of the deceased and using them as mediums and helpers. This is considered part of the Shafie math-hab by them. They refuse to listen to others saying their math-hab differs yet it is nothing to do with math-habs.

Now read the paper you attached AGAIN bearing in mind this background given to you by the one who wrote it many years ago.

It is in support of the four math-habs & the correction of shirkiyyaat that are still rife throughout Africa.

When I presented the paper at the convention centre, I clearly explained all this and we even had a Q&A session. Maulana Ebrahim Bham of the original Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa was the chair of my panel. Nobody had a doubt nor did I dream that something was about to happen.

Two boys with short virgin beards met me on my way back to my room the same day. They literally blocked me and started asking questions as to WHY did the Saudis invite YOU? I asked them who they were. They responded very rudely that that was irrelevant. I told them to ask the Saudis themselves and also ask all the other Ulama. Why pick on me? They asked me why I wear a red scarf and abaya. I said I always did since I was small. These boys were the most arrogant I have come across. They then said why did you write against math-habs? I was shocked at their conclusions and clear ignorance. Hatred was dripping from their eyes and jealousy was clear from their mouths.

They refused to tell me who they were and then they said, "You are a liar, you are a salafi. That answer everything."

I was shocked at these children talking to me like this. I told them to get lost as they are still smelling of their mothers breast and have no respect. I told them they should have asked open questions when there was a time publicallly to ask.

I left them and went off.

Years later I found out that these were two final year students of Azaadville. Muhammad Bhana and Masud Cassim who went on to become Muftis and have made it their business to convince the world that the Menks are salafis.

Masud Cassim is a now a senior Ustaadh in Azaadville and declares open hatred for me. They have become god-like figures where everyone must go to them to make Taubah and clarify that they are not salafi or deviant.

In fact Ml Abdul Hamid Ishaq who is head of Azaadville has a very big weakness of believing his students. So he too made his mind up yet they know our credentials. This then got to the Zimbabwean few whom we have had a fair share of politics with that no community is spared from and they too jumped on the bandwagon. It seems people forget they have a grave to go to and a Rabb to answer.

Now I see the label crazy AS Desai who has blasted the whole world also took off. AH Elias whose name appears as translator of many books whom a group of employed Ulama have actually translated, whom we have had major issues with, has also jumped in. Fearing backlash of such outspoken "ulama" other decent Ulama choose to remain silent as they are gaining nothing. If anything its good to just label Menk a salafee because he is not a South African & he has a huge following in South Africa.

Now I see even the UK Ulama are getting sacked in without understanding anything.

It doesn't mean that just because a Maulana you know said something about someone that it is accurate. Also you can't ask me to make a public statement and look like fools infront a makhlooq when they don't really know what's going on.

So Allah deals with it and those who slander are worse than those who backbite so they pay a heavier price. I have already seen results of this.

Anonymous people mail derogatory emails and messages on public and private platforms. Must we stop our work and send emails and divert from the path or do we ignore and carry on?

Those who made their minds up will not change them even if angels came to tell them. The lies is so bad and the falsehood that even if a public clarification was made because of accusations, they would find some loophole in it and still say the same thing.

I was even more shocked to read AS Desai of PE and the men in DeDeur say that we want to impose a salafi moon sighting in this region - when we have NOTHING to do with the moon at all.

Also that we are funded by Saudis and that is well known - when we have it received a cent of aid from them and none of us are employed or affiliated to the Saudis.
So if such is the laughable yet tearful condition of our "senior ulama" then Rasulullah SAS predicted that fitnah will come from Ulama and return to haunt them.
We have a lot of work to do and must ignore people whose statements come from personal vendettas, hatred, jealousy, sour grapes and intentional misinterpretation.

I will forward you some replies that I sent to some ridiculous mails. The funny thing is I am on the mailing list of the same persons who sent ME the about MYSELF! If they have my email couldn't they clarify like you did? It shows they have a mission to accomplish.

I hope you are not one of them. I have taken my time to reply and I am not going to do this again because Wallahi the work on the ground gets affected by sick accusations that are TOTALLY FALSE.

Barakallahu feek
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh
Ismail Musa Menk
Harare, Zimbabwe

www.muftimenk.co.za/index.php/about-mufti-menk/

Ismail Musa Menk was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was tutored by his father who is a well known scholar and Da’ee.

He completed his hifz and recitation courses at an early age and learnt the Arabic and Urdu languages whilst studying Shariah under his father. At the same time he attended an Academic College in Harare where he completed his secondary secular education. He then attained a degree in Shariah from the University of Madinah and later specialised in Iftaa at Darul Uloom Kantharia in Gujarat.

darul-uloom-kantharia.com/introduction.htm