14 book review

BOOK REVIEW

An Encyclopedia of Islamic laws gets published Ulama of last two hundred years’ urdu fatawa are compiled

By Mufti Jaseemuddin Qasmi - Coordinator, Online Darul Ifta MMERC, Mumbai

Details Name of Book: ‘Fatawa Ulama-e-Hind’ (Vol.1) Compiled by: Mufti Aneesurrahman Qasmi Publisher: Global Peace Organization, Mumbai Year of Publication: 2013 Price: 550 Found at: 1. B/201, Bilal Bagh, Almas Colony Road, Kosa, Mumbra, Dist: Thane 400612. Phone No. 00917303707605 2. Department of publication, Imarat-e-Shariah, Phulwari Sharif, Patna, Bihar. Pin. 801505. Phon. 0612-2555351.

3. Maktaba Anis, Deoband, Saharanpur UP. 4. Qazi Publishers and Distributers, B-35(LGF), Nizamuddin West. New Delhi-110013, Phone: +91-11-24352048, Fax: +91-11-24352048. Email. qazipublishers@yahoo.com

A

fter the fall of the Muslim governance in India, the well-established Islamic seminaries started Darul Ifta to help Muslim ummah as well as Indian courts in solving cases related to Muslims.

Fatwa means to inform someone about Shariah command in the concerned matter. As a Muslim, it is compulsory to act upon fatwas because it is not a personal view of a Mufti but rather it is a verdict of Allah, as a famous Islamic scholar Allamah Ibn-e-Qayyem says: “Mufti’s obedience is more compulsory than parents…Mufti signs on behalf of

41 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

Allah”[Eilamulmoqeyeen:1/9] Having explained the position of fatwa, there is no need to explicate more about the fact that issuing fatwa is neither against the spirit of democracy nor it is a competing system with the court, but rather it assists Indian courts. There are so many cases where the two parties, plaintiff and defendant, solve their disputes relying on the fatwa or verdict of Darul Ifta. In fact, Darul Ifta lessens the load of Indian courts.

This book is actually an encyclopedia of Islamic laws. The compiler has made a galaxy out of several authentic fatwa books. He collected fatwas of

two hundred year ago of muftis of India and Pakistan. He has started to compile forty one books of Urdu fatwas together.

Sixteen books out of them are included completely in it. Even the repetitions of these sixteen books are not omitted but if one of these books’ fatwa is written in the main text then in the other books’ the same fatwa is jotted down in the footnotes. And the other 25 books’ fatwas are only taken when any fatwa is not found in those 16 books.

The first volume which is only published now consists of 572 pages and 251 masail. The book has strong

BOOK REVIEW and attractive binding. The book begins with an ayah of the glorious Quran: “So, why should it not be that a group from every section of them goes forth, so that they may acquire perfect understanding of the faith.” [Surah Taubah, Ayah No.122] followed by an hadith: “Whosoever secured perfect understanding of the faith, Allah will save him from grief and will provide him with sustenance from where he did not even imagine”[Musnad Abi Hanifa, Hadith No. 20] It is said about the famous book of Arabic fatwas ‘Raddul Mukhtar’ that it sufficient for a seeker of knowledge in 500 hundred books, in the same way, the upcoming ‘Sea of knowledgeCollection’ will be sufficient for him and will make it easy to understand old and new fatwas and will guide jurisprudents.

The unparalleled collection has some elite dignitaries’ laudatory comments.

Shaikhulhadith of Darul Uloom Karachi and Vice Chairman of International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Jeddah, Maulana Taqi Usmani says about this collection: “The fatwas collected in this book, all are the fatwas of reliable and authentic muftis of Indian continent and I expect that this compilation would be useful, Insha Allah”

President of All India Muslim Personal Low Board and rector of Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Mualana Rabe Hasani Nadwi states: “As the time rolled by, the fatwas issued in this subcontinent became one of the most authentic and trustworthy agglomeration of Islam which is found in various libraries under different names. It was hard to access each book of them. It gives me pleasure that Maulana Anisurrahman made them accessible compiling all of them in one set in the shape of an encyclopedia” The General Secretary All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Ameer-e-Shariat of Imarat-e-Sharia Patna, Mufti Nizamuddin says: “The language of India and Pakistan for religious work is Urdu. In eighteenth and nineteenth century, Persian langue was in vogue, and that is why, Shah Abdul Azeez authored books and wrote fatwas in this language.

After him, this work started in Urdu language. If Urdu books of fatwas are collected, it requires one separate library. Since the situation of India and Pakistan is approximately similar which naturally caused a great repetition in fatwas, hence there was a need of a collection which should cover all the fatwas of these books excluding the repetition.”

Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani

the member of International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Jeddah and General Secretary Fiqh Academy of India writes: “The present system of fatwas started in India after the collapse of the Muslim governance. To notice the significance of fatwa and its requirements, many distinguished knowledgeable personalities began to guide Muslim ummah by fatwa and India’s famous Islamic seminaries launched ‘Darul Ifta’ as an integral part of it. And to protect it from any sort of slippage, it was systemized in as way that one mufti was writing fatwa and many others would verify it, which is known as ‘Tasheeh-eFatawa’ in Islamic jurisprudents’ term.”

The compiler tried to include in this collection all the authentic urdu fatwa books but some are still left.

For example, Mufti Azizurrahman fatehpuri’s ‘Deen-e-Fitrat-Aap Ke Masail awr Unka Hal’. This book is vet valuable especially for business related issues as he lives in Mumbai which is the center of the attraction for the corporate world. So, I hope the honorable compiler will also include this in his outstanding collection.

The president of World Peace Organization Maulana Muhammad Usama Shameem Nadwi deserves congratulation for he shouldered the responsibility to publish it.

The following books are completely included in this collection.

1. Fatwa Azizi

by Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Azeez Muhaddis Dehli (D. 1239 A.H)

2. Fatawa Rashidya

by Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (D. 1323 A.H)

3. Taleefat-e-Rashidya

by Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (D. 1323 A.H)

4. Baqiayat-e-Fatawa Rashidya

by Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (D. 1323 A.H)

5. Fatawa Mazahir Uloom

by Maulana Khalil Ahmad Muhaddis Saharanpuri (D. 1346 A.H)

6. Fatawa Darul Uloom

by Hazrat Mufti Azizurrahman Usmani (D. 1347 A.H)

7. Majmua-e-Fatawa Abdul Hai

by Maulana Abul Hasanat Abdul Hai Lackhnawi (D. 1304 A.H)

42 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

BOOK REVIEW 8. Fatwa Imarat-e-Sharia

by Maulana Abulmahasin Muhammd Sajjad and some others. (1359 A.H)

9. Imdadulfatwa

by Hakimulummat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (D.1362 A.H)

10. Kifayatul Mufti

by Mufti Kifayatullah Delhi (D. 1372 A.H)

11. Fatawa Shaikhul Islam

by Shaikhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni (D.1377 A.H)

12. Imdadul Ahkam

by Maulana Zafar Usmani (D. 1349 A.H) and Maulana Abdulkareem Gumthalwi (D. 1368)

13. Imdadulmuftiyyeen

by Mufti Shafi Deobandi (D.1396 A.H)

14. Fatawa Mahmoodya

by Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi. (D.1417 A.H)

15. Muntakhabat Nizamul Fatawa/ Nizamulfatawa

by Mufti Nizamuddin Azmi. (D. 1418)

16. Fatawa Qazi

by Maulana Qazi Mujahidul Islam. (D.1422 A.H)

The compiler wrote 339 pages’ of an erudite preface, in the beginning of the book. In the preface, he introduced Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence) comprehensively where he touched upon Quranic knowledge, authenticity of Sunnah, consensus, Shariah analogy and way of inferring rulings from Quran and Hadith (ijtihad).

In his foreword, he justified following the Mujtahid Imams in the light of Quran and Hadith. He too jotted down nearly 50 pages about the record and history of Islamic jurisprudence, Imam Abu Hanifa’s way of Ijtihad and Fatwa and Istifta’s meaning.

The compiler emphatically stated significance of Fatwa and Mufti’s status as he denoted the conditions of Fatwa and Istifta and its etiquette in 27 pages.

He also threw light on jurisprudential services of India and Pakistan’s Ulama in detail. He wrote a brief introduction of India and Pakistan’s famous Darul Iftas (The place from fatwa is issued). At the end of his foreword, the honorable compiler made concise introductory notes

43 EASTERN CRESCENT | FEBRUARY 2014

about 35 books of Urdu fatwas and likewise he penned down 39 great Muftis of India and Pakistan their biographies and their righteous services.

The compiler Maulana Anisurrahman Qasmi is a scholarly personality and expert in Islamic jurisprudence. He is a member of All India Mulim Peronal low Board’s working committee as well as a senior member of Fiqh Academy of India.

He was born as a son of Abulkalam in Sathi village, Western Champaran, Bihar. After he secured graduation from Darul Uloom Deoband, he joined Jamia Rahmania Munger as a teacher for some days and enjoyed the company of fourth Ameer-e-Shariat Hazrat Maulana Minnatullah Rahmani. Later, he worked for a long period of time under the guardianship of Hazrat Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi as a sub - editor of ‘Bahs-wa-Nazar’ a famous Islamic jurisprudential magazine, and as an assistant Qazi and vice Qazi of Imarat-e-Sharia, Patna.

In 1998, he was appointed as a managing director (nazim) of Imarat-e-Sharia, Patna and he is still on the very post. Five years ago, he

was elected as a Chairman of Hajj Committee of Bihar State. He is such a sincere leader of Muslim ummah that he serves Hajj Committee of Bihar free of cost.

He is also a founder of several religious and modern educational institutes and patronage of various madrsas. He established a B -Ed college in his birth place, Sathi Champaran.

A humble suggestion The author has written in his preface on the book that he the book will be translated into Arabic, Hindi, and English. And the summary will be uploaded on the website: www. islamicsharia.in.

It is effort worth appreciating. But my suggestion is that only summary is not sufficient but the whole book with all four languages should be developed into new technological way with search option, volume number and page numbers as per the printed one like a famous Islamic Arabic electoral library “Al-Maktaba AlShamilah”. Especially Urdu electoral version should be prepared with printed version as soon as possible and this will be a unique piece of work in Urdu and it will increase its benefit and importance.